I’m more familiar with the legal system in China than I should be. My grandfather was mauled by a drunk driver six years ago in broad daylight in front of multiple witnesses near Wuxi, a city two hours west of Shanghai. The riffraff who committed the hit-and-run waited a month as the authorities investigated the […]
Category Archives: Sports Columns
Gott’s Thoughts: Five reasons why UCLA’s Rose Bowl is lackluster
After spending most of college working my way up through the ranks of the Daily Bruin Sports section, I finally got my first chance to travel for the paper Saturday. I drove all the way to Tucson but all the trip did was reaffirm a suspicion I already had. The Rose Bowl is awful. It’s […]
Gott’s Thoughts: The search for No. 114 affirms good-not-great status of UCLA athletics
I grew up a Dodgers fan, so I’m used to watching my team lose in the playoffs. When I got to UCLA, I thought that was going to change. It didn’t. On some level, I think many current UCLA students were seduced by the idea of going to a school with a competitive athletic program. […]
UCLA’s track and field program fails to keep another of its star athletes
Hurdler Rai Benjamin is yet another example of a worrying trend at Drake Stadium. The rising sophomore recently announced halfway through his stunning collegiate track and field career that he will be transferring from UCLA to USC. Benjamin was the first Bruin to stand on a podium since 2014, placing second at the NCAA Division […]
Wang’s Word: International league experience could be helpful for NBA hopefuls
The last time Jonah Bolden played college basketball, he had one of the worst seasons statswise among the 2017 NBA Draft class. Bolden, the Bruins’ former guard/forward, averaged just 2.4 more points and 2.5 more rebounds per game in his collegiate career than LaVar Ball, who’s widely mocked in the basketball community for his uninspiring […]
Smith Says: Men’s basketball has better prospects for conference title this season
UCLA men’s basketball will open its 2017-2018 conference schedule with a lot less stress than it did last season. In 2016, the Bruins began conference play in Oregon, where they dropped their first game of the season following a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Ducks forward Dillon Brooks. UCLA was 13-0 at the time, and […]
Senior signoffs: Mitch Stahl reflects on value of detail, on and off court
As June 16 quickly approaches and the end of my career as a student-athlete draws near, I reflect on my time at UCLA and share my experience along with life lessons that I have learned along the way. Although my time here is finished, this university will forever be a cornerstone in my development – […]