Author Archives: Ben Azar

Arron Afflalo isn’t your stereotypical leader. He’s not going to be the guy barking orders on the court, telling everybody what to do. He’s not going to get his teammates keyed up with stirring, inspirational speeches. But as each game goes by for the UCLA basketball team, it becomes increasingly clear that the Bruins are […]

With two big conference games coming up and the possibility of a matchup against his brother on Thursday, sophomore forward Josh Shipp is aching to get back on the court this week. It remains to be seen whether Shipp, who sat out Saturday’s game at USC with a tear in his right hamstring, will get […]

After UCLA’s loss to Oregon last week, Arron Afflalo insisted he was the leader of the Bruins, and that he should be the one to take the last shot in a dire situation. It didn’t take the junior guard very long to back up his words with action. A well-covered Afflalo hung in the air […]

After a fantastic freshman season, capped by dominant performances in the NCAA Tournament, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute seemed poised for a breakout sophomore season. When the forward poured in a career-high 24 points while grabbing 11 rebounds against BYU to open the season, it looked like a sign of things to come. However, while […]

Heading into Galen Center to play a red-hot USC team, the last thing the UCLA basketball team needed was an injury to one of its key players. Sophomore forward Josh Shipp tore his right hamstring in Saturday’s game against Oregon and will be forced to miss the game against USC on Saturday. “I am very […]

Russell Westbrook’s assignment on Saturday was daunting. The trailing Bruins desperately needed a defensive and offensive spark from Westbrook, who was playing his first game in the raucous surroundings of McArthur Court. The freshman guard didn’t disappoint. Westbrook fended off the crowd and was great on both ends of the court for the Bruins. He […]

Before UCLA’s matchup with Oregon, coach Ben Howland couldn’t stop talking about how difficult it was to match up with the Ducks. Saturday’s result proved his point. Oregon’s quickness and the perimeter shooting ability of every one of its players caused all kinds of problems for the Bruins, especially in the first half. “When you […]