As a disappointing start to the season presses on with tonight's game against UC Irvine, perhaps a quick look at the future of UCLA basketball could brighten our spirits during the Holidays. Hold tight, Bruin faithful, UCLA looks to rebound quickly with the combinations of the influx of new talent (AKA Kyle Anderson and Jordan Adams) upgraded facilities (take a peek: UCLA Constuction CAM) and a deeper bench (say hello to Larry Drew II).
11 scholarship players are currently slated for 2012-2013's roster (of course, anything can happen between now and then):
C: Josh Smith, Anthony Stover
PF: Brendan Lane, David & Travis Wear
SF: De’End Parker (David & Travis Wear)
SG: Tyler Lamb, Norman Powell [Jordan Adams]
PG: Larry Drew II, [Kyle Anderson]
With the new faces of Anderson and Drew II fortifying an otherwise yet-to-be-proven back-court, we should expect a faster pace of play and a greater focus on man-to-man defense. Anderson, 6’8 / 215, presents quite an interesting pair of athleticism and size. While listed as a SF, he’s more of a hybrid player that can play the PG. Similar to Mbah a Moute's strengths in defense, look for Anderson to be asked to match-up against the One through the Five. Likened to a young Magic Johnson, Anderson’s talent will immediately raise the game at UCLA. Should a look at his high school career pique your interests, Anderson was recently featured on the HBO special, Prayer for a Perfect Season.
This past week two of the top three High School programs collided with UCLA commit Jordan Adams’ Oak Hill taking down one of UCLA’s major targets in Tony Parker and his Miller Grove. Although Parker, 6’8 / 255, put in his work (punching in 29 points and 10 rebounds), it was Adams’ sharp-shooting first quarter (three three’s) that helped set the tone and ultimate victory. With Adams’ aboard, we can finally see the return of a dependable jump-shot and a spread offensive set, something we’ve sorely lacked the past few seasons.
Two golden tickets remain for Ben Ball, one clearly reserved for the best player of the 2012 class, Shabazz Muhammad (6’5 / 207), another available for the aforementioned Parker. Muhammad, when combined with Anderson, Adams and Parker, would certainly redeem a dry-spell in Howland’s recent recruiting ventures. Apart from developing talent Tyler Lamb and Norman Powell, Howland's recent classes have endured numerous transfers (i.e. Gordon, Morgan, Moser, Stanback, etc.). The previous “Dream Team” of 2008 was a complete failure in regards to depth: Jrue Holiday, Malcolm Lee (both departed to NBA), Jerime Anderson (while steady this year, he’s only averaging 9.2 ppg and 3.1 ast), J’Mison Morgan and Drew Gordon (transferred out). Should UCLA land just one of the two between Parker and Muhammad, the resulting depth and talent should park the Bruins in the top 25 to start next season.
Another player who will compete for significant minutes next year is transfer Larry Drew II, 6’1 / 180. Drew is an explosive talent, sitting out this year after losing his starting PG job at UNC to Kendall Marshall. Interestingly, Drew’s transfer parallels the Wear twins’ departure from UNC, so perhaps their history of playing together will add to his command of next year’s offense. Drew’s speed, coupled with Anderson, should move the floor quite a bit—I’d imagine big man Josh Smith will need to drop his weight just to see time next year, otherwise we’ll be seeing a lot of Stover. Or, with a little luck, Mr. Tony Parker. And Shabazz Muhammad. One could only imagine the combinations Howland would have available to him with that range of talent and athleticism.
This year’s “Bruin Road Show” is the sacrifice made to upgrade the infamous Pauley Pavilion—ringing in a new era in UCLA Basketball with state of the art facilities. For a breakdown of all the work being completed, be sure to check out CampaignofChampions.com. Included in Pauley’s restoration project are “New locker rooms, film room, student-athlete lounge, strength and conditioning room and sports medicine area will be located in the north building.” I can’t imagine breaking in a brand new court housed in the center of the media capital of the world would hurt recruiting.
So hold tight Bruin fans, we will return to the national prowess associated with the tradition of UCLA Men’s Basketball.
