UCLA

UCLA Signs Pair of Top 50 Recruits

Press Release — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:16:13 -0500

UCLA head coach Ben Howland announced today the signing of Tyler Lamb and Josh Smith to National Letters of Intent to attend UCLA in the fall of 2010.

The Bruins’ early signing class consists of Lamb, a 6-foot-4-inch, 195-pound guard out of Santa Ana, Calif., and Mater Dei High School and Smith, a 6-foot-10-inch, 280-pound center from Kent, Wash., and Kentwood High School.

Lamb helped the Monarchs to a 31-2 overall record as a junior in 2008-09 for head coach Gary McKnight. Mater Dei won the Trinity League with a 10-0 mark and finished the year ranked No. 3 in the state and No. 12 in the nation.

”I’m really excited about Tyler Lamb joining our basketball program and family,” Howland said. “He’s very athletic and is going to be an outstanding player that can play multiple positions. He is a very good defensive player and has been a part of one of the best high school programs in the country. He has received excellent coaching, which will help to prepare him in making the transition to high major college basketball. He has an excellent work ethic, comes from a great family, and I think he’ll have a great career here at UCLA.”

Lamb averaged 14.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.3 steals (led the team) and 1.1 blocks per game (led the team) last year. He was a two-year starter at Colony High School (Ontario, Calif.) where he averaged 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.3 steals and 4.8 assists per game as a sophomore. He is rated as the No. 10 shooting guard and the No. 38 overall recruit in the country by ESPN. He was rated the No. 1 shooting guard in the state, the No. 8 shooting guard in the country and the No. 41 overall recruit by Rivals.com. Lamb was also rated the No. 14 shooting guard and No. 60 overall recruit by Scout.com and finished third in the voting for the Press-Telegram’s 31st Best in the West.

Smith averaged 26.8 points and 13.5 rebounds per game (school record) last year at Kentwood High School, leading the Conquerors to a 19-7 record in each of the past two seasons for head coach Michael Angelidis. In 2008-09, Kentwood won the tough SPSL North League Championship.

“I’m absolutely elated to have Josh Smith attending UCLA,” Howland said. “He is one of the best big men in the country. This was a three-year process recruiting him and we got to know Josh and his family very well. He’s a great player and a great person. He has outstanding hands and catches everything. He is one of the few players that is very effective and comfortable with his back to the basket. He is an outstanding athlete and has good leaping ability and quick feet for his size. He has a very bright future ahead of him and he’ll make an immediate impact at UCLA.”

Smith also averaged 21.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game as a sophomore while shooting a school-record 74.0 percent from the field. He also averaged 14.4 points per game as a freshman at Kentwood High. He is rated the No. 1 center and No. 10 overall recruit in the country by ESPN. He is also rated the No. 3 center in the country and the No. 19 overall recruit by Rivals.com. Scout.com rated Smith as the No. 4 center and No. 13 overall recruit in the country and he finished second in the voting for the Press-Telegram’s 31st Best in the West.

Pac-10 Basketball Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:33:24 -0500

With usual Pac-10 powers Arizona and UCLA in re-loading mode, the door is open for California & Washington to put their stamp on the 2009-10 season.

Conference Rank: 6th

10 year average: 6th

Pac-10 Page

ALL PAC-10 TEAM
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Jerome Randle	Cal	Sr
G	Nic Wise	Arizona	Sr
G	Isaiah Thomas	Washington	So
F	Klay Thompson	Washington St	So
F	Quincy Pondexter	Washington	Sr
Second Team
G	Derek Glasser	Arizona St	Sr
G	Patrick Cristopher	Cal	Sr
G/F	Dwight Lewis	USC	Sr
F	Landry Fields	Stanford	Sr
C	Roeland Schafternaar	Oregon St	Sr

Player of the Year - Jerome Randle Freshman of the Year - Abdul Gaddy
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
CHN All-Americans Jerome Randle (4th Team) Isaiah Thomas Nic Wise All-Freshman Team Abdul Gaddy (2nd) Tyler Honeycutt Kyryl Natyazhko Derrick Williamd *Withey may leave Arizona		Points: Jerome Randle 18.3 Rebounds: Landry Fields 6.6 Assists: Jerome Randle 5.0 Team: Washington 78.6

Pac-10 Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

12	Washington	Pac-10	1	NCAA
15	California	Pac-10	2	NCAA
29	UCLA	Pac-10	3	NCAA
42	Arizona State	Pac-10	4	NCAA
56	Arizona	Pac-10	5	NIT
86	Oregon	Pac-10	6	CBI/CIT
89	Oregon State	Pac-10	7	CBI/CIT
120	USC	Pac-10	8	CBI/CIT
141	Washington St	Pac-10	9
189	Stanford	Pac-10	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Pac-10?

Other Pac-10 Content

Pac-10 Fantasy Stats Preview

Pac-10: Top 25 Players

Pac-10: Five Year Ranking

Cheerleader of the Day: UCLA (Again)

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:36:41 -0500

Each day (just about), CollegeHoops.net features a Cheerleader (or Dancer) of the Day. Today's picture is courtesy of Icon Sports Media. Check out the archive for more

-- UCLA

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

More Cheerleaders!
>>		>>		>>

- Check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

- Also check out the Picture of the Day!

- Watch all of CHN's favorite College Basketball Videos!

Pac-10 Basketball: Top 25 Players

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:21:40 -0500

Ranking players is more art then science. How do you compare the potential of freshmen with seniors who have already peaked? How much does physical talent come into play versus intangibles and experience? How big a role do numbers play? All of these questions make lists like this fun and debatable.. if you disagree with CHN's rankings, post what you think below.

PG
1. Jerome Randle - Cal
2. Nic Wise - Arizona
3. Abdul Gaddy - Washington
4. Malcolm Lee - UCLA
5. Derek Glasser - Arizona State

SG
1. Patrick Christopher - Cal
2. Isaiah Thomas - Washington
3. Dwight Lewis - USC
4. Tajuan Porter - Oregon
5. Calvin Haynes - Oregon State

- Impressive that Cal owns the two top spots here, but Washington's backcourt is no joke either. Shooting guard in the Pac-10 is a bit weak compared to the other BCS leagues, even with Thomas included, even though he could have been listed as a PG.

PAC-10

SF
1. Klay Thompson - Washington St
2. Quincy Pondexter - Washington
3. Theo Robertson - Cal
4. Landry Fields - Stanford
5. Rihards Kuksiks - Arizona State

PF
1. Nikola Dragovic - UCLA
2. Tyler Honeycutt - UCLA
3. Matthew Bryan-Amaning - Washington
4. Alex Stepheson - USC
5. Leonard Washington - USC
C
1. Roeland Schaftenaar - Oregon State
2. Drew Gordon - UCLA
3. Kyryl Natyazhko - Arizona
4. Michael Dunigan - Oregon
5. DeAngelo Castro - Washington State

- The frontcourt talent just doesn't come close to matching the other power-conferences. In fact, most of the PF's and C's were secondary players for their teams last year, or are unproven.

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Cheerleader of the Day: UCLA

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:23:29 -0500

Each day (just about), CollegeHoops.net features a Cheerleader (or Dancer) of the Day. Today's picture is courtesy of Icon Sports Media. Check out the archive for more

-- UCLA

More Cheerleaders!
>>		>>		>>

- Check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

- Also check out the Picture of the Day!

- Watch all of CHN's favorite College Basketball Videos!

Pac-10 Basketball: 5-Year Ranking

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:18:52 -0500

PAC-10 5-YEAR STANDINGS

CHN's annual 5-year ranking answers a simple question is in a simple manner: Who has been the best team in the Pac-10 over the last five years?

Teams get points for league wins, making the postseason (NIT or NCAA) and winning games in the Big Dance. NIT wins are meaningless here, as are non-conference wins. Also, league tournaments wins are not taken into account. (An original trial-scoring system included points for conference tourney wins. But the flukish nature of these tourney's did more harm than hurt: ie, 2008 Georgia, 2006 Syracuse, and 2004 Maryland ended up getting too much credit despite the reality that they were mediocre to sub-par teams.)

100 total points is set up to be the equivalent of batting .300 in baseball.. anything above and beyond is all-world stuff. 50 points is mediocre and you only start to get bad below 40 points.

Pos.	Was	Team	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	Wins	Gms.	Points

1	1	UCLA	11	14	15	16	13	69	90	77	Win %
			1st Round	Finals	Final 4	Final 4	2nd Round			39	Post Pts.
										116

2	3	Arizona	15	11	11	8	9	54	90	60	Win %
			Elite 8	2nd Round	1st Round	1st Round	Sweet 16			22	Post Pts.
										82

3	4	Washington	14	13	8	7	14	56	90	62	Win %
			Sweet 16	Sweet 16	X	X	2nd Round			16	Post Pts.
										78

4	2	Stanford	11	11	10	13	6	51	90	57	Win %
			1st Round	NIT	1st Round	Sweet 16	X			11	Post Pts.
										68

5	7	USC	5	8	11	11	9	44	90	49	Win %
			X	X	Sweet 16	1st Round	2nd Round			12	Post Pts.
										61

6	6	Wash St	7	4	13	11	8	43	90	48	Win %
			X	X	2nd Round	Sweet 16	NIT			11	Post Pts.
										59

7	8	California	6	12	6	6	11	41	90	46	Win %
			X	1st Round	X	NIT	1st Round			5	Post Pts.
										51

8	5	Oregon	6	7	11	9	2	35	90	39	Win %
			X	X	Elite 8	1st Round	X			10	Post Pts.
										49

9	9	Arizona St	7	5	2	9	11	34	90	38	Win %
			NIT	X	X	NIT	2nd Round			6	Post Pts.
										44

10	10	Oregon St	8	5	3	0	7	23	90	26	Win %
			NIT	X	X	X	X			1	Post Pts.
										27

-Ties are broken by favoring conference winning %

Pac-10 Thoughts

- Oregon tumbles after a disastrous 2 win season.

- Stanford is slowly fading down the list.

- UCLA dominates the league with 13 more wins then the closest team.

- 3rd place Washington actually has more league wins than Arizona, but has had less postseason success.

Postseason Points

NIT = 1

NCAA 1st Round = 2

NCAA 2nd Round = 4

Sweet = 6

Elite 8 = 8

Final Four = 10

Final = 11

Champs = 12

Other 5-Year Rankings

ACC

Big 12

Big East

Big Ten

SEC

.. All

Pac-10 Basketball: Fantasy Preview

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:47:39 -0500

This is the 5th of six fantasy stats projections for BCS conference starters, one of my favorite series of the year, and a helpful guide when drafting for fantasy college basketball leagues. For an idea of whether I know what I'm talking about, check out last year's Pac-10 Stats Projection. As always, some teams were nailed better then others..

Keep in mind stats are highly dependent on minutes, and freshmen are obviously the hardest to predict. I try to note places below where other starters not listed may emerge or where competition for major minutes exist. Stats are listed by ppg, rpg, and then apg.

PAC-10

ARIZONA

G Nic Wise - 19, 4, 4
G Kyle Fogg - 11, 3, 3
F Jamelle Horne - 10,7, 1
F Solomon Hill - 7, 4, 1
C Kyryl Natyazkho - 9, 6, 1

Notes: The question here is where will scoring come from besides Wise? Fogg should be much improved this year, but the incoming bigs are no sure things.

ARIZONA STATE

G Derek Glasser - 10, 3, 5
G Ty Abbott - 11, 4, 2
G/F Trent Lockett - 8, 4, 1
F Rihards Kuksiks - 14, 5, 2
C Eric Boateng - 4, 4, 0

Notes: Kuksiks will need to step up his scoring output wiith Harden & Pendergraph no longer around. Lockett is a freshman, and is not guaranteed to start. Jamelle McMillan, the backup PG, could also start in a 3-guard lineup. Either way, McMillan should be good for 5 ppg and 3 apg.

CALIFORNIA

G Jerome Randle - 19, 4, 5
G Patrick Christopher - 17, 4, 3
F Theo Robertson - 12, 4, 3

F Jamal Boykin - 11, 7, 1

C Markhuri Sanders-Frison - 6, 7, 1

Notes: Last year, I severly underrated Jerome Randle's numbers and overrated the freshman. This year, the only unsettled position is up front, where Juco transfer Sanders-Frison will have competition from holdover reserve Harper Kamp. Backup guard Jorge Gutierrez will see 20 mpg as wel.

OREGON
G Malcolm Armstead - 6, 2, 4
G Tajuan Porter - 17, 3, 3
G LeKendric Longmire - 8, 4, 1
F Joevan Catron - 8, 8, 1
C Michael Dunigan - 12, 8, 1

Notes: Oregon hopes Armstead, a Juco newcomer, is the answer at PG. Dunigan averaged 8 & 5 last year in under 20 mpg and should be markedly better.

OREGON STATE

G Calvin Haynes - 14, 3, 2
G Seth Tarver - 7, 5, 2
G Lathen Wallace - 10, 3, 2
F Daniel Deane - 8, 6, 1
F Roland Schaftenaar - 13, 5, 3

Notes: Haynes was one of the bigger fantasy suprises in the Pac-10 last year, and its hard to expect much more then what he showed. Schaftenaar's production also jumped markedly last year, and he could score a bit more if his outside shooting % increases.

STANFORD

G Drew Shiller - 5, 2, 4
G Jeremy Green - 10, 3, 1
F Landry Fields - 16, 7, 2
F Andrew Zimmerman - 5, 4, 1
F Josh Owens - 11, 7, 2

Notes: Fields is the only fantasy performer of note here. Owens, a junior is your 2nd best bet. He shot a high % from the floor last year as well.

UCLA

G Jerime Anderson - 6, 2, 4

G Malcolm Lee - 11, 4, 2
F Tyler Honeycutt - 12, 4, 2
F Nikola Dragovic - 12, 5, 2
C Drew Gordon - 8, 7, 1

Notes: Dragovic is the only guy returning who played 20 mpg last year. He's a solid shooter, but will have space to shoot? Honeycutt is a big-time freshman, but last year's headline newcomer (Holiday) only averaged 9 ppg.

USC

G Donte Smith - 7, 2, 3
G Dwight Lewis - 16, 4, 3
F Marcus Johnson - 6, 4, 1
F Leonard Washington - 11, 6, 1
F Alex Stepheson - 10, 8, 1

Notes: Lewis is the go-to scorer now on a team lacking a true star. Stepheson averaged 4 ppg and 5 rpg at UNC two seasons ago and should come close to doubling that.

WASHINGTON

G Isaiah Thomas - 14, 3, 4
G Abdul Gaddy - 12, 4, 4
F Quincy Pondexter - 14, 7, 2
F Matthew Bryan-Amaning - 10, 7, 1
F Darnell Gant - 5, 5, 1

Notes: Thomas had a fine freshman year, but UW would be better served if he didn't shoot as much and others like Gaddy & Pondexter helped out. Bryant-Amaning is a potential breakout player.

WASHINGTON STATE

G Reggie Moore - 9, 3, 3
G Nikola Koprivica - 6, 3, 2
G Klay Thompson - 18, 5, 3
F Brock Motum - 8, 5, 1
F DeAngelo Castro - 8, 8, 1

Notes: Klay Thompson has future 20 ppg potential. Moore & Motum are newcomers, and both should see 25+ mpg from the get-go.

Projected Pac-10 Leaders

Top PPG
1) Jerome Randle (19)
2) Nic Wise (19)
3) Klay Thompson (18)

Top RPG
1) Castro/Catron/Dunigan/Stepheson (8)

Top APG
1) Derek Glasser (5)
2) Jerome Randle (5)

3) Multiple Players (4)

Fantasy Stats Preview Archive

- ACC

- Big 12

- Big East

- Big Ten

Poll: Who Will Win the Pac-10

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:38:49 -0400

UCLA Basketball Preview: #29

Joel Welser — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:23:01 -0400

Overall Rank: #29

Conference Rank: #3 Pacific 10 Conference

2008-09: 26-9, 13-5

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Ben Howland (152-54 at UCLA, 320-153 overall)

Compared to UCLA’s three consecutive Final Four appearances, the second round loss to Villanova in the 2009 NCAA Tournament was disappointing. That disappointment has quelled expectations heading into the 2009-2010 campaign. And the loss of four starters certainly does not help. However, Coach Ben Howland has a talented, albeit young, team that should be strong enough to keep the Bruins in the hunt for a Pac-10 title.

Key Losses: C Alfred Aboya, G Darren Collison, G Jrue Holiday, F Josh Shipp

Key Newcomers:

Coach Howland addressed his needs in the frontcourt with this talented recruiting class. All five newcomers are at least 6-8. The early departure of Jrue Holiday means the group on the perimeter could use some depth too. That may put some extra pressure on Mike Moser and Tyler Honeycutt who, despite their size, can play on the wing. Honeycutt has been shooting up most recruiting rankings over the summer and could be the player from this class that has the biggest impact as a freshman. Brendan Lane, Reeves Nelson and Anthony Stover will add some depth up front.

Backcourt:

The problem is that this team needs depth in the backcourt. Without Holiday and Josh Shipp on the wings, the Bruins will have to rely heavily on Malcolm Lee and Michael Roll. Lee was rarely given the opportunity to play as a freshman, but he is a great scorer who can knock down the outside shot and finish around the basket. Michael Roll is one of the few experienced players on the roster, but he only started two games as a junior. Roll hit an incredible 51.5 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc and if he can keep that up, the Bruins will not have much trouble scoring. However, Roll is pretty much just a shooter and without Darren Collison creating shots for him, Roll might not get as many open looks.

Frontcourt:

Yet again, UCLA’s power will shift to the frontcourt. Nikola Dragovic came on strong at the end of the year and ended the season averaging 9.4 pionts and 4.3 rebounds. Dragovic’s best asset is his outside shooting and he actually led the team in three-point shots made. Drew Gordon had a decent freshman campaign, but only averaged 10.9 minutes per game. Gordon is the most athletic of the forwards and his ability to hit the glass will be very valuable while Dragovic hangs around on the perimeter. With James Keefe, who started 14 games last year, and J’mison Morgan ready to battle it out with the newcomers for minutes off the bench, the Bruins will certainly not lack depth under the basket.

Who to Watch:

The master plan was that after Collison left Holiday would take over the point guard duties. Unfortunately, that little plan went away after Holiday opted to go to the NBA after his freshman campaign. That leaves sophomore Jerime Anderson as the starting point guard. He averaged under nine minutes per game as a freshman, but Anderson has the skills to run this team. He will not have to score too much, but Anderson needs to turn into a leader and keep the turnovers to a minimum.

Final Projection:

The success or failure of UCLA will likely depend on how well Anderson can run the show. But even if he does a decent job, the Bruins have to turn Lee and Roll into consistent scorers. If the Bruins cannot get points out of their perimeter players, the offense will have bouts of mediocrity. But Anderson, Lee and Roll are too talented to let this team slip too far and Coach Howland will turn this very young group into a good team by March.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Jerime Anderson, Sophomore, Guard, 2.3 points per game

Malcolm Lee, Sophomore, Guard, 3.2 points per game

Michael Roll, Senior, Guard, 6.7 points per game

Drew Gordon, Sophomore, Forward, 3.6 points per game

Nikola Dragovic, Senior, Forward, 9.4 points per game

Next Top 144 Teams
30		31		32		33

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Pac-10 Basketball: High-Low Preview

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:26:39 -0400

Everybody loves a prediction. People that claim to hate sports predictions are just jealous that no one cares what they have to say or that their predictions are never right. But sometimes when making predictions, certain teams or groups of teams are truly to close to call. On CHN or in preview mags, we do our best to slot teams into specific spots, but sometimes you just want to say honestly, teams A, B, and C are virtually the same and luck will determine how they finish. You can't say that in a Top 144 ranking, but I'm saying it here in a series of High-Low predictions. Instead of plugging teams into specific spots, I'll give a range for each team's finish and a few reasons why.

(How about the high production values with that picture?..)

PAC-10 HIGH-LOW

With programs like USC & Arizona undergoing major changes, the Pac-10 could arguably be a 3 or 4 bid league.

* my projected finish in yellow

ARIZONA
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Arizona's tourney streak will likely come to an end, but the rest of them Pac-10 is weak enough that the Wildcats could still finish .500 in league play.

ARIZONA STATE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Harden & Pendergraph combined to score 35 ppg for the Sun Devils. But with defense and good coaching, Herb Sendek's squad should end up on the tournament bubble.

CALIFORNIA
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
With the likes of Christopher & Randle back, there's no reason Cal should finish below 2nd in the conference. However, inconsistent defense and rebounding may keep them from winning the title.

OREGON
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
As bad as Oregon was last year, there's more than enough talent for Oregon to approach .500 in league play. Anything short of that and Ernie Kent might be out of a job.

OREGON STATE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Last year's surprise team has been predicted by some to finish as high as 3rd or 4th in the league. Expectations are probably too high at this point, and coach Robinson would be thrilled with an NIT trip.

STANFORD
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Even in a down Pac-10, Stanford's talent is still sub-par. Matching last season's 6-10 league record would be considered a fine accomplishment.

UCLA
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
UCLA loses all it's big name players, but is rebuilding at a perfect time. Some big-name freshmen and last year's sophomores should help UCLA return to the tournament yet again.. but a 1st round exit is likely.

USC
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
No program experienced as much turmoil as USC, but with the likes of Dwight Lewis, Leonard Washington, and Alex Stepheson, the Trojans should at least avoid the Pac-10 cellar.

WASHINGTON
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Like Cal, Washington has serious questions on the interior. However, the guards are so good that Lorenzo Romar will only need serviceable contributions from the likes of Gant & Bryan-Amaning.

WASHINGTON STATE
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Besides losing quality seniors in Baynes & Rochestie, WSU also loses the coach that turned the program around. Despite the changes, the Cougars have a stud in sophomore Klay Thompson who could score 17-20 ppg.

>> ACC: High-Low Preview

>> Big 12: High-Low Preview

>> Big Ten: High-Low Preview

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Preview Interviews