Our community here has just started the discussion about expectations for next year's UCLA basketball season. We are starting with the premise that we think Ben Howland no longer deserves to the caretaker of Coach John Wooden's program in Westwood. Why we believe that doesn't require an extended explanation at this point given the exhaustive discussions on this topic here on BN. Even though we think Howland no longer deserves to be UCLA's coach, the hands of this community has been tied by an out of touch Chancellor, who simply seems to have no interest in getting rid of an incompetent athletic director.
As much as think Howland shouldn't come back next season, the more immediate short term need to resuscitate UCLA's dead hoops program is to bring in a new athletic director, who can lead a competent search for the next coach of UCLA basketball. In the meantime, discussions are going on over here and elsewhere with regards to what to expect from next year's program which will include Shabazz Muhammad in the lineup. It appears that Howland and Kory McCray will lay an egg wrt recruiting of Tony Parker, which is going to be another big FAIL and waste of recruiting resources like number of other pursuit of national recruits in recent years (See Ray McCallum, Quinn Cook).
Anyway, with Shabazz in the lineup we are going to expect a national championship run from Howland. Along with a legitimate national championship run we are going to have the following top-line expectations:
- Line up a top-10 class for 2013 before the start of 2012 season that will feature commitments from a pg, sf and a post player
- DOMINATE and win the Pathetic-12
- Finish the regular season with a top-10 ranking
- Win the Pathetic-12 tournament and/or secure AT LEAST a 3 seed or higher in the Western Region in the Dance
- AT LEAST get to the Final-4 and no blowout/uninspiring losses to end the Tourney will be acceptable
- Finish with a top-10 recruiting class and follow it up with another Pac-12 title and at least a Sweet-16 run in 2013-14
We will hash out those parameters in the coming weeks and months. In general we are not going to be in the mood to any excuses. That said while those are our expectations, there are serious concerns about actual results of next season. Let's get into that a bit after the season.
Tracy Pierson from BruinReportOnline.com recently posted a piece entitled ,"What Will it Take To Turn Around UCLA Hoops?" in which he expressed some serious reservations about next season. The reservations stem from Howland's abdication from a defense-first mindset that made him successful in his early years at UCLA. From Pierson (piece not behind subscription firewall):
[T]he dilemma and central problem of UCLA in the last four years: What exactly is the level of defense that Howland demands now? It definitely isn't the same as it was during those Final Four years. We've said it before and it bears repeating again: UCLA has lost its identity under Howland because he just doesn't emphasize defense like he did during those Final Four seasons, and isn't recruiting the types of players who can play it. If you had to narrow down all of the issues plaguing UCLA in the last four years to the biggest determining factor of why UCLA has slipped under Howland, it's that: The program simply doesn't play the type of defense it used to.
In terms of next year's team, this is why we believe, even given the influx of talent like Muhammad and Anderson, that there's a decent chance it could under-achieve. We don't see it having the make-up of a great defensive team, if you go by the projected playing time we laid out above. Smith, if he's in decent shape, will be better defensively, but we can't see him really making the complete turnaround from extreme defensive liability to strength. The only way Smith can be a decent defender is if UCLA plays a zone, and we are pretty certain that just isn't going to happen. So, you have a below-average defender as you're starting center. The Wears aren't great defenders. They're better defending the four, and not having to defend the five or the three, but they're still limited by their athleticism and lack of overall strength. Strong power forwards will always have a chance to over-power them, and quicker ones will always be able to out-quick them. You can probably project they'll be better defenders with another off-season of development and you know they'll put in the work, but the defensive upside is limited. The days of having a defensive four man like Luc Richard Mbah a Moute are long gone.
There is going to be a question of who Anderson guards. He almost certainly won't have the strength to match up against college power forwards, so we think he more than likely will be the choice to defend the opposing three. It very well could be similar to David Wear trying to guard the three spot this season, however, since Anderson isn't exactly quick (his nickname is "Slow-Mo.").
More March Madness! Sunday Second Round Open Thread
Who wants a spot in the Sweet 16? Anyone? Anyone? Well, UCLA apparently didn't want a spot in the tournament, but eight teams have already booked their spot in the Sweet 16 and 16 more will take to the court today with the hope of filling out one of the eight remaining spots. More madness!
In case you missed it, Friday was the crazy day of the tournament and that is why just one of today's eight second round games is a chalk match-up. The rest are fulled with at least one team that pulled off an upset, and in some case, there are two upset pullers. Games like Florida vs. Norfolk St., South Florida vs. Ohio and Xavier vs. Lehigh guarantee to give us some big number seeds in the Sweet 16.
A couole names to keep an eye on: Michigan St.'s Draymond Green, who had a triple-double in Sparty's first round game and Norfolk St.'s Kyle O'Quinn, who not only led the other Spartans to a major upset, but also became a fan favorite for saying that their winning busted his own bracket and singing One Shining Moment on TV.
Today's schedule is below. All of the games are being televised, on one of four networks (CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV) and streamed online via MMOD ($3.99 for the remainder of the tournament).
- 9:15 am PT: Georgetown (3) vs. NC State (11) - CBS
- 11:45 am PT: Michigan St. (1) vs. St. Louis (9) - CBS
- 2:15 pm PT: North Carolina (1) vs. Creighton (8) - CBS
- 3:10 pm PT: Florida (7) vs. Norfolk St. (15) - TNT
- 4:10 pm PT: South Florida (12) vs. Ohio (13) - TBS
- 4:45 pm PT: Xavier (10) vs. Lehigh (15) - TruTV
- 5:40 pm PT: Kansas (2) vs. Purdue (10) - TNT
- 6:40 pm PT: Florida St. (3) vs. Cincinnati - TBS
D.J. Morgan looks back on track for USC
The sophomore tailback shows off his sprinter's speed with a 70-yard plus run during the Trojans' second spring workout. He says he's finally past thinking about the knee injury he suffered in high school.
 USC running back D.J. Morgan appears to be running at full speed again for the first time since high school. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times / 3) |
Still, the Trojans' second spring workout came to a momentary standstill Thursday after sophomore tailback D.J. Morgan took a handoff and blazed untouched more than 70 yards to the end zone.
The burst and acceleration that were trademarks before a major knee injury in high school seemed to have suddenly reappeared.
Well, not so suddenly.
The 5-foot-10, 186-pound Morgan has been training with USC's track team and ran a 400-meter relay event with football teammates Nickell Robey, Marqise Lee and Tony Burnett two weeks ago at the Claremont Relays. The focus on running mechanics and core strength, along with finally overcoming the mental aspect of recovery from knee surgery, has restored Morgan's speed and confidence.
"I'm so many years [away from] my surgery," said Morgan, the 2009 California state 110-meter high hurdles champion. "I don't even have to think about it anymore."
That's a positive development for the Trojans.
Morgan, returning starter Curtis McNeal and redshirt freshman Javorious Allen are the only scholarship tailbacks on the roster, a lack of depth that Coach Lane Kiffin has described as "scary."
"We just have to make sure we stay healthy," Morgan said, "because if one guy goes down that's a big burden on the other two backs."
Morgan is looking forward to playing without the burden of inexperience.
Last season as a redshirt freshman, he started the first two games but fell out of the rotation because of fumbling issues.
Morgan said he was affected by the pressure of "trying to do everything right," while executing plays in a packed stadium with his mind still not completely clear of doubts about his knee.
"My mind was just going so fast," he said, "I didn't have time to slow things down."
Now, his legs appear to be moving at full speed.
"He looked different to me," said running backs Coach Kennedy Polamalu, assessing the breakaway run. "Not indecisive."
The time on the track has helped.
"I'm in my track form and my track shape," he said. "I'm able to translate it onto the field."
Quick hits Sophomore receiver Marqise Lee made the play of the day when he leaped and extended his body to catch a pass from quarterback Matt Barkley that appeared destined to sail incomplete. "He's still putting in work like he has to earn something," Barkley said. ... Receiver George Farmer was sidelined because of a hamstring strain, defensive tackle Greg Townsend because of a back issue, Kiffin said.
gary.klein@latimes.com
twitter.com/latimesklein
pac 12 champions Fight On SC WeAreSC SCPlaybook Scott Wolf Colin Cowherd usc football