UCLA has issues...doesn't every school?

UPDATE: Reeves went on ESPN LA today and denied all the individual accusations written aganist him in the article. It's hard to tell if he is lying or not, but he says his former teammates have talked to him and supported him. If the allegations against him are not true, then what is the point of the article? There had to be something going on that George Dohrmann, the writter, saw that warranted the article. The first though is that either Reeves is lying or Dohrmann is lying. But once you think about it, you realize that the truth is probably just somewhere in between. 

If you haven’t read the SI article about UCLA basketball and their discipline and drug problem, I suggest you read it. It’s a great piece and it explains a great deal about what is happening with their basketball team. Being a UCLA Alum, I had noticed some issues, but I never though it went this far. The sense of entitlement that comes with being the best player on your high school team, and being a high prospect, is not what you want from your players. I would take a bunch of hard working guys with less talent than guys with more talent without a work ethic. What I’ve never understood is why these guys with such huge talent would waste it by not working hard. That is why I respect Kobe so much. I’m a long time Clippers fan and I hate the Lakers, but Kobe Bryant is always working at his game. He is one of the best players in the NBA and is still working everyday to get better. This is what college kids should strive to do, but these UCLA players did not.

                Ben Howland should have done a better job of controlling the talent on his team. While he was probably scared that if he was too hard on them they would leave for the draft or another school, he shouldn’t be worried about that. The players that should stay at the program are the ones who want to be there, and who are willing to work hard to get better. After hearing everything that Reeves Nelson did while at UCLA, I’m glad they kicked him off. They should have done it sooner. To let someone like that stay on the team for so long just because he is producing is horrible for the rest of the team. Him and Howland’s treatment of his stars caused us to love multiple talented player who are now starring on RANKED teams. Two of UCLA’s former players who transferred out during this era are now stars at #17 UNLV.  Mike Moser is averaging a double-double with 13.9 points and 10.9 rebounds, which ranks him 9^th in the nation in rebounds per game, while Chase Stanback is their second leading scorer at 13.4 points. Drew Gordon is playing for New Mexico, who are also having a good year. While unranked, they have beaten UNLV and San Diego State, who are both ranked. Gordon is also ranked 6^th in the nation in rebounding with 10.9 per game, while adding in 12.6 points to average a double-double as well. How different would UCLA be with these players still on their team?

I don’t blame Ben Howland for the talent he missed and did not recruit, because his track record of recruiting is undeniably great. Holiday, Westbrook, Love, Collison, Ariza, and Afflalo are all starters in the NBA. Westbrook and Love are both All-Stars as well. There are also many other players from his tenure still contributing in the NBA. While he did miss some recruiting talent, it happens. However, I do blame him for allowing his players to get away with this type of attitude. No coach should ever let their star players go this far. All star players get some sort of preferential treatment, however, there is a limit and that limit was crossed over tenfold. The type of attitude Nelson showed during practice should never be allowed. Now that that is out of the way, without Nelson I feel that all the other problems that were described in the article are not just at UCLA. 30 players were arrested during Urban Meyer’s tenure at Florida, but no one talked about that because they were winning. College kids will always be naïve and immature, they will want to party and have fun. This is nothing new and you can’t put the blame on the players for wanting to enjoy their college experience. They are kids, and we can’t treat them like more than that just because they are athletes.  However, because they are athletes they are held to a higher standard due to the national attention they receive. In the end, I don’t care what they do during their off day as long as it’s within reason, and as long as they step on court, whether during practice or a game, and give it their all.

This UCLA ‘scandal’ is nothing new. College players, college coaches, and college programs get in trouble all the time. Ohio State had their investment scandal, John Calipari had the Derrick Rose SAT scandal and the Marcus Camby scandal, USC had their Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo scandals. These things happen in college. To many of these coaches and programs, winning means everything. To many of these players, college is just a stepping stone to the pros. With those sort of attitudes and all the rules the NCAA has, these scandals are bound to happen. So in the big picture, this UCLA ‘scandal’ isn’t really a scandal at all. It just shows that Ben Howland let his star players take control. Once again this is nothing new. It happened with Cleveland and Lebron James. He controlled their franchise and did what he wanted when he wanted and then left. The only difference? The Cavs were making the playoffs and always challenging for the title. Winning cures everything.

Having the talent and work ethic to be great together, is rare for many college players. Prospects have become entitled, and expect to run over everyone at the college level. The internet and national TV attention has led to this. In this era anyone can see the prospects, rank them and then these kids get press conferences for their decisions. They are kids and it is getting to their heads. Westbrook, Collison, and Love are all recent examples of what Ben Howland can do with talented hard workers. Westbrook and Collision both were not high prospects. Kevin Love was but he was a diamond in the rough with his work ethic, basketball IQ and talent.

 I don’t see the need to fire Ben Howland. He has admitted he made mistakes and hopefully won’t let it happen again. He has led UCLA to three consecutive final fours, and while past achievements are not something you should live on, he has earned a little bit of leeway. UCLA is UCLA and they will find a way back to the NCAA Basketball summit. The question is, how long will it take?