UCLA's Anderson to host "college athlete party" just weeks after arrest

(UPDATE: Anderson has decided against hosting or even attending the event on August 5th. According to this ESPN LA article, his name has been removed from the promotional materials and weill no longer be involved in the event whatsoever.)

UCLA guard Jerime Anderson was poised to have a breakout season in 2011-2012, but a recent lack of decision-making skills may have put that quest on hold.

Last Tuesday, Anderson was stopped by University police after a report of a stolen laptop, and arrested the rising-senior on suspicion of grand theft. A tracking device within the computer led police to Anderson, who was released from jail on $20,000 bail. According to the press release, Anderson was suspended indefinitely, will not participate in team activities, and his future with the program will be evaluated as the legal process continues.

Anderson's attorney, Jon Artz, has asked for a fair trial and proper use of the justice system:

"It should be equal justice under the law. I would hope my client receives fair-handed justice from the [district attorney's] office, and I'm sure he will."

Now, Anderson has no priors, and seems like he just made an error in judgement, which all college students make during matriculation. But now that Anderson finds himself in not only Ben Howland's doghouse, but the school's and the DA's office's as well, you would think he would want to keep a low profile until, say, the beginning of the season?

Well, laying low does not seem to be listed on Anderson's schedule of events, especially not on August 5th.

According to a blog post from the LA Weekly, Anderson is supposed to host a "I LOVE COLLEGE!!! ATHLETES PARTY" on August, 5th at The Proud Bird, a bar/restaurant near Los Angeles International Airport. The party is being co-hosted by a bunch of Los Angeles' top "student-athletes", such as Edgar Garibay, a forward for Loyola-Marymount, who the Bruins will face in the season-opener, a game in which Anderson has already been suspended for. But Garibay is sure that Anderson still plans on hosting:

"Jerime will still be there. I talked to him yesterday, and there's some bullshit going on, but he'll be all right."

Now, there is nothing that says he cannot go to this party. It's not against the law for him to host a social event, but is this really what he should be doing now?



Anderson has admitted in the past that he had a problem with partying too much, especially after his freshman season. So now, at what might be the darkest time in his young life, he is going to revert back to old habits?

John Wooden is famous for saying "Adversity does not necessarily build character but reveals it".

After August 5th, it should be revealed what type of character Anderson has.

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Jerime Anderson's arrest puts the finishing touches on the disastrous 2008 UCLA recruiting class

Jerime Anderson was arrested on Tuesday night and suspended indefinitely after being charged with grand theft in connection with a laptop being stolen.

"This is a disappointing and unfortunate situation for Jerime," said head coach Ben Howland in a statement on Wednesday. "We have a high standard and code of conduct that our student-athletes are expected to follow. He knows that he has made a huge mistake and that he has not represented himself, our program or UCLA in a manner that is required."

Anderson will miss, at the least, the team's opener against Loyola Marymount on November 11th, but just how long his suspension lasts in still up in the air. Anderson faces a felony charge and is currently out on $20,000 bail, which is a sure sign that this case is being taken seriously by all involved. But if you remember, Nikola Dragovic was arrested for felony assault in November of 2009 (the second time in the span of a year he was involved in an assault that required police involvement) but only missed one game.


So, like I said, how long Anderson is out and just how much more important Lazeric Jones is going to be this year is still unclear.

What we do know, however, is that the 2008 UCLA recruiting class can officially be termed a disaster.

Ben Howland left Pittsburgh for the West Coast in the spring of 2003, and in less than three years he had turned a UCLA program that needed an upset of then-No. 1 Arizona in the Pac-10 Tournament to crack double-digit wins into the powerhouse you expect in Westwood.

They won three straight regular season titles from 2006-2008, two Pac-10 Tournament titles in that span, and reached the Final Four each of those three seasons. The problem with that kind of success in this day and age of college hoops is that it requires having talented players, and when those talented players experience a lot of success at the collegiate level, they don't stick around too long. Seven players now play in the NBA off of those three UCLA teams. Five of them were drafted with collegiate eligibility remaining.

When you have that kind of talent leaving your program every year, bringing in recruits that will be able to contribute right away is a necessity for sustained success.

In 2008, everyone believed that was exactly what Ben Howland did by landing the No. 1 recruiting class in the country according to both Scout and Rivals. The class consisted of five-star recruits Jrue Holiday and J'Mison Morgan and four star recruits Drew Gordon, Jerime Anderson, and Malcolm Lee.

That group never came close to living up to their expectations. Holiday was the only member of the group to have a significant impact, starting as a freshman on a team that was in and out of the top 25 and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Holiday, who entered the draft after one year in college, has become a much better NBA player than he was in college.

The following season was tremendously disappointing for Bruin fans. UCLA struggled throughout the season as Lee and Anderson were unable to fill the void left by Darren Collison at the point guard. Gordon transferred to New Mexico in December of 2009 while Morgan transferred to Baylor after the season ended. The Bruins missed the NCAA Tournament.

This past season, UCLA did experience a resurgence of sorts, winning 23 games, finishing second in the Pac-10, and making the second round of the NCAA Tournament. But that resurgence wasn't the result of a breakout performance by the leftover members of that 2008 recruiting class. Lee had a successful season, averaging 13.1 ppg, but he continued to struggle to figure out just what position he played -- he shot 29.5% from three and averaged 2.0 apg and 1.7 t/o's. Anderson was worst, as he averaged just over 20 mpg and lost the starting point guard spot to Lazeric Jones.

This summer, Lee left school for the NBA (43rd pick) and Anderson was arrested for the theft of a laptop.

The 2008 class has now been on campus for three full seasons. They produced two NCAA Tournament trips (neither of which lasted to the second weekend), no Pac-10 championships and twice as many transfers as first round picks.

I think you know who to blame for UCLA's recent struggles.
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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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