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email John Stansberry |
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AROUND THE NATION
Dec. 8, 2009
For UCLA, it'll get worse before it gets better
It's not even the middle of December and UCLA's season
is a basketball version of a train derailment. Not
only are the Bruins sitting at 2-5, they're an
uncompetitive 2-5. With little hope of turning
things around, this team could very well finish with
a single digit win total.
In six plus seasons at the helm, Ben Howland has
guided UCLA to three Final Fours and a spot among
the short list of college basketball's true
heavyweights. But the way he went about achieving
that probably mortgaged the program's immediate
future.
In an era when big time programs must perform the
delicate balancing act of having solid four-year
players to go along with the one-and-done guys,
Howland appears to have tipped the scales too far
over to the short timers.
Think about the talent that entered and exited Pauley
Pavilion before Bruin fans really had a chance to
warm up to them: Kevin Love would be a junior this
season, Jrue Holliday would be a sophomore and
Russell Westbrook would the team's senior leader.
Instead, they all bolted early for NBA riches, and
Howland just hasn't been able to recruit enough big
time kids to fill the resulting void. This season,
injuries and the mutually agreed upon transfer of
temperamental center Drew Gordon have only made
matters worse.
Holliday was the only member of Howland's stellar 2008
recruiting haul to break through as a freshman last
season. But with he and Gordon now out of the
program, the limited accomplishments of the rest of
that class are all the more obvious...and for Bruin
fans, somewhat alarming.
In regard to the three players remaining from those
2008 signees, point guard Malcolm Lee is going to be
good, but he's not making anyone forget Holliday
just yet. As for Jerime Anderson and J'mison Morgan,
they've both been victimized by the program's injury
epidemic.
There are no instant impact players among Howland's
latest recruiting class, with Reeves Nelson being
the only true freshman to start a game this season.
He's averaging 7.6 points and ranks second on the
team with 5.3 rebounds a contest.
If this season is a lost cause, can things get better
next season? You gotta believe that the team won't
endure the same rash of injuries, so that'll help.
And the trial by fire of a losing season can only
help make these kids tougher in 2010-11.
Help is on the way in the incoming recruiting class,
with big man Josh Smith being the most coveted
center on the West Coast. The Covington, WA product
has superb hands and will provide a much-needed
inside presence. He will be joined by shooting guard
Tyler Lamb, who is yet another stellar product out
of the Mater Dei basketball factory.
They'll blend in with a group of returning Bruins who
won't exactly overwhelm the opposition with star
power. However, those returning players will help
Howland start tipping the scales back toward having
a better balance of four-year contributors.
If that's achieved, Howland can build a team like Paul
Hewitt's 2004 NCAA runner-up at Georgia Tech. That
squad was built not with one-year wonders, but on a
foundation of solid upperclassmen.
William and Mary breaks new poll ground
Since dropping a pair of games to start the season,
William and Mary is on a surprising six-game winning
streak. As a result, the Tribe is one of college
basketball's best stories of the young campaign.
Two years ago, a stunning run into the 2008 CAA
Tournament final gave the program its first winning
season in a decade. But last season, the Tribe
crashed back down to earth with a 10-20 record that
was concluded by a 70-48 thumping at the hands of
James Madison in the first round of the 2009 CAA
Tournament.
It appears seventh year head coach Tony Shaver has the
program pointed back in the winning direction this
go around. His team recorded wins over Richmond and
VCU during the current streak, making the Tribe the
unofficial basketball champions of Virginia's
capital city.
But the most shocking result was a 78-68 win over Wake
Forest back on November 28. The Deacons took a 6-5
lead early on....and never led again. The Tribe
polished off Wake by scoring all 18 of their final
points from the charity stripe.
Folks have taken notice, so much so that William and
Mary received votes in both the ESPN/USA Today
Coaches poll and the Associated Press poll. For most
programs that's an afterthought, but it marks the
first time the Tribe has received votes in the
national polls since the 1977-78 season.
However, you will find the program ranked this week in
at least one poll of note. For the first time in the
history of the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll,
William and Mary is ranked in the top 25 at No. 20.
What's been the key to the Tribe's early success? Look
no further than the 3-pointer, of which this team
has made 86 so far. That's an average of 10.8 a
contest, which currently ranks third in the nation.
This and that
Villanova hoisted up a ridiculous 39 3-pointers
against Maryland. They made 16 en route to the 95-86
victory....Is there a better name in college
basketball than Indiana's Bobby Capobianco?....Dayton's
23-game home winning streak will really be put to
the test this Friday by Old Dominion....First year
Memphis coach Josh Pastner has been as proficient as
his predecessor John Calipari at taking teams behind
the woodshed. The 5-1 Tigers have an average margin
of victory of just under 24 points.
John Stansberry is in his thirteenth season as
a senior writer for collegeinsider.com.
EMAIL JOHN |
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