Pac-10 Basketball Preview – UCLA Bruins
State of the Program
A new era begins for UCLA basketball this season. For the first time in four years, the Bruins will be without the fantastic trio of Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, and Alfred Aboya; a group that helped UCLA reach three final fours. Head coach Ben Howland will also have to replace first round pick Jrue Holiday, who declared for the NBA Draft after one season in Westwood. While Holiday may have underachieved last season, he was a shutdown defender who could have seamlessly offset the loss of Collison at point guard.
Despite all of the key departures, this is still UCLA. Howland has stockpiled excellent young talent at all positions, and if everything comes together, the Bruins will contend for another Pac-10 title. Certainly the expectations are lower for this team, but if you believe in Ben Howland’s coaching ability, then you should believe in the 2009-10 Bruins.
Impact Superstar: F Nikola Dragovic
By the end of the season, impact superstar status may belong to talented sophomore guard Malcolm Lee, but Dragovic is UCLA’s leading returning scorer and he can light it up from all over the court when he is in rhythm. The 6-9 senior from Serbia is a versatile big man with tremendous shooting range as well as the size to defend the four or five spot.
Last season, he averaged 9.4 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game and made almost 40% of his three point attempts. As important as his skill set is, Dragovic will also provide veteran leadership to a team that will need it.
I believe Dragovic is poised to have a big season for UCLA. When he’s hot, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better shooter in the conference, and if he can find a way to improve his tenacity on the boards all-conference honors are a possibility.
Needs To Have A Big Year: G Jerime Anderson
The losses of Darren Collison and Jrue Holiday left a big void at the point guard position, and Anderson will be counted on to fill it. The 6-2 sophomore from Anaheim (CA) has all the physical gifts necessary to become a star, but now he must prove that he can be a high-caliber floor general. Anderson played in all 35 games as a freshman, and averaged 8.6 minutes per game as Collison’s backup. He scored 2.3 points per game and added 1.2 assists per game, while shooting 31% from behind the arc.
Anderson has great length for the point guard position, and although he may not possess the quickness of a player like Collison, he plays with explosive elevation once he gets into the lane (reminds me of Russell Westbrook a little). Anderson’s development will be one of the key storylines to watch for this season.
Potential Impact Newcomer: SF Tyler Honeycutt
There are plenty of choices for potential impact newcomer, but Honeycutt’s ceiling is sky high. Ben Howland had this to say about him: “Tyler Honeycutt is a very versatile athlete. He is a good shooter, he’s good at scoring off the dribble and is a good passer. He is also an outstanding rebounder and has a lot of potential”.
The 6-8 freshman from Sylmar (CA) was one of the most heavily recruited players in the country, and Rivals, Scout, and ESPN.com ranked him in the top five of all small forward prospects. Some experts have compared Honeycutt to Tayshaun Prince, as he possesses similar length and athleticism.
Honeycutt was inactive throughout the summer due to a fractured vertebrate, but he has looked good in recent practices. It remains to be seen how quickly he can work into the rotation, but I believe it will difficult to keep him on the bench as the season progresses.
My Take
Obviously UCLA is in rebuilding mode, but so are most teams in the Pac-10. The turnover rate in the conference has been incredible over the last couple years, and the teams best equipped to handle it are the ones that recruit at the highest level. For that reason, I still see the Bruins as a legitimate threat to win the conference, but young players like Jerime Anderson, Malcolm Lee, and sophomore forward Drew Gordon must step up.
Ultimately, I see Ben Howland’s Bruins finishing third in the conference and comfortably making it to the NCAA Tournament. Most importantly though, I believe the young cast of talent in Westwood will grow leaps and bounds by the end of this season, and I fully expect UCLA to be setup for another run to the final four in 2010-11.
Projected Pac-10 Finish: 3rd Place
UCLA Bruins
| 
Basketball, Ben Howland, Drew Gordon, Jerime Anderson, Malcolm Lee, Nikola Dragovic, Tyler Honeycutt
This bruins team might be hard pressed to make it to a 3 place finish, but you never can tell. But one thing is that if Concordia can put up a fight then others can too.
Here is the thing. I think the Bruins have the most talented team overall in the Pac-10. BUT….they are really really really young.
The Concordia game showed how young they are (especially in the backcourt). It was just a sloppy game. Once they are healthy and gelling, I think another Pac-10 Championship is not out of the question.
Didn’t have a clue about that that until I’ve read this post. Very interesting indeed. Can I contact you for more details? ——– You might think I’m crazy but I adore best ceiling fan.
@Jim Thats good stuff
Hoeveel kan ik lenen? (hypotheek). Wat worden mijn maandlasten? (hypotheek) … Hoeveel hypotheek heb ik nodig? Hoe hoog is de boete die ik nu zou moeten
Hypotheek informatie, hypotheek aanvragen of afsluiten? Hypotheekrentes bekijken. Hypotheek aanbieders vergelijken, hypotheek vormen, bijkomende kosten,
Over de voor- en nadelen van het afsluiten van een lening zonder BKR-toetsing.
BKR problemen? Nu Geld lenen zonder BKR toetsing? Op zoek naar betrouwbare aanbieders? Wij vergelijken banken die u toch kunnen helpen aan een betrouwbare
Lenen Zonder BKR Toetsing Lenen zonder BKR toetsing stijgt in populariteit op het Internet. Veel mensen met een zogeheten BKR notatie, die toch geld willen lenen zijn op zoek naar …
I enjoyed seeing this, do you twitter?
Was able to really actually use my new sewing machine late Saturday night to make a custom clutch for my mom who is having rotator cuff surgery this Thursday. The clutch is user friendly for her and not nearly as heavy as the huge purse she had before!
Hi, i must say fantastic site you have, i stumbled across it in AOL. Does you get much traffic?
Just thought i would comment and say neat theme, did you code it yourself? Looks great.
yo this information is interesting. i might come back in the future.
Great post cheers, You must have a Facebook group for this site?