The UCLA football team will conclude spring practice with a
scrimmage Saturday. The team will not reconvene for practice until
August. The Bruins, beset with injuries, will adjust the scrimmage
to a more situational-type practice, as opposed to the game-type
conditions they had originally planned. Starting offensive linemen
Ed Blanton and Mike McCloskey and
running back Maurice Drew will not participate due to injuries. The
scrimmage is open to the public and starts at 11:00 a.m. at
Spaulding Field.
BASKETBALL: The NCAA Board of Directors ruled
on Thursday that men’s teams will be prohibited from
scheduling exhibitions against non-collegiate opponents, according
to The Associated Press. This means that UCLA will no longer play
such teams as EA Sports or the Southern California All-Stars. The
measure will go into effect on Aug. 1, though contracts signed
prior to Oct. 21, 2003, will still be honored. The ruling does not
apply to women’s teams. The directors want to end any
recruiting advantages schools may gain by facing prospective
players. The board also decided to allow athletes more access to
financial aid from non-athletic sources. Additionally, colleges can
now offer financial aid to incoming athletes the summer before
their freshman year and cover medical expenses even when injuries
are not related to athletics.
WOMEN’S GOLF: The Bruins were given the
No. 1 seed in the NCAA West regional, which starts May 6 at
Stanford.
Compiled by Bruce Tran and Ben Peters, Bruin sports senior
staff, with reports by The Associated Press.