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Don’t look now, but it’s coming. For once in a long,
long time, and for all the right reasons, we haven’t heard
much about it in the summer and early fall months. But get ready
because around these parts, it’s shaping up to be memorable
one.
The “it” I am referring to is the college basketball
season, of course.
College basketball? But it’s early October.
Shouldn’t we be talking about the baseball playoffs, or the
NFL or, for goodness sakes, UCLA’s undefeated, seventh-ranked
football team?
Yes, but it’s about time we started to get excited about
the college basketball season, which tips off less than a month
from now. Besides, we are supposed to be a basketball school,
right?
For the first time since 1995, the UCLA men’s basketball
team has a legitimate shot at winning the national
championship.
Oh, I know that every year we expect the Bruins to make a run at
the title. We always expect too much from our Bruins.
But the frustrating part is that something has always gotten in
the way in recent years that has prevented the Bruins from
returning to the upper echelon of college basketball.
UCLA has had its fair share of suspensions, rumored recruiting
violations, suspicions of NCAA rules violations, major injuries and
early defections to the NBA “”mdash; you name it, head coach Steve
Lavin has experienced it. In fact, it was Lavin’s frequency
of being snake-bitten, either through his own self-made troubles or
through events beyond his control, that had me calling for Rick
Pitino to replace him in this very column months ago.
But now, Lavin and the UCLA program appear to be on the right
track. There are no scandals to deal with. The team finally has a
balance of experienced juniors and seniors and fresh-faced
underclassmen.
And perhaps the strangest and most pleasant surprise is that
NBA-ready players Dan Gadzuric and Jason Kapono both actually chose
to stay at UCLA instead of taking the money and running.
The Bruins have always had the talent. Now they have the
balance, experience and stability to go with it. They’ve
managed to stay off the radar screen this summer, but we should all
expect big things from this team. Here’s why UCLA will
dominate the Pac-10 and can win the national title:
“¢bull; Talent. The talent has always been there. Gadzuric, one
of the few big men in college basketball who can play, and Kapono,
the lights-out gunner, are legitimate All-American candidates.
Forward Matt Barnes should improve on his breakout season a year
ago. His low post moves are almost unstoppable.
Highly-touted freshman point guard Cedric Bozeman has big shoes
to fill with the departure of Earl Watson. But with so much veteran
talent around him, Bozeman can ease into a leadership role.
“¢bull; Depth. This is probably the deepest team Lavin has had
in his six years in Westwood. T.J. Cummings, Josiah Johnson, and
Andre Patterson can spell Gadzuric and Barnes up front. Cummings
could emerge into the best sixth-man in the country.
The vocal Rico Hines returns after a year lost to injury to
provide toughness and leadership at the guard position. Ray Young
and Dijon Thompson will also contribute at guard.
“¢bull; Their press. The Bruins’ pressing and trapping
defense has been the formula to success since Lavin implemented it
last year. UCLA has the athletes to press for 40 minutes.
Less-experienced teams are apt to crumble under the pressure. And
the turnovers caused by it lead to big offensive runs for the
Bruins.
“¢bull; Schedule. UCLA will get tested early on in the Maui
Invitational, in which Duke, Kansas and Seton Hall will all
compete. But the Bruins also have a chance to really rack up some
wins and climb in the rankings once Pac-10 play beings. The
conference is much weaker this year with both Arizona and Stanford
losing key players to the NBA.
The Pac-10 should be UCLA’s for the taking. With a strong
record, the Bruins may be able to grab a top seed in the
tournament.
But before we start envisioning any celebratory riots in
Westwood in April, a few words of caution: these are still the
Bruins. It’s fate that they’ll fall short of
expectations, right? Well, perhaps. For you cynics out there,
here’s why UCLA will finish third in the Pac-10 and lose in
the Sweet 16 yet again:
“¢bull; Inconsistency. Dan Gadzuric can dominate a basketball
game. He can also pick up three fouls in the first five minutes and
spend most of the evening sitting next to Lavin and the waterboy on
the bench.
Gadzuric’s past struggles characterize the Bruin team.
UCLA has the potential to blow out the top-ranked team in the
nation. But the Bruins can just as easily lose at home to a lowly
team that struggles to win five games in a small conference. Can
UCLA play well game in and game out?
“¢bull; Lofty expectations. It’s unrealistic for any
school to expect to win a national title every year ““ except
Duke, of course. This year there will be more pressure than ever on
UCLA to win it all. Will they be able to stand the heat?
“¢bull; Duke. Need I say more?
It should be an interesting year at Pauley Pavilion, but this
year for all the right reasons. The Bruins are finally in position
to make a run to the Final Four. I, for one, am ready to book my
ticket for Atlanta.
Hopefully the Bruins will be joining me.