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UCLA the frontrunner for rising point guard

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08:18 AM ET 06.08 | Despite a magazine report that detailed a program in trouble, Ben Howland is having a pretty good offseason on the recruiting front. As Zach LaVine continues to grow and get better, he is rising up the rankings and boosting his stock. Now at 6-foot-4, LaVine has great size and length for a point guard, and he knows how to get his own shot or find his teammates. Several schools are after LaVine, including UCLA, Washington, Louisville, Memphis and Arizona, with Gonzaga, Oregon State, Washington State also in the mix. One school is standing out, though: UCLA. "I was just there on a visit," LaVine said over the weekend. "It was beautiful and I met the coaches. It's real nice."

CBS Sports

Ben Howland, Getty Images Ben Howland, Getty Images
Comment #1 has been removed
June 8, 2012  09:28 AM ET

Like I stated many times before, it doesn't matter what player goes where. If the player is all that good, he will be a "one and done or a two and done". Look at Kevin Love and Westbrook when they went to UCLA!!!! They didn't stay in school that long. Durant is another good example!!!

June 8, 2012  09:50 AM ET

Say what you want about the UCLA article, but what a great place to play hoops! And look at the recent roll call of the lat few years of guys who have gone from that program to the NBA:
Westbrook, K. Love, D. Collison, Jrue Holiday... All of these guys have had BETTER careers thus far than what whas predicted.

June 8, 2012  10:13 AM ET
QUOTE(#3):

Say what you want about the UCLA article, but what a great place to play hoops! And look at the recent roll call of the lat few years of guys who have gone from that program to the NBA:Westbrook, K. Love, D. Collison, Jrue Holiday... All of these guys have had BETTER careers thus far than what whas predicted.

Good point!!! Also Mbab a Moute, Farmar, Ariza and Afflalo aren't bad role players in the NBA. Yes UCLA has had a few down years, but people seem to forget that it wasn't too long ago, that UCLA went to the Final Four three years in a row.

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June 8, 2012  11:38 AM ET
QUOTE(#3):

Say what you want about the UCLA article, but what a great place to play hoops! And look at the recent roll call of the lat few years of guys who have gone from that program to the NBA:Westbrook, K. Love, D. Collison, Jrue Holiday... All of these guys have had BETTER careers thus far than what whas predicted.

It's better now that they don't have to worry about their teammate beating the bleep out of them in practice, literally, while the coach watches and does nothing...

June 8, 2012  11:55 AM ET
QUOTE(#7):

Durant was on campus about 9 months. Thats nuts and shows how silly the policy really is. Did he really mature that much from Aug-March.

FJJ, yes I agree with you. As an oldtimer, it really pisses me off to see a guy come to my favorite team and stay only one or two years. In Durant's case, he was/is such a mature person and player, it's hard to imagine him being any better than he is right now, had he stayed in school, the same goes for Lovel!!!

June 8, 2012  11:56 AM ET
QUOTE(#9):

FJJ, yes I agree with you. As an oldtimer, it really pisses me off to see a guy come to my favorite team and stay only one or two years. In Durant's case, he was/is such a mature person and player, it's hard to imagine him being any better than he is right now, had he stayed in school, the same goes for *Lovel!!!

*Kevin Love

June 8, 2012  04:16 PM ET
QUOTE(#4):

Good point!!! Also Mbab a Moute, Farmar, Ariza and Afflalo aren't bad role players in the NBA. Yes UCLA has had a few down years, but people seem to forget that it wasn't too long ago, that UCLA went to the Final Four three years in a row.

How quickly people forget about UCLA basketball... get to work Howland!!!

June 8, 2012  05:56 PM ET

May the best school win.

June 8, 2012  10:35 PM ET

Tradition and the best school deserves the best whether for a year or four. That's us.

June 9, 2012  02:21 AM ET

The lreason those UCLA players turned out better than expected is that Howland's system completely stymied their talents and lowered expectations for what they would do as pros. They are performing well IN SPITE OF Howland!

June 9, 2012  10:27 AM ET
QUOTE(#14):

The lreason those UCLA players turned out better than expected is that Howland's system completely stymied their talents and lowered expectations for what they would do as pros. They are performing well IN SPITE OF Howland!

I don't agree!!! The reason that UCLA players play so well in the NBA, rather it's as a super star or a role player is because Howland teaches players how to play defense and how to be a good team player. When Westbrook was drated after his sophomore year or Holiday after his freshman year, most fans thought, why is this guy getting drafted so high, they didn't realize how good of a defensive player Westbrook was/is.

June 9, 2012  01:03 PM ET

UCLA is a good school and surely a beautiful campus, it's just too bad the fan base sucks and they never sell out a game. But I guess the recruits don't know or don't care about that.

June 9, 2012  02:01 PM ET
QUOTE(#16):

UCLA is a good school and surely a beautiful campus, it's just too bad the fan base sucks and they never sell out a game. But I guess the recruits don't know or don't care about that.

Yes, it is ashame that the fan base sucks and they never sell out for a game, but you have to realize that there is quite a bit to do in the Los Angeles area, besides going to a basketball game. Besides quite a few good basketball players go to UCLA, because of the history of ex UCLA players doing well in the NBA.

 
June 10, 2012  07:52 PM ET
QUOTE(#3):

Say what you want about the UCLA article, but what a great place to play hoops! And look at the recent roll call of the lat few years of guys who have gone from that program to the NBA:Westbrook, K. Love, D. Collison, Jrue Holiday... All of these guys have had BETTER careers thus far than what whas predicted.

Thats because Howland has a history (at UCLA) of recruiting the best athletes and trying to turn them into slow it down, bang and bruise, shoot only after 10 passes are made players. They get into the NBA and flourish once they are freed from his constraints.

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