Q&A time

If you could change one or two things about UCLA's football uniform what would they be? Could we use a stripe or something on our helmets?

Now do you think that Westbrook will leave for the NBA? DO you believe he is ready?

Do you have any info on how the Women's Basketball coaching search is going? Any names? Timetable? Also, how many scholarships are open for next year? We only lost Pluimer.

It has been pointed out that some student-athletes in the recently concluded tourney are older than 24. Without getting into the specifics of teams like Memphis or SC, what factors can play a role in having a student-athlete still around at that age? Doesn’t the NCAA limit eligibility for basketball players, as they do for football, even while allowing redshirt years for injuries?

Now do you think that Westbrook will leave for the NBA? DO you believe he is ready?

Do you get the sense that the players on the BBall team are as good friends off the court like the guys at florida were?

Cereal or granola?

If we lose, say, 4 players to the NBA draft or for other reasons (like Aboya), does that make it any more likely that we'll land a solid transfer or two in the offseason and/or a blue-chipper who would've ordinarily chosen UCLA, but for his concern over playing time? In other words, will there be more windows of opportunity than we currently see?

Brian, thanks to you, Jill...and now Ramona for your collective work on this blog. It is most certainly appreciated and enjoyed by this particular reader. On to the questions:

1. Now that Chow has indicated that Rassaan and C-Force will likely be down on the depth chart, is there any chance we may see OR getting reps at one of the wideout positions?

2. Ramona blogged that Olson received less reps than Craft and Cowan the other day. Have you heard anything to suggest Olson would transfer if he's not given the starting job?

3. Neuheisel commented that he'd find a way to get C. Ramirez on the field in light of his impressive spring thus far. If not tailback, then where?

4. Does Terrence Austin appear ready to make "the leap" into being a playmaker on the outside that the Bruins desperately need? Who else appears ready to establish himself as a playmaker this fall?

What do you think of the recruiting websites? Am I overanalyzing, or do these sites in many ways become a way for schools to communicate with players when they're not supposed to - indirectly, anyway? I'm definitely not singling out any school -- it just seems to me to be a phenomenon that wasn't taken into account when the NCAA devised its rules.

The kid Morgan from LSU, any chance of us landing him now that it is apparent that kevin love is leaving and immediate playing time is in his future?

The kid Morgan from LSU, any chance of us landing him now that it is apparent that kevin love is leaving and immediate playing time is in his future?

Brian, do you use the popular recruiting websites (scout.com, rivals.com) to get any of your information about prospects or what not, or do you solely use your sources within or around UCLA.

Any word on Luc possibly testing the NBA waters? I know last year he mentioned to you that he was pretty close to declaring for the draft, which was a surprise...

Do you have any insight as to why the coaching staff did not bring in a center in the 2007 or 2008 recruiting classes? They had to know that Love was a possible one and done and it doesn't seem like Coach Howland to not be prepared for that.

Brian-

Where do we stand with Renardo Sidney?

On the football side, are we a serious player for Michael Phillipp and the QB, Aaron Murray?

will UCLA actively pursue some transfers, in particular big men, to help in the middle? with some recent hirings and firings of college coaches, will that open up the recruitment for any high school player (ie. Morgan of LSU)? will UCLA pursue Taylor King, and if so, how will he fit into the program?

It appears that the rb position won't be decided until the end of fall practice. Do you see Raymond Carter and Aundre Dean getting most of the carries or even Milton Knox?

If our big three leave, how do you see our starting line up next year--and do you think we'll have a good shot at the Pac-10 title/Elite-8/possibly Final 4? I'm projecting it as Jrue Holiday; Lee/Anderson; Shipp (though he could leave too); Keefe; and Luc. Where will Mike Roll, Stanback, and Drew Gordon fitting in?

Do you think UCLA will offer enough to get a decent assitant like the Tennessee one you mentioned earlier? I know there are a lot of talented girls in Cali and while I dont care about Womens BBall, I would still like them to at least be among the top 3 teams every year, is this reasonable?

There is a hot recruiting rumor from goodmanonfox about J'mison Morgan. Have you heard anything, Brian? Thanks.

"RANDOM NOTES: One source told me that LSU signee J’Mison “Bobo” Morgan, one of the elite big men in the country, could wind up being Kevin Love’s replacement in the middle at UCLA. The Bruins recruited Morgan heavily before he chose the Tigers."

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/goodmanonfox

How much playing time do you think Love and Collison will get in their first year in the NBA?

Also, is there any incentive for them to stay in college? (Besides an education, of course.)

I heard on Fox radio today out of LA., that there is a very good chance that Morgan who was headed to lsu to play basketball will change his mind and come to Westwood. Any thots on that?

Have you heard about a possible "secret recruit" in the 2008 class from England, Phill Wait 7'1" 265. He is now at the "Gran Canaria Academy" in Spain. Donny Daniels went all the way to Europe to see him play. Will CBH offer Wait after Love officially declares for the draft?

Thoughts on the LA Times merging What's Bruin and Everything Trojan blogs? Are you and your superiors giddy that this might make your site more popular than it already is?

What's the post mortem on Josh Shipp's lost shot from outside? Rumor has it that he might choose to go to Europe and play pro; any idea about that?

I know you believe Love and Collison are gone, but for sake of argument; if they both come back, along with Westbrook and everyone, would the Bruins have enough scholarships for the incoming Freshman? What about adding Tyler King? Who would be left out if we didn't have enough?

How does the Aboya situation work in terms of scholarships? If he leaves, it would seem we have another available. If he stays and goes to grad school at UCLA will that still eat up a scholie?

Any possiblity of Alex Stephenson of North Carolina transferring to UCLA? Though he would have to sit out one year, he would get two years to be the starting center for the Bruins, and of course he would be coming home since he's a Harvard Westlake product.

Brian, In view of recent news articles regarding how NCAA is distributing Final 4 tickets, I believe this will eventually price the grass roots college fans out of the market place. I personally decided not to go to San Antonio this year because it just was not enjoyable watching a basketball game by sitting in the upper level seats in a football stadium the last 2 years.

What is your take on this issue?

With all this talk about possibly six players leaving from this year's team do you think its appropriate to say all 4 or 3 incoming freshmen could start next year?

What would you consider a successful season next year if Love, Collison, Aboya, and Westbrook do not return? Do you think USC has a good shot at next season of winning the Pac-10 considering only Mayo is a likely leave while UCLA, Stanford, and Arizona will be losing a lot of their veteran talent?

Can you elaborate further on Coach Howland input in regard to Nikola Dragovich? He said, "my thing is for him to be more committed as a basketball player."

Brian, A noted Women's B-ball fan, Brandon Huffman of BRO, has said in the past that the men's game has lost the fundamentals and teamwork that can still be found in the womens game. He actually finds it more enjoyable than the mens game, much like Coach Wooden. Which game do you prefer?

Brian: What is your take on the new One and Done Rule...Is it good for college basketball, and forget what is said on ESPN and the rest of the so called experts?

do you agree with Norm Chow that Pat Cowan has a stronger arm than Ben Olson?

what would you have done differenly on O v Memphis if you were HC?

what would you have done differenly on D v Memphis if you were HC?

How well has Olson been dropping back to pass?

How much hesitation is Olson exhibiting trying to pass? Are open receivers not being thrown to? Is he late with the ball over the middle?

Below in excerpt from D. Pucin LA Times story.

So based upon the Howland news conf. Either Howland is the biggest liar or Pucin's source is full of it.

Sources said UCLA Coach Ben Howland was told of the decisions Monday. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to make an announcement until after Howland holds a season-ending news conference this afternoon.

So where is this sources announcements about Love and Collison.

I use to read and contribute regularly to the Bruin blog from the LA Times, but now I have left due to their combining with the the Trojan blog!! How idiotic is that!!

AW

Is there any substance to the Alex Stepheson transfer rumor that you know of? Supposedly he's thinking of transferring to UCLA.

2 Questions:

1) Assuming Aboya leaves with Love, do you think Howland could at least entertain the thought of a zone? We'll have two guys available at C (Keefe and Gordon) and loaded with a pile of guards.

2) What do you think about Stanback? Understandably, he didn't get a lot of PT this year but the times he did come in, he looked a bit deer in headlights. I had high hopes for him but I'm wondering if he'll start next year or if he'll be 2nd or even 3rd string.

Thanks.

With us only having 2-4 PF's/C's for next season
Keefe, Aboya, Luc and Gordon seems like a pretty thin core of bigs...how is Ben going to solve this problem especially if Aboya and or Luc leave?

Is there any possibility Nikola and or Chace are told to put on some weight to play a hybrid SF/PF next season to add depth?

Are we now seriously considering offering Krys or any other HS player, JC player or Euro to add PF/C depth?

Any more word on Norm Chow's salary for the next few years with the titans still on the hook for a few more million?

Do you look at UCLA as Norm's last job before retirement as i would imagine UCLA QB recruits want to know if he's here for the long run

Brian-

Do you expect us to start picking up the pace in terms of offering scholarships to football recruits? Also, is it likely Forcier or Rasshan will transfer out of the program because neither is one of the top three?

Brian, I read on Scout about some of the 5* recruits and wondered if you could shed light on just how interested guys like Kennard, Cierre Wood, Davenport, and Teo are in UCLA?

What are the minimum requirements for a football player to be considered for a scholarship in terms of GPA/SAT? Also, do the coaches typically offer scholarships to borderline kids before seeing their transcripts?

Based upon the depth at center and the departure of Mata-Real and possible departures of Love and Aboya, have you heard whether we will recruit any other bigs for the 2008 class? I know you mentioned interest in Morgan, but is there any interest in guys like Frank Ben-Eze, the one-time Harvard commit?

Based upon what you have seen from spring practice so far, can you provide any differences between the new coaches and the coaches that they replaced? It seems that there have been articles about the difference between the head coaches, but I was wondering in particular with respect to the styles and teaching methods of the offensive position coaches, who have all been replaced.

Also, have you noticed any differences in the players based upon last year (i.e., weight/strength gain, taller, etc.) or do you think the difference will be seen between now and training camp (since the new coaches have only been there for so long)?

Thanks again for all your hard work.

Which offensive linemen have been participating with the first team this week? Who seems to be standing out the most on the offensive line? Have any offensive linemen who do not have significant playing experience emmerged as likely contributers this year?

Any word on the basketball nonconference schedule next year? (besides ND at home, and at Texas)

Who is under consideration to replace Bob Lopez as Director of Football Operations? Do they plan to hire someone quickly with recruiting for the 2009 class heating up?

Why has Eric Scott not yet landed an assistant coach position at another Pac 10 school? I would have thought he would be highly coveted due to his recruiting abilities. Is there any significant possibility that he will remain at UCLA in some non coaching capacity?

brian, we're wondering what u look like, and we have a theory that u snuck in your pic on the "inside ucla" banner up top. is that u on the way right side wearing shades a tank top or something that has a W on it?

are there any great names who were "one and done" in bruin history? do u think it is a valid concern for klove to live with that label forever if he leaves, or do u think it wont matter and no one will remember the one-and-done-ness of it all? what are kevins feelings about it? does he even care about such things?

Do you think most Bruin football players rather still have Coach Dorrell or if they are happy that Neuheisel took over? Also did it seem like players such as Bozeman, Thompson and Hollins were glad Lavin was gone and Howland took over?

Do you think Howland wished he had Ryan Wright this year? Did UCLA want him to stay or was it UCLA saying he should go somewhere else to get more playing time and therefore save a scholarship?

Brian, rank the probability of King, Stehenson, and Malcolm Turner becoming Bruins?

Brian, rank the probability of King, Stehenson, and Malcolm Turner becoming Bruins?

Do you foresee 2009 for the hoops team being similar to the Florida Gators of 2008...where lots of talented players left the program and the younger kids have a hard time getting the team back into the tournament.

Have you heard anything from the coaching staff regarding the recruitment of Frank Ben-Eze?

Who have you heard are some of UCLA's top targets in the 2009 class? Looking at the roster they are going to need a lot of players, especially bigs.