2008–09 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

2008–09 UCLA Bruins men's basketball
NCAA Tournament, Second round
Conference Pacific-10 Conference
Ranking
Coaches No. 18
AP No. 18
2008–09 record 26–9 (13–5 Pac-10)
Head coach Ben Howland
Assistant coach Donny Daniels
Assistant coach Scott Duncan
Assistant coach Scott Garson
Home arena Pauley Pavilion
2008–09 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
#15 Washington14–4 .778  26–9  .743
#18 UCLA13–5 .722  26–9  .743
#19 Arizona State11–7 .611  25–10  .714
California11–7 .611  22–11  .667
USC†9–9 .500  22–13  .629
Arizona9–9 .500  21–14  .600
Washington State8–10 .444  17–16  .515
Oregon State7–11 .389  18–18  .500
Stanford6–12 .333  20–14  .588
Oregon2–16 .111  8–23  .258
† 2009 Pacific-10 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll
Darren Collison at the DePaul game
Pauley Pavilion, UCLA vs. FIU

The 2008–09 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team opened the season on November 3 when it took on Cal Baptist in an exhibition game in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins participated in the 2K Sports Classic, Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series, and the John R. Wooden Classic in the Honda Center.

The team opened the season with the following starters: Alfred Aboya (Center), James Keefe (Power forward), Josh Shipp (Small forward), Jrue Holiday (Shooting guard) and Darren Collison (Point guard).

The team opted not to have an October 17, 2008 Midnight Madness celebration this year.[1] Practices began on Saturday, October 18, as they prepared for the first exhibition game on Monday, November 3. The team has been picked to finish first in the Pac-10 conference again, over Arizona State, USC and Arizona.

Freshman Tyler Trapani (#4), great-grandson of former head coach John Wooden, had joined the team.

Three players from last season's team, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love[2] and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute were chosen to play in the NBA. Westbrook was picked by the Seattle SuperSonics as the fourth overall pick, while Love was the fifth pick by the Memphis Grizzlies, and Mbah a Moute was picked by the Milwaukee Bucks, the 37th pick in the NBA draft.

The team finished the season by losing to Villanova 89–69 in the second round of the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The senior class of Alfred Aboya, Darren Collison and Josh Shipp finished their careers with the most wins in school history with 123 [3][4][5] The distinction was relative, as John Wooden's legendary teams played shorter seasons and freshmen were ineligible.[4]

Highlights

During half-time of the January 31 game against Stanford, the Bruins' 1963–64 and 1964–65 National Championship teams were honored, along with their 98-year-old former coach John R. Wooden, who told the crowd that he can still remember those years. The game also marked the Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend with both teams wore white sneakers with their suits and ties.

A week later at the Notre Dame game, Troy Aikman was honored for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame and for having recently completed his courses for a degree in sociology during half-time. A plaque was presented to Aikman to be permanently displayed at UCLA's Hall of Fame.

  • Most points in a game – 113, UCLA vs. Wyoming, December 23, 2008
  • 2nd most field goals made – 41, UCLA vs. Wyoming, December 23, 2008
  • Most 3-point FG made – 33 (tie), UCLA vs. Loyola Marymount, December 17, 2008
  • Highest 3-pt percentage – .733 (11–15), UCLA vs. Stanford, January 29, 2009
  • Most steals – 20, UCLA vs. Wyoming, December 23, 2008
  • Most turnovers – 24, UCLA vs. Prairie View A&M, November 12, 2008

Seniors Alfred Aboya and Darren Collison played more games for UCLA than any other player in history, passing Mitchell Butler's 130 games from 1990–93.

The 72–54 DePaul victory in the December 13, 2008 John R. Wooden Classic game was coach Ben Howland's 300th career victory.

Sidney Wicks and his 1968–69 championship team were honored during halftime of the final home game against Oregon on Saturday, March 7, 2009.

These former players are now playing on a NBA team: Jason Kapono, Arron Afflalo, Dan Gadzuric, Luc Mbah a Moute, Ryan Hollins, Baron Davis, Trevor Ariza, Jordan Farmar, Matt Barnes, Kevin Love, Earl Watson, and Russell Westbrook.

UCLA's three-year reign came to an end when Washington defeated Washington State, 67–60 to win the regular season Pac-10 title.

Darren Collison was named to the All-Pac-10 team; Josh Shipp was named to the second team; Alfred Aboya was honorable mention on the All-Pac-10 team; Jrue Holiday was named to the All-Freshman team; and Alfred Aboya and Darren Collison were named to the All-Defensive team.

Darren Collison was an honorable mention in the 2008–09 AP All-America basketball teams.[6][7] Additionally, he was named the 2009 recipient of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The award goes to the "nation's outstanding senior male collegian 6'0" and under who has excelled both athletically and academically."[8]

In the NCAA National Championship tournament, Alfred Aboya scored two free-throw points with 48 seconds remaining in the game to help UCLA get by VCU in the first round at the East Regional in Philadelphia's Wachovia Center. Top scorers in the game were Eric Maynor (21) for VCU and Josh Shipp (16) for UCLA.

In the second round, with six Wildcats scoring double-digit points, Villanova ended UCLA's hope of going to the Final Four for the fourth time in a row. Dante Cunningham had 18 points; Reggie Redding and Corey Fisher had 13; Corey Stokes put up 12; eleven points came from Scottie Reynolds and ten points were put up by Dwayne Anderson for the winning team. Josh Shipp had 18 points and Alfred Aboya had 8 rebounds for UCLA.

On Friday, April 3, Alfred Aboya will play in the Hershey's all-star game, which is part of the kickoff celebration to Final Four weekend at Ford Field.

The team finished the season with an attendance of 392,980 in 35 games, averaging 11,228 fans per game.

Freshman guard Jrue Holiday announced on April 9 that he would make himself eligible for the NBA draft without signing with an agent.

Recruiting class

The incoming class of Jerime Anderson, Drew Gordon, Jrue Holiday, Malcolm Lee, and J'Mison Morgan was ranked No. 1 in the nation.[9]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jerime Anderson
PG		 Anaheim, CA Canyon HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 183 lb (83 kg) Sep 6, 2006 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 94
Drew Gordon
PF		 San Jose, CA Archbishop Mitty HS 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (100 kg) May 6, 2007 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Jrue Holiday
SG		 North Hollywood, CA Campbell Hall HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jul 3, 2007 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 98
Malcolm Lee
SG		 Moreno Valley, CA John W. North HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Nov 16, 2006 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
J'mison Morgan
C		 Dallas, TX South Oak Cliff, HS 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Jul 24, 2008 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 1   Rivals: 1  ESPN: 1
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "UCLA Commit List for 2008". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  • "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  • "ESPN – UCLA Bruins Basketball Recruiting 2008". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  • "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 2, 2011.

    Roster

    2008–09 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
    G 10 Mustafa Abdul-Hamid 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)195 lb (88 kg) Jr St. Louis, Missouri
    F/C 12 Alfred Aboya (C) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)245 lb (111 kg) Sr Yaounde, Cameroon
    G 5 Jerime Anderson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)165 lb (75 kg) Fr Anaheim, California
    G 15 Blake Arnet 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg) Fr Laguna Niguel, California
    G 2 Darren Collison (C) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)160 lb (73 kg) Sr Rancho Cucamonga, California
    G 24 Matt DeMarcus 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) Fr Solvang, California
    F/C 44 James Diefenbach 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)250 lb (113 kg) Sr Newport Beach, California
    F 41 Nikola Dragović 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)216 lb (98 kg) Jr Belgrade, Serbia
    F 0 Drew Gordon 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)235 lb (107 kg) Fr San Jose, California
    G 21 Jrue Holiday 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg) Fr North Hollywood, California
    F 13 James Keefe 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)231 lb (105 kg) Jr Rancho Santa Margarita, California
    G 1 Malcolm Lee 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)180 lb (82 kg) Fr Riverside, California
    C 22 J'mison Morgan 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)248 lb (112 kg) Fr Dallas, Texas
    F/C 20 Michael Roll 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Aliso Viejo, California
    F 30 Kevin Schmidt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)220 lb (100 kg) Jr San Jose, California
    G/F 3 Josh Shipp (C) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)220 lb (100 kg) RS Sr Los Angeles, California
    G 11 Spencer Soo 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)160 lb (73 kg) So Fresno, California
    G 4 Tyler Trapani 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg) Fr Simi Valley, California
    Head coach

    Ben Howland (Weber State)

    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Schedule

    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site
    city, state
    Exhibition
    November 3, 2008*
    7:30 p.m., uclabruins.com    		 Cal Baptist
    Exhibition    		 W 86–58 
    		Pauley Pavilion 
    Los Angeles, CA
    November 7, 2008*
    7:30 p.m., uclabruins.com    		 Biola
    Exhibition    		 W 76–42 
    		Pauley Pavilion 
    Los Angeles, CA
    Non-Conference Season
    November 12, 2008*
    7:00 p.m., ESPNU    		 No. 4 Prairie View A&M
    2K Sports Classic    		 W 82–58  1–0
    		 Pauley Pavilion (7,190)
    Los Angeles, CA
    November 13, 2008*
    8:00 p.m., ESPNU    		 No. 4 Miami (Ohio)
    2k Sports Classic    		 W 64–59  2–0
    		 Pauley Pavilion (7,802)
    Los Angeles, CA
    November 20, 2008*
    6:30 p.m., ESPN2    		 No. 4 vs. Michigan
    2k Sports Classic    		 L 52–55  2–1
    		 Madison Square Garden (9,440)
    New York, NY
    November 21, 2008*
    2:00 p.m., ESPN2    		 No. 4 vs. Southern Illinois
    2k Sports Classic    		 W 77–60  3–1
    		 Madison Square Garden (12,543)
    New York, NY
    November 29, 2008*
    4:30 p.m., FSN Prime Ticket    		 No. 11 Florida International W 89–54  4–1
    		 Pauley Pavilion (8,940)
    Los Angeles, CA
    December 4, 2008*
    7:00 p.m., ESPN    		 No. 9 at No. 8 Texas
    Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series    		 L 64–68  4–2
    		 Frank Erwin Center (16,755)
    Austin, TX
    December 7, 2008*
    7:30 p.m., FSN Prime Ticket    		 No. 9 Cal State Northridge W 85–67  5–2
    		 Pauley Pavilion (7,687)
    Los Angeles, CA
    December 13, 2008*
    4:00 p.m., KCAL-TV    		 No. 14 vs. DePaul
    John R. Wooden Classic    		 W 72–54  6–2
    		 Honda Center (14,163)
    Anaheim, CA
    December 17, 2008*
    8:00 p.m., FSN Prime Ticket    		 No. 12 Loyola Marymount W 75–44  7–2
    		 Pauley Pavilion (6,852)
    Los Angeles, CA
    December 20, 2008*
    7:30 p.m., FSNW    		 No. 12 Mercer W 76–59  8–2
    		 Pauley Pavilion (8,111)
    Los Angeles, CA
    December 23, 2008*
    7:30 p.m., FSN Prime Ticket    		 No. 10 Wyoming W 113–62  9–2
    		 Pauley Pavilion (8,795)
    Los Angeles, CA
    December 28, 2008*
    12:00 p.m., FSN Prime Ticket    		 No. 10 Louisiana Tech W 78–55  10–2
    		 Pauley Pavilion (9,680)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Conference Season
    January 2, 2009
    7:30 p.m., FSN/FSNPT    		 No. 9 at Oregon State W 69–46  11–2
    (1–0)    		 Gill Coliseum (5,629)
    Corvallis, OR
    January 4, 2009
    12:30 p.m., FSN/FSNPT    		 No. 9 at Oregon W 83–74  12–2
    (2–0)    		 McArthur Court (8,595)
    Eugene, OR
    January 11, 2009
    7:30 p.m., FSN/FSNPT    		 No. 7 at USC W 64–60  13–2
    (3–0)    		 Galen Center (10,258)
    Los Angeles, CA
    January 15, 2009
    8:00 p.m., FSN/FSNPT    		 No. 7 Arizona W 83–60  14–2
    (4–0)    		 Pauley Pavilion (11,228)
    Los Angeles, CA
    January 17, 2009
    12:45 p.m., CBS    		 No. 7 No. 15 Arizona State L 58–61 OT 14–3
    (4–1)    		 Pauley Pavilion (11,659)
    Los Angeles, CA
    January 22, 2009
    6:00 p.m., FSN/FSNPT    		 No. 11 at Washington State W 61–59  15–3
    (5–1)    		 Beasley Coliseum (8,434)
    Pullman, WA
    January 24, 2009
    1:00 p.m., FSN/FSNPT    		 No. 11 at Washington L 75–86  15–4
    (5–2)    		 Hec Edmundson Pavilion (1,000)
    Seattle, WA
    January 29, 2009
    7:30 p.m., FSN/FSNPT    		 No. 16 California W 81–66  16–4
    (6–2)    		 Pauley Pavilion (11,556)
    Los Angeles, CA
    January 31, 2009
    12:30 p.m., ABC    		 No. 16 Stanford W 97–63  17–4
    (7–2)    		 Pauley Pavilion (11,129)
    Los Angeles, CA
    February 4, 2009
    7:30 p.m., FSN Prime Ticket    		 No. 12 USC W 76–60  18–4
    (8–2)    		 Pauley Pavilion (12,179)
    Los Angeles, CA
    February 7, 2009*
    10:00 a.m., CBS    		 No. 12 Notre Dame W 89–63  19–4
    		 Pauley Pavilion (11,492)
    Los Angeles, CA
    February 12, 2009
    6:00 p.m., ESPN    		 No. 6 at No. 18 Arizona State L 67–74  19–5
    (8–3)    		 Wells Fargo Arena (13,368)
    Tempe, AZ
    February 14, 2009
    10:00 a.m., CBS    		 No. 6 at Arizona L 72–84  19–6
    (8–4)    		 McKale Center (14,611)
    Tucson, AZ
    February 19, 2009
    8:00 p.m., FSN/FSNW    		 No. 15 No. 19 Washington W 85–74  20–6
    (9–4)    		 Pauley Pavilion (11,145)
    Los Angeles, CA
    February 21, 2009
    12:00 p.m., FSN/FSNPT    		 No. 15 Washington State L 81–82  20–7
    (9–5)    		 Pauley Pavilion (10,392)
    Los Angeles, CA
    February 26, 2009
    7:00 p.m., FSN Prime Ticket    		 No. 19 at Stanford W 76–71  21–7
    (10–5)    		 Maples Pavilion (7,156)
    Stanford, CA
    February 28, 2009
    6:00 p.m., ESPN    		 No. 19 at California
    ESPN College Gameday    		 W 72–68  22–7
    (11–5)    		 Haas Pavilion (11,877)
    Berkeley, CA
    March 5, 2009
    7:30 p.m., FSN Prime Ticket    		 No. 17 Oregon State W 79–54  23–7
    (12–5)    		 Pauley Pavilion (10,348)
    Los Angeles, CA
    March 7, 2009
    12:30 p.m., ABC    		 No. 17 Oregon W 94–68  24–7
    (13–5)    		 Pauley Pavilion (10,982)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Pac-10 Tournament
    March 12, 2009
    8:30 p.m., FSN    		 No. 14 vs. Washington State
    Quarterfinals    		 W 64–53  25–7
    		 Staples Center (16,271)
    Los Angeles, CA
    March 13, 2009
    8:30 p.m., FSN    		 No. 14 vs. USC
    Semifinals    		 L 55–65  25–8
    		 Staples Center (18,497)
    Los Angeles, CA
    NCAA Tournament
    March 19, 2009*
    6:45 p.m., CBS    		 No. 17 vs. VCU
    NCAA First Round    		 W 65–64  26–8
    		 Wachovia Center (17,146)
    Philadelphia, PA
    March 21, 2009*
    10:05 a.m., CBS    		 No. 17 vs. Villanova
    NCAA Second Round    		 L 69–89  26–9
    		 Wachovia Center (19,894)
    Philadelphia, PA
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Pacific Time.

    See also

    Notes

    • UCLA was swept by ASU for the first time since the 2002-03 season (and only the third time since ASU joined the Pac).
    • UCLA did beat one ranked team (AP Top-25) this season: #19 Washington

    References

    1. ↑ Pucin, Diane (October 17, 2008). "No 'Midnight Madness' for UCLA, USC basketball teams". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
    2. ↑ Plaschke, Bill (April 20, 2008). "Love can't have a legacy without joining fraternity". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 12, 2011.
    3. ↑ "Pac-10 Conference". USA Today. April 6, 2009. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013.
    4. 1 2 Wharton, David (March 8, 2009). "Seniors honored after winning careers". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013.
    5. ↑ "No. 20 UCLA 94, Oregon 68". CBSSports.com. March 7, 2009. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
    6. ↑ 2008–09 AP All-America Basketball Teams
    7. ↑ "2009 AP All-America teams". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
    8. ↑ "Darren Collison Receives The Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award". Archived from the original on April 4, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
    9. ↑ Pucin, Diane (June 2, 2008). "Howland signs new deal with the Bruins". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015.

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