Shabazz Muhammad, regarded by most as the nation’s top high school basketball recruit, made it official and signed his letter of intent to play for Howland. He joins friend and fellow highly rated recruit Kyle Anderson in hopes of putting UCLA back at the top. It would be a refreshing change for Howland who says accountability is at an all-time high and a remodeled Pauley Pavillion is on the way.

Ben Howland joined Fox Sports Radio with Petros and Money to discuss signing Shabazz Muhammad, when he knew for sure Muhammad would sign, Muhammad’s best qualities, how he changes the style of play within the program, Muhammad saying he wants to put UCLA back on top and moving forward from the Sports Illustrated piece.

On signing one of the top recruits, Shabazz Muhammad:

“I’m elated. It was so great yesterday to have the news become official and receive the signed letter of intent from Shabazz. He’s someone we’ve been recruiting now for over three years and is obviously a great player — the unanimous Player of the Year in the country. … He’s just an exciting addition as we move back into Pauley Pavillion and we’re so pleased to be back on campus next season in a brand new building, essentially. It’s just really, really exciting times.”

When were you comfortable in knowing he was coming to UCLA? Did it take until those final moments?:

“I was comfortable that we were in good shape for quite a while. It’s been a long process. But you never do know. The thing is, though, that he has a great family. His father, Ron, and his mother, Faye, are both from southern California. Their families are all here, so this is home for Shabazz and his family and his roots. I felt comfortable but you never know for sure. … Now it’s such a production.”

On Muhammad’s talents:

“He has a lot of special qualities. He’s a great scorer, can really shoot the ball, gets to the line a lot because he’s so aggressive attacking the rim. He’s explosive. He’s 222-pound, 6-6, long, athletic, bouncy, just a really, really good player.”

Is he a guy that will change the style of basketball that your team plays?:

“We’ve got to be more aggressive offensively, attacking and really trying to get him out to where he can attack in the open court. It’s not just Shabazz. One of the key factors is that we had already signed one of his close friends, Kyle Anderson, who is a great player, obviously, in his own right, a top-five player in the country. He has point guard skills, is a 6-8 point, really passes the ball. … You get a chance to see them playing together, it’s exciting.”

How did you feel when you heard Muhammad say one of his deciding factors was the challenge of helping put UCLA back on top?:

“I felt great because that’s the kind of kid he is. He’s not afraid of competition, not afraid of the challenge. This kid came into his senior year as the odds-on favorite to be the Player of the Year so everybody’s out to get you, everybody’s coming after you, you’re everybody’s biggest night, biggest game. … He’s obviously going to have that same level of competition where everyone’s trying to knock him off. It’s great to see a kid who wants those challenges. I was proud of him.”

How did you address your team after the Sports Illustrated article came out and all of that went down?:

“We talked about it and, hey, I’m responsible for this program, first and foremost. I really have had to come to a realization that I have to improve, I have to make changes and we are doing that right now. Our level of accountability with our players in our program right now I think is at an all-time high and it’s been great. I think our players are really responding to it. I’m just very, very passionate about what we have ahead of us now.”

Listen to Ben Howland on Fox Sports Radio here

Despite it all, Howland says in the following interview that he thinks his program is headed in the right direction. He takes the path that everyone goes through adversity and it’s about how people learn from it and overcome it. Exactly how that goes down will likely determine if he continues coaching at UCLA.

Ben Howland joined XX Sports Radio in San Diego with Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton to discuss the turmoil of the past season, how he felt about the Sports Illustrated article, the down year in the Pac-12, if the one-and-done rule should be changed and this weekend’s Final Four matchups.

You and your program pretty much suffered through everything imaginable on and off the court. Did you see anything like that coming?:

“No, we had a tough year, not ideal for UCLA standards. 19-14 is a tough year at UCLA. I’m excited about the future. It was a year that was difficult to begin with, moving off campus and not having our on-campus facility available because Pauley was in the midst of a renovation. … That being said, it was a tough year, but I’m very excited about the future. I’m proud of our kids. … I think that we’re headed in the right direction here as we move forward.”

Were you hurt or bothered by the Sports Illustrated article that more or less indicated that you had a bunch of bums in your program and it spiraled out of control?:

“The bums part, you’re paraphrasing I guess there, is we have good kids in this program and have had for the most part. I’m really proud of the kids that have come out of this program. You look at so many of the players have gone on and had outstanding NBA careers and are currently doing so. … They’re all really doing well and the players that have just gone on into the real world and started families and jobs, I’m just proud of so many of the players that I’ve had. … There’s always going to be tough times that you have to fight your way through adversity and being able to handle adversity and get better from it and learn from it is something we all have to learn in our lives.”

How much of an impact have transfers and one-and-done players had on the Pac-12?:

“I think the Pac-12 is just like anything. Things go in cycles. When you go back to, say, ’08 and ’09, which is three and four years ago, we had six of our 10 teams, at the time. … There’s always cycles. Last year there were eight kids that all left early that were all all-league. Three or four of them probably should have gone early and four probably should have come back. You’re always going to have those issues. But our league, overall, is going to be very strong in the future. … The new television package that is now going to be in its first year this fall for our conference is the best, most lucrative package in the history of college athletics. … I think that that’s a real shot in the arm for all of the teams in this conference.”

Do you think the one-and-done rule will be changed?:

“I don’t know. The NBA decides that. For the culture of basketball, I definitely prefer that would be changed. There’s two ways of looking at it. Either to do it like they do in baseball where you either go right out of high school or you have to stay for three years. I’d prefer they have to come and they have to stay for two years. I just think it’s better for the culture of basketball for the kids. When you look at the NBA, it’s a definite plus for the NBA to have kids that go to college, that are in that environment that’s much more structured and disciplined.”

What are your thoughts on the Kentucky-Louisville game?:

“I think Pitino’s a Hall of Fame coach, one of the great coaches ever. … He’s just done a magnificent job and you’ve got to give him so much credit. He’s done a masterful job with this team and they’re really hot right now, having won their conference tournament, four games in four days. … Calipari, I think Kentucky’s the team to beat. It’s incredible the talent that’s been assembled there. I think that John doesn’t get the credit he deserves for just being a great coach, Xs and Os and teaching. … They have six guys on their team that average in double figures on the season. That’s balance and depth that is hard to beat. That’ll be an interesting game.”

On the other game:

“Those are two Midwestern teams that are great teams and both have great coaches and should be another interesting game that I think will be hard-fought. The kid Thomas Robinson from Kansas was my choice for the Player of the Year. We played them early in Maui and I watched him develop these last three years. He’s special. Sullinger, on the other side, Ohio State, is one of the best bigs in the country.”

Listen to Ben Howland on XX Sports Radio in San Diego here

Nelson has fired back, hoping to restore his “good name.” Nelson says some of the most damning stories about him in the article are not true and that he was not given an opportunity to give his side of the story to Dorhmann. He tells his side in the following interview.

Reeves Nelson joined ESPN Los Angeles with Mason and Ireland to discuss his initial reaction to the article, a quote that particularly irked him, why he’s not playing for UCLA anymore, his denial of a couple of specific instances, his contact with Dorhmann, how he wasn’t asked to give his side of the story, Dohrmann’s credibility and what he’d like to see happen going forward.

What was your initial reaction when you first read the article?:

“I was very surprised and I felt kind of taken advantage of to be honest. He pretty much did use a quote that I gave at the very beginning of the conversation and then infused it to make his point and make me look like a really bad person. I just felt surprised and kind of taken advantage of.”

Are you talking about the quote where you talked about putting that part of your life behind you and it made it seem like you were admitting to everything he was talking about?:

“Yeah, that’s what he definitely made it seem like. But in the actual conversation, after saying hello to him, that’s when I made that statement. That was right at the beginning of the conversation. I had no idea what he was going to put in the article at that point. I was speaking on the actual factual reasons that I was dismissed from the team.”

In your words, why are you no longer playing for UCLA?:

“Basically, first I had missed a team practice. I didn’t show a lot of respect to the team in program, if you want to put it in a nutshell. Specific instances that happened were that I walked out on a team practice without Coach’s permission, I missed a flight to Maui and then I think the thing that resulted in my final suspension and ultimate dismissal was when I was seen laughing at the end of a loss to Texas. That obviously shows a lack of respect to the team and program as a whole.”

The two most eye-opening stories were those that claim you purposely injured teammate James Keefe during a practice and that you urinated on teammate Tyler Honeycutt’s clothes. Are those true?:

“No, neither of those things happened at all. James Keefe, who had already … had previously injured his shoulder pretty seriously and had been doing rehab and I made no attempt to [reinjure him]. Me and James have already discussed this and he actually reached out to me, personally, saying that he would fight for me because he knows it isn’t true. He said that, when Dohrmann contacted him, he told Dohrmann that he didn’t believe that that was true, nor did he want to believe it was true, so Dohrmann pretty much went against his primary source on that.”

What’s your side of the Honeycutt story?:

“What’s true about that is the fact that he was a suitemate of mine. Me and him lived in rooms five feet apart. He’s my friend. I’ve known him since I was 16 years old. … I was just messing with him and I flipped over his bed, put some baby powder and Jolly Ranchers or something. … At no point did I ever remove clothes from his closet and purposely urinate on them and the bed.”

When you contacted Dorhmann to ask him what was up with his story, how did he respond?:

“Basically, the conversation went like this: I called him and said, ‘I’m returning your call out of courtesy. All I want to say is that I realize I’ve made mistakes. At this point I thought the article was just going to be on UCLA as a whole. So I said I realize the mistakes that I’ve made and all I’m trying to do at this point in my life is trying to improved as a person and a player.’ After that, he kind of sugar-coated it in retrospect. He said … ‘I appreciate you returning my call and being stand-up about this, but just so you know, I’m going to write this stuff.’ That’s pretty much it. He never asked me for a reply or anything like that.”

Did he ask you specifically about any of those incidents that make you look so bad in the article?:

“No, he never asked for my version of any event at all. He never gave me a chance to defend myself or anything like that. He took my statement and he twisted it to make his point.”

On Dohrmann’s credibility:

“I think what it really comes down to, regardless if he’s a Pulitzer Prize-winning author he wrote a children’s book, I think that the facts are that the people, the actual people, he’s saying the incidents happened to have said to me … through all sorts of mediums, that they’re not true. … If the person he’s writing about, or the two people directly involved, both say it’s not true, then how [do those stories get printed]?”

What would you like to see happen with this going forward?:

“For me, all that I really truly care about right now is restoring my good name. Basketball aside, it is obviously my passion and I love it, but more than anything I’m just a human being and this article makes me look like I’m a scumbag, really. I don’t want my mom and my granny and my little sister thinking, ‘We raised an idiot,’ pretty much. That’s all I really want. Whatever they’re going to do, issue a retraction or whatever, I don’t care about money or anything, I just want my good name restored.”

How fair was the article overall to Ben Howland and the basketball program in general?:

“I think that I can’t really comment on that because I wasn’t obviously there for the last three months. I just take responsibility for my part in it, the stuff I know I did. … All I can say about Coach Howland is I have a great deal of respect for the man.”

Listen to Reeves Nelson on ESPN Los Angeles here

According to SI, the problems at UCLA began when a group of players began to rebel without consequence and when Howland gave star treatment with certain players that caused him to lose control of the program.

The story goes on to allege that there was widespread fighting amongst teammates and that there was drinking and smoking marijuana before practices.

If these allegations turn out to be true, Howland should be incredibly disappointed as he has sent the program into a state of turmoil. While it is hard to police young adults and they can be loose cannons at times, it appears Howland failed to maintain control of the program that he is responsible for and one of the most important things for any head coach to do at any level is police his/her locker room. Coaches need to hold their players accountable and if they fail to do that they are doing their program a disservice. Something has to change in Westwood. The character of the program has been shattered and if Howland is retained following this season, it will be up to him to make sure things change and pick up the shattered pieces of the basketball program and put them back together again.

Dan Guerrero joined Fox Sports Radio with Petros and Money to talk about his reaction to the Sports Illustrated article, what he knew about these allegations, if he has talked to Ben Howland about this, what Howland’s standing is with the program, whether UCLA was given a fair shake in the article, and what he makes of the downturn of the program.

His reaction to the article:

“It’s obviously a tough day for us today. Any time you have a team or story in a national publication like, especially one of the ilk of Sports Illustrated, it’s not a good day but I can assure you with the highest degree of confidence that we have a great program and we have great kids throughout the entire program and this is an opportunity for us to take a good, hard look as we have certainly in the men’s basketball program and get better.”

What he knew about these allegations:

“If you look at the assertions they’re sort of three kettles of fish if you will. You’ve got the one issues that we obviously knew occurred and if in fact we were aware of those things then we ran them through the proper channels and proper protocol in terms of dealing with them. There were other issues that did not stoop to the levels of administration or myself addressing, we put a lot of trust in our coaches and our coaches have the responsibility to manage their programs and they do that with their student athletes. There were some issues that might have been involved at that level but once again that is not unusual. Then there were other assertions or allegations that no one knew of, neither the coaches nor the administration, and we’re in the process of validating if you will what some of those issues were.”

If he has talked with Ben Howland about this:

“When we first heard of the story it goes all the way back to February 13, we caught wind that a former coach had been contacted by the writer to corroborate a piece of information he was trying to utilize for the story and that coach contacted us. That was when we first knew that something was up. We didn’t know the angle and we didn’t know what direction at that particular time but of course since it was Sports Illustrated we knew that it would be significant and then when we found out who the writer was we also knew that it would be significant. From that point forward we began the process of discussing what the possibilities were. Then about five days later we actually called the writer to gleam some information if possible and he did share some more information relative to that. We began our dialogue at that point about what the issues were and just have proceeded throughout the last ten days or so to work on this.”

How this would affect the Ben Howland’s job if the article is true and valid:

“You can’t really throw it all into one bag. Over the course of nine years Ben has run the program and by in large the greater number of the student athletes that have been in his program have been fantastic young men, some of them have gone on and obviously they’re doing well in the professional ranks, some are overseas doing great and some are just great young men in society today. We’ve had a few situations with a few young men that have not represented the program the way we would like in a general sense but the most important thing is we take this article, we take where we are as a program, and at the end of the season Ben and I will talk things through. Obviously you need to have an alignment of vision, correct what’s wrong, and we just need to make certain that we are there. That process doesn’t take place till the end of the year like we always do it. We always meet at the end of the year and go through the season.”

Whether UCLA was given a fair shake by Sports Illustrated in the article:

“I’m not going to cast judgment on anything in that regard and the writer is a Pulitzer Prize winning writer. I do know there are some assertions in that particular article where the context may not be exactly the way we think things occurred but that is neither here nor there. We’re not at a point right now where we want to start disputing things. We know what our issues are in the program, we know where we want to be, we know the type of program we want to have, and we’re going to move forward.”

On the downturn of the program:

“Let me just say that last year we were one game out of first place in the Pac 10, we beat Michigan State in the opening round and went to the last possession if you will against Florida and just missed going to the Sweet 16. That’s not exactly where we want to be. Obviously we want to be competing for National Championships and things of that nature. How far away are we? The culture has to go back to what it was before and there are a number of issues that affect what kind of team you have. We’ve lost quality student athletes to the NBA and I think just about every one that has gone out early is a multi-millionaire now so it’s quite an attribution to the kind of coaching and experience they have had here and certainly the kind of player they are. Then I believe as I indicated, Ben has indicated that he has made some mistakes in terms of evaluation of talent and or character and we’ve got to get back to evaluating the right kind of talent, the right kind of character, getting them in the program, and getting individuals that fit Ben’s style because that is very important. He’s a stickler on defense that creates a lot of transition offense for us, you’ve got to be individuals that are selfless and be team players, that’s what we need and in order for us to be able to get there we need to look in that direction but there are a lot of great things happening for our program. We’ve got Pauly Pavillion coming on board in the fall, a 136 million dollar renovation it’s going to be an unbelievable facility and we’re looking forward to the future.”

Listen to Dan Guerrero on Fox Sports Radio here

What seems more awkward is Neuheisel’s story about giving the UCLA administration a list of things that the program needed if it hopes to compete at the highest level, before this season began. Neuheisel says a football facility tops that list and says that programs around the country — read: UCLA — need to set their expectation level and then supply the necessary resources to attain those expectations. Whether Slick Rick makes a good point or appears to be deflecting responsibility for the shortcomings of his tenure in Westwood is for you to decide.

Rick Neuheisel joined The Dan Patrick Show to discuss how he was informed that he was being let go as head coach of the UCLA football team, the decision to coach the Pac-12 title tilt despite the writing being on the wall for him personally, if he would have fired himself based on his teams’ performances, how he was informed that he wouldn’t coach a potential BCS Bowl Game berth were UCLA to defeat Oregon, if he believes that UCLA is all-in as an institution in terms of investing the resources necessary to compete at the highest level of college football, what the program needs most to get over the hump, if he expects to coach next season, being humbled by his latest gig, and whether he’d take Andrew Luck or Matt Barkley first if he was drafting in the NFL.

How were you informed of what was going to happen?:

“On Sunday morning, following the nightmare loss to USC, we had a television shoot to promote the championship game. Kevin Frazier was the studio host and he said, ‘OK, now we’re going to talk about the L.A. Times story.’ I said, ‘Forgive me, I live in a bunker. What L.A. Times story?’ He said there were sources close to the program that said that the decision had been made. So I called over to our Associate Athletic Director and said, ‘Is this true?’ He said, ‘I haven’t heard anything.’ … We set up a meeting for Monday and Dan informed me that it indeed was true and they’re going to go in a different direction.”

Did you have a choice when it came to the decision to coach the Pac-12 title game and perhaps a bowl game?:

“My recollection is they asked me to. But if they hadn’t, I would’ve asked to. I have preached all year long to my team, when we struggled, that tough times don’t last, tough people do. You’ve got to fight through. We’ve had a goal to fight for this championship and here we are with this opportunity — by hook or by crook — and I wanted to finish. I was thankful for the opportunity to do just that.”

What if you won the Pac-12 Championship?:

“It would be a great game, wouldn’t it? … UCLA has got to move on. I probably won’t be a part of [a possible bowl game], but it’d be neat to send the team off in the direction like that.”

So you wouldn’t coach in a possible bowl game?:

“That’s what I was informed, yeah.”

Would you have fired you?:

“I understand this business and the perception of this business. I think, too often administrators are caught in that and feel like they have to make decisions based on the perceptions that exist out there. I think there was certainly enough, within the program, if you’re really looking inside at what we were dealing with and how we responded, to make a case for another year. My contract is for another year. We knew when I took this job that it was going to be tough sledding. … I have no regrets and I’m not bitter. I understand the business.”

Is UCLA all-in to be a football power and stack up with USC?:

“I was asked this year what we needed to get and I gave them a list of things that needed to be done to compete with the powers. I think you make a very good point and I think that point is made probably across the country. You have to decide what your expectation level is and then you have to meet that with the resources necessary to meet that expectation level.”

What was the number one thing on that list?:

“Well, we need a facility. We need a football building that speaks to our commitment to football. Years ago, the dream was to … have all 22, 24 sports to be together. In this day and age, despite all the success of those other sports, football is its own entity because it’s the driver of the financial engine of athletic departments. You don’t want to take a knife to a gunfight. … I think the next guy will have, hopefully, the resources necessary to turn this thing around. And when I say that, I don’t want to make it sound like I didn’t make mistakes. There are certain things that could’ve been better from the coaching standpoint.”

Do you expect to coach somewhere next season?:

“I’d love to. I’m going to take some time to figure out what the next chapter is.” Have you been contacted?: “I was contacted by The Dan Patrick Show.”

Is the whole thing humbling?:

“It’s incredibly humbling, but you know what? It wasn’t for a lack of effort. I think everybody does this when they’re confronted with this is the end and failure is going to be how this is termed. I think you look back and say, ‘What would I have done differently?’ Given all the information I had at the time I made all my decisions, I can’t look in the mirror and say, ‘You dumb son of a gun.’”

If you were drafting in the NFL, would you take Matt Barkley or Andrew Luck?:

“They are both fantastic players. Luck gets just a slight edge, and the reason is he’s a better athlete in the pocket. He’ll make more plays when protection breaks down. But Barkley … they’ve done a great job of coaching his tail up.”

Listen to Rick Neuheisel on The Dan Patrick Show here

UCLA is optimistic about the upcoming season despite barely breaking the top-50 recruiting class.  In three seasons at UCLA, Neuheisel had never brought in a recruiting class ranked lower than 14^th, but a lousy record and a heavy turnover on the coaching staff took a toll on the recruiting trail.  He managed to assemble what looks like another great coaching staff, but Neuheisel will have to work with two new coordinators and develop a workable chemistry in a short period of time.

Rick Neuheisel joined WQXI in Atlanta to talk about how recruiting went this year, what direction he is going on the offensive side of the ball and whether they will continue running the Pistol offense, and if they have an up-and-coming player that is going to take over playing quarterback sometime soon.

How recruiting went this year:

“You know what, it went pretty well.  We had a tough season and I made some changes to the coaching staff, so you are always worried about what kind of impact that can have on your class, but towards the end we landed a couple of really important guys on both sides of the offensive and defensive line and had a guy that we thought we were almost going to lose to our arch-nemesis that decided to stay with us.  It all turned out good for us.”

What direction he is going on the offensive side of the ball and whether they will continue running the Pistol offense:

“Well it is an interesting question.  We decided a year ago to try to really commit ourselves to trying this pistol offense with respect to the running game.  We felt like we threw the ball pretty well, we were in the top-half of the conference, I think he finished third in the conference in throwing from the year before and finished 7-6 and gotten ourselves into a bowl game so we were ready to take that next step but we had to have our running game.  We looked around and saw the pistol.  Nevada’s offense was doing really well and running the ball unbelievably well.  We went and studied.  Chris Ault had kind of given us the keys to the kingdom and let us kind of come and study and so forth, so we went with it and it was a very successful experiment in regard to the run.  We ended up with an over 4.4 yard per carry, which was the highest it had been at UCLA in the last 15 years.  We had ranked 19^th in the country in explosives, which are runs over 10 yards, so we had some big plays and helped us beat programs like Texas and so forth, but we somehow in doing it lost our way throwing the football and could not even come close to what he had generated the year before with virtually the same players…”

How impressed he was with Oregon’s offense last season:

“You have to give a lot of credit to Coach Kelly.  Chip, remember his first game at Boise State, LeGarrette Blount punched the kid and he had to suspend the kid for the year that was his first game.  He probably wondered what the heck he had gotten himself into.  Since that time he has gone to a Rose Bowl and a championship game, so things have turned out pretty well for him.  They have done a great job and there are a number of programs around the country that have tried to study them to figure out just exactly how they did it.  They are fast and they are well coached.  You have to give them credit.”

If they have an up-and-coming player that is going to take over playing quarterback sometime soon:

“Well we talked about Kevin Prince just a little bit ago.  Kevin was our quarterback two years ago and as a freshman I thought he did really well.  He started off pretty slow but then led us to a win in Austin, TX, and I thought he was going to have a great season.  Unfortunately, he hurt his knee in that game and was lost to us after one more game of trying to come back.  Richard Brehaut then took over and I thought Richard did a nice job of taking over in a tough spot, had some real good games and made some plays that showed that he can play this game too.  So those two are coming back and then we have got a young man named Brent Hundley, who we recruited out of Arizona, that I think has all the tools to be a very, very special player.  He came in early.  He has been here for a quarter now and then go on spring break and be back here for spring ball, and so I am excited to watch him work.  Those three guys are probably going to get the lion’s share of the work and then Nick Crissman who has had some shoulder problems will also try to get himself back in the mix, so we will just watch and see how that all develops.”

Rick Neuheisel with Pollack & Bell on 790 The Zone in Atlanta

Ben Howland joined Fox Sports Radio with Petros and Money to talk about the turnaround the team has made since their slow start, what the atmosphere was like over the weekend against Arizona, what he thinks of the Pac-10 Tournament, and how important it is to take momentum into the NCAA Tournament.

On the turnaround the team has made since the slow start:

“We’ve improved throughout the year. We’re a very young team and we don’t have a senior in the program. We have a bunch of young players that have continued to improve through just getting experience. They have continued to work hard, they’ve got a great attitude, the chemistry is good, they like each other, we’ve had good leadership from Malcolm Lee, Jeremy Anderson, Lazeric Jones, and we’re playing our best basketball of the year right now, which is what you want to be doing heading into March. That’s what it’s all about. Hopefully we can continue to improve and grow. We have made some changes in terms of our scheme which has really helped us. Our big kid inside, Josh Smith, who is just a freshman has really come on the last half of the season and is playing really good basketball in the low post which is really important for us. There’s only a few really good low post players and they’re hard to get.”

What the atmosphere was like this past weekend against Arizona:

“It was really a special day for us on Saturday. We were playing the 10^th ranked team in the country in Arizona who is first place in the conference and having a really good year. They honored the 1971 National Championship and all the former players that were a part of that team. It was really a special day and to play our best game of the year, which we did on Saturday, both ends of the floor for 40 minutes was very exciting for our fans and our players. Then to have Tyler Trapani, the great grandson of John Wooden, make the last basket in the history of the building in its current state before we remodel it next year was really special for everyone close to the program, who follows UCLA basketball, and it was really touching and moving for me. Coach Wooden’s daughter Nan was there and to have her grandson make that basket was special and really emotional.”

His thoughts on the Pac-10 Tournament:

“I think the tournament is great and it’s just getting more and more momentum. Having it downtown here at the Staples Center is great. I think it’s going to be an exciting tournament this year. All ten teams are invited. I love the tournament. It’s an exciting time of year, everybody is in it this year, it’s a culmination of the conference season, and it leads into March Madness. It’s a big deal and I think our conference is really promoting it well.”

Whether or not it is important to take momentum into the NCAA Tournament:

“Absolutely. That’s why we’re now in March and this may be the toughest road trip in the country. Washington lost their first home game in over a year on Sunday night against Washington State, their archrival, and so they’re going to be really hot coming off a loss. It’s going to be a tough game. Washington State has got a very good team. They can beat anybody in our conference on any given night and has a chance to get to the NCAA Tournament. These are going to be tough games for both the Bruins and the Trojans and we’re going to have to play really well to have success.”

Listen to Ben Howland on Fox Sports Radio here

The first meeting with the Huskies was a nightmare for coach Sean Miller and Arizona. Isaiah Thomas scored 22 points, handed out 10 assists and grabbed six rebounds as Washington handed the Wildcats one of just four losses on the season.

Arizona hosts Washington State tonight, but will likely hold a one-game lead over UCLA in the conference standings when it hosts Washington on Saturday. The Huskies entered today 1.5 games back. Win on Saturday and the final two weeks will be one wild ride.

Sean Miller joined KJR in Seattle with Dave “Softy” Mahler to discuss his sophomore sensation Derrick Williams, the race for Pac-10 Player of the Year, the upcoming pivotal weekend in the conference and if he is surprised only one Pac-10 team is ranked.

On sophomore Derrick Williams, who is averaging 19 points and 8 rebounds per game:

“Derrick, he’s a one-man wrecking crew in terms of getting to the foul line. I’ve never been around a player that just has such a knack of getting fouled. You guys know that fouls, on our end it gives us points. But on our opponents’ end, it has a way to getting into a second line of a team and taking good players and putting them on the bench.”

Who is the Pac-10 Player of the Year?:

“I think there’s a few guys, but one of the fun parts with six games, or five games, remaining in the season, to me the champion of the conference has to get the most credit. I think if Washington is able to win our regular season championship … and you look at the role Isaiah Thomas has played, he’d be a heavy favorite. If we would be fortunate to win the conference, you certainly would have to give Derrick Williams a lot of credit. Ditto to UCLA on their end.”

If it feels like a pivotal weekend in Pac-10 play:

“I think it’s a big week for everybody just because you’re no longer dealing with a half a season or a lot of different variables and games left. … You have a lot of information gathered, so to speak, and then you have a four-game season. … We’ll know a lot more after this weekend and who plays well this weekend and is successful will determine the next two weeks.”

Is he surprised only one Pac-10 team is ranked?:

“Yes, but I’ll tell you that I have a feeling that there will be more than one ranked when it means the most, which is in a couple of weeks. … Washington is a great team and they’re a great team nationally. They’ve proven that by winning in the NCAA Tournament a year ago.”

Listen to Sean Miller on KJR in Seattle here

Neuheisel joined ESPN Radio Los Angeles to talk about his team’s ‘pistol’ offense that amassed over 200 yards of rushing against the Longhorns, the team’s continued struggles in the passing game out of the formation, what the ‘pistol’ offense is exactly, how it’s similar yet different to what the Oregon Ducks run in Eugene, and his deaf running back Derrick Coleman, who nearly racked up 100 yards on the ground this past Saturday.

On UCLA’s ‘pistol’ offense that racked up plenty of rushing yardage in the win, but left plenty to be desire in the passing department:

“You know what? Let me say this to you – we’re not sure. We’re neophytes. We knew we needed to generate more running yards, we had to be able to control the line of scrimmage, and there are some other weapons that don’t necessarily show up on the scoreboard. One is time of possession, one is field position. And when you can run the football, and when you can generate first downs….and the other one is wearing teams down. Because you’re out there and you’re taking on blocks, and you’re taking on blocks, and you’re taking on blocks, and the time of possession is starting to mount, it’s hard to sit in there and want to go toe to toe. So you have to keep preaching the physicality of the game. We’ve had success running the football through the first portion of the season, every time out. We’ve unfortunately not been great in the turnover margin. But with respect to pounding it we’ve done well. We all agree we’ve got to be better throwing it, but as that game wore on, and we were able to control the ball, control the clock, control the field possession, it wasn’t necessary to do it. Now, we want to make sure all these other great, talented kids on our team get a chance to touch the ball. We’ll keep working towards that, but for a first third of the season, it’s been okay. We’ve just got to figure out the yin and the yang of when to mix the throws into it.”

On what the ‘pistol’ offense is in a nutshell to those who may not be aware of the term:

“Well it’s basically as is the case with any option football, it’s adding one more to the numbers of the offense. You’ll hear often times on television, the talking heads, people talk they’re going to plus-one ya, they’re going to add a safety to the box, things of that nature. Basically all that is is the defense adding one more guy than the offense has to block. But when the quarterback becomes the runner, or has the ability to run the football, then you’ve now equaled the numbers. And the more you work on the slight of hand, and the ball faking, and so forth, the more you create a little hesitation for the defense. And when the defense has to be more still than just aggressive hitting the gap knowing that they have one extra, then you can add some thrust to the deal. So if you preach the physicality, and you get at the ball handling and that kind of stuff, when they add to the box, then there comes some great opportunities on the outside to throw it. And it’s just finding that balance before you can become really proficient at it.”

On if there’s a lot of similarities between his offense and the one deployed by Oregon:

“Yeah there is. From a  conceptual standpoint it’s certainly very similar because their quarterback is certainly a weapon. So your numbers, you’ve got equal numbers there. They are a more lateral team. Their back for the most part, not always, but most of the time is off-set and is running lateral, sideways on the field. So they get a lateral stretch and their quarterback becomes a vertical weapon. When Masoli was there, he was a huge weapon running up inside. And their read, meaning the defender that they leave unblocked that their quarterback reads as to whether it’s a keep or read decision – they probably change that up more than we do, they read interior defensive tackles and things of that nature. But they’re further along. Mike Bellotti, when he decided to change offenses, he went and hired a guy that had been doing that his whole life in Chip Kelly and it’s obviously paid off as Coach Kelly’s been very, very successful.”

On Derrick Coleman, his mostly deaf running back that had a big game against Texas:

“You just have to remember, most of the time when you’re coaching a running back, you’re behind them. They’re hitting the hole and then you’re trying to tell them what he’s doing, you’re yelling at him as he’s going up through there. You have to wait for him to turn around because he’s an expert lip reader. But you have to be sure that he can see your mouth. And the other thing you have to do is the quarterback has to be aware that Derek’s in the game because if we’re changing plays and he’s standing behind you, you’ve got to turn around and make sure he sees what we’re doing. But we also tell Derek, don’t be bashful now, go pat him on the head and tell him you need to know what the heck we’re changing to. He’s a remarkable young man, he got hurt the other day, and had a little concussion and neck sprain. But this is important to him; he wanted to be back and came back against one of the top-1o teams in the country and runs for just under 100 yards, and made three big tackles on special teams. So I think he’s got a future. I think he can play after his collegiate days.”

On how this win changes the trajectory of the remainder of this season:

“Well, it has everybody buzzing. But we have to make sure that buzz doesn’t become something that’s false bravado and false confidence. We are the same team, same guys that were being maligned after losing to Stanford in a horrendous game. And we’ve got to figure out how to make sure we keep the standard that we’ve set the last two weeks in terms of the intensity with which we play. And I’ll be disappointed if we don’t come out and play with everything we’ve got this weekend, even though the buzz might not be the same because it’s not Texas. Washington State will be using us as an example of their ability to turn their fortunes and it starts with belief. So I’m very excited about getting out to the practice field tomorrow and making sure our guys know that if you want to keep tasting this stuff, here’s the cost. And hopefully we’ve got a hungry team.”

Listen here to Neuheisel with Mason & Ireland on ESPN Radio in Los Angeles

Steve Young didn’t win a Heisman, but he is a Hall of Famer. Philip Rivers didn’t win college football’s grandest award, but he is one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL right now. Ty Detmer did win the Heisman, but an NFL career never matriculated from it. Only Carson Palmer used Chow’s tutelage to win a Heisman and become a Pro Bowl quarterback at the next level.

Now with a chance to start for the Arizona Cardinals, Matt Leinart has a chance to join Palmer. Or Detmer. What’ll it be?

UCLA offensive coordinator Norm Chow joined ESPN Radio Los Angeles with Mason and Ireland to discuss the biggest challenge right now for his Bruins’ offense, the loss of center Kai Maiava to broken ankle, the most important attribute of a quarterback, the NFL struggles of Matt Leinart, why some of his understudies succeed in the NFL and some don’t, Leinart’s accuracy in throwing downfield and what it will take for UCLA to have a successful season.

On his biggest challenge with the UCLA offense:

“Probably the football season (laughs). I’m kidding, We have had a good few weeks of practice. It’s staying healthy. Unfortunately we’ve been snake-bit a little bit with injuries. Injuries happen to a lot of programs, it’s just the nature of the game. We’d like to get to a point in our program where we have the depth [we need] and right now we’re not [there].”

On losing center Kai Maiava for most of the year:

“It’s big because Kai is not only our physical leader but our emotional leader. He brought a lot of toughness to us. He brought a lot of knowledge to us. He knew the center position and knew all the calls that he had to make. And off the field he was an emotional, spiritual leader that we really need to keep the team together. Other guys have to take up that spot.”

On the most important attribute for a quarterback:

“I think it’s just the smarts. Someone that can take over a game, someone that can show leadership, someone that can get out of a bad call, get out of a bad look. We make a call and anticipate a certain defense and then see something completely different and his ability to get out of that. I think that’s the common thread amongst all the good quarterbacks — the ability to think and make adjustments.”

On why some of his quarterbacks make it at the next level and some don’t and whether he feels Matt Leinart will make it:

“I tell you what, don’t write [Matt Leinart] off. I’m still convinced that he will have an extremely, extremely successful career. You know, he started out well and then whatever happened, happened, but I still think he’s going to have a terrific career. … I’ve talked with him over the offseason, I know how hard he’s working, how much this means to him. I don’t have any question in my mind that he’s going to be successful at that level. … I know Matt Leinart will be a success in the NFL because he has that ability to do the things that are necessary, just as Philip Rivers did. Carson [Palmer] got a chance to sit and learn from [Jon] Kitna and Philip got a chance to learn from [Drew] Brees. Matt was thrown right into the fire, then he had a chance to sit behind [Kurt] Warner and now it’s his turn to take it over.”

On Leinart’s confidence, particularly in throwing accurately downfield:

“I don’t know that, but that would surprise me because one of Matt’s big assets in his accuracy. I’m not so sure you can teach accuracy. You teach footwork and you teach velocity and all that. I’m not so sure you can teach accuracy and I always thought Matt Leinart was very accurate with his throws.”

On what would constitute a successful season at UCLA:

“If you’re looking at wins and losses, I have no idea. I think success comes with when our guys are playing as well as they can play. The ball bounces kind of funny. … We were 7-6 last year and we have to do better than that. So if you want to assign a number, I’m sure it would 8-4, 9-3, whatever. … We feel like we’re a lot better.”

Listen to the interview with Norm Chow on ESPN Radio Los Angeles here (Interview starts just after the 20-minute mark)