Ryan Wood’s UCLA notebook

By Staff     Mar 24, 2007

UCLA is looking to advance to the Final Four for the second straight season, quite an accomplishment considering three starters were lost from last year’s team.

Personnel-wise, Darren Collison has emerged at point guard successfully to follow-up Jordan Farmar’s career, while the return of Josh Shipp – who missed most of last season due to a hip injury – has provided added scoring.

And then there’s the fact that everyone else is battle-tested, including leading scorer Arron Afflalo.

“This year’s team has more experience than last year’s team,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “We’re a year older, a year stronger, a year smarter.

“We lost obviously three good players from last year’s team (Farmar, Ryan Hollins, Cedric Bozeman). But the nucleus of this team, the top seven guys that are playing the most minutes, all played significant roles last year.”

UCLA lost to Florida, 73-57, in the national-championship game a year ago.

¢ Kansas beating Kansas?: UCLA has an offensive play called “Kansas” that’s used frequently.

“I don’t remember (why it’s called that),” forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute said. “He gave us the reason, but I forgot.”

Mbah a Moute was secretive about how the play actually goes down, but he had an entertaining – though untrue – answer nonetheless.

“Pass it to me in the half-court,” he quipped, “and let me shoot.”

¢ Way downtown: UCLA ends each of its practices by shooting half-court shots, a semi-silly practice that could pay off at some point.

So who’s the deadliest from 45 feet away?

“I’m the best,” Collison said.

“I give it to Josh (Shipp),” Lorenzo Mata said. “Josh is probably the best one.”

¢ Detail-oriented: Howland, apparently a bit grumpy Friday, interrupted the Bruins’ press conference numerous times because he was agitated about hearing people talking in an adjacent room.

He also criticized a reporter saying that Kansas didn’t have just one go-to player, snapping “That’s your opinion.” (even though KU coach Bill Self has said the same thing in past interviews).

“I am a detailed-oriented guy,” Howland said of his outbursts. “It’s all about the little details. It’s so much nicer when you don’t have people that we have to talk over at a press conference.”

The five players accompanying Howland on stage were giggling during their coach’s tantrums.

“It’s funny,” Collison said. “I laugh all the time at how he is.”

For the record, Howland feels Brandon Rush is the Jayhawks’ clear go-to scorer.

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