I will admit I do not not like Zona, I am a bruin fan we are supposed to not like you guys.
Also a big part of the reason for the slide is a big dip in talent and depth, and that is from what I said, recruting is down.
The addition of Morgan to our class will only widen a large gap between us.
Is there really talk of Kerr coming there to coach???
Jennings in his attempt to break that assists record made alot of bad passes trying to pad his stats, he is the king of the puul up 28 footer. This is not what you need for a already very shaky chemistry.
I will admit I do not not like Zona, I am a bruin fan we are supposed to not like you guys.Thank you. I know you don't. When I was younger and the matchup wasn't so one-sided in terms of results on the court, I actually held a little place in my heart for UCLA because of my love for Southern California and the beautiful women and campus, but these days it's different. Maybe once the Cats get out from under Howland's shoe I'll revisit those old feelings. Right now I just want to see the Cats win one of those matchups. I think they'll have much better chance next season.
I don't think recruiting has been down. The talent that hurt Arizona was Shakur, and he was a highly-rated player out of high school. Ebi was a top 5 player as well, but when he went directly to the NBA Olson had to find a midseason replacement in Ian Radenovic. I know a lot of Arizona fans like the guy, and I was fooled once, too, but he is also part of the UA's struggles in the years prior to last season. The addition of Morgan to our class will only widen a large gap between us.Arizona still has a top 5 class nationally. You're not going to convince me that Arizona is hurting in recruiting. UCLA is doing well, but it doesn't mean Arizona is hurting. They are suffering from Olson's absence in terms of recruiting or 2009, but I think that will pick back up here shortly. Is there really talk of Kerr coming there to coach???No. He was asked a couple of seasons ago whether he would be interested in coaching Arizona in the future. He said simply that it would be of interest to him, but that's it. His name hasn't surfaced in any recent media discussion about taking over, he's just the guy who I would like to see above everyone else coaching the team in the future. I'd be surprised if it happened, though.
I know you have a thing against Jennings, but I just don't see how adding a player with that much talent is going to be a bad thing. And his high school coach has made it clear that he asked Jennings to take a leadership role and do most of the scoring for their young Oak Hill team this year. Jennings didn't even play the point for most of their games, yet he still averaged nearly 8 assists per game.
See Shakur and Williams of the past, and there are others who have been there recently who did not fit and killed your chemistry.
I have you seen the 5 player class we have coming in??? Zona's class is nowhere near it.
It will be interesting to see how the Sidney recruitment plays out. From what I understand Zona is now on his radar. He is a huge talent, best of the 09 class.
Do you think UW will ever bounce back?? And with Harden back is ASU going to compete big time in the Pac-10, are they the best team next year in the state of Arizona??
Are you arguing that UCLA's class is better than Arizona's or that Arizona's recruiting is down? I believe both have top 5 classes and that UCLA's is the better overall class. I think Arizona's recruiting up to this point has been fine. The next couple of years could be trying because of last year's situation, but as long as Olson is still able to coach they will do fine. That's my opinion on the subject. I don't think I can add any more to it.
I would be surprised if Sidney comes to Arizona. He's a very good prospect, but I'm in agreement with Bob Gibbons of ESPN, who has Derrick Favors as the top player in that class. I don't know if you've seen him play yet, but oh my, he's a heck of a prospect.
I think UW will compete again. I don't know if they'll win the conference title any time soon, but I think they could in the top half of the standings as soon as next season. The state of Washington has proved to be a good resource for basketball talent, so all Romar needs to do is find a way to capitalize on that. If he can't they can bring someone in who might be able to.
I think ASU could finish as high as third next season, but it's pretty clear to me that the three most talented teams are going to be UCLA, Arizona and USC. Harden and Pendergraph will both be all-conference players next season, but the rest of that roster isn't good enough to allow them to win consistently enough against the conference's best teams.
As of right now, with the rosters not yet clear, this is how I have the PAC 10 next season:
1. UCLA
2. Arizona
3. USC
4. ASU
5. Washington St.
6. Washington
7. Cal
8. Oregon
9. Stanford
10. Oregon St.
My take on this is that the rest of the conference will largely determine if Arizona sinks or swims. Sure, they have to take care of their own business, but a lot of things make next year's Pac-10 wide-open (not weak...competitive).
Will Howland continue UCLA's dominance after the exodus(and how many are really gone)? I think yes, but they might have one year where they are slightly less powerful.
What about Stanford sans Lopezes? They look strong, but as good as last year? I doubt it.
Is Arizona State going to build on its successes enough to remain relevant?
With USC's two freshmen stars leaving, how repeatable is their success?
Cal and the Washington teams are always interesting, too. Then there's Oregon...
And will Oregon State be as guaranteed a victory as before?
