May 2011 UCLA Bruins Wiretap
UCLA junior guard Malcolm Lee has decided to declare for this year's NBA draft, according to his father Toshio Lee.
Lee played well in the NCAA Tournament, particularly against Michigan State. Scouts project him to be drafted late in the first round or early in the second.
Point guard Larry Drew II has enrolled at UCLA after abruptly leaving North Carolina last month.
Drew left the Tar Heels abruptly in February amid frustrations with playing time, after his numbers dropped drastically from his sophomore season.
Drew averaged 4.4 points and 3.9 assists in 22.8 minutes per game as a junior, down from 8.5 points, 5.9 assists and 28.8 minutes per game in 2009-10.
Due to transfer rules, Drew will not be eligible to take the court for UCLA until the 2012-13 season, though he will be on scholarship next season.
The NBA draft could end up stealing plenty of talent from the Pac-10, and when it all shakes out, UCLA could easily be the favorite going into next season.
The Bruins lose their best athlete in Honeycutt, but won't miss his 100 turnovers and could return most of their roster to go along with transfers David and Travis Wear.
"Would we be a better team if (Honeycutt) came back? Absolutely," said coach Ben Howland, whose team was without a senior this season. "One hundred percent.
"I'm still very optimistic. I think we'll be a very, very good team."
Howland said the team could still play with three guards, using David Wear as a small forward. And the interior presence provided by the Wear twins along with freshman centerJoshua Smith -- all standing 6-foot-10 -- is a nice advantage to have.
UCLA sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt will declare for the NBA Draft. He plans to hire an agent, forgoing his final two years of eligibility.
Honeycutt averaged 12.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 35 minutes per game as a sophomore in helping lead the Bruins to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, a year after the team went 14-18.
"It wasn't really conflicting," Honeycutt said. "The biggest C-factor, the thing that would keep me, is the team next year and how good we could be. It could be a great team, but I feel like what's best for me is to leave this year."
UCLA head coach Ben Howland tried to dissuade Honeycutt from making the decision because of the possible NBA lockout, which will affect incoming rookies tremendously, eliminating crucial summer workouts.
UCLA Coach Ben Howland said the potential of an NBA lockout will influence his advice to Bruins players deciding whether to declare for the draft, intimating that it might lead him to encourage them to return to college.
"I can tell you in the NBA, in my opinion, this is going to be a serious lockout," Howland said Tuesday. "They will not be playing, in my opinion, next December and maybe even January. … You're not even going to get paid next year for half the year."
College underclassmen have until April 24 to declare for the draft and can withdraw by May 8 to retain amateur eligibility, as long as they do not hire an agent.
Tournament MVP Isaiah Thomas hit a game-winner as Washington defeated Arizona by a final of 77-75 in the title game of the 2011 Pacific-10 Conference Tournament.
Joining Thomas on the All-Tournament Team was teammate Terrence Ross, along with Derrick Williams (Arizona), Jared Cunningham (Oregon State), Klay Thompson (Washington State) and E.J. Singler (Oregon).
• Click here to view RealGM’s comprehensive list of 2011 Conference Tournaments.
Ohio State is the No. 1 overall seed in the 2011 NCAA Tournament and will be placed in the East Region.
Joining the Buckeyes No. 1 seeds is Kansas in the Midwest, Pittsburgh in the Southeast and Duke in the West.
Pitt is the only No. 1 seed to not win their conference tournament, losing to eventual champion Connecticut in the quarterfinals.
San Diego State, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Florida are the No. 2 seeds, while Syracuse, Purdue, Connecticut and BYU are the No. 3 seeds. Kentucky, Louisville, Texas and Wisconsin are the No. 4 seeds.
Kansas and Duke were also No. 1 seeds in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, while Ohio State was a No. 2 and Pitt was a No. 3.
The Final Four will be held in Houston on April 2nd and 4th.
Members of the media that cover the Pac-10 were surveyed to predict which team they expect to win the new Pac-12 next season.
Out of 26 respondents, 19 predicted UCLA.
Arizona received three votes, while Cal and Washington State each received two.
Arizona’s Derrick Williams was named Pac-10 Player of the Year, joining Matthew Bryan-Amaning (Washington), Jorge Gutierrez (California), Jeremy Green (Stanford) , Tyler Honeycutt (UCLA), Malcolm Lee (UCLA), Reeves Nelson (UCLA), Isaiah Thomas (Washington), Klay Thompson (Washington State), and Nikola Vucevic (USC) on the All-Pac-10 first team.
Williams led the Wildcats in scoring (18.8 ppg), field goal percentage (.612), and rebounding (8.2 rpg), and finished among the top five scorers and rebounders in conference games.
Marcus Simmons of USC was named Defensive Player of the Year and Allen Crabbe of Cal was named Freshman of the Year.
C.J. Wilcox scored a career-high 24 points – all in the second half – in leading Washington to a 70-63 win over UCLA.
Wilcox made 7-of-8 field-goal attempts and was 4-of-5 from three-point range.
"I don't think I've ever been a part of a game where a player like C.J. Wilcox did what he did in the second half," Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. "I've never seen a freshman do what he did in the second half, and I was part of a (NCAA) championship team.
"You rarely see a freshman, unless he's one of those heralded one-and-done freshmen, put a team on his back like he did in the second half."
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