Los Angeles may have finally found its version of the Harlem Globetrotters.
New York may boast the legendary touring hoopsters, but Southern California could soon be releasing its own traveling entity: your 2011-2012 UCLA Bruins.
With the renovation of famed Pauley Pavilion set to continue throughout next season, the men’s basketball program remains in the process of finding a home ““ or, as it appears will be the case, homes ““ for the 2011-2012 campaign.
On Tuesday, the UCLA Athletic Department sent out a survey to its season-ticket holders and everybody who bought a single-game ticket at Pauley Pavilion since 2007. The goal of the survey was to obtain fan preferences about where the Bruins will play next season.
The options include the L.A. Memorial Sports Arena, the Honda Center in Anaheim, Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Staples Center, Valley View Casino Center in San Diego and Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield. Each venue is under consideration to host a certain number of home games, with the Sports Arena available for all UCLA home contests, the Honda Center open for up to nine contests and the rest available for anywhere from one to three games.
“Without question, we’re looking at the Bruin road show,” said Mark Harlan, the associate athletic director for external relations. “We’ve had some great conversations with the venues that are mentioned in the survey.”
One site that won’t be in play is the L.A. Forum, located in Inglewood. Although it was initially one of the preferred options, the Forum was recently purchased by the parent company of Madison Square Garden and is in the process of being renovated.
Instead, the UCLA home schedule will most likely consist of a number of different sites scattered around Southern California, with the most likely locations being the Sports Arena and the Honda Center. Harlan said that the obvious concerns surrounding each of the venues ““ the Sports Arena being old and in USC territory, the Honda Center being 43 miles away and traffic issues regardless of the site ““ are still being heavily considered.
UCLA feels confident that it will be able to provide student transportation to any of the venues, much in the same fashion that it provides buses to the Rose Bowl for Saturday football games.
“Hopefully we can turn it into a fun thing, a road show,” coach Ben Howland said.
As hopeful as Howland may be, locations such as Ontario and Bakersfield aren’t likely to inspire too much enthusiasm from a UCLA student body that hasn’t traveled well to non-conference games in Anaheim the last few seasons.
Redshirt freshman center Anthony Stover, upon hearing the news that playing a game in Bakersfield was indeed an option, promptly hung his head in dismay.
“Wait, so our home games could be in Bakersfield?” Stover asked. “No.”
Junior point guard Lazeric Jones, who has been a Southern California resident for less than a year after transferring from a Chicago junior college, appeared hardly fazed by the potential of having to barnstorm next season.
“I just want to play basketball,” Jones said. “It doesn’t really matter to me.”
Wooden legs
While the men’s program busies itself with trying to find alternate venues, the other UCLA programs that call Pauley Pavilion home will have an easier transition: across Bruin Walk.
On Monday, a UCLA spokesperson said that the men’s and women’s volleyball, gymnastics and women’s basketball programs would likely play their home contests on Collins Court in the John Wooden Center next season. Collins Court is estimated to be able to hold about 2,100 spectators.
Give him a hand
Jones continues to nurse injuries to his left wrist and his right middle finger. He will have to wear protective support on both extremities for the duration of the season.
Jones went 0-for-6 from the field against St. John’s, then took just four shots against Oregon and two against Oregon State.