Feb. 26, 2013

As stated earlier in this space, one of the main purposes of Word from Westwood is to give its readers some perspective from each of the units within the UCLA Athletic Department. This week, we proudly launch the "Compliance Corner" -- a segment that will appear occasionally in the coming weeks and months in an effort to give you timely and topical information from our compliance staff, complementing the units that already contribute regularly to the finished product you read each week.

As always, we hope that you enjoy the new addition and find it as informative as the other sections ...

Men's Basketball Prepares to Conclude Home Slate
The men's basketball team finishes up its home schedule this week by hosting Arizona State on Wednesday at 8:30 pm and #11-ranked Arizona on Saturday at 6 pm. Having followed the lead of the men's volleyball, women's basketball and men's tennis teams earlier in the week, the Bruins captured a 75-59 win at USC last Sunday and enter the week just half a game out of first place in the Pac-12 with a 20-7 overall and 10-4 conference record.

Women's Basketball Closes Out Regular Season after Sweep of USC
An hour after the men's team won at USC on Sunday, the #17-ranked women's basketball team completed a season sweep of USC with a 63-58 victory in front of over 8,300 fans in Pauley Pavilion.

Head coach Cori Close's Bruins conclude the regular season this weekend at the Arizona schools with the hopes of clinching a first-round bye at next week's Pac-12 Tournament in Seattle. The 21-6, 12-4 Bruins are currently in third place in the conference with a one-game lead on both Colorado and Washington.

UCLA Welcomes ESPN College GameDay to Pauley
As if the game itself wasn't big enough, ESPN is adding another level of pomp and circumstance to the UCLA-Arizona basketball rivalry by shooting College GameDay, presented by State Farm, right here in Pauley Pavilion on Saturday morning.

Doors will open at 5 am for College GameDay festivities (good news for the students camping out overnight!), and we need UCLA fans to show the nation just how much Bruin pride we have in Westwood! Signs and props are encouraged. State Farm is providing breakfast burritos to the first 500 in attendance, and there will be other prizes and giveaways to be had throughout the morning. The event is open to any UCLA fan wearing blue!

NCAA Art Collection in Pauley for ASU Game
To help celebrate the 75th Anniversary of March Madness, UCLA will unveil 11 pieces of art representing its 11 NCAA Championships at Wednesday night's men's basketball game against Arizona State. Each of the 11 pieces is part of a one-of-a-kind work of art commissioned by the NCAA to celebrate the 75 years of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

UCLA's 11 original art pieces will be up for auction for approximately 10 days, beginning Feb. 28, at www.ncaa.com/Art, which will also have for sale 250 limited edition prints of each painting.

Bruins in Running for March Madness' Best
Another part of the NCAA's March Madness 75th Anniversary celebration involves honoring the all-time players, teams and moments that made March Madness. With UCLA's unmatched success in the tournament, it's inevitable to have many Bruins in the running for this. To vote for your favorite Bruins, visit ncaa.com/marchmadness.

Special Ticket Opportunity Available
All Wooden Athletic Fund Donors and season ticket holders, as well as subscribers to Word from Westwood, have an exciting opportunity being offered by our friends at the Rose Bowl. A very special presale code for the just-announced Justin Timberlake/Jay-Z Legends of the Summer Stadium tour has been established for all of you. Tickets are subject to availability, but ordering your tickets here tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 27 from 10 am-5 pm, with the presale code ROSEBOWL, ensures that you are getting access to the seats before they go on sale to the general public the following day. This concert, set for July 28, is sure to be a sell-out, so don't miss out on this unique opportunity! We appreciate our long-time partners at the Rose Bowl for this opportunity.

Tennis in New Pauley, Anyone?
Speaking of unique offers for loyal Bruins, the LA Tennis Challenge, which is being held at Pauley Pavilion on Monday, Mar. 4, is offering UCLA fans a $5 off discount on middle-level reserved tickets with the code JDMORGAN. Order here by midnight Mar. 3 to get the special price. UCLA alumnus Justin Gimelstob is hosting the event, which will feature matches with Novak Djokovic, Marty Fish, Tommy Haas, James Blake, Pete Sampras, and the Bryan Brothers.

Olympic Sports Report

• The #2-ranked men's golf team tied for third last week at The Prestige at PGA West. This week, four Bruins are playing as individuals in the Snowman Getaway in Goodyear, Ariz.
• The #2-ranked women's tennis team improved to 8-1 on the season after wins at #7 Cal and #30 Saint Mary's. The Bruins play at Pepperdine on Thursday.
• #3-ranked men's tennis picked up a huge 4-3 victory at #2 USC on Friday and finished the weekend by beating Saint Mary's, 6-1 at LATC on Sunday. The Bruins travel to La Jolla for the Pacific Coast Doubles Championships.
• The #3-ranked women's water polo team improved to 16-2 on the year and captured third place at the UC Irvine Invitational. The Bruins open MPSF play this week when they travel to Arizona State for a 1:00 pm clash on Saturday.
• The #6-ranked gymnastics team faces two-time defending NCAA champion Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Friday. The Bruins are coming off a season-high road score of 197.2 in a loss at Oklahoma.
• After a three-set sweep at #4 Pepperdine Saturday, the #7-ranked men's volleyball team hosts UC Santa Barbara on Wed., Feb. 27 at 7 pm in the Wooden Center. Fans coming to the men's basketball game that night are encouraged to come to the volleyball match ahead of the 8:30 pm game.
• The #12-ranked baseball team won two out of three games against Baylor to improve to 4-2 on the year. The Bruins defeated UCSB, 12-3, this afternoon and will host Wright State at Jackie Robinson Stadium from Friday through Sunday.
• Coming off a perfect 5-0 weekend that included two wins over Top 10 teams, #13-ranked softball hosted Cal State Fullerton at Easton Stadium on Tuesday afternoon and will head back out on the road for five games this weekend at the San Diego Classic I at SDSU and USD. The Bruins have won 10 of their last 11 games.
• The #14-ranked swimming and diving squad, off from competition last week, heads to Federal Way, Wash. for the Pac-12 Championships, which will run from Wednesday through Saturday.
• The #25-ranked women's golf team tied for first place but lost in a playoff by one stroke today at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate in New Orleans.
• The women's track and field team finished fifth, and the men's team finished seventh at the indoor MPSF Championships last weekend. Both squads had strong performances, including three individual event titles.

Wooden Athletic Fund Announces 2013 Campaign
Fresh off a record-breaking year in total members and total dollars raised in 2012, the Wooden Athletic Fund is unveiling its "Become a Champion" campaign, which is new for the 2013 giving year.

In this campaign, all current Wooden Athletic Fund donors are being encouraged to increase at least one giving level from what they donated in 2012; all UCLA alumni, fans and friends who are not yet members are encouraged to join the Wooden Athletic Fund at the minimum $100 dollar level; and all current donors are encouraged to refer a new member to the Wooden Athletic Fund in 2013.

Donors are strongly encouraged to renew their membership online at woodenathleticfund.com by clicking "Renew Membership" under the "Donate Now" tab. They will need your 10-digit User Identification Number listed under your name on the Statement of Support. Any donors wishing to contribute specifically to individual sports will once again have the option to do so through program-specific giving clubs, which can be found here. Please remember that donations made directly to individual sports do not count towards priority seating requirements.

For any questions regarding Wooden Athletic Fund or UCLA Athletics Development options, please contact a member of the UCLA Athletics Development team at 310-206-3302.

Compliance Corner: Agent and Amateurism Program
With a number of UCLA Bruins participating in the NFL Combine, the transition from amateur to professional athletics is an important topic. This move will often include the critical step of selecting an agent. The process revs up after students exhaust their eligibility, but typically begins earlier. Students can speak with agents about potential future plans at any time, but NCAA rules prevent students from accepting benefits from an agent or from signing a contract with an agent.

California law also provides some protection for our students from potential harassment. Agents can send initial emails or letters to students but are prohibited from initiating in-person or telephone contact.

Through UCLA's Agent and Amateurism Program, we encourage all sports agents to register with the Compliance Department. We also serve as a resource providing information and logistics for families taking this step. If you are interested in more information, please click here.

As we head into the final men's basketball homestand of the season, I want to take a few moments to thank all of our fans for supporting the team throughout the year. It seems like yesterday that we were standing next to the Coach Wooden statue and opening New Pauley Pavilion to face Indiana State. The bleary-eyed yet ecstatic students, "fresh" from an overnight outside Pauley, took their seats and were joined by Bruin fans to celebrate the start of a new season, a newly-renovated building and, of course, to witness the debut of the 2012-2013 men's basketball team. Now, here we are, approaching March and all its possibilities, looking to conclude the season with two exciting match-ups. Your support this year has been tremendous and appreciated by all of our student-athletes. Now, we need to ask for more.

These two games versus Arizona State and Arizona, as we all know, are critical as we chase the Pac-12 regular season championship. On both nights, a loud and large crowd can be a critical component in providing the energy to propel the Bruins to victory. Think of the electricity the night of the Missouri game in December and the comments from our team after the game about how the crowd lifted them in the second half. We have two more opportunities to do so again, and I urge all that can to come and be loud, have fun, and create the best home court advantage yet at New Pauley Pavilion. On Saturday, we have a unique opportunity to start the "chaos" early as we welcome a national audience from ESPN's College GameDay.

Our staff has been working closely with student leaders and organizations to create an environment that will be fun and energetic, despite the early start. It will be a great showcase for our program and New Pauley Pavilion, as well as the entire UCLA campus. You can join the students, as well, when we open the doors of Pauley to the nation to begin what should be a terrific day.

Thank you again to everyone who has come to games this year or been cheering from afar. This is the best time of the year to be a basketball fan, and it's our chance this week to let the madness begin right here in Westwood.

Go Bruins!

Dan Guerrero
UCLA Athletic Director

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