 UCLA Athletics Video Operations Director Ken Norris will
be honored with the inaugural Pioneer Award at the College Sports Video Summit
in Atlanta, Ga. on June 7.
Norris, who has been at UCLA since 1989, is considered
one of the most innovative and respected minds in his profession, having been
named National Video Coordinator of the Year by his peers in the Collegiate
Sports Video Association.
"Ken Norris was the obvious choice to be the
recipient of the inaugural SVG College Sports Video Summit Pioneer Award,"
said CSVS Chairman Tom Buffolano. "He is widely acclaimed as an innovator
and thought leader in the development of technology, platforms, and production
workflow for video, not only for UCLA and the Pac-12, but for all of college
sports."
Norris oversaw the development and implementation of the
I2 Internet Exchange Program, which he implemented in the then Pacific-10
Conference. That venture was ahead of its time and now allows the conference's
12 football programs to exchange coaching films through the Internet, bypassing
the use of videotape. Norris is currently assisting other sports and other
athletic conferences in implementing the I2 program.
"[Ken's] influence extends to those who are now in
similar positions in both college and professional sports, and he is seen as a
mentor to many who now pursue video production as a career," adds
Buffolano. "Ken approaches his craft with passion and humility, and he
sets a high standard for those who will receive this award in the future."
Norris and his staff are also responsible for filming
instructional and highlight footage for almost every UCLA athletic program.
They create many of the teams' year-end highlight films.
Norris began his career working for the NFL's Los Angeles
Rams at age 13, splicing and editing 16mm film.
UCLA's Rebekah Gardner was selected to the All-Tournament team after the conclusion of the three-day event in Fuling, China. Team USA finished with a 2-1 record in the tournament. The Americans bested New Zealand on Saturday by a score of 73-42, behind 12 points and two steals by Gardner. On Sunday, the host Chinese team came from behind and topped the USA 60-58. Gardner scored 16 points in that contest against the host team and grabbed four rebounds. The competition for the USA All-Star team, which features several players from Pac-12 schools, continues this week in another Chinese city.
Rebekah Gardner helped lead Team USA to a win over Australia in the first round of an international women's basketball tournament in Fuling, China on April 27.
Gardner, who led the Bruins in scoring in her senior season with a 15.9 ppg average, poured in 13 points, grabbed six rebounds and had three steals in the 77-47 victory over the Aussies.
The USA team, which features several players from Pac-12 schools, will play New Zealand on Saturday in the second game of the three-game event before meeting the host squad from China.
Bruin alum and former All-American pole vaulter Ingrid Kantola has been featured on ESPNW, the sister website to ESPN that focuses on women's sports. The article discusses Kantola's involvement in CrossFit and how those workouts helped her recover from open heart surgery at a quicker rate.
Ingrid Kantola Feature
Both UCLA men's and women's basketball teams will have a signed player in action at today's McDonald's High School All-Star Games. The women's game tips things off this afternoon at 4 p.m. (Pacific) on ESPNU from the United Center in Chicago, with coach Cori Close's recruit Nirra Fields, a standout from Mater Dei HS taking the court. In the second contest of the evening, versatile 6-7 Kyle Anderson, from St. Anthony HS in Jersey City, NJ will be in action beginning at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Through games played Sunday, March 25, UCLA's baseball team ranked No. 17 in the nation with a .315 batting average. Slated to play three games at UCLA the first weekend of May, Purdue leads the nation with a .346 batting average through the season's first six weekends.
The Bruins' offense also ranks No. 57 in slugging percentage (.424) out of 291 total NCAA Division I programs.
Junior outfielder Jeff Gelalich has posted a team-leading .420 batting average, having totaled five home runs, five doubles, 18 RBI and 23 runs. Gelalich had logged a .429 batting average through Sunday, which ranked No. 23 in the nation at the time. Through Monday's action, Gelalich's .420 batting average ranks second in the Pac-12 (behind Oregon State's Tyler Smith, who has batted .463).
Five UCLA hitters are batting over the .350 plateau, more than one-third of the way through the 2012 campaign. Trevor Brown (.372), Tyler Heineman (.368), Kevin Williams (.368) and Cody Keefer (.359) round out the group behind Gelalich.
The Bruins' pitching staff has helped fuel UCLA's 17-5 start, after having lost two of the nation's top three draft selections from its pitching rotation in 2011 (Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer). Through Sunday's games, the staff's 3.16 earned run average ranked No. 47 in the nation and fifth-lowest in the Pac-12 Conference.
Ranked No. 6 nationally by Baseball America this week, UCLA plays a three-game Pac-12 series at Utah beginning Friday, March 30. Game time at Mobile Spring Ballpark in Salt Lake City is 6 p.m. MT/5 p.m. PT.
The 2012 Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships, which UCLA won
in dramatic fashion with a fourth-rotation rally on the balance beam, will be
televised on various Fox Sports Net channels around the nation, beginning
Thursday, Mar. 29.
The Pac-12 Championship victory was the 17th conference title for the Bruin
gymnastics team and the first Pac-12 title for a UCLA women's team.
Below are the air dates and times for this week.
FOX SPORTS ARIZONA
Thursday, Mar. 29 - 12:00 PM MT
FOX SPORTS DETROIT
Thursday, Mar. 29 - 1:00 PM ET
FOX SPORTS FLORIDA
Thursday, Mar. 29 - 12:00 PM ET
Saturday, Mar. 31 - 11:00 AM ET
FOX SPORTS HOUSTON
Thursday, Mar. 29 - 12:00 PM CT
Saturday, Mar. 31 - 11:00 AM CT
FOX SPORTS OHIO (Non-Cavaliers)
Thursday, Mar. 29 - 12:00 PM ET
FOX SPORTS SOUTH
Thursday, Mar. 29 - 12:00 PM ET
FOX SPORTS SOUTHWEST
Thursday, Mar. 29 - 12:00 PM CT
Saturday, Mar. 31 - 11:00 AM CT
PRIME TICKET
Thursday, Mar. 29 - 6:00 PM PT
Friday, Mar. 30 - 5:00 PM PT
COMCAST BAY AREA
Sunday, Apr. 1 - 1:00 PM PT
COMCAST CHICAGO
Saturday, Mar. 31 - 7:00 PM CT
ROOT SPORTS (Northwest Region)
Thursday, Mar. 29 - 3:00 PM PT
Friday, Mar. 30 - 12:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 5:00 PM PT
Saturday, Mar. 31 - 10:00 AM PT
ROOT SPORTS (Pittsburgh Region)
Saturday, Mar. 31 - 1:00 PM ET
ROOT SPORTS (Rocky Mountain Region)
Friday, Mar. 30 - 1:30 PM MT
Saturday, Mar. 31 - 11:30 AM MT
UCLA alum Brian Rowe was signed by MLS club Toronto FC this week as a backup goalkeeper for the club. Rowe was an unused substitute in Toronto's 3-0 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes and has been in training with the club this week. For more information, click here.
The family of late distance runner Bob Day, who lost his battle with cancer on March 15, has set the date for his memorial. Day will be remembered on Saturday, Apr. 14 at Beckman High School (3588 Bryan Avenue, Tustin). The memorial will begin at 1:00 pm and end around 2:30 pm.
Bob Day's passing
One final inbounds heave by Markel Walker, and so ended the 2011-2012 season for UCLA women's basketball.
No. 12 Arizona pulled off the 61-57 upset over the fifth-seeded Bruins Wednesday at the Galen Center, using a second-half comeback to thwart UCLA in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament.
The Bruins actually got off to a promising start, registering their first four points on baskets from Mariah Williams and Rhema Gardner while getting the stops on defense, but the dynamics were to change. UCLA committed all nine of its first-half turnovers within the final seven minutes of the first period, and the lead all but disappeared heading into halftime. The miscues were indeed the key components to this game, given that the Bruins had hopes of executing a controlled transition game. Instead, both teams combined for 41 turnovers on the day.
"The number one thing we talked about was that we could not afford to have live-ball turnovers, "UCLA head coach Cori Close said. "The emphasis during our film session leading up to today was how Arizona wants to turn the first three minutes of the game into a track meet. The bottom line is, you cannot turn the ball over against Arizona and try to control the game. We did a better job in the second half, but the momentum had really shifted by then."
The scoring pace picked up noticeably in the second period, and the Bruins seemed to distance themselves comfortably with an 8-2 run midway through, but Arizona's Davellyn Whyte, Candice Warthen, and Shanita Arnold caught fire. The trio made a habit of knocking down the three-ball at critical junctures to cut into UCLA's lead. Down the stretch, Warthen banked in a runner to give Arizona the 59-57 lead with 20 seconds left in the game, and and an empty possession for the Bruins on the ensuing play just about sealed the results.
Some parting thoughts: Looking at the revolving door that was the Bruins' roster, it was a season undeniably defined by trials and tribulations. To be sure, today's loss will be a tough one for the Bruins to take, considering the numerous opportunities that presented themselves. But what has also been clear is that through each win and each loss, this team was united. The most lasting example lies in the strong ties formed between Close, the first-year head coach, and Rebekah Gardner, the Bruins' lone senior.
"Rebekah was the first to buy in and commit to where we wanted to go as a program," Close said. "She will always have a special place in my heart for that. It has been such a joy to watch her grow, and she was a tremendous motivator for me throughout the year."
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