2 of 2

Write now Article Tools

After three straight Final Four appearances, UCLA was bound to take a step back eventually. That happened last year, as the Bruins lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Villanova, who eventually made it to the Final Four. Although it was a successful year after experiencing some key personnel losses, it was still a disappointing finish to the season for a team accustomed to playing deep into March and early April.

In 2009-10, the Bruins look like they could take another step back, as they figure to be a very young team. They lost seniors Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, and Alfred Aboya to graudation, and Jrue Holiday entered the draft after his freshman season. That leaves the Bruins very short on experience, which could make for a lot of growing pains. Ben Howland could have his toughest coaching job as UCLA head coach yet as he looks to lead this roster back to the NCAA tournament once again.

The leading returning scorer is Nikola Dragovic, a three-point specialist big man. He did not start last season until conference play, but showed he can be a dangerous weapon from the outside. He still needs to make improvement both rebounding the basketball and defensively, but he will be relied upon heavily to make some shots.

Malcolm Lee might be the best player on the team, and he is the guy they need to make a Darren Collison/Russell Westbrook like improvement between his freshman and sophomore season. He is slated to start at the off guard position, and Ben Howland really likes his game. He is very athletic, and will need to get to the rim to be successful on the offensive end. Defensively, though, is where he should shine, as Ben Howland has compared him to guys like Russell Westbrook and Arron Afflalo on that side of the ball. If that praise is accurate, he could be one of the best defensive players in the Pac-10.

After these guys, there are a lot of question marks. Jerime Anderson is slated to run the point. He has talent, but he is inexperienced and there is no other natural PG on the roster. Up front, guys like Drew Gordon, J'Mison Morgan, and freshman bigs are talented, but can they have production to match the talent at this point in their careers. There have also been a lot of injuries early on, and top freshman Tyler Honeycutt will miss the first 3-4 weeks of the year. But even with all of these things, you have to think Ben Howland will find some way to get the team to the NCAA Tournament.

Learn more about this author, Juan Leer.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about NCAA Men's Basketball: UCLA Bruins 2009-10 season preview?
We want to hear your view. Write now!