Summer is frequently thought of as a hibernation period for
students, but for many UCLA basketball players it is the time that
they come out of their spring lull.
With their last organized game over three months ago, eight
returning Bruins and all four incoming freshmen are looking to get
back into the swing of things this summer at the Nike Los Angeles
College Pro-City League, previously known as the Say No
Classic.
The league’s collegiate division features 20 teams
compiled from the upper echelon of local talent.
From incoming freshmen stepping onto UCLA’s team to a
returning senior at Yale, the league draws from a wide spectrum of
athletes looking to get back into game shape as their season
approaches.
“We are probably the most visibly known and highly talked
about summer league throughout the nation,” league director
Rod Smith said. “There are 20 or so legitimate candidates for
the next level.”
With so many premiere players in Southern California flocking to
the league year in and year out, it’s hard to disagree. Five
players picked in Thursday’s NBA Draft participated in the
league last year, including lottery pick and former Stanford star
Josh Childress.
“They get used to playing organized 5-on-5 basketball
again,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “They get a good
run.”
Though almost everyone on his team is taking part in the league,
Howland is not allowed to attend its activities because of NCAA
rules. The NCAA also prohibits more than two existing teammates
from playing on the same 5-man team. With the eight returning
Bruins split up onto four different teams, there will be no real
sense of how the team is developing as a whole. Instead, some
Bruins will be competing against each other while playing with
rivals from USC.
Smith sees this reshuffling as part of a learning experience for
the future.
“It creates a single basketball family,” he said of
the camaraderie that develops by playing with opponents. “You
may be ‘SC or UCLA today, but if you go to the next level,
you play with people from the other team anyway.”
But fans curious to see how the Bruins are developing as a team
can still get a sense by following the incoming freshmen’s
progress. Because they are not officially considered teammates yet,
all four are able to suit up alongside each other for games.
Although two of the phenoms, Jordan Farmar and Josh Shipp, were
not able to play in the Sinclair Bruins’ first game, one of
the prized recruits has already started to make an impression.
“(Arron) Afflalo’s very good,” Smith said of
the 6-5 guard from Compton Centennial High School. “He may be
your sleeper.”
The league, which originated 30 years ago as an Olympic
Development League, has evolved into a program to promote an
anti-drug philosophy and healthy lifestyle.
Although it no longer officially goes by the Say No moniker, the
cause still remains.
“It stands for a good thing,” Howland said.
“Rod Smith has done a great job.”
The league will run for the next six weeks at the West Los
Angeles City College. Its women’s counterpart, also featuring
some of UCLA’s players, is taking place during this same
period at USC.