June 2011 Archives
Tomorrow (July 1), the Pacific-10 officially becomes the Pac-12 with Colorado and Utah joining the conference. It is the first time since 1978 that the league has added schools.
"Everyone in the Pac-10, including the Bruins, has been looking forward to this day since Colorado and Utah accepted offers to join the conference last year. Both universities have established great traditions, both on the field of competition and in the classroom," said UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero.
"We have a tremendous conference that has enjoyed unmatched success across the board and the addition of these two schools only increases the prestige and exposure of the Pac-12 Conference. Colorado and Utah have outstanding athletic programs and have combined to win 42 NCAA team championships. I know that all of our coaches, student-athletes and fans are excited to compete with our new conference rivals and I'm sure that everyone associated with these two great universities is as well.
"UCLA welcomes Colorado and Utah to the Pac-12 and we eagerly anticipate the conference's inaugural season this fall."
In the June 30th edition of the L.A. Daily News, writer Nancy Armour of Associated Press talked with former UCLA soccer star Lauren Cheney about her World Cup experience so far and her past experience at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. To read the story, click here.
Three UCLA women's golfers, junior Tiffany Lua, and seniors Stephanie Kono and Brianna Do, all advanced to the match play round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur Publinks today. Do defeated future USC Trojan Kristen Park 4 & 3 while Kono defeated Kansas State golfer Gianna Misenhelter 1 Up. Tiffany Lua won her match against high schooler Ciera Min 2 Up. Meanwhile, junior Lee Lopez and sophomore Ani Gulugian fell in the round of 64 today. Lopez lost in 20 holes to Weber State's Kelsey Chugg while Gulugian fell 3 & 1 to Stetson's Lauren Cate. For complete results from the U.S. Amateur Publinks, click here.
In the June 28th edition of the New York Times, writer Larry Dorman sat down
with freshman golfer Patrick Cantlay to talk about him staying in school and his participation the upcoming AT&T National tournament in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To read the story, click here.
UCLA second-year freshman walk-on tight end Luke Gane is about to get his wish.
On Wednesday, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Gane will fly to Denver to meet Bronco quarterback Tim Tebow, a wish he had three years ago when he missed his junior season at Edison High while battling aplastic anemia.
Click here to read an Orange County Register story about Gane and Make-A-Wish.
When reached earlier today, Gane said the Foundation called his house on Monday to let his family know Luke's wish had been granted.
Why Tebow? "I look up to him as a player and as a Christian," said Gane. "I admire his drive and he is a great example for Christian athletes. I like the fact that he puts God before everything in his life. I am excited to meet him."
 Arizona Daily Star columnist Greg Hansen selected five Bruins in his list of Top 10 athletes in the 33-season history of the Pac-10 Conference, including four in the Top 5.
Hansen, who has covered all 33 years of the Pac-10's existence, named UCLA Volleyball and Basketball star Natalie Williams as the No. 1 athlete. Williams was the first female athlete to be named a consensus All-American in both volleyball and basketball. She was also the Pac-10 Player of the Year in both sports, the National Player of the Year in volleyball twice, and a record-setting 16-time Pac-10 Player of the Week (eight honors in each sport).
Also ranked in Hansen's Top 10 are No. 3 Jackie Joyner-Kersee (track/basketball), No. 4 Kenny Easley (football), No. 5 (tied) Lisa Fernandez (softball) and No. 8 Gail Devers (track).
To read the article, CLICK HERE.
FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS:
CROMWELL, Conn. -- Nineteen-year-old UCLA star Patrick Cantlay shot a course-record 10-under 60 -- the lowest PGA Tour round ever by an amateur -- to take a four-stroke lead Friday in the Travelers Championship.
The low amateur last week in the U.S. Open, Cantlay tied the tournament record set by Tommy Bolt when the event was played in Wethersfield in 1954.
Cantlay birdied the final two holes at TPC River Highlands to reach 13 under. After shooting a 67 on Friday morning in the rain-delayed first round, he had eight birdies and an eagle in the afternoon.
D.J. Trahan (62), Webb Simpson (65), Vaughn Taylor (66) and Alexandre Rocha (66) were 9 under along with Andres Romero, who completed only five holes in the second round before play was suspended because of darkness just after 8 p.m. Seventy-seven players were unable to finish the round.
Cantlay just completed his freshman year at UCLA, and has said he plans to stay until he earns his degree.
Four players have shot 61s at the TPC River Highlands course. The last was Kenny Perry in 2009.
An amateur hasn't won a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson in the 1991 Northern Telecom Open in Arizona.
Derek Eager, who redshirted the 2011 track and field season, captured the 2011 USATF Junior National javelin title on day one of the championship meet in Eugene, OR. Eager, who was second last year at the same meet, won on his final throw of the competition with a monster throw of 227-1. With the win, Eager qualifies for the PanAm Junior Games, which will be held July 22nd to 24th at the Ansin
Sports Complex in Miramar, FL. Today's throw was a season-best for the freshman as he posted a top mark of 217-3 as an unattached athlete at the Occidental Invite. His lifetime-best is 230-6.
Congratulations to Gregor Main and junior Pontus Widegren, who earned All-America honors Thursday from the Golf Coaches Assn. of America. Main, who is turning professional this summer, earned third team honors and Widegren was voted honorable mention.
Six former or current UCLA golfers are scheduled to compete in this weekend's PGA Tour Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut. That is tied with UNLV and Oklahoma State for the most participants in the field from one school. Former Bruins Kevin Chappell, Brandt Jobe, John Merrick, Corey Pavin and Duffy Waldorf and current freshman Patrick Cantlay are all set to tee off at the tournament starting on Thursday. Chappell recently finished tied for 3rd place at the U.S. Open while Cantlay finished as the low amateur at the tournament, tying for 21st place. Jobe finished tied for 23rd. To follow the action at the Travelers Championship, click here.
 Incoming freshman Reed McKenna was named to the ESPN RISE Winter All-America boys' soccer first team.
McKenna, who graduated from Rancho Bernardo HS, led his prep squad to a section title and to a CIF Regional semifinal appearance this past season. He finished the year with 26 goals, including a hat trick in his the section championships, and was selected the All-San Diego Section Player of the Year. McKenna is currently ranked No. 41 in Top Drawer Soccer's National Player Ratings and No. 2 in Southern California. He was a member of the SuperElite Team in 2010 and was selected to the 2009 US Development Academy Western Region Starting IX.
The members of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) have selected UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero to lead the Association in 2011-12. Guerrero replaces Dave Roach, director of athletics at Colgate University, who served as President in 2010-11.
The passing of the gavel took place in conjunction with the 46th Annual NACDA Convention, which took place June 16-18 at the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Fla.
"NACDA had another outstanding Convention last week and I want to salute Dave for his leadership during the past year," Guerrero said. "It's an honor and privilege to be elected to serve as our Association's President."
Also elected to serve NACDA for the 2011-12 term were 1st Vice President Kevin Anderson, director of athletics at the University of Maryland; 2nd Vice President Mike Alden, director of athletics at the University of Missouri; 3rd Vice President Jim Phillips, director of athletics at Northwestern University; and Don Tencher, director of athletics at Rhode Island College, to the first year of a five-year term as secretary.
To read the entire news release, click here.
In the June 22nd edition of the Daily News, writer Jill Painter talked with freshman golfer Patrick Cantlay about his plans to graduate from UCLA and his stellar performance at last week's U.S. Open. To read the story, click here.
The College Football Hall of Fame's signature event is the annual
Enshrinement Festival. Join us July 15-16 in downtown South Bend as the
community gathers together with football fans from across the country to honor
college football's gridiron legends.
Fans have a variety of opportunities to
meet and mingle with the Enshrinees during this spectacular event. The 2011
Class features UCLA's Randy Cross, Desmond Howard, Mark Herrmann, Barry Alvarez and Gene Stallings
among others who are being enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
South Bend and the College Football Hall of Fame will play host to a
jam-packed weekend of fun-filled events. During the various events, families and
fans of all ages, will celebrate the induction of these football legends into
the College Football Hall of Fame. To read about the Enshrinement festivities, click on the pdf link at the bottom of the page. To read a story about UCLA inductee Randy Cross, click here. To check the Enshrinement website, click here.
Enshrinement Release.pdf
With the NBA Draft just a couple of days away, a couple of interesting stories have been publish regarding UCLA and the NBA.
One is a story by Jon Gold of the Daily News which discusses Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee. In the story, Lee has a couple of interesting quotes:
"Being able to be controlled on offense, not really take unnecessary shots, letting plays develop - I think that's what gives UCLA the edge," Lee said. "At UCLA, we have the opportunity to execute plays. When we get into the NBA, we execute a lot better and the floor is a lot more spread."
To read the entire story, click here.
It is no surprise to Bruin fans that UCLA had the most active players - 14 - in the NBA this past season. To see the list, click here for the Bruins in the Pros page. Each player name is linked to his NBA.com page. For a PDF summary of how the 14 Bruins did during the regular season, click here. For a summary of their UCLA careers, click here.
Real Clear Sports ran a story discussing which schools have produced the most NBA talent. To read that story, click here.
One of the key elements in Phase I of the Rose Bowl Renovation project is a new state-of-the art LED video board.
The new board, which measures 30-feet-tall by 78-feet long, is two and one-half times larger than the previous board.
It is scheduled to make its debut at 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final this Saturday, June 25.
Here is a Daily Bruin video about Malcolm Lee's Wednesday workout with the Utah Jazz. In addition to an interview with Malcolm, Jazz personnel, including GM Kevin O'Connor, talk about Malcolm and about the job Bruin head coach Ben Howland does to prepare his players for the NBA. To watch the video, click here.
Congratulations to former UCLA golfer Brandt Jobe for tying for second place at the PGA Tour Memorial Tournament played at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Jobe recorded scores of 71-68-69-65--273 (-15) at the tournament and finished one stroke back of winner Steve Stricker. Overall, this was Brandt's best finish of his PGA Tour career.
Congratulations to former Bruin Mo Martin for tying for sixth place at the Ladies Titan Challenge Futures Tour event Sunday. Martin posted scores of 71-75-72--218 (+2) at the Hunters Ridge GC in Marion, OH.
On Saturday, members of the UCLA football team participated in the Prime Time Games on campus.
Prime Time Games is a full inclusion, peer mentor sports program wherein economically disadvantaged
and underserved middle school students from the Team Prime Time after-school
program ("coaches") coach and play alongside children with children with special
needs, including autism in the only after-school sports program of its kind.
To read a great story by L.A. Daily News columnist Tom Hoffarth about Saturday's event, click here.
Several UCLA alumni student-athletes will be honored tonight as the Los Angeles Unified School District inducts the inaugural class of the Los Angeles High School Sports Hall of Fame. The ceremony is this evening at USC's Town and Gown Room. Bruin alums being inducted tonight include Dick Bishop, gymnastics; Tom Bradley, track and field Sheila Cornell Douty, softball; Tom Fears, football; Jack Fernandez, wrestling; Gail Goodrich, basketball; Frank Lubin, basketball; Willie Naulls, basketball; Marques Johnson, basketball; Kenny Washington, football; and Bob Waterfield, football. In addition, Dodger star Don Drysdale, the late husband of UCLA four-time All-American Ann Meyers Drysdale; and assistant gymnastics coach Makoto Sakamoto are also scheduled for induction To read more about the Los Angeles High School Sports Hall of Fame, click here. .
The UCLA Black Alumni Association (UBAA) Legacy Scholarship
Reception & Fundraiser will be held on Saturday, June 4 at 3 p.m. Hosted by
UCLA men's basketball head coach Ben Howland, the event will feature Bruin
men's basketball alumni, current NBA and NFL players, along with notable UCLA
alumni and members of the Wooden family.
The highlight of Saturday's UBAA event is the premiere of
"The Wooden Event," a 20-minute feature with a never-before-seen interview with
John R. Wooden, as well as exclusive commentary from his Bruin players,
including Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton, as well as Jamaal
Wilkes and Marques Johnson.
"The Wooden Effect" was produced and directed by Point
Forward Productions, a film company established by UCLA men's basketball
alumni, including Marques Johnson, his son's Kris and Josiah Johnson and Quinn
Hawking.
The event is from 3-6
p.m. and will take place at a private residence in the Brentwood area of Los
Angeles.
Confirmed RSVPs include UCLA Chancellor Gene Block and Bruin athletic greats
Rafer Johnson, Ed O'Bannon, Lucius Allen, Tyus Edney and Earl Watson.
The UBAA's Legacy Scholarship Campaign is helping to
preserve the legacy of African-American students at UCLA. UBAA's goal until
2012 is to raise at least $500,000 each year which will be matched 3:1 by the
University. UBAA hopes to get more alumni involved in this effort to continue
African American Legacy at UCLA. UBAA is a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit
organization. As such all gifts are tax deductible.
THIS EVENT IS NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
On Saturday, June 4, from 8:15am - Noon, the UCLA football team will host the Prime Time Games; a full inclusion, peer mentor sports program wherein economically disadvantaged and underserved middle school students from the Team Prime Time after-school program ("coaches") coach and play alongside children with children with special needs, including autism in the only after-school sports program of its kind.
Approximately 50 football players and many other UCLA athletes will take part in "Championship Saturday," serving as honorary coaches and captains for the inclusive soccer and basketball teams.
Opening ceremonies for the coaches, athletes and families in attendance will take place on Spaulding Field at 9:00 am. Soccer commences soon thereafter on Spaulding Field while the basketball teams will play in the Student Activities Center. The basketball games feature guest referee Matt Stevens, a former UCLA quarterback and current analyst on the radio broadcasts.
The driving force behind bringing the Prime Time Games to UCLA is Mike Linn, UCLA's Head Athletic Performance Coach. "This unique program builds much needed self esteem and self confidence in two uniquely different population groups through sports," said Linn. "The lessons learned through coaching, as well as through participation in sports, are long lasting and should be availed for all to experience. This one-day event will highlight the Team Prime Time program and its many participants."
The Prime Time Games began with 20 athletes from six LAUSD schools in the Fall of 2004. By Spring of 2005, the program had nearly tripled in size. To date, over 250 athletes with developmental disabilities ranging from autism to Down syndrome have participated in the Prime Time Games. At the core of the Prime Time Games lies the very simple premise that bringing two "high-risk" populations together, united by a shared love of sport, will generate lasting benefits for everyone involved.
WHAT - The UCLA Football Team Partners hosts the Prime Time Games
WHEN - Saturday, June 4, 8:15am-Noon
WHERE - Spaulding Field and Student Activities Center, UCLA Campus
In the June 1st edition of the Daily News, writer Jill Painter sat down with freshman golfer Patrick Cantlay and Head Coach Derek Freeman to talk about Cantlay's record-setting freshman year and what made him decide to come to UCLA. To read the story, click here.
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