thank god it is basketball season

UCLA = first school to win 100 ncaa national championships. GO BRUINS!!!

last night, i went to my first game of the season at pauley (most likely my only game at pauley this season -- no season tix this year).



we were rockin' our kevin love shirts courtesy of matt.

idaho state tried to play the zone. but they weren't good enough to befuddle my boys. there really was no competition right from the beginning.

i thought that i would see nikola dragovic rain threes. he barely played and he didn't make any basket. his defense was not quite there.

darren collison was progressing nicely after his surgery. he was the highest scorer of the game.

kevin love barely played -- understable given the blow out. he missed some dunks but he made a couple too. i have to remember that he is a freshman.

saw chace stanback play -- around the last 4 minutes of the game. he'll be fine in a few years.

i was pleased with how my boys improved on their free throws. aboya was 4-4 and mata was 2-2. very, very pleased. ....even though i was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

even caught this dunk courtesy of mata:


as much as i enjoyed the pass from shipp to love for a dunk, and mbah a moute's dunk and collison's tres, i have found my newest "kelvin kim." that would be #55, a.k.a. the walk-on matt lee. as blowouts go, coach puts in the third stringers. lee played his heart out and was determined to score. the last 6 seconds on an inbound pass, he was still playing and trying to get past defenders. then, just right before the buzzer went off, he went for a three. ....and it was in! matt lee. my new kelvin kim.

score: ucla - 89 v. idaho state 49.

congrats to coach ben howland on his 100th win last night as the bruin head coach!

interesting stats from espn:

Ben Howland earned his 100th victory as UCLA coach, tying him with John Wooden and Steve Lavin as the second-fastest to do so. Wooden, who won a record 10 national championships, and Lavin, who was fired, both reached the milestone in 142 games. Jim Harrick, who was fired after winning the 1995 NCAA title, hit 100
in 136 games.

i know coach howland ain't following in the footsteps of he-who-must-not-be-named (a.k.a. "rico hines is the coach on the floor").

as for he-who-must-be-revered, ak.a. coach wooden, i did not see him at pauley last night. it still never ceases to amaze me that we have a living legend at most home games.

it's good to be a bruin.