Pac-10 Basketball Preview – UCLA Bruins
Comments (3) 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.
