2008 UCLA Bruins Hoops Preview

UCLA had two players taken among the top five picks of the NBA Draft and lost a three-year starter in the second round. Time to rebuild? Never. Not these Bruins. An exceptional recruiting class and the proven defensive philosophy of coach Ben Howland mean a fourth successive trip to the Final Four is possible.

The question is whether the Bruins can score enough points to get over the hump and win a 12th national title. In their three recent Final Four losses — one in the title game and two in the semifinals — UCLA has averaged 62.0 points.

With Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute off to the NBA, the Bruins have lost three of their top five scorers. But they are bringing in five highly gifted freshmen and have experience at a key position thanks to point guard Darren Collison’s decision to return to school.

Frontcourt

Don’t expect highly touted recruit J’Mison Morgan to put up Love-type numbers and average a double-double, but the one-time LSU signee gives the Bruins toughness and defense — staples of a Howland player — in the middle. UCLA’s guard-oriented offense should allow Morgan to develop at a nice pace by not placing too much pressure on him to score. The Dallas native was released from his letter of intent with LSU after the Tigers’ coaching change.

“There’s no question that landing (Morgan) was a huge, huge thing for our program,” Howland says.

Power forward James Keefe, a former McDonald’s All-American, has been a bit of a disappointment in his two seasons. Last year, he missed the first 13 games with a left shoulder injury and averaged a meager 2.8 points and 2.7 rebounds upon his return. He showed a flash of brilliance with an 18-point, 12-rebound effort in a Sweet 16 win over Western Kentucky, but that was the only double-figure performance of his sophomore season.

Keefe will be pushed by incoming freshman Drew Gordon, an impressive-looking 6'8", 235-pound native of San Jose who gets after it on the offensive glass.

UCLA could have some nice depth if Alfred Aboya opts to return for his final season of eligibility. Aboya graduated in three years and was planning to enroll in graduate school at UCLA, but there is a chance he might decide to play professionally overseas or concentrate on his education as he works toward a career in politics in his native Cameroon.

Backcourt

The Bruins received a huge boost when Collison stunned the coaching staff and returned for his senior season. Collison is known more for his playmaking skills and defense, but he has developed into an outstanding 3-point shooter. He shot a blistering 52.5 percent from three last season, though he does not catch and shoot particularly well.

UCLA’s inability to knock down perimeter shots consistently was a problem last year — the Bruins ranked ninth in the Pac-10 in 3-point accuracy — but the arrival of freshmen Jrue Holiday, Jerime Anderson and Malcolm Lee will give Howland far more firepower this season.

Holiday was ranked the No. 1 point guard in the nation by Rivals.com and the No. 1 shooting guard by Scout.com. He figures to be the Bruins’ starting 2-guard but will likely also see time at the point backing up Collison.

Wing Josh Shipp pulled out of the NBA Draft to return for his fifth year. He spent the offseason working on his jump shot, which deserted him in the final two months of last season, when he made 20.7 percent (17-of-82) of his threes over his final 18 games. The anticipated return to good health of Michael Roll, who was granted a medical redshirt last year due to a foot injury that limited him to six games, gives UCLA another outside threat if Shipp’s shot doesn’t improve.

Final Analysis

Despite losing three starters, UCLA remains the favorite in what should be a much weaker Pac-10. Whether or not the Bruins advance to another Final Four will depend on the offensive development of Morgan, the poise of Holiday, and the perimeter shooting of Shipp and/or Roll. Unfortunately for Howland, UCLA doesn’t publicly recognize trips to the Final Four as major accomplishments. So pressure remains for him to win his first national title despite the outstanding job he has done resurrecting the program.