Rick Kimbrel of BruinBlitz.com has written a great story about the free youth camp put on by UCLA All-American James Washington, head coach Rick Neuheisel and the Bruin football staff last Saturday at L.A. Southwest College.

To read the article, click here.

UCLA junior guard Malcolm Lee will have arthroscopic surgery next week to remove a portion of the meniscus (cartilage) in his right knee, head men's basketball coach Ben Howland announced today. Lee injured the knee playing basketball on Sunday and an MRI on Wednesday revealed the torn meniscus.

"Malcolm has been performing very well during our off-season workouts," said Howland. "We expect he will be better than ever following the surgery."

Lee is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks.

Ted Miller, who writes ESPN.com's Pac-10 blog, has an interesting Q&A with Bruin defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough. The two spoke late last week.

To read the Q&A, click here.

UCLA senior place kicker Kai Forbath and junior free safety Rahim Moore have been named first-team pre-season All-Americans by Sporting News College Football 2010 and junior linebacker Akeem Ayers has been selected to Sporting News' second team.

Forbath, the Lou Groza Award winner and consensus All-America place kicker in 2009, led the nation in field goals per game (2.15) last season, making 28 of 31 attempts, including all 25 tries inside 50 yards.

Moore, who has started all 25 games of his Bruin career, led the nation with 10 interceptions a year ago, one shy of the UCLA school record. His 10 interceptions were the most by a player in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division IA) since 2003.

Ayers, a big-play performer, scored three defensive touchdowns a year ago - two on interceptions and one on a fumble return. He leads all Bruin returnees with 75 tackles, 6.0 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss.

UCLA, Florida State, Georgia and Pittsburgh were the only schools to have two players named to the first team. Arizona State was the only other Pac-10 school to have a player named to the first team.

All three Bruins were also named to the publication's All-Pac-10 unit. The Bruins were picked sixth by the magazine and head coach Rick Neuheisel was selected the Pac-10's top recruiter.

UCLA junior center Kai Maiava, who started all 12 regular-season games for the Bruins in 2009, has been named to the 2010 Rimington Trophy Watch List. The trophy is awarded annually to the nation's top center based on four key All-America teams.

To see the list of 37 candidates, as well as the criteria for winning the award, click here.

UCLA is ranked No. 15 on ESPN's final men's college basketball recruiting rankings. MaxPreps has UCLA's class at No. 16. Those rankings are the highest of any school in the Pac-10.

Here is what ESPN has to say about the four-person class.

"Josh Smith (Covington, Wash./Kentwood), No. 20 in the ESPNU 100 and the No. 2 center, has as much upside as any big man in the country. At 6-9, 320 pounds, he is nearly unstoppable in the paint when he's in shape and determined. He can be a force on the defensive end with his shot-blocking and rebounding. He is remarkably agile and light on his feet and offensively, he has terrific hands and possesses savvy beyond his years. He has NBA talent if he keeps his weight in check and stays focused. Tyler Lamb (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei), No. 29 in the ESPNU 100 and the No. 5 SG, is a versatile off guard who can fill the stat sheet in so many ways and finds a way to make his team better every night. He should be an immediate contributor due to his all-around game. Junior college point guard Lazeric Jones (Cartersville, Ill./Logan Community College) is very explosive and good at slashing through defenses with either hand. Combo guard Matt Carlino (Bloomington, Ind./South) has range out to 20 feet, is a good rebounder, a solid passer and has a high basketball IQ."

To see the entire Top 25, click here.

To read the MaxPreps story, click here.

Sporting News columnist Matt Hayes rates the nation's top offensive coordinators in his latest column.

UCLA's Norm Chow is ranked No. 3 by Hayes, who writes, "Forget about UCLA's struggles the past two seasons; much of that was inexperienced personnel, poor protection and limited difference-makers on the outside. Coach Rick Neuheisel has upgraded the talent in Westwood, and if QB Kevin Prince plays with confidence, Chow, the game's best play-caller, will get it rolling again."

To read the entire column and see Hayes' Top 10, click here.

Brian Price, who was selected in the second round of last month's NFL Draft, is featured in a story in today's Tampa Tribune.

The story talk's about his overcoming the deaths of his two brothers and how he used football to stay focused. Most Bruin fans know about what Brian had to overcome to get to UCLA so there is not new information, but it's a nice feature on a fine young man.

To read the story, click here.

UCLA Hall of Famer Tyus Edney is playing some (not all) games with the Los Angeles Lightning of the International Basketball League. He played this past weekend and once again won a game by going coast-to-coast in the waning seconds.

According to L.A. Daily News writer Tom Hoffarth, "With the score tied and 6.4 seconds left in Sunday night's International Basketball League game in Santa Barbara, the former UCLA star drove the length-of-the-court and hit a 5-foot floater to lift the Los Angeles Lightning to a dramatic 119-117 win over the Oregon Waves.

"With time running out, you have to get it down there," said Edney, who's famously known for a similar coast-to-coast drive and layup that lifted UCLA over Missouri 75-74 in the second round of the 1995 NCAA Tournament. The Bruins went on to win their 11th title.

"It was a little floater," Edney said. "I had to put it up high to get it over the big man. This is a good win. They came to play today."

Edney is back living in Southern California after ending his international playing career and attended last Tuesday's Pauley Pavilion groundbreaking celebration.

To read the entire entry on Tom Hoffath's blog, click here.

Tom Friend of ESPN magazine has done an outstanding story on 1960s Bruin football standout Kermit Alexander. The story about Kermit's life is a must-read.

To find this outstanding story, click here.

The No. 1-ranked UCLA women's water polo team begins its quest for an unprecedented sixth consecutive NCAA championship today. Seeded No. 3 in the eight-team NCAA Tournament, the Bruins open play Friday against No. 6-seed Loyola Marymount at San Diego State. Game time is slated for 2:15 p.m.

To read Tom Krasovic's feature article about the UCLA women's water polo team and their recent surge (winning the 2010 MPSF Tournament title), click here.

UCLA alumnae Lisa Willis and Nikki Blue are with new teams for the 2010 WNBA season. Willis signed with the Los Angeles Sparks on May 11, returning to the team that drafted her No. 5 overall in the 2006 WNBA Draft. She joins former UCLA teammate Noelle Quinn, who is in her second year with the Sparks and fourth year in the league. Blue was traded on May 12 from the Washington Mystics to the New York Liberty for Ashley Houts.

Willis has played in 84 career games and had her best season in 2008 with the New York Liberty, averaging 5.6 points per game off the bench, with a career-high of 22 points at Houston on Sept. 2, 2008. Blue has played in 96 games in her four-year professional career and is averaging 3.0 points and 1.8 assists per game. Blue was drafted in 2006 by the Mystics as the 19th overall pick.

Willis and Blue are considered to be amongst UCLA's all-time greats in women's basketball. They helped lead the Bruins to the 2006 Pac-10 Conference Tournament championship, with Willis nabbing MVP honors. Willis ranks as UCLA's all-time three-point leader (256) and the Pac-10's all-time steals leader (368). She left UCLA ranked ninth on the school scoring list with 1,677 points. Blue was just the fifth player in Pac-10 history to earn first-team all-conference honors four straight years. She finished her career ranked fifth on UCLA's all-time scoring list (1,797 points), second in assists (602) and third in steals (352). 

Here are links to the CBS2, NBC4 and ABC7 television coverage of Tuesday's Pauley Pavilion Groundbreaking Celebration:

NBC - http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/sports/Pauley_Pavilion__Renovation_Los_Angeles.html

UCLA senior place kicker Kai Forbath and junior free safety Rahim Moore have been named first-team pre-season All-Americans by Lindy's Football Preview.

Forbath, the Lou Groza Award winner and consensus All-America place kicker in 2009, led the nation in field goals per game (2.15) last season, making 28 of 31 attempts, including all 25 tries inside 50 yards.

Moore, who has started all 25 games of his Bruin career, led the nation with 10 interceptions a year ago, one shy of the UCLA school record. His 10 interceptions were the most by a player in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division IA) since 2003.

UCLA was the only Pac-10 school to have two first-team selections while Oregon State had one. UCLA was one of just five schools nationally to have two first-team selections, with Georgia, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh being the others.

UCLA women's basketball head coach Nikki Caldwell and Tennessee associate head coach Holly Warlick appeared on ABC's Good Morning America today to promote their annual Cruisin' for a Cause motorcycle tour to raise money and awareness for breast cancer.

You can watch their segment with Robin Roberts below:

ESPN.com has a story ranking the schools that have been the top producers of NFL elite talent over the last three decades (1979-2009).

UCLA ranks No. 6 on ESPN.com's list.

So which college football team produced the best NFL pipeline during the past three decades? Over the next four days, ESPN.com will determine the best in a 16-team, four-round playoff.

To read the story, click here.

UCLA head women's basketball coach Nikki Caldwell is currently participating on her annual  'Cruisin For A Cause' motorcycle tour to raise money for breat cancer research.

This year, the tour is going up the east coast. Caldwell and Tennessee associate head coach Holly Warlick are scheduled to hit New York this afternoon.

Tomorrow (Tuesday, May 11), they will be featured on ABC's Good Morning America at 8:30 am. Tune in and support Coach Caldwell on this great project and visit the website.

UCLA freshman offense tackle Nik Abele is retiring from football competition due to medical issues related to his neck, it was announced today by head coach Rick Neuheisel.

"Nik is devastated that he can no longer play football, but his long-term future is more important," said Neuheisel. "Nik is a great young man and we want him to remain involved with our program, both on and off the field, and continue to go to school to earn his degree."

Since Abele is retiring from competition due to medical reasons, Abele will remain on scholarship while at UCLA but not count against the team limits.

Sophomore right-hander Gerrit Cole of the No. 12 UCLA baseball team has been featured by AOL's MLB Fanhouse. The article, written by Tom Raskovic, discusses Cole's career thus far at UCLA and the right-hander's decision to attend college in Westwood after having been selected in the first round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees.

To read AOL's article about Cole, click here.

Prime Ticket's Bruin Insider, hosted by Sean Farnham and James Washington, made its debut last night following Dodgers live.

The show, which features interviews with head coach Rick Neuheisel and several of the players, wraps up Spring Practice and looks ahead to the Fall. The 30-minute show also features segments in which Neuheisel, quarterback Kevin Prince and free safety Rahim Moore were miked during a practice.

Here is a schedule of upcoming telecasts of the show for the next two weeks, all on Prime Ticket:

May 7: 4:00 pm, 10:30 pm

May 8: 11:30 am, 5:30 pm

May 9: 11:00 am, 4:30 pm

May 10: 10:00 pm

May 14: Noon

May 15: 11:00 am, 10:00 pm

May 17: 6:00 pm

May 18: 4:30 pm

May 19: 5:30 pm

May 21: 2:30 pm

May 22: 11:30 am

May 23: 11:00 am

The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) announced today the members of the 2010 NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which is comprised of college football players in their final year of eligibility from all divisions of play who each maintained a 3.2 GPA or better. A total of 620 players from 246 schools qualified for membership in the society's fourth year, an 80 percent increase from the inaugural class in 2007.

Senior tight end Logan Paulsen (3.45) and senior fullback Trevor Theriot (3.25) represent UCLA on the list. Both student-athletes graduated following Fall Quarter.

"The NFF's mission is to build leaders through football, and this year's Hampshire Honor Society members are living proof of that charge," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "Each of these young men has showcased a strong desire to succeed on and off the football field, and we are certainly proud to honor them for their accomplishments as the next generation of our nation's leaders."

The NFF Hampshire Honor Society capitalizes on the NFF's current National Scholar-Athlete program, greatly expanding the number of scholar-athletes the NFF can recognize each year and further strengthening the organization's leadership role in encouraging academic performance by the student- athletes who play football at the more than 700 college and universities with football programs nationwide. Jon F. Hanson, the chairman and founder of The Hampshire Companies, provided an endowment to launch the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in 2007. He made the contribution as part of his legacy to the organization after serving as NFF chairman from 1994-2006.

"The Hampshire Honor Society's success is a direct reflection of Jon Hanson's generosity and continued belief in the scholar-athlete ideal," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell, "We thank him and those who serve on the society's advisory committee for helping us empower this most important initiative, and we encourage every football-playing school in the country to get involved in the future."

Qualifications for membership in the NFF Hampshire Honor Society include:

•      Being a starter or a significant substitute in one's last year of eligibility at an accredited NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III, or an NAIA college or university;

•      Achieving a 3.2 cumulative grade point average throughout entire course of undergraduate study; and

•      Meeting all NCAA-mandated progress towards degree requirements.

The Hampshire Honor Society becomes the latest component of the organization's efforts to promote combined athletic and academic success. Launched in 1959 with a donation from Hall of Fame coach Earl "Red" Blaik, the NFF's National Scholar-Athlete Awards program became the first initiative in history to grant postgraduate scholarships based on a player's combined academic success, football performance and community leadership.

Since its inception, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards program has awarded $9.2 million to 724 top scholars and community leaders. Currently, the NFF distributes more than $300,000 a year at the national level through the program to 15 individuals. Each winner of a National Scholar-Athlete Award receives an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. Additionally, the Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, is given to one member of each year's class as the absolute best. The winner of the Campbell, claimed by Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in 2009, receives a total scholarship of $25,000 and a 24-inch, 25-pound bronze trophy. Through, its chapter network, the NFF awards an additional $800,000 to local high school student-athletes, bringing the NFF's annual scholarship total to more than $1.1 million.

UCLA senior place kicker Kai Forbath and junior free safety Rahim Moore have been named first-team pre-season All-Americans by NationalChamps.net.

Forbath, the Lou Groza Award winner and consensus All-America place kicker in 2009, led the nation in field goals per game (2.15) last season, making 28 of 31 attempts, including all 25 tries inside 50 yards.

Moore, who has started all 25 games of his Bruin career, led the nation with 10 interceptions a year ago, one shy of the UCLA school record. His 10 interceptions were the most by a player in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division IA) since 2003.

UCLA was the only Pac-10 school to have two first-team selections, with Stanford and Oregon State having one each. UCLA was one of just five schools nationally to have two first-team selections, with Georgia, Miami, Oklahoma and Pittsburgh being the others.

On the ABC telecast of Sunday's Game 7 between the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks, game announcers Mike Tirico and Hubie Brown had some great things to say about UCLA head coach Ben Howland, his program and the Bruin players in the NBA.

Here is a transcript of those comments, courtesy of Larry Brown Sports and Bruins Nation:

Tirico: "Luc Richard Mbah a Moute out of UCLA. So many good players. Many people [are] becoming more aware of Russell Westbrook with Oklahoma City's run. A lot of good UCLA players. Mbah a Moute is the defensive specialist as he was with Ben Howland at UCLA. He fits right into Scott Skiles' style.

"I talked about Mbah a Moute and his UCLA days and Russell Westbrook, you have [Darren] Collison the rookie for New Orleans, Arron Afflalo, who did a very nice job after his couple years in Detroit. He's moved on and found an even more comfortable spot. Kevin Love, obviously for Minnesota. That UCLA program turned out some darn good players under Ben Howland. Obviously Trevor Ariza was at the back end of the continuation of the great run, but their defensive mindset has helped those guys come right in."

Brown: "Well absolutely. Ben Howland, when he was at Northern Arizona then Pitt and now out at UCLA, excellent defensive coach. His guys are going to be working, they're going to be professional people, and they're going to adhere to whatever you're selling offensively and defensively."

Here is the list of 14 Bruins currently in the NBA, nine of whom played for Howland:

Arron Afflalo, Denver - 8.8 points, 3.1 rebounds in 82 games (75 starts)

Trevor Ariza, Houston - 14.9 points, 5.6 rebounds in 72 games (71 starts)

Matt Barnes, Orlando - 8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds in 81 games (58 starts)

Darren Collison, New Orleans - 12.4 points, 5.7 assists in 76 games (37 starts), NBA All-Rookie First Team

Baron Davis, Clippers - 15.3 points, 8.0 assists in 75 games (73 starts)

Jordan Farmar, Lakers - 7.2 points and 1.5 assists in 82 games (18.0 minutes)

Dan Gadzuric, Milwaukee - 2.8 points, 2.9 rebounds in 32 games

Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia - 8.0 points, 3.8 assists in 73 games (51 starts)

Ryan Hollins, Minnesota - 6.1 points, 2.8 rebounds in 73 games (27 starts)

Jason Kapono, Philadelphia - 5.7 points in 57 games (12 starts)

Kevin Love, Minnesota - 14.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists in 60 games (22 starts)

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Milwaukee  - 6.2 points, 5.5 rebounds in 73 games (62 starts)

Earl Watson, Indiana - 7.8 points, 5.1 assists in 79 games (52 starts) 

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City - 16.1 points, 8.0 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 82 games (82 starts)