UCLA’s sophomore guards Arron Afflalo and Jordan Farmar
might be staying in Los Angeles even if they forego their two years
of college eligibility for the NBA. Both the Lakers and the
Clippers will stage private workouts for Afflalo and Farmar, the
Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday. Both guards, who declared
for the NBA Draft on April 20, are projected to be late first-round
or early second-round picks if they stay in this year’s
draft, held June 28. It is usually customary for NBA teams to host
workouts for their local eligible prospects. Last week, ESPN.com
reported that UCLA assistant coach Kerry Keating was in Los Angeles
viewing local NBA workouts to help prepare for both the Laker and
Clipper workouts. Both players, however, can’t work out for
either team until they become part-time students. They are
projected to do that by Friday, when they drop one of their three
classes. Taking two classes will help both players retain their
eligibility if they decide to return to UCLA next season. Both
players are still eligible to return, as they did not sign with an
agent when declaring for the draft. Since they didn’t hire an
agent, however, both players have to pay full expenses for all
their workouts, including ones for an East Coast team. Neither are
expected to participate in the NBA predraft camp, held from June 6
to 12 in Orlando, Fla. According to The Times, the Lakers have
already held workouts for departed seniors Cedric Bozeman and Ryan
Hollins, both of whom have been working out on UCLA’s
campus.
WOMEN’S ROWING: On Tuesday, the
women’s rowing Varsity Eight team received an at-large bid to
this year’s NCAA Championships, held from May 26 to 28 in
West Windsor, N.J. The rowing program, in only its fifth year of
existence, will be making its second appearance in the tournament
after competing in the NCAA Championships last season. UCLA, one of
four teams to receive an at-large bid, will be competing with 16
teams in the competition. The Bruins finished the regular season
last weekend with a sixth-place finish in the Pac-10 Championships.
“I am very proud of the entire UCLA team this year,”
said coach Amy Fuller Kearney in a statement. “I am happy
that the (Varsity) Eight was selected to represent our
program.” Pac-10 members Cal, USC, Stanford, Washington and
Washington State will join the Bruins in the field of 16 for the
Varsity Eight. Top-ranked Cal recently won the women’s Pac-10
Title for the third year in a row.
Compiled by Bruin Sports senior staff.