What if I told you that basketball season is just weeks away?
(It all begins Nov. 2 against Cal Poly Pomona.) Is that something
you might be interested in? (Of course you would be.) These are the
NCAA runner-up Bruins we’re talking about. (NCAA runners-up!
That means No. 2 of 334. That means one better and 332 worse.
It’s the 99th percentile.) In any event, try to think back
several months and remember. (In this case, “several”
means “six” or “seven.” Basically, think
back to March and April.) Do you remember the madness? Do you
remember how freaking cool that was? Do you remember how proud you
were to be a Bruin? (Or a senior in high school, as it were,
contemplating your college decision.) Well … yeah.
***
As UCLA held its annual men’s basketball media day on
Wednesday in Pauley Pavilion, the memories started creeping back to
me. I was fortunate enough to have been there, to have seen all six
NCAA Tournament games in person, to have experienced in some way
(in other words: the dorky student reporter way) the excitement and
glory that is college basketball on the game’s biggest stage.
And while Wednesday was supposed to provide a glance toward the
future, what with new players, a new assistant coach and a new
feel, you’ll have to forgive me for wanting to look back, for
trying to savor just a bit longer what actually transpired. It was
a young team, plagued by injuries. It was just coach Ben
Howland’s third season in charge. It was supposed to be the
start of something great, but maybe not something so great in its
own right. A trip to the Sweet 16 would have been a very successful
season. But the Bruins weren’t ready to stop there, and the
memories still resonate so strongly ““ Luc Richard Mbah a
Moute’s lay-up and steal that broke Gonzaga’s heart,
the best team defense I’ve ever seen against Memphis, and
making LSU’s “Big Baby” cry. The list goes on and
on, and I don’t want to let go. And I don’t have to.
Such is the benefit of being a fan rather than a coach or an
athlete. When asked how long ago the Final Four seems, Howland was
frank. “It seems like it was five months ago,” he said.
“Time has passed. We would like to have that banner up there
right now.” Next question. That’s the thing. Howland
has so much more to worry about at the moment. He has a basketball
season to prepare for. He has injuries to deal with, new players to
develop, and the responsibility of living up to the expectations
that come with the territory. We just have to make sure the
“Keep Until I Delete” function is set on our TiVo for
that Gonzaga game. What a game though, huh? “I don’t
even remember the last minutes,” Mbah a Moute said.
“It’s kind of like a blur.” At the time, it was
like a blur for me, too. But then I got to watch SportsCenter 27
times to relive and relive and relive. UCLA had to prepare to face
Memphis two days later. They won that one, too, before destroying
LSU a week later. It was a Final Four run that won’t soon be
forgotten. “Down the road I’ll have time to think about
it, but right now it’s still a little out there,” Mbah
a Moute said. It’s still a little out there for a good
reason. And that reason, of course, is this season. UCLA has a
Pac-10 title to defend and a NCAA Tournament run to replicate. Just
a sophomore, Mbah a Moute will likely be a lot better than he was
last year. So will fellow sophomores Darren Collison, Mike Roll,
Alfred Aboya and Ryan Wright. Throw in Arron Afflalo, who has a
chance to be the Pac-10’s leading scorer and best defender,
Josh Shipp and Lorenzo Mata, and you’ve got a team
that’s scary good. “We should be even better as a team
this year,” Collison said. So look forward with excitement,
back with pride, and don’t make plans for the first week in
April. It’s going to be fun.
E-mail David at dregan@media.ucla.edu.