[ChalkyDog]

Sure all the usual suspects are in play. Stevens, smart, buzz etc.

Only Shaka makes any kind of sense among those, and Dixon isn't a real possibility because Ucla shouldn't want him.

So, which one of you guys are worried that your teams superstar coach is going to ne poached?

UCLA is the best gig in the country, only a few people they can't get. K, Williams, Pitino, Self, Cal and probably Izzo. Everyone else is game.

[paranoyd androyd]

stevens and smart will obviously be on their list eventually, but i'm not sure ucla will fire howland this year unless they don't make the tourney.

ucla was the best job a long time ago, but not anymore. fan support has been quite minimal for years now, they have no home court advantage and the arena is completely dead with empty seats galore.

[ChalkyDog]

stevens and smart will obviously be on their list eventually, but i'm not sure ucla will fire howland this year unless they don't make the tourney.

ucla was the best job a long time ago, but not anymore. fan support has been quite minimal for years now, they have no home court advantage and the arena is completely dead with empty seats galore.

First point, Howland is gone. I don't even think a tourney saves him. Key transfers decimating the program once again, players publicly stating how much they hate it there. High profile recruits parents going crazy on Howland in public. It's bad news. Howland is gone, and they all know that. It's not a matter of if, but when.

Only thing that saves Howland is a final four run. They'd be lucky to make the tournament at this rate.

Second, UCLA is still the best job in the country. They're a blue blood in thee most fertile recruiting ground. No other school can give a coach that opportunity to win. On top of that, they can and will pay. They just renovated Pauley. If they can get a coach, who runs a decent program, and puts out a watchable style of ball - UCLA has no reason not to be a top 10 team every year.

Do not underestimate what it means to be UCLA in the state of California, and has very easy national reach. Howland is penetrating it up.

In this day and age, it would only take one recruiting season to turn UCLA around. Indiana or Kansas can't offer that. I doubt Kentucky without Cal can ever off that. Duke maybe. UNC maybe. Still, NC doesn't have the natural recruiting ground and natural stranglehold of said ground that UCLA does.

Only possible better job, if you are only interested in money, is Louisville with their goddamned YUM center. They have more money than they know what to do with. $10 mil more than the next closest.

[paranoyd androyd]

good point about recruiting classes, it really does only take one of them to turn things around and they're in one of the top places in the country to accomplish that. howland has badly hurt the ucla basketball brand, but it was on the slide long before him. and the wimpy ucla administration is just as much to blame for all of it.

sure pauley has been upgraded cosmetically, but it's always been way too cavernous and the fans have always been dead there. it's a terrible venue that lacks any kind of intimacy with the seats far away from the court. 65% of the place is empty every night (including the entire upper level) and the student section is non-existent. fans are absolutely rabid at places like duke, kansas, louisville, uk, arizona, nc, indiana, mich state, michigan, gonzaga. why is ucla so lacking in this regard? they have zero homecourt advantage. none.

ah well, another horrible loss by ucla tonight. let's see if this administration has any balls to do something about it..

[CollegeOverUnder]

The only coaches that are suitable for this job are RUN AND GUN coaches. HIGH OCTANE OFFENSE COACHES are the only suitable coaches for this UCLA job IMO. Fuk man UCLA needs to run up and down the court with there heads cut off thats what this program is and should be. WTF is this shit UCLA is going what a joke of a program.

[VCURam3019]

You will never take shaka!

[uncynd]

Hope they take shaka tbh, sry VCU

[VCURam3019]

hes never leaving his wife says she doesnt want to move again! WHIPPED!!!!!

[ChalkyDog]

good point about recruiting classes, it really does only take one of them to turn things around and they're in one of the top places in the country to accomplish that. howland has badly hurt the ucla basketball brand, but it was on the slide long before him. and the wimpy ucla administration is just as much to blame for all of it.

sure pauley has been upgraded cosmetically, but it's always been way too cavernous and the fans have always been dead there. it's a terrible venue that lacks any kind of intimacy with the seats far away from the court. 65% of the place is empty every night (including the entire upper level) and the student section is non-existent. fans are absolutely rabid at places like duke, kansas, louisville, uk, arizona, nc, indiana, mich state, michigan, gonzaga. why is ucla so lacking in this regard? they have zero homecourt advantage. none.

ah well, another horrible loss by ucla tonight. let's see if this administration has any balls to do something about it..

SDSU isn't a bad loss. They were actually ranked. And you played a lot better than you have.

Problem, however, is that the main people that are allowing you to stay competitive in a game like tonights, i.e. Adams, Bazz, Anderson. They're all Freshman. Meaning those guys will click in a few games, 3-5 coming up, and might run off some good wins. Since they're so talented - the can possibly carry you through most of the 1st half of conference play. Problem with that however, is they're going to be exhausted by the 2nd half of conference play. Seen it happen many-a-time. And Howland is literally teeing up the situation perfectly.

UCLA isn't terrible. But they're nowhere as good as they were projected, which even shocks me. I didn't think Howland could screw this up, because the pieces there, theoretically could have been dominant.

If I were UCLA right now, I still think I could have a reasonably successful season if you 1) Do everything you can not to lose Kyle before January and 2) adjust the expectations to a simple tourney berth and top 3 conference standing (both are very doable).

It really bums me out that UCLA isn't good. Loved the idea of both them and Arizona being relevant this year.

[CollegeOverUnder]

Hope they take shaka tbh, sry VCU

Shaka Smart will live and DIE a VCU RAM. I dont think if you offered the guy $20Million a year he would even leave VCU

[VCURam3019]

Shaka Smart will live and DIE a VCU RAM. I dont think if you offered the guy $20Million a year he would even leave VCU

I think if he woulda left it would of been last year. Its a treat to watch that team play, HAVOC 4 LIFE!!!