There’s an argument to be made about why UCLA found itself in a dog fight with UC Riverside tonight, and why they needed late heroics from Dylan Andrews to take the lead in the final seconds. On the one side, you could blame the offensive issues, while on the other, you look at the defense.
For the offensive case, a lot of this comes down to roster construction. To wit: UCLA does not have a lot of shooters to spread the floor, so the offense can get bogged down and look extremely messy. That wasn’t really the case in this particular game; instead, we saw a new problem where the Bruins simply couldn’t finish at the rim. A lot of that had to do with some wild drives from Sebastian Mack and soft overall play from Aday Mara (who is going to be the death of me this year I’m afraid), but a UCLA team that simply finished at the rim a reasonable amount wins this game handily.
The bigger issue in my estimation is the defense, which was terrible in this game. The two-big lineup feels like a disaster on that end, especially with Mara being too slow for switches. And when Mara is on the court, the Bruins seemingly love to over-rotate on help defense, leaving shooter wide open beyond the arc. Lazar Stefanovic, Will McClendon, and Mack all routinely got caught doing this, and the Bruins should really look at moving to a zone with Mara on the court because right now he is simply not ready for the athleticism of the American college game.
Oh, and Berke Buyuktuncel got hurt in the first half while Mack was injured in the final minute and had to be helped off the court at the end. Not great!
Now, you can hand-wave part of this away by noting that Mick Cronin was not there due to illness, and for all the wringing of hands that Maui seemed to create about Cronin’s sideline demeanor, it’s very clear he knows how to push the right buttons on this team and that his presence was missed. He should be back for the Villanova game next week at least.
Anyway, again, UCLA beat UC Riverside 66-65. What a stupid game.
That the win was unimpressive did not bother those of us at the game. This is a brand new group of players. It takes time to develop team chemistry on the court although off the court, they have known each other since August when they arrived on campus. Cronin will meld them well in due time. While the game unfolded, we were mostly chatting about the prospects of our football come next fall. To a person, we all agreed that Jarmond is culpable by granting Kelly the undeserved extension. Suffice to say my views and many of yours regarding this sorry mess is well known. Hence, I won't keep beating a dead horse here. Someone said Jarmond was at the game too. If so, I l did not notice him and I think I lucked out because I don't think I could even bring myself to say hi, least of all shake his hand, should we meet face to face.
I must agree with Dimitri that Aday Mara is not ready for college basketball. It is the same situation as Dante Moore at QB. Unfortunately, like Moore, Mara was considered the crown jewel of the incoming class--people were talking a lottery pick. Fortunately, we do have enough good incoming players without Mara to be a very good team if/when Cronin gets the European players up to speed. Mara and the word speed is an oxymoron. Like Moore he is not what we thought he would be to the team and so we should move on.
Unlike Kelly though, I believe in Cronin's ability to teach/coach players up. Don't think mara is a lost cause yet, though he may have to "redshirt" this year
Part of the problem is that he does not have the athleticism that his hype would have indicated.. Can not teach speed or mobility any more than one can teach height. At this point, I se him a a backup center, at best.
There are coaches ldrifting from program to program, making undeserved money for a living but few programs resembled UCLA in so willingly conned. That said, Cronin will meld them. Trust me. I see some of them as good players but unfortunately hyped as second coming of LaBron James. This is the issue.
Big difference between Cronin and the Chipster (OG) in my opinion. Cronin works for his money and seems to genuinely care about his program and how it reflects on the school. Now people may complain about how he uses his players, the offensive and defensive scheme/alignment he employs, etc. but he is at least giving an effort. The Chipster (OG) doesn't do a damn thing for his program, hasn't earned even 1/100th of his bloated salary and wouldn't give a rats a.. about the school. As for his coaching abilities... I'd have to say, "what coaching abilities!"
UCLA squandered enormous $$$ on whatyoumightcallit. It makes good case study for graduate students in business school regarding how not to run a football program. Cronin will do his job and win or lose, be at least competitive down to to the wire. Mara should indeed be redshirted. He looked puzzled at times and simply could not get into the rhythm of the game. If he was a reputable one in Spain, he does not show it here in Westwood. As the lyrics go -
" the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain' not in UCLA.
Depends on your definition of ticky-tack stuff. He absolutely committed every foul he got, and was playing out of control for most of his time on the court. I liken it to someone who realized they were the most athletic person on the court right from the beginning, but instead of being in control with that athleticism, they tried to let it do all the work and it backfired.
Cronin mentioned in a presser last week that Bona is so intense in his play that he loses focus on what he should and should not be doing--out of control.. I see Cronin paying particular attention to Bona during games in no uncertain way--shouting what appears to be angry/frustration instructions and corrections at Bona. I assumed this was Cronin's way of getting beyond the "intensity problem". But Cronin was not coaching last night which may have made a big difference in Bona's play..
I am surprised you noticed it. We didn't even know nor care what he was doing because we knew the team would pull it out by hook or by crook. We were just simply venting with each other regarding whatyoumightcallit. A guy told me UCLA still had the nerve to solicit him personallyfor donation. The poor lady received a lecture instead.
My expectations for this team are low to begin with for this season. This is a rebuilding/growth year for the UCLA basketball program, so I would give Cronin a lot of space. This is a 17-18 win team at best, not a 22-25 win team. If they are in the 17-18 win category and are competitive in their games, even when not expected to be, that's good enough. This means an expectation that they will play well against good teams, which they have, and play average to perhaps a little below average against teams that may not be as good. Their first few games, in my view were okay, but not earth shattering based on the competition for example. Yea, they blew those team out, but they were supposed to blow those teams out. Their games against Marquette in particular (finally witnessed a replay of this game, didn't see it live) and Gonzaga, with the talent and experience Cronin has in my view were impressive. Although because of the officiating in both games, I thought UCLA could have come out of Maui with W's in both, of course if they beat Marquette they would not have played Gonzaga. Last night, they didn't look good at all.
At any rate, as they say a W is a W. I'm not optimistic about Villanova or Ohio St, but again if they play as they did in Maui, they have a shot.
my take is that most if not all of our international recruits are not ready, or not as ready as we thought. Going to be hard to win relying on them. Mara, Vide, BB are not going to be really factors this year but that's not to say one or all of them won't eventually be stars. This team will go as far as Andrews, Mack, Stefanovic, and Bona take us.....which is to say our ceiling is probably the Sweet 16 if we are lucky.
The thing that strikes me is that the hype by everyone I read on Mara and BB was that they were first round/lottery picks one and done, and would be ready to play and make an impact. Unless Cronin works some improbable magical teaching, that is not the case, particularly with Mara who is limited athletically and was suppose to be the prize of our in coming players.
I do think that UCLA teams tend to make marked gains .during the season because they need to be taught and buy in to Cronin's system, particularly on defense. All of his teams at UCLA have started slow and ended up strong. But if the European player are not contributing this year (just taking up rest time for the other players or if somebody is in foul problems), we will have a short rotation and a lack of outside shooting besides Stefanovic. I do agree with BB88 that assessing the European players to date, we will need to lower our expectations on this team an d hope that can get into the Big Dance.
agreed. I think there was a post (maybe here) comparing Mara to Jokic. He might very well turn into an NBA all star, but I'm not expecting much from him this year...or next year. He'll probably be in the G league next year. The stars were worthless.
Cronin is a good material coach in my view. This team will be competitive. I have confidence in him. As for his counterpart in football ? He is earning his pay in such perversely enviable way. I guess this resonates with his apologist.
Yep, a very bad game where the Bruins apparently played down to the level of their competition. The team looks like it's going to be a prolonged work-in-progress effort for Coach Cronin this season (get well soon!). I don't understand the hype around Mara either, and so far Bona has been playing like a bull in a china shop. But unlike the football team under their current head coach, I expect to see at least some development and improvement on the basketball team as their season progresses. Can't wait to get the Coach Wooden stamps next year--hope they'll bring some good luck too:
This was not a fun game to watch, but I was happy to see McClendon hitting from the arc. He was a solid HS shooter, the go-to guy on his team. Hoping his shot and confidence are back now that he is recovered from the knee injury.
What better way for U$C to get revenge for their embarassing home loss to the Bruins than to hire away the only good coach that UCLA has, and maybe get some decent transfers to follow him as well. Bruin defense will then revert back to what it used to be and remain consistently poor like the offense and special teams under the current head coach.
honestly, if they are celebrating that they stole a coordinator, let them. We kicked their ass. I remember when we thought stealing Norm Chow was turning the tide.
Sorry, but I'm not OK with letting the coach who helped beat U$C just walk away to join them and try to repeat the asskicking on the Bruins in next season's rematch. Will Chip Alford be fortunate enough to find another DC who is just as good or better? Unfortunately, it really doesn't matter anymore, as the football program has become a dumpster fire. By the way, Norm Chow wasn't stolen away from U$C, but hired by Rick Neuheisel after Chow was fired from his OC position with the Tennessee Titans. In fact, it was U$C and Lane Kiffin who tried to steal Chow away from the Bruins after his 2nd season with the team, but were unsuccessful.
I didn't say be ok with it. I'd rather Lynn not leave (although he is overated). But frankly if you are celebrating stealing a coordinator from your rival, your program has problems.
Seems like no one wants to play for Kelly any more.. based on the way Kelly treated him, I don't blame Moore for leaving. As for Lynn, he needs to do what is best for him; UCLA needs to pony up and try to keep Lynn home.
It already sounds like a pretty much done deal. I would imagine that Lynn doesn't want to coach under Chip Alfraud. I anticipate a mass exodus of players who want nothing to do with an imposter.
SUC likely offered Lynn a huge upgrade in pay at a school that cares about excellence in football. Jarmond has cemented his legacy as Guerror 2 (courtesy of War Planner). Hope he feels proud when we get pillaged in the BIG.
Extending and not firing Kelly, letting Lynn walk without a fight, tells me that UCLA is not serious about winning a natty in football. Apparently, just being an average .500 is good enough for our administration.
The UCLA defense totally outperformed the offense and special teams this season. Having an inept "offensive genius" who is unable to develop and utilize talent and doesn't motivate or inspire his players, it's not so surprising that the resulting disunity and frustration have contributed to these departures. I'm sure Moore wasn't fully mentally prepared to step in for Garbers during the Cal game, and the rest of the team pretty much gave up mentally as well, especially after giving up that 100-yard kickoff return for a TD. The Bruins football program is currently unable to fire a bad coach, can't retain a good coach, and will find it even more difficult to attract talented recruits and transfers. What a train wreck!
Yeah, apparently some folks are still trying to arrange deck chairs on a sinking Titanic. After experiencing 6 seasons of continuous mediocrity and an upcoming 7th iceberg awaiting them in the Big-10, you have to wonder why they're still on the ship. I'm sure Chip Alford and Martin Guerrero will have lifeboats staked out for themselves in 2024, leaving behind their loyal supporters wearing "Diarrhea" life jackets, whille the U$C ship celebrates as the Bruin football program disaster unfolds.
I guess a win is a win, even the ugly ones count
That the win was unimpressive did not bother those of us at the game. This is a brand new group of players. It takes time to develop team chemistry on the court although off the court, they have known each other since August when they arrived on campus. Cronin will meld them well in due time. While the game unfolded, we were mostly chatting about the prospects of our football come next fall. To a person, we all agreed that Jarmond is culpable by granting Kelly the undeserved extension. Suffice to say my views and many of yours regarding this sorry mess is well known. Hence, I won't keep beating a dead horse here. Someone said Jarmond was at the game too. If so, I l did not notice him and I think I lucked out because I don't think I could even bring myself to say hi, least of all shake his hand, should we meet face to face.
If Mick Cronin ever retires, Darren Savino should not be under consideration as his replacement.
because of 1 game? Curious if we would have blown out UCR by 30 whether that would have qualified him as the successor.
No, blowing out UCR was the baseline expectation for most of us. So winning by 1 is a major letdown, even for such a young team
has nothing to do with my point. 1 major let down is a reason to remove a coach from consideration?
I must agree with Dimitri that Aday Mara is not ready for college basketball. It is the same situation as Dante Moore at QB. Unfortunately, like Moore, Mara was considered the crown jewel of the incoming class--people were talking a lottery pick. Fortunately, we do have enough good incoming players without Mara to be a very good team if/when Cronin gets the European players up to speed. Mara and the word speed is an oxymoron. Like Moore he is not what we thought he would be to the team and so we should move on.
Unlike Kelly though, I believe in Cronin's ability to teach/coach players up. Don't think mara is a lost cause yet, though he may have to "redshirt" this year
Part of the problem is that he does not have the athleticism that his hype would have indicated.. Can not teach speed or mobility any more than one can teach height. At this point, I se him a a backup center, at best.
There are coaches ldrifting from program to program, making undeserved money for a living but few programs resembled UCLA in so willingly conned. That said, Cronin will meld them. Trust me. I see some of them as good players but unfortunately hyped as second coming of LaBron James. This is the issue.
Big difference between Cronin and the Chipster (OG) in my opinion. Cronin works for his money and seems to genuinely care about his program and how it reflects on the school. Now people may complain about how he uses his players, the offensive and defensive scheme/alignment he employs, etc. but he is at least giving an effort. The Chipster (OG) doesn't do a damn thing for his program, hasn't earned even 1/100th of his bloated salary and wouldn't give a rats a.. about the school. As for his coaching abilities... I'd have to say, "what coaching abilities!"
UCLA squandered enormous $$$ on whatyoumightcallit. It makes good case study for graduate students in business school regarding how not to run a football program. Cronin will do his job and win or lose, be at least competitive down to to the wire. Mara should indeed be redshirted. He looked puzzled at times and simply could not get into the rhythm of the game. If he was a reputable one in Spain, he does not show it here in Westwood. As the lyrics go -
" the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain' not in UCLA.
why would you redshirt a player who is not going to be here even 4 years?
What happened to bona this game? Saw that he had 4 pts and fouled out. Was it ticky tacky stuff?
Depends on your definition of ticky-tack stuff. He absolutely committed every foul he got, and was playing out of control for most of his time on the court. I liken it to someone who realized they were the most athletic person on the court right from the beginning, but instead of being in control with that athleticism, they tried to let it do all the work and it backfired.
Cronin mentioned in a presser last week that Bona is so intense in his play that he loses focus on what he should and should not be doing--out of control.. I see Cronin paying particular attention to Bona during games in no uncertain way--shouting what appears to be angry/frustration instructions and corrections at Bona. I assumed this was Cronin's way of getting beyond the "intensity problem". But Cronin was not coaching last night which may have made a big difference in Bona's play..
I am surprised you noticed it. We didn't even know nor care what he was doing because we knew the team would pull it out by hook or by crook. We were just simply venting with each other regarding whatyoumightcallit. A guy told me UCLA still had the nerve to solicit him personallyfor donation. The poor lady received a lecture instead.
My expectations for this team are low to begin with for this season. This is a rebuilding/growth year for the UCLA basketball program, so I would give Cronin a lot of space. This is a 17-18 win team at best, not a 22-25 win team. If they are in the 17-18 win category and are competitive in their games, even when not expected to be, that's good enough. This means an expectation that they will play well against good teams, which they have, and play average to perhaps a little below average against teams that may not be as good. Their first few games, in my view were okay, but not earth shattering based on the competition for example. Yea, they blew those team out, but they were supposed to blow those teams out. Their games against Marquette in particular (finally witnessed a replay of this game, didn't see it live) and Gonzaga, with the talent and experience Cronin has in my view were impressive. Although because of the officiating in both games, I thought UCLA could have come out of Maui with W's in both, of course if they beat Marquette they would not have played Gonzaga. Last night, they didn't look good at all.
At any rate, as they say a W is a W. I'm not optimistic about Villanova or Ohio St, but again if they play as they did in Maui, they have a shot.
my take is that most if not all of our international recruits are not ready, or not as ready as we thought. Going to be hard to win relying on them. Mara, Vide, BB are not going to be really factors this year but that's not to say one or all of them won't eventually be stars. This team will go as far as Andrews, Mack, Stefanovic, and Bona take us.....which is to say our ceiling is probably the Sweet 16 if we are lucky.
The thing that strikes me is that the hype by everyone I read on Mara and BB was that they were first round/lottery picks one and done, and would be ready to play and make an impact. Unless Cronin works some improbable magical teaching, that is not the case, particularly with Mara who is limited athletically and was suppose to be the prize of our in coming players.
I do think that UCLA teams tend to make marked gains .during the season because they need to be taught and buy in to Cronin's system, particularly on defense. All of his teams at UCLA have started slow and ended up strong. But if the European player are not contributing this year (just taking up rest time for the other players or if somebody is in foul problems), we will have a short rotation and a lack of outside shooting besides Stefanovic. I do agree with BB88 that assessing the European players to date, we will need to lower our expectations on this team an d hope that can get into the Big Dance.
agreed. I think there was a post (maybe here) comparing Mara to Jokic. He might very well turn into an NBA all star, but I'm not expecting much from him this year...or next year. He'll probably be in the G league next year. The stars were worthless.
Cronin is a good material coach in my view. This team will be competitive. I have confidence in him. As for his counterpart in football ? He is earning his pay in such perversely enviable way. I guess this resonates with his apologist.
No outside shooting and our 'aircraft carrier' has lead feet. It's been awhile, if ever, since we didn't have a shooter. A work in progress team.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/louisville-freshman-barely-plays-first-half-due-not-having-tights-he-wanted-coach-says
Off Topic: C Ward, QB for Oregon State entered portal and going to the Ducks. Guess Moore will not be transferring there?
he's from WSU, not OSU, and he might actually be going to the NFL.
yeah we should go after cam ward. he's ready to go
Just to waste time in Westwood ?
Yep, a very bad game where the Bruins apparently played down to the level of their competition. The team looks like it's going to be a prolonged work-in-progress effort for Coach Cronin this season (get well soon!). I don't understand the hype around Mara either, and so far Bona has been playing like a bull in a china shop. But unlike the football team under their current head coach, I expect to see at least some development and improvement on the basketball team as their season progresses. Can't wait to get the Coach Wooden stamps next year--hope they'll bring some good luck too:
https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-coach-john-wooden-honored-with-postal-service-stamp
Go Bruins!
This was not a fun game to watch, but I was happy to see McClendon hitting from the arc. He was a solid HS shooter, the go-to guy on his team. Hoping his shot and confidence are back now that he is recovered from the knee injury.
BRO reporting SC is hiring Lynn
What better way for U$C to get revenge for their embarassing home loss to the Bruins than to hire away the only good coach that UCLA has, and maybe get some decent transfers to follow him as well. Bruin defense will then revert back to what it used to be and remain consistently poor like the offense and special teams under the current head coach.
honestly, if they are celebrating that they stole a coordinator, let them. We kicked their ass. I remember when we thought stealing Norm Chow was turning the tide.
Sorry, but I'm not OK with letting the coach who helped beat U$C just walk away to join them and try to repeat the asskicking on the Bruins in next season's rematch. Will Chip Alford be fortunate enough to find another DC who is just as good or better? Unfortunately, it really doesn't matter anymore, as the football program has become a dumpster fire. By the way, Norm Chow wasn't stolen away from U$C, but hired by Rick Neuheisel after Chow was fired from his OC position with the Tennessee Titans. In fact, it was U$C and Lane Kiffin who tried to steal Chow away from the Bruins after his 2nd season with the team, but were unsuccessful.
I didn't say be ok with it. I'd rather Lynn not leave (although he is overated). But frankly if you are celebrating stealing a coordinator from your rival, your program has problems.
Turn the table on him ? Good for you
Adding insult in injury. Our inaugural year in the BIG is going to be one for the ages.
Seems like no one wants to play for Kelly any more.. based on the way Kelly treated him, I don't blame Moore for leaving. As for Lynn, he needs to do what is best for him; UCLA needs to pony up and try to keep Lynn home.
It already sounds like a pretty much done deal. I would imagine that Lynn doesn't want to coach under Chip Alfraud. I anticipate a mass exodus of players who want nothing to do with an imposter.
SUC likely offered Lynn a huge upgrade in pay at a school that cares about excellence in football. Jarmond has cemented his legacy as Guerror 2 (courtesy of War Planner). Hope he feels proud when we get pillaged in the BIG.
Haven’t verified this but I did read that Lynn is getting 2 million plus a $500K housing allowance from his new employer. 3 year deal IIRC.
UCLA needed to fire Chip and give Lynn a chance to be coach. What a cluster... in the era of Jarmond.
Extending and not firing Kelly, letting Lynn walk without a fight, tells me that UCLA is not serious about winning a natty in football. Apparently, just being an average .500 is good enough for our administration.
word is he is getting a massive raise. we simply do not have the money. same reason we kept chip.
The UCLA defense totally outperformed the offense and special teams this season. Having an inept "offensive genius" who is unable to develop and utilize talent and doesn't motivate or inspire his players, it's not so surprising that the resulting disunity and frustration have contributed to these departures. I'm sure Moore wasn't fully mentally prepared to step in for Garbers during the Cal game, and the rest of the team pretty much gave up mentally as well, especially after giving up that 100-yard kickoff return for a TD. The Bruins football program is currently unable to fire a bad coach, can't retain a good coach, and will find it even more difficult to attract talented recruits and transfers. What a train wreck!
The Trojan Wire and Yahoo sports report it is a done deal with Lynn.
Wonder what players will join Moore on December 8?
that's the business these days. players are going to be coming and going. as long as the net is better, it doesn't matter who goes
Bingo.
Ironically you have people anxious to see who we can get from the transfer portal to play on our team.
Yeah, apparently some folks are still trying to arrange deck chairs on a sinking Titanic. After experiencing 6 seasons of continuous mediocrity and an upcoming 7th iceberg awaiting them in the Big-10, you have to wonder why they're still on the ship. I'm sure Chip Alford and Martin Guerrero will have lifeboats staked out for themselves in 2024, leaving behind their loyal supporters wearing "Diarrhea" life jackets, whille the U$C ship celebrates as the Bruin football program disaster unfolds.
Only UCLA football has the drama for its faithful fans and classy, educated alums to write such superbly sardonic paragraph
Had to scroll down to #60 on Rivals for UCLA's next year's recruiting class.