Pac 10 basketball stuff

[Russ Smith]

UA's Jawaan McClellan is academically ineligible and will miss the start of the year.

UCLA lost 2 high profile recruits to UNC this week as PF/C's Deon Thompson and Alex Stepheson both chose UNC. The UCLA "spin" is that Thompson and Stepheson both spent time this summer playing pickup games at UCLA on campus with Bruin players and incoming recruits Ryan Wright and Alfred Aboya, and reportedly told insiders they were concerned about playing time at UCLA and chose UNC in part because UNC lost so many players to the NBA their shot at PT was better. No idea if that's true or not but it does at least make losing both recruits on the heels of losing Napoleon Dynamite to UA a little more tolerable?

Also Dennis Dodd on CBS Sportsline is raving about the least heralded UCLA freshman this year Luc Richard Mbah a Moute saying he reminds him of a young Josh Howard. With Josh Shipp out with a hip surgery Moute has surprised everyone and probably won the starting SF job until a recent shoulder injury. The injury is not serious and Moute is considered quite likely to be a starter if not right away(senior Ced Bozeman may get the initial nod) fairly early on this year. Like Aboya, Moute is from Cameroon and was considered athletic but raw when recruited, but apparently Howland has fallen in love with his toughness and athleticism and thinks he may already be the best defensive player on the whole team.

We'll see, I've heard that both he and Aboya really struggle shooting the ball but are big east level aggressive players,will be interesting to see how Pac 10 refs react to that level of intensity, one would guess they'll be in foul trouble all year until they realize what Pac 10 refs allow?

 

[Russ Smith]

Argh, the bad news keeps coming for UCLA. Now freshman Aboya has had surgery on his left knee to have meniscus cartilage removed, rehab time supposed to be 4-5 weeks(yeah we Card fans hear that all the time. 18 months ago Aboya had the same knee scoped and 3 months ago he had his RIGHT knee scoped. They continue to say he'll be ready to go when it counts but I'm getting skeptical.

Aboya is projected currently as the starting PF with competition from fellow freshmen Ryan WRight and Moute. With Moute now considered a possible starter at SF(assuming HE recovers from his shoulder injury), it was thought to be Aboya and WRight.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Other Pac-10 news...

-Rob Evans has done a "good job" at ASU?
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=50490

-I'm surprised McClellan didn't get his appeal due to his father dying during the course that caused his ineligibility. It's not a huge deal, Rodgers will be fine starting at SG and Jawann's going to be back after only seven games.

-Sucks about UCLA as I was hoping they'd make the jump this year and get the Pac-10 back on the map so we can get some big TV contracts once the Fox affiliation ends soon. I'm sure they will also be fine as long as Farmar didn't get fat or lazy over the summer. Getting Bozeman back should be a huge asset as well.

 

[Russ Smith]

Farmar is bigger but it's all muscle. One of the side effects of Shipp getting hurt is that Bozeman will play more and since he's a former PG, they may let Farmar play some SG. They're raving about Collison the backup PG apparently they may even play him and Farmar together at times. So I'd expect Farmar to get less minutes and not wear down this year like he did last year.

The injuries suck, Shipp is going to miss the start of the season, it looks likely that Aboya will too. Even Mike Fey has a severe groin pull and may not be ready to go at the start. If Aboya were healthy he'd have picked up slack at C but it now appears Ryan Hollins will be the C and Ryan Wright the starting PF. Wright is quite similar to Hollins, ridiculous athlete, best leaper UCLA has easily, but he's quite raw and Aboya is stronger and more physical and thus was the starter until the knee problems.

It's funny that Bruin fans are all upset about recruiting losses and yet 2 incoming freshmen are likely starters this year, now Moute and Wright but eventually Moute and Aboya. Moute was thought to be the weakest of the 5 recruits, and the other 2 Collison and Roll are considered to be key role players off the bench.

The recruiting losses to UNC absolutely hurt the Pac 10,UW did get Spencer Hawes which was great for the conference but he's likely a one year player, both Thompson and Stepheson figure to play at least 3 if not all 4 years. Thompson is the better player he'll probably start right away and probably would have been UCLA's starting C as a freshman. Stepheson is a great athlete but a developing player, he wasn't going to start right away for UCLA and might not for UNC either.

 

[green machine]

McClellan didn't deserve to win his appeal.


The Cats will be fine though....they got a ton of depth on the roster th is year.

 

[Russ Smith]

FYI apparently UA got a verbal commit from 7 foot center Alex Jacobson who will be a freshman in 2007. Scout.com is reporting he verballed, he plays for Mater Dei in LA, very skinny but Lute's got quite a track record of developing C's.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Arizona begins their season tonight with an exhibition against Sonoma State live on FSN. Jawaan McClellan will be ineligible for the first seven games including tonight, but should return for the road game at Utah based on whether he gets it together academically.

*EDIT - And I forgot to mention 2007 star and Phoenix product Jerryd Bayless is announcing his decision this Friday down at St. Mary's. His decision is supposed to be between either Texas or Arizona, but with another 2007 recruit committing to Texas earlier this week the odds appear to be in the Cats favor. This kid is apparently more advanced and dominant at his age than Bibby and RJ were, so things look on the up and up for UA through the rest of the decade.

 

[Russ Smith]

UCLA blew out Carleton college 2 nights after they lost to ASU by 12. The best news there was UCLA did it with only 1 starter, Afflalo, and he was playing hurt. Farmar was out with a groin strain, Shipp out, Aboya out, Fey out (groin injury). Collison started at PG and had a nice game and Bozeman at SF and led the team in rebounds.

It looks like the main lineup is going to be

PG- Farmar
SG- Afflalo
SF- Bozeman
PF-Moute
C- Hollins

Freshmen Collison and Mike Roll will see heavy minutes at PG and SG/SF respectively. Looks now like Wright won't see more than 10 MPG, a bit too raw, great athlete but not yet ready to play much. When Aboya gets back he likely goes to PF and Moute goes to SF. Fey will back up Hollins, and ultimately when Shipp comes back he's the SF and Moute and Aboya will split the time at PF.

I got an email from one longtime Bruin fan who has been at practices and he says talking to coaches they just love Moute and Aboya, if Aboya's knees hold up people think those 2 will be foundations for the next 4 years.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Arizona begins their season tonight with an exhibition against Sonoma State live on FSN. Jawaan McClellan will be ineligible for the first seven games including tonight, but should return for the road game at Utah based on whether he gets it together academically.

*EDIT - And I forgot to mention 2007 star and Phoenix product Jerryd Bayless is announcing his decision this Friday down at Sti. Mary's. His decision is supposed to be between either Texas or Arizona, but with another 2007 recruit committing to Texas earlier this week the odds appear to be in the Cats favor. This kid is apparently more advanced and dominant at his age than Bibby and RJ were, so things look on the up and up for UA through the rest of the decade.

I REALLY REALLY hope we get Bayless (and things are looking good, i like that he has decided to make a commitment the week following the time he spent with Hot Sauce at the football game.....methinks thats a good indicator)

Im not too worried about McClellan other than i worry he might lose his starting job all together. Word from friends in Tucson say Marcus Williams is the nexy great UA perimiter player.....Ahh i can see it now.....Backcourt of my dreams

Bayless and Willams (and Chase Budinger too) lead the Cats to the 07' Final Four............

BTW Mao....i need you to keep up on this side of the board with me....i have no one to talk UA sports with out here in Florida so this message board is my only elixir.......

 

[Russ Smith]

I've heard good things about Marcus Williams too.

I still see UA as the easy favorite, if UCLA were totally healthy they might have a chance to push UA this year but I'm not sure they'll be at full strength early enough to push UA, maybe in the conference tourney.

I hate to say it given their offseason mess but if I had to list a surprise team to contend it would be Oregon. Kent survived for now the offseason nonsense and Hairston, Taylor and Brooks are all very gifted players. If they do one of those us against the world rally together things I could see them surprising everyone this year.

I think Stanford is a bit overrated this year.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I think Stanford is a bit overrated this year.

Disagree. Until proven otherwise I think Stanford has the best starting five in the conference. Three proven seniors in Grunfeld, Hernandez, and Haryasz make them the favorites IMO because senior leadership is crucial within conference play. I do however think Stanford's chances in the Big Tourney are not as good as UCLA or Arizona's due to their lack of athleticism.

And Russ, beating a team with only one starter that ASU squeaked by is not much of an accomplishment. The word coming out of Tempe regarding their basketball team is not very encouraging to say the least.

 

[PAQ77]

I REALLY REALLY hope we get Bayless (and things are looking good, i like that he has decided to make a commitment the week following the time he spent with Hot Sauce at the football game.....methinks thats a good indicator)

Im not too worried about McClellan other than i worry he might lose his starting job all together. Word from friends in Tucson say Marcus Williams is the nexy great UA perimiter player.....Ahh i can see it now.....Backcourt of my dreams

Bayless and Willams (and Chase Budinger too) lead the Cats to the 07' Final Four............

BTW Mao....i need you to keep up on this side of the board with me....i have no one to talk UA sports with out here in Florida so this message board is my only elixir.......

Bayless and Williams... Nice! But don't forget about someone named Nic Wise who just committed today. He's ranked as the 4th best point guard in his class. Ahhhh... The rich just keep getting richer!

Go Cats!!

 

[Arizona's Finest]

i know Rodgers was the high scorer..........but did you all watch the game against sonoma state......?

Marcus Williams...Marcus Williams....Marcus Williams....Marcus Williams....Marcus Williams....

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Watched the game and the Cats looked good.

- My biggest concern going into the season was replacing Salim's perimter shooting and we shot the ball well from outside so that concern is alleviated for the time being.

- The competition was well coached but athletically inferior and it was nice to see us put them away in the first half instead of half-assing a victory.

- Looks like Lute's going to go with a 10 or 11 man rotation this year because of all the depth which made Lute press nearly the entire first half.

- Fox and Rodgers look like they're ready to go which is obviously huge if this team wants to go to the Final Four. Of course, it is Isiah Fox and Chris Rodgers I'm talking about so any enthusiasm should be tempered.

- Verdejo is going to redshirt this year because of the depth at wing.

One more exhibition and then we go to Maui to face a difficult field strting with the Jayhawks.

 

[Russ Smith]

Disagree. Until proven otherwise I think Stanford has the best starting five in the conference. Three proven seniors in Grunfeld, Hernandez, and Haryasz make them the favorites IMO because senior leadership is crucial within conference play. I do however think Stanford's chances in the Big Tourney are not as good as UCLA or Arizona's due to their lack of athleticism.

And Russ, beating a team with only one starter that ASU squeaked by is not much of an accomplishment. The word coming out of Tempe regarding their basketball team is not very encouraging to say the least.

Oh I agree, I was afraid UCLA might lose at one point Afflalo wasn't going to play either. UCLA had most of their experienced players out. Carleton is actually a Canadian power, they're something like 75-1 in conference in recent years, but their tallest player was 6'7" so beating them is not anything to brag about.

My thing with Stanford is I keep hearing that Grunfeld isn't as far along as they are saying, the thing with him is he's a constant motion without the ball kind of player, and if he's not yet got the stamina, which is what I hear, it could really impact him. THey have a couple of other guards that are supposed to be pretty good but essentially Fred Washington is his backup. I do hear that Peter Prowitt is VASTLY improved and that freshman PG Mitchell Johnson can really run the offense so if Hernandez' back flares up, they have both Haas and Johnson now. I just have this feeling that they may have a harder time scoring this year with Grunfeld not 100%.

 

[Russ Smith]

One more exhibition and then we go to Maui to face a difficult field strting with the Jayhawks.

When does the Maui tourney start? My girlfriend and I leave tomorrow morning for Maui very short trip, we come back Monday. Just curious if we'll be running into a bunch of tall college kids at the Maui Ocean Center.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

When does the Maui tourney start? My girlfriend and I leave tomorrow morning for Maui very short trip, we come back Monday. Just curious if we'll be running into a bunch of tall college kids at the Maui Ocean Center.

Nov 21st is the day of the first UA basketball game.....

 

[Russ Smith]

Nov 21st is the day of the first UA basketball game.....

Thanks, we'll be long gone by then. So much for my plan to sabotage the UA team by taking out one of their key players.

"Whoops, I'm sorry Hassan did I accidentally knock you into the tiger shark tank, my bad. Hey weren't you the kid that badmouthed UCLA before you signed with Arizona? Now where do they keep the chum around here."

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Thanks, we'll be long gone by then. So much for my plan to sabotage the UA team by taking out one of their key players.

"Whoops, I'm sorry Hassan did I accidentally knock you into the tiger shark tank, my bad. Hey weren't you the kid that badmouthed UCLA before you signed with Arizona? Now where do they keep the chum around here."

Give me the Nor Cal talk about Leon Powe...is he ever going to get on the floor and become the force we keep hearing about?

 

[Russ Smith]

Give me the Nor Cal talk about Leon Powe...is he ever going to get on the floor and become the force we keep hearing about?

I actually credit Hassan with finally getting Lavin canned, I think him coming out and saying he was avoiding UCLA because he watched them practice and couldn't believe how disorganized it was became the final momentum to fire lavin.

Powe apparently looked great in the summer pro am league he was the league MVP and averaged like 35 PPG.

From what I hear he's regained some of his hops, early in HS he could jump, but the knee problems took that away. Even during his great freshman year he largely relied on positioning as he couldn't really elevate. I expect he'll have a great year if he can stay healthy. THeir problem is surrounding him, Ubaka has been a huge disappointment, Kately is gone, Midgely regressed. Cal will be a lot better this year I hear Omar Wilkes is looking good although younger bro Jordan apparently is struggling with the strength of college bigmen.

 

[Russ Smith]

FYI James Keefe officially signed his LOI with UCLA yesterday. We hoped to get at least one more big (Thompson or Stepheson) but the rumor is Howland is after some foreign big although nobody has a clue who he is or how good.

UCLA fans are convinced UCLA has all but locked up Kevin Love for the following season. Love apparently hasn't heard from Duke(his "dream school") in months since Nike booted Love and Coach K came out and defended them saying it was a business decision. I still think it's reasonable he might go to Duke along with buddy Kyle Singler, but most now think he's down to UCLA and UNC and with UNC landing THREE bigs this year(Brandan Wright as well) he may prefer UCLA. UA was thought to be in the mix too but apparently Pastner came out recently and said that Arizona did not appear to be a finalist, that's why many people assume UA took Jacobson recently.

Keefe is a really talented PF/SF should fit in nicely, most expect him to start from day 1.

 

[Lefty]

Lute gets another stud guard to commit. Bayless is rated the #1 guard in the 2007 class.
http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=106&p=...tedURL=http://arizona.scout.com/2/465259.html

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Saw the second haf othe UCLA game tonight. UCLA's backcourt was predictably good, while their frontcourt was predictably poor. That Luc Richard dude should get some playing time in the frontcourt soon enough because Fey and hollins are nothing short of awful. And the amount of empty seats at the supposed mecca of college basketball with a probable Top 25 team on the court was embarassing.

 

[Russ Smith]

Saw the second haf othe UCLA game tonight. UCLA's backcourt was predictably good, while their frontcourt was predictably poor. That Luc Richard dude should get some playing time in the frontcourt soon enough because Fey and hollins are nothing short of awful. And the amount of empty seats at the supposed mecca of college basketball with a probable Top 25 team on the court was embarassing.

Agreed the problem is season ticket holders are largely alums and they buy the tix and then watch the game on tv. They consider that supporting the school but it makes for an awfully empty Pauley.

Moute started and played heavy minutes, but at PF because Aboya is still out, he led the team with 8 boards but looked pretty raw to me.

I liked Roll, Collison is quick but looked REALLY nervous out there. Wright didn't play at all, Howland emphatically denied rumors that he was going to redshirt he says the game dictated a smaller lineup so Wright wasn't in the rotation.

Apparently the mystery foreign big recruit for UCLA is some serbian named Marko Spica who is somewhere between 6'7" and 6'10" and may or may not play like Radenovic. So not much info on him out there. APparently UCLA is close to getting a verbal from Darnell Gant out of LA another big kid, but considered no threat to Kevin Love's PT if he indeed chooses UCLA.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Pac-10 looks pretty impressive

CSU Northridge 81
USC 76

Tennessee Tech 90
Oregon State 62

Eastern Michigan 67
Cal 65

UC Irvine 79
(13)Stanford 63