This has been a very good day for me on a personal level. My basketball team won our playoff game in overtime on a buzzer-beating tip-in in front of a bunch of our students and faculty, which was fantastic for my future job prospects. Then reports came out that Chip Kelly will likely be gone within the next day or so, which means I’m so close to getting to forget about him completely.
Oh yeah, and UCLA had a basketball game up on the Farm. That also happened.
In another test of the Mick Cronin Late Season Surge, the Bruins showed off their improved shooting to out-offense Stanford and grab a key victory, 82-74, to improve to 12-11 on the season and move into sole possession of 4th place in the conference. The Bruins played a relatively sloppy game, with 10 turnovers in particular standing out in the midst of this run of clean play, but it’s a sign of the improvement this team has shown that they could play an average to poor game on the road and still came away with a solid victory.
The big story of this game will be the shooting, specifically the outside shooting. The Bruins have been much-maligned this year for their shooting, and while those numbers have improved tremendously over the past month, I don’t think even the most optimistic supporter could have foreseen this outcome. The Bruins hit a season-high 11 three-pointers on 25 attempts (44%), a marvel both in the high percentage made and in the sheer volume of three-pointers taken. Lazar Stefanovic (2-3), Will McClendon (3-6) and Sebastian Mack (4-7) each hit multiple three-pointers, and none of them were what I would consider a bad shot but rather a clear open look thanks to the recent tweaks to the offense. And once the threes started falling and Stanford played further out, that just opened the door for Adem Bona to feast inside. Bona finished with 16 points on 5-10 shooting and 6-7 from the free throw line, a dominant offensive performance.
That strong shooting, particularly from outside, helped to mask a subpar defensive performance by the Bruins. Stanford was able to shoot 52.8% (28-53) from the field and completely dominated the Bruins in the paint, ending the game with a 40-22 advantage. But the key was that the Cardinal shot 23.5% (4-17) from deep, well below their normal numbers. UCLA was clearly focused on limiting the damage that Stanford could do from deep and traded off a weaker interior defense in the process, which is an inverse of how the Bruins normally approach defense but worked out well in this one.
Hilariously, the Bruins are now the only team in the conference with a winning road record in league play. There’s still a ton of room for improvement, but this game was a great sign that things are still on the right path.
Go Bruins!
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I too hear about the impending departure of Chip kelly. Bravo ! Too bad I cannot meet some of you in person. I would only be too happy to buy you drinks and toast to Kelly's leaving Westwood. Keep walking, dude. Don't you even look back because nobody misses you. Nobody wishes to even see your shadow as you vanish into the cold thin air of Westwood. It is one thing that a coach fails and has to leave, in this case on his own or be dismissed in many other cases. But a caveat in the Kelly situation is that obviously after the first or the second season, his heart was not in it anymore but for the handsome salary because of UCLA's fool hardiness. WE WERE CONNED ! Wasserman and Aikman were his enablers unfortunately. Then to put the icing on the cake, Jarmond completed the con deal by granting him the extension. I am sorry so much $$$ was wasted on an obese con artist selling himself as coach.
Jeeze, give Coach Kelly a break. True the results weren’t what we all wanted but who are we to judge what’s in a man’s heart? He’s still a part of the Bruin family so let’s wish him the best wherever his path leads…
Excuse me, give who a break ???? This guy gets the biggest break ever in NCAA coaching with a huge salary he never deserves and another huge buyout awaiting. We all want to be him ! Of course we judge him. We know what is in his heart. His action, the outcomes on the field speak louder than anything else, my friend. Bye, bye Chip.
Henry... at long last we indeed may be drinking and toasting (across the miles) to Chipster Alfraud's royal Exit...
So far all I believe we know is that he interviewed with the Seahawks and he was willing to go to BIG rival Iowa as the OC - that's how much he hates UCLA and recruiting.
There is simply no way in the proverbial H*ll that he can possibly continue in Westwood with his utter disdain of the greatest University in the world sans Jarmond and Blockhead 🤣
Jarmond looks like a complete ineffective incompetent puppet and Blockhead doesn't bat an eye as he simply doesn't care.
But it's unfortunately not a done deal yet unless Chipster signed the Seahawk's dotted line late last night. We can pray snd hope and get the glasses and whatever liquid gold you love ready...
I don't know, Tamara... two very needy teams already passed on Chip (honestly can't blame them!). I sure hope Seahawks hire Chip, but I've a feeling they might be smarter than that...
A late season surge you say ? What did I tell you before ? Cronin is an excellent material coach and he is putting all the pieces together now. I won't be surprised they will do well at the Pac 12 post season tournament too.
This rebuilding season is resembling Year-1 under Coach Cronin, where it took some time to figure out how to utilize his new players and get them to perform better and learn how to win games, both at home and on the road. Their performance is still uneven and inconsistent, but it's a remarkable change from only a month ago, when nobody could shoot the ball, fans questioned the coaching and roster construction, and the team lacked any confidence while falling into last place in the conference. Now it's time to give da Bears some payback this Saturday and keep the current winning streak going. Go Bruins!
Coach Cronin is a treasure, and other basketball teams will now need to watch out for a very strong Bruins team. Coach Kelly took some time to mold the football team, but UCLA has had problems getting a good football coach for quite some time. How long will it be before UCLA can get a better football coach? We might have a series of bad football seasons upcoming (I hope not).
I anticipate the dumpster fire of a football program to continue burning robustly, regardless of whether Chip Alford stays at, or runs away from, UCLA next season. A new chancellor hasn't been hired yet, and the Bruins still have Martin Guerrero running the athletic department and contributing to the dumpster fire by stubbornly holding onto the current head coach while covering empty seats at the Rose Bowl with tarps. Meanwhile, D'Anton Lynn and a few others on the coaching staff have already departed for jobs elsewhere. Potential recruits/transfers and some Bruin players have also decided to avoid the dumpster fire and play elsewhere. The UCLA football program is so deeply mired in mediocrity and clueless apathy that no amount of "hopium" can turn things around. And are there other schools besides UCLA with a head coach earning over $6M/year who desperately wants to leave for a much lower-paying job as a lowly OC elsewhere? What a joke...
Yes, good riddance to the stupid Pac-12 Network and the totally inept Pac-12 administration. They successfully put an end to the "Conference of Champions".
I won’t believe Chip Kelly is gone until I see it. My hopes were so high last week only to be dashed. Can’t handle that disappointment again if he stays.
As for the basketball team, it’s great that they’re able to win on the road with offense. Cronin won’t like them giving up 74 points but you take any road win you can. On to Cal, who looked dangerous with Jaylon Tyson and Fardaws Aimaq, possibly the best big man in the conference.
Chip Alford may or may not be leaving UCLA very soon to take on a different job, but his desire and motivation to be an effective and successful Bruins head coach going forward is certainly gone. The team will have either a lame duck coach or an untested/interim taking over during their first season of mediocrity in the Big-10. It's very unfortunate that it took 6 seasons at UCLA for him to finally realize that he's not great at being a head coach in either college or the NFL.
Further to Kelly, I have never been a Chipster fan but with all his "faults", I never felt he was so selfish as to knowingly hurt our program, even with his lazy refusal to put in effort for recruiting which directly led to poor performance. After reading the recent articles on UCLA Wire, I have changed my opinion. The Wilhite fiasco along with the players and coaches deserting the sinking ship was the final straw. Chip had to know, or should have known, that his running around the last couple weeks like a prostitute, for every OC opening (NFL or college), was the final dagger in our program regardless the outcome. Assuming he does leave (my fervent prayer) he has damaged our program in so many ways, and if he fails to get another position, how the Hell is he going to effectively lead a team which knows he does not want to be coaching here? As bad as the Athletic department is and all the surrounding issues, it is hard for me to believe that they could select a replacement coach who cares less than the Chipster about his job performance and the success of his team. I really do not want to see Kelly's face with a UCLA hat on his head ever again!!
Looks like the drama is ratcheting up... It's likely that Bill O'Brien, Ohio State OC, is leaving to become the HC at Boston College. If this happens, there is a pretty high probability that Ohio State HC Ryan Day may hire Chipster for OC as the two
go way back and are super tight...
Day played for Chipster and has coached for him as well - Chipster has been Day's mentor for a long time.
There's still a possibility that Chipster will be hired by Seahawks so the timing and how this all plays out will be interesting. So Chipster will almost assuredly skip off to the NFL or BIG time Ohio State.
And you are 💯 spot on with the immense damage Chipster has knowingly caused to our program and he doesn't give a damn! His payout to UCLA is $1.5 million - pennies.
I do believe we could still get a great charactered coach who will bring honor to UCLA Football and heal the wounds. We need a fresh start desperately. If Jarmond Jelly 2.0 wants to drop the Jelly 2.0 from his namesake and save what's left of his reputation and dignity, he better learn to read the room and hire a good decent coach.
Look forward to seeing someone else hire away Chip Alford too. What an awkward embarrassment if he fails to land a new position elsewhere and UCLA is stuck with a disinterested, overpaid, mediocre coach that nobody else wants, except for, of course, Martin ("Read the Room") Guerrero, Casey Wasserman, and all the Chip Apologists out there supporting him. Wonder if the UCLA administration was given any notification, what they're thinking about him now, and whether they even have any effective plans to manage this dumpster fire of a football program.
Buckle up... O'Brien, the Ohio State OC for about a month 🤣 is leaving Ohio State and becoming the HC at Boston College. If Chipster is not hired by the Seahawks, looks like he will be the new Ohio State OC as reported by the Silver Bulletin on X.
Jarmond Jelly 2.0 has the opportunity of a lifetime. To completely change the trajectory of UCLA Football with a high character respected Coach who loves and embraces our school and is dedicated to healing and restoring our program. Jelly will now have an extra $1.5 mil, no buyout and a wide open field to find a hidden gem.
A good day for Dmitri is a good day for all Bruins!
*Dimitri
I too hear about the impending departure of Chip kelly. Bravo ! Too bad I cannot meet some of you in person. I would only be too happy to buy you drinks and toast to Kelly's leaving Westwood. Keep walking, dude. Don't you even look back because nobody misses you. Nobody wishes to even see your shadow as you vanish into the cold thin air of Westwood. It is one thing that a coach fails and has to leave, in this case on his own or be dismissed in many other cases. But a caveat in the Kelly situation is that obviously after the first or the second season, his heart was not in it anymore but for the handsome salary because of UCLA's fool hardiness. WE WERE CONNED ! Wasserman and Aikman were his enablers unfortunately. Then to put the icing on the cake, Jarmond completed the con deal by granting him the extension. I am sorry so much $$$ was wasted on an obese con artist selling himself as coach.
Jeeze, give Coach Kelly a break. True the results weren’t what we all wanted but who are we to judge what’s in a man’s heart? He’s still a part of the Bruin family so let’s wish him the best wherever his path leads…
With all due respect...
Chipster is literally throwing himself at other teams while collecting his cool $6 million salary at UCLA.
Chipster never loved UCLA, but he sure loved the paycheck. Any other school would have dumped this dumpster fire long ago.
I would say that we have had more than enough of Chipster's true character.
Give a Chip break? He's terrible and lazy!
Excuse me, give who a break ???? This guy gets the biggest break ever in NCAA coaching with a huge salary he never deserves and another huge buyout awaiting. We all want to be him ! Of course we judge him. We know what is in his heart. His action, the outcomes on the field speak louder than anything else, my friend. Bye, bye Chip.
Henry... at long last we indeed may be drinking and toasting (across the miles) to Chipster Alfraud's royal Exit...
So far all I believe we know is that he interviewed with the Seahawks and he was willing to go to BIG rival Iowa as the OC - that's how much he hates UCLA and recruiting.
There is simply no way in the proverbial H*ll that he can possibly continue in Westwood with his utter disdain of the greatest University in the world sans Jarmond and Blockhead 🤣
Jarmond looks like a complete ineffective incompetent puppet and Blockhead doesn't bat an eye as he simply doesn't care.
But it's unfortunately not a done deal yet unless Chipster signed the Seahawk's dotted line late last night. We can pray snd hope and get the glasses and whatever liquid gold you love ready...
I disagree about Jarmond. His hand is being held by the chancellor's retirement. Let's see how it shakes out.
Good point and that is why I referred to him as a puppet - strings vs hands 🤣
Hopefully the new chancellor will see the value in athletics because this one could not care less.
Fact.
I don't know, Tamara... two very needy teams already passed on Chip (honestly can't blame them!). I sure hope Seahawks hire Chip, but I've a feeling they might be smarter than that...
A late season surge you say ? What did I tell you before ? Cronin is an excellent material coach and he is putting all the pieces together now. I won't be surprised they will do well at the Pac 12 post season tournament too.
Did you say Chip Kelly will be gone? Let’s go!!!
Still on the OC interview trail. Sounds like we might hear something soon, like maybe tomorrow.🤔
He’s gone. Official today. Let the rebuild begin.
The best part is he gets to ruin Osu, all my friends favorite team!!
This rebuilding season is resembling Year-1 under Coach Cronin, where it took some time to figure out how to utilize his new players and get them to perform better and learn how to win games, both at home and on the road. Their performance is still uneven and inconsistent, but it's a remarkable change from only a month ago, when nobody could shoot the ball, fans questioned the coaching and roster construction, and the team lacked any confidence while falling into last place in the conference. Now it's time to give da Bears some payback this Saturday and keep the current winning streak going. Go Bruins!
Coach Cronin is a treasure, and other basketball teams will now need to watch out for a very strong Bruins team. Coach Kelly took some time to mold the football team, but UCLA has had problems getting a good football coach for quite some time. How long will it be before UCLA can get a better football coach? We might have a series of bad football seasons upcoming (I hope not).
I anticipate the dumpster fire of a football program to continue burning robustly, regardless of whether Chip Alford stays at, or runs away from, UCLA next season. A new chancellor hasn't been hired yet, and the Bruins still have Martin Guerrero running the athletic department and contributing to the dumpster fire by stubbornly holding onto the current head coach while covering empty seats at the Rose Bowl with tarps. Meanwhile, D'Anton Lynn and a few others on the coaching staff have already departed for jobs elsewhere. Potential recruits/transfers and some Bruin players have also decided to avoid the dumpster fire and play elsewhere. The UCLA football program is so deeply mired in mediocrity and clueless apathy that no amount of "hopium" can turn things around. And are there other schools besides UCLA with a head coach earning over $6M/year who desperately wants to leave for a much lower-paying job as a lowly OC elsewhere? What a joke...
Beautifully stated...
Sadly I agree
I actually listened on the radio! I'll be so happy when the PAC12 network is finished!
Yes, good riddance to the stupid Pac-12 Network and the totally inept Pac-12 administration. They successfully put an end to the "Conference of Champions".
sadly...
Yeah I almost always listen to the radio feed!
I won’t believe Chip Kelly is gone until I see it. My hopes were so high last week only to be dashed. Can’t handle that disappointment again if he stays.
As for the basketball team, it’s great that they’re able to win on the road with offense. Cronin won’t like them giving up 74 points but you take any road win you can. On to Cal, who looked dangerous with Jaylon Tyson and Fardaws Aimaq, possibly the best big man in the conference.
Kelly gone? Really? Cool!!!
Chip Alford may or may not be leaving UCLA very soon to take on a different job, but his desire and motivation to be an effective and successful Bruins head coach going forward is certainly gone. The team will have either a lame duck coach or an untested/interim taking over during their first season of mediocrity in the Big-10. It's very unfortunate that it took 6 seasons at UCLA for him to finally realize that he's not great at being a head coach in either college or the NFL.
Further to Kelly, I have never been a Chipster fan but with all his "faults", I never felt he was so selfish as to knowingly hurt our program, even with his lazy refusal to put in effort for recruiting which directly led to poor performance. After reading the recent articles on UCLA Wire, I have changed my opinion. The Wilhite fiasco along with the players and coaches deserting the sinking ship was the final straw. Chip had to know, or should have known, that his running around the last couple weeks like a prostitute, for every OC opening (NFL or college), was the final dagger in our program regardless the outcome. Assuming he does leave (my fervent prayer) he has damaged our program in so many ways, and if he fails to get another position, how the Hell is he going to effectively lead a team which knows he does not want to be coaching here? As bad as the Athletic department is and all the surrounding issues, it is hard for me to believe that they could select a replacement coach who cares less than the Chipster about his job performance and the success of his team. I really do not want to see Kelly's face with a UCLA hat on his head ever again!!
Looks like the drama is ratcheting up... It's likely that Bill O'Brien, Ohio State OC, is leaving to become the HC at Boston College. If this happens, there is a pretty high probability that Ohio State HC Ryan Day may hire Chipster for OC as the two
go way back and are super tight...
Day played for Chipster and has coached for him as well - Chipster has been Day's mentor for a long time.
There's still a possibility that Chipster will be hired by Seahawks so the timing and how this all plays out will be interesting. So Chipster will almost assuredly skip off to the NFL or BIG time Ohio State.
And you are 💯 spot on with the immense damage Chipster has knowingly caused to our program and he doesn't give a damn! His payout to UCLA is $1.5 million - pennies.
I do believe we could still get a great charactered coach who will bring honor to UCLA Football and heal the wounds. We need a fresh start desperately. If Jarmond Jelly 2.0 wants to drop the Jelly 2.0 from his namesake and save what's left of his reputation and dignity, he better learn to read the room and hire a good decent coach.
well said :-)
Look forward to seeing someone else hire away Chip Alford too. What an awkward embarrassment if he fails to land a new position elsewhere and UCLA is stuck with a disinterested, overpaid, mediocre coach that nobody else wants, except for, of course, Martin ("Read the Room") Guerrero, Casey Wasserman, and all the Chip Apologists out there supporting him. Wonder if the UCLA administration was given any notification, what they're thinking about him now, and whether they even have any effective plans to manage this dumpster fire of a football program.
I've never been happier to see the word "travels" in a basketball article!
Thank goodness for Mick Cronin and UCLA basketball. Go Bruins!
Buckle up... O'Brien, the Ohio State OC for about a month 🤣 is leaving Ohio State and becoming the HC at Boston College. If Chipster is not hired by the Seahawks, looks like he will be the new Ohio State OC as reported by the Silver Bulletin on X.
Jarmond Jelly 2.0 has the opportunity of a lifetime. To completely change the trajectory of UCLA Football with a high character respected Coach who loves and embraces our school and is dedicated to healing and restoring our program. Jelly will now have an extra $1.5 mil, no buyout and a wide open field to find a hidden gem.
🙏💙💛🙏💙💛🙏💙💛
It is happening!!!!!!!! 💙💛
He’s gone!!!!
Yep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a beyond wonderful day! I am buying my fave micro brew to toast his EXIT! Go Bruins! 💙💛💙💛💙💛💙💛💙💛
🍻
Start spreading the news!!!🎉
WooHoo! Such a great feeling to be free from the Fraud! Celebrating with you BruinMom! 🎉🎉🎉
Been some dark days, my friend. Here’s to brighter days!
☀️☀️☀️
Been waiting forever to post this:
SO LONG, CHIEF!!!
I love this! Wish I could like it multiple times. 👍