Nikki Caldwell leaves UCLA to become LSU coach

Nikki Caldwell has agreed to become the women’s basketball coach at Louisiana State, the school announced Saturday. LSU will hold a 2 p.m. news conference Monday to introduce Caldwell, who coached at UCLA for the last three seasons.

Caldwell will be making a return to the Southeastern Conference, a league she knows all too well. Caldwell starred at SEC powerhouse Tennessee from 1991 to 1994 as a player and returned to the school as an assistant coach under Pat Summitt.

UCLA gave Caldwell her first head-coaching gig in 2008 by signing her to a five-year deal worth $295,000 per year. In three seasons, Caldwell turned the program around. Before her arrival, UCLA had one NCAA Tournament win; Caldwell led the Bruins to two wins.

“UCLA is a special place in so many ways,” Caldwell said in a statement released by UCLA. “I will forever be indebted for the opportunities that UCLA has afforded me. Dan Guerrero is one of the elite athletic directors and it has been a privilege and an honor to work with this administration. They did all they could to keep me at UCLA and I appreciate those efforts.

Report: Malcolm Lee to gauge NBA draft stock

The Los Angeles Times reported late Monday night that UCLA junior forward Malcolm Lee will become the second Bruin this year to declare for the NBA draft.

But, according to the report, Lee will not hire an agent, which will preserve his college eligibility.

Should Lee declare without hiring an agent, he would have until May 8 to withdraw from the draft process and return for his senior year.

Larry Drew II lands at UCLA after transferring from North Carolina

Tyler Honeycutt may already have two feet out the door, but Larry Drew II has one foot in.

Drew, a 6-foot-2-inch point guard, has enrolled in classes at UCLA for spring quarter. The athletic department announced the arrival of Drew on Monday hours after Honeycutt said he was leaving for the NBA.

Drew, who averaged 4.4 points and 3.9 assists per game this year, will have to sit sit out next season per NCAA rules on student-athlete transfers, but will be able to play the following season as a redshirt senior. UCLA previously did not have a point guard on the roster for the 2012-13 season.

UCLA men's basketball notes: Malcolm Lee's surgery, Texas and more

Malcolm Lee underwent successful surgery on his left knee Tuesday morning, a procedure that was expected after the UCLA junior guard suffered an injury to the knee on March 5.

Coach Ben Howland, who shared the news with reporters on Tuesday in his final press conference of the season, said that a small tear to the meniscus was fixed and a piece of cartilage was removed during the surgery.

Lee hurt his knee during UCLA’s regular-season finale at Washington State but chose to continue playing without surgery, even logging 39 minutes on the court in UCLA’s season-ending loss to Florida.

Howland said that it would take “between a month to two months, max” before Lee is back to full strength.

Lee’s injury should not affect his NBA draft status should he decide to declare, according to Howland.

“He’s going to be 100% fine,” Howland assured.

Texas-sized addition to the schedule

Save for the Maui Invitational, little had been revealed about UCLA’s 2011 nonconference schedule until Howland divulged Tuesday one date on the calendar: a home matchup against Texas.

Of course, the home location of the game is still up in the air — Howland said that he expects UCLA’s 2011-12 home schedule to be resolved in the “near future” — but the Longhorns and Bruins should provide one of the country’s premier nonconference matchups since both are projected to be ranked teams at the start of the season.

Texas, ranked in the top three at one point this year, expects to continue the success with freshman Tristan Thompson and sophomore Jordan Hamilton returning.

Winn’s fourth-place finish at Zone E Championships not good enough for qualification to NCAA Swimming and Diving

Laura Winn’s UCLA career ended in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, as the standout senior diver failed to qualify for the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.

Competing in the NCAA Zone E Championships at the Minnesota Aquatics Center, Winn placed fourth in platform ““ her specialty event ““ but needed to finish in the top two to advance.

Also representing UCLA was freshman Paulina Guzman, who finished 13th on 1-meter and 15th on 3-meter, and also did not qualify for the NCAAs.

The Bruins will send seven swimmers ““ Brittany Beauchan, Bianca Casciari, Cynthia Fascella, Lauren Hall, Yasi Jahanshahi, Alex Sullivan and Sam Vanden Berge ““ to the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, which start Friday in Austin, Texas.

Compiled by Ryan Menezes, Bruin Sports senior staff.