College Hoops Week in Review: Drew Gordon and Vanderbilt over anything Kentucky

Player of the Week: Drew Gordon, New Mexico

The Lobos have made a push back into relevancy after struggling through the early part of the season. After starting out the year 2-2, New Mexico has now won 10 in a row, including victories against St. Louis, Oklahoma State and Missouri State. This past week, Steve Alford's club went 2-0, but it was the play of big man Drew Gordon that stood out.

On Wednesday, the UCLA transfer helped the Lobos get revenge against New Mexico State. UNM lost to the Aggies back in November at home, but those memories were quickly erased in an 89-69 win in Las Cruces that probably wasn't even as close as the final score would indicate. Gordon has arguably his most impressive performance of the season, going for 23 points and 19 boards against NMSU's Wendell McKines. On Saturday, New Mexico had an even more noteworthy win, knocking off Atlantic 10 contender St. Louis 64-60. Gordon was terrific in that game as well, finishing with 18 points and nine boards.
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POSTERIZED: Drew Gordon ruined my nap

Like so many times before, I failed to prepare myself for a full day of hoops and needed a quick nap to recharge. Unfortunately, I chose to get some shut-eye during the SDSU/New Mexico game.

That was a mistake, because when Drew Gordon nailed this tip-dunk, a certain roommate/college hoops writer who-will-remain-nameless decided to test the acoustics of our building's walls as loud as he could.

And he succeeded.



But I guess it's my fault for trying to nap during a SDSU game.


But was it as good as one of these?

POSTERIZED - Tony Mitchell, Alabama
POSTERIZED - Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt
POSTERIZED - LaMarcus Reed, UT-Arlington
POSTERIZED - Marcus Morris, Kansas
POSTERIZED - Jared Cunningham, Oregon State
POSTERIZED - Langston Morris-Walker
POSTERIZED - Chris Wright and Juwan Staten, Dayton
POSTERIZED - D.J Stephens, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Reeves Nelson, UCLA
POSTERIZED - Kendall Marshall and John Henson, UNC
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Joe Jackson, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Shay Shine, High Point
POSTERIZED - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
POSTERIZED - Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion
POSTERIZED - CJ Fair, Syracuse
POSTERIZED - LeBryan Nash
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Marcus Jordan, Central Florida
POSTERIZED - Lorenzo Brown, NC State
POSTERIZED - Tai Wesley, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Trent Lockett, Arizona State, and Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Brandon Paul, Illinois
POSTERIZED - Jordan Hamilton, Texas


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Drew Gordon tore his meniscus

The Mountain West could, once again, send as many as four teams to the NCAA Tournament.

Despite losing Darington Hobson and Roman Martinez from last year's MWC championship team, the New Mexico Lobos will be in great position to make a run at a second straight regular season title.

The key to their season will be Drew Gordon, the UCLA transfer who becomes eligible to play on Dec. 17th. That's assuming, however, that Gordon is healthy -- the 6'9" junior had an MRI on his knee reveal a torn meniscus in his right knee. He had surgery for that same injury in the same knee two years ago.

If healthy, Gordon will be a very difficult matchup. He's a tantalizing talent, a 6'9" forward that was supposed to be the centerpiece of Ben Howland's program last season. But he never truly bought into the slower system that Ben Howland runs, and left the program midseason.

When that knee heals up, Gordon will be a serious weapon for the Lobos.





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Two transfers decide on schools

Drew Gordon left the UCLA program early in December, despite speaking highly of Ben Howland and his UCLA teammates. Based on comments Gordon made after UCLA's loss to Villanova is last season's NCAA tournament, it isn't hard to infer that Gordon left because he was unhappy playing Howland's grind-it-out style.

It seems Gordon has landed on his feet.

Gordon visited Notre Dame, San Diego State, and UNLV, but eventually chose New Mexico yesterday after attending the Lobo's victory over Northern Arizona. Steve Alford will lose Roman Martinez to graduation, but with everyone else on the roster returning, and assuming Darington Hobson doesn't go pro, New Mexico is going to have a very good front line next season.

New Mexico has had success with high profile transfers before. JR Giddens left Kansas and went to Albequerque, where he led the Lobos to the brink of the tournament in 2008 and was eventually picked in the first round of that year's NBA Draft.


New Mexico isn't the only school that landed a high-profile transfer.

Today, Alex Legion, the former Illinois and Kentucky guard, decided that he would finish his collegiate career at Florida International under Isiah Thomas. Legion left Kentucky under Billy Gillispie, and played parts of two seasons with the Illini. But with his minutes dwindling this season as Bruce Weber added talented freshman DJ Richardson and Brandon Paul, Legion decided to leave the Illini for greener pastures.

If Legion wants to play next season, he will be eligible at the end of the first semester, which means that Thomas will be adding Legion and top 50 recruit Dominique Ferguson. Not a bad haul for the Panthers.

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Drew Gordon speaks

Last week, news came out that UCLA forward Drew Gordon was transferring. Most reports said that it was basically a result of differences between Gordon and head coach Ben Howland.

Well, Gordon finally spoke about his decision.

To a Fanhouse embedded correspondent?


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UPDATE: Drew Gordon to transfer

UPDATE: The LA Times is reporting that the decision by Gordon to transfer was precipitated by Ben Howland's decision to suspend Gordon from practice for two days.


The hits keep on coming for UCLA.

First, they lost on national TV in the opener of the College Hoops Tip-Off marathon. Then they went 0-3 in the 76 Classic out in Anaheim, once again on national TV.

Today, the worst news of all.

Starting center Drew Gordon has left the team after six games. He will be transferring.

Drew Gordon never seemed to fit in well with Ben Howland's methodical style.
(photo credit: LIFE)

It was announced at Ben Howland's weekly news conference. The Fabulous Forum quoted him as saying "[t]his was not a spur-of-the-moment thing."

Howland and Gordon never really got on the same page. After losing to Villanova in the NCAA Tournament, Gordon had this to say:

In all honesty, I think he's going to have to change a couple of things. I think the mentality of the team next year is we don't work well in the half-court set. We're used to the run-and-gun. We're not programmed into slow-grinding it out there.

Is Ben Howland's conservative style of play wearing on his players?

The loss of Gordon, who was averaging 11.2 ppg and 5.3 rpg, is a crushing blow to UCLA. He was their best interior player and the only post presence with an elite level of strength and athleticism. The Bruins will be left with Nikola Dragovic, James Keefe, Anthony Stover, Reeves Nelson, and J'Mison Morgan inside.

Not exactly full of all-americans, now is it.

The worst news for UCLA fans is that the front line may not be the Bruins biggest problem.

They can't stop anyone. Their perimeter defenders cannot be the ball out of the paint. It has gotten so bad, that UCLA may end up playing zone.

Think about that. A Ben Howland team playing zone.

There will not be a lot good college basketball played in LA this year.
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2009-2010 Team Preview: UCLA Bruins

2008-2009 Record: 26-9, 13-5 Pac-10 (2nd)

Key Losses: Darren Collison (14.4 ppg, 4.7 apg), Josh Shipp (14.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg), Alfred Aboya (9.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Jrue Holiday (8.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.7 apg)

Key Returners: Nikola Dragovic (9.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg), Malcolm Lee (3.2 ppg), Jerime Anderson (2.3 ppg), Drew Gordon (3.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg)

Newcomers: Tyler Honeycutt, Reeves Nelson, Mike Moser, Anthony Stover, Brendan Lane

Nikola Dragovic will double as the Bruins leading scorer and best perimeter shooter.
(photo credit: life.com)

We are less than a week into practice, and the young UCLA Bruins are already beat up. Malcolm Lee has a concussion, James Keefe injured his shoulder, Drew Gordon sprained a knee ligament, Brendan Lane sprained his ankle, Mike Moser and Tyler Honeycutt have bad backs, and Jerime Anderson re-injured an ailing groin. Even Ben Howland had an off-season appendectomy. Luckily for Howland, none of these injuries are season-ending, so by the end of the year the Bruins should be at full strength.

UCLA lost a ton of talent, experience, and leadership from last season's team, but that doesn't mean that the Bruins cupboard will be bare. Howland's last two recruiting classes have been loaded, with nine of the ten guys coming into the program being rated as four or five star recruits by Rivals.

The kid getting the most off-season attention is Malcolm Lee. Lee played limited minutes last season as he was buried beneath Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, and Jrue Holiday. But many pundits, including myself, are predicting a break out season from the sophomore. Lee is a Russell Westbrook clone. Still very raw on the offensive end of the court, Lee will be a play maker on the defensive end. He is long (6'5" two-guard) and an explosive athlete that is a lock down defender and a terror in the passing lanes. Lee excels in the open court, and while he may not be the perfect fit for the grind-it-out style that Howland likes to play, Lee is a dynamic enough talent that he should be able to thrive in any system. Don't be surprised when he becomes a first-team all Pac-10 performer.

Joining Lee is the back court will be Jerime Anderson. Anderson was limited to garbage minutes as a freshman, but it was easy to see some potential as a point guard. Anderson understands how to run a team. He isn't as great scorer or a great athlete, but he is a crafty point guard that uses an array of fakes to get by his man. He understands things like offensive spacing and help side defense, which will go a long way to making him fit in Ben Howland's system. While he didn't seem like the best creator during his freshman season, he earned that reputation in high school, so it will be interesting to see what he can do when he plays major minutes. The biggest issue with Anderson last season was his body - although he is 6'3", Anderson dealt with a lack of strength that caused hm to be pushed around, especially on the defensive end. But a year with the UCLA strength training staff should help solve that problem.

Depth is going to be the biggest issue for the Bruin's back court. After Lee and Anderson, there really isn't another guy that can handle the ball. Michael Roll will see a good deal of time, but he is far from a point or even a combo guard. There isn't much Roll does on the offensive end besides shoot. While he is quite good at that (51.5% from deep), UCLA is going to need him to expand his game this season.

Two freshman will also contribute minutes on the perimeter. Tyler Honeycutt and Mike Moser are two fairly similar players. Moser is probably the better defender at this point. 6'8" and athletic enough to defend the one through the four, Moser is one of the more underrated recruits in the country. Part of the reason is that his offensive game has yet to really catch up to his effectiveness of the defensive end of the floor, but that defensive ability should make get him minutes in Howland's rotation. Honeycutt, who is coming off of a slight fracture to his lower back suffered over the summer, was considered by some to be the most talented and versatile recruit on the west coast. Standing 6'9", Honeycutt can play on the perimeter and in the post, although his frame may be too slight at this point to contribute major minutes inside. He attacks the glass, he blocks shots, he can play the perimeter and create shots for teammates, and he has three point range. The biggest knock on him is his aggressiveness - will he be tough enough to handle major college basketball? If he wants to play for Ben Howland, he will have to be.

The star in the making in Howland's front court is Drew Gordon. Gordon saw limited minutes during the '08-'09 season, but, as the case with Lee and Anderson, did show the potential to become an above-average player in the Pac-10. Gordon is a big, strong, and athletic kid, checking in at 6'9" and 240 lbs. While he did not show much of an offensive game in the few touches he got last season (although, he has a nice little jump hook with his right hand), what Gordon did show was an excellent motor and aggressiveness going to the glass - he averaged 3.4 rpg in just over 10 mpg. He had 17 foot range coming out of high school, and if he can develop a bit more of a presence on the offensive end, Gordon could turn into a guy capable of posting near a double-double on a nightly basis.

Senior Nikola Dragovic will likely be the other starter in the front court. Dragovic is a big body, standing 6'9", but his biggest strength is his ability to shoot and score from the perimeter. He was an excellent pick-and-pop guy last year with Collison, and should be again this season with Anderson. His ability to shoot makes it all the more important for Gordon to become a low-post scoring threat. With Dragovic keeping the floor spread, Gordon will have plenty of room to operate. James Keefe, another senior, will also be counted on to provide minutes up front. He is out for at least another month with a shoulder injury, however.

While Keefe is injured, freshmen Brendan Lane and Reeves Nelson will have a chance to prove their mettle as rotational players. Nelson might be the best fit. While he is not a great shooter or scorer, Nelson is an excellent athlete (although some reports have said that added muscle and a couple ankle injuries have tempered his explosiveness) that will bring energy to the table for the Bruins. Nelson is also a crafty player, with the ability to pass and handle the ball. Lane is more of a back-to-the-basket player. Where Gordon's game is based on strength and athleticism, Lane is more of a finesse guy. He is long with a nice touch and some decent post moves, but until he puts on weight and strength to his 6'9" frame, he is going to struggle to stay in the rotation.

The biggest question mark is J'Mison Morgan. He was a top 25 recruit coming out of high school, but attitude problems and a lock of motivation and work ethic kept him out of the UCLA line-up. If he can overcome that (and an off-season knee surgery), Morgan is big, talented center.

Outlook: The Bruins are young, inexperienced, and injured. That is not a good combination. But they are a talented group. Defensively, they should still be just as tough as they have been since Howland arrived. The issue is going to be offensively. Baskets were hard to come by at times during Collison and Shipp's reign in Westwood, and now those two are gone. Can anyone on UCLA step up and be a reliable scorer? There is a lot of promise, but there are also a lot of question marks as none of the guys projected to be "stars" saw many minutes last year. If those kids prove they are worthy of the hype, UCLA may finish in the top three in the Pac-10. If no one does, well, UCLA may still be in the top three as the Pac-10 is way down this season. While I think the Bruins are still going to reach the tournament, they are probably still a year away from being a Final Four contender.
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Drew Gordon of UCLA tears knee ligament

I'm not sure how much more difficult things could be on Ben Howland right now.

For the second straight season, he will be losing a ton of talent from his roster. After Kevin Love, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and Russell Westbrook bolted for the pros in 2008, Howland loses essentially his entire starting line-up this off-season as Josh Shipp, Darren Collison, and Alfred Aboya graduated and Jrue Holiday made the leap to the league.

With a roster that will be obscenely young (Michael Roll, James Keefe, and Nikola Dragovic are the only players that will see minutes that aren't freshmen or sophomores), Howland will have to depend heavily on some of the sophomores that saw minutes as freshmen in leadership roles.

That task just got more difficult as Drew Gordon, a 6'8" forward that averaged 3.6 ppg and 3.4 rpg in 10.9 mpg and was projected to start as a sophomore, injured his knee on Tuesday. The injury was suffered during the 2009 USA U19 team trials in Colorado Springs.

Gordon apparently partially tore the patellar tendon in his right knee. It is not yet known exactly how serious the injury is, whether surgery will be required, and how long Gordon will be out of commission.

But I can tell you one thing: anytime "tear" and "knee" are involved in the same sentence, it is not a good sign.

If Gordon is not ready to go by the start of the season, expect Keefe, sophomore J'Mison Morgan, and freshmen Brendan Lane and Reeves Nelson to compete for the minutes.

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