The UCLA sports universe slowed down for the past three weeks, as Bruin players and coaches took a break from the daily grind of collegiate athletics. Besides a number of men’s basketball upsets – and major letdowns – all was quiet. And then Lonzo Ball decided to make some noise. A lot of noise. The […]
Category Archives: Sports Columns
Matter of Fact: Prince Ali’s dunk more than just a highlight
I still haven’t seen the video. I don’t know if I want to. I don’t know if I want to force myself to judge it through the same lens as every other highlight-reel play I’ve seen in my life. I don’t want to ruin it. I mean, maybe – maybe – it’s not the greatest […]
Tanner’s Take: Kentucky upset is a glimpse at what could be for UCLA
There will be a time to return to reality. But tonight is not that time. A stunning 87-77 upset over not-gonna-be-top-ranked-much-longer Kentucky Thursday gave UCLA its first win over a No. 1 team in over a decade and provided Bruin basketball fans with a night where everything went right. Just ask the guy who banked […]
Matter of Fact: Sean Miller’s jab at UCLA only highlights his own frustration
Sean Miller’s 2016 recruiting class has a combined height of 6 feet, 11 inches, a statistic that would be more interesting if it was a result of the Arizona coach losing his mind and committing wholeheartedly to playing small ball. But he hasn’t. Well, at least not the small ball part – Miller won’t be […]
Tanner’s Take: We should’ve seen Thomas Welsh coming
Last year, Thomas Welsh reminded me of myself. Sure, the then-freshman center had an extra 7 or 8 inches of height and a lot more basketball talent, but I still felt a connection to the Bruins’ gangly 7-foot giant. Everything about him was awkward – the way he ran down the court, his inconsistent jumper […]
Claire-ification: Missouri boycott represents path Ed O’Bannon should have taken
One of the most historic moments of UCLA men’s basketball never happened. It was 1995, and the No. 1 Bruins were headed into familiar territory: The NCAA Tournament. The team’s game plan, however, was far from conventional. In partnership with fellow top regional seeds Wake Forest and the University of Massachusetts, in addition to other […]
Matter of Fact: Disputed Miami call highlights appeal of mistakes in college football
You’ve seen the play by now. It’s inane, insane and anything but mundane, the type of moment meant for a Dr. Seuss book. It’s inexcusable, inexplicable and, in more ways than one, indefensible. It’s also incredible, a sensational slice of the magic of college sports. I’m talking, of course, about Miami’s controversial game-winning kickoff return […]