Drew Gordon - Mid season transfer?

[downtown85]

this was posted on the other board.  Drew Gordon from UCLA is leaving the program. Will transfer mid-season..

http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=2058926

BMA or anyone else.  Any knowledge whether he is on our radar screen?  He looks like what we need on paper.  Does he have the right attitude to be here?

[bma725]

No idea.  Honestly I figured at least one UCLA big man would transfer, but my bet was on J'Mison Morgan not Gordon.  Starting centers just don't transfer out of the blue without there being a very good reason.  I'm sure inquiries will be made, but this is a kid that could likely have his pick of any school in the country, so it will be tough sledding. 

[muarmy81]

Come on Coach Benford, work those CA ties!

[[Mu]EngiNerd]

Would he have to sit out a year? or is it different for mid-season transfers?

[willie warrior]

What California ties? I haven't seen a kid out of California come to MU since Mike davis or Terry Reason.

[wadesworld]

What California ties? I haven't seen a kid out of California come to MU since Mike davis or Terry Reason.

Yous just this past summer...

[muarmy81]

Benford was the lead guy on snaer and he was able to get us into Snaer's final 3.

[bma725]

Would he have to sit out a year? or is it different for mid-season transfers?

Mid-season transfers still have to sit out a year, but the year begins when you arrive at the new school.  So you'd sit out second semester of this year, and first semester of next year, meaning you'd be eligible mid December 2010.

Unless of course the school you're coming from or going to is on a trimester schedule.  Then it gets a bit screwy.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Gordon wants to play in an undisciplined, free flowing type of game is the scuttlebutt here at UCLA.  He has not been a happy camper at UCLA but didn't come across as much of a happy camper during his recruitment either.  No one is surprised by Gordon leaving out here on the coast, most were surprised that he committed to UCLA in the first place.  Everything he said he wanted in terms of basketball was the opposite of what UCLA is all about these days under Howland.

[bma725]

The UCLA board is also speculating that part of the reason he's leaving is that he was promised he could play the 4 next to a true center, and has been forced to play the 5 because neither J'Mison Morgan or Anthony Stover are good enough to see any PT.

[PJDunn]

Maybe he is leaving because UCLA just plain stinks.  I would love to see him come our direction but have a feeling he is going to stay in the Pacific time zone.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Maybe he is leaving because UCLA just plain stinks.  I would love to see him come our direction but have a feeling he is going to stay in the Pacific time zone.

UCLA is definitely down this year, but some good recruits coming in again.  Hard to think they will be down for long, but you never know.

[PBRme]

If he transfers mid-year does the school he transfers into have to have a schollie available mid-year or when he is eligible to play?  That would limit the opportunities significantly.

[VegasWarrior77]

UCLA is definitely down this year, but some good recruits coming in again.  Hard to think they will be down for long, but you never know.

I was reading some of the UCLA posts and they say they have the best center in the West coming in next year.  Also, there is some excitement/speculation amongst the Gonzaga crowd about Gordon transferring there!

[MUFan42]

According to one of the websites i was looking at, Gordon most likely wont be going to a Pac 10 school because it would cost him 2 years of eligbility.

http://www.slipperstillfits.com/2009/12/1/1181312/i-am-drooling-drew-gordon-to

[chapman]

According to one of the websites i was looking at, Gordon most likely wont be going to a Pac 10 school because it would cost him 2 years of eligibility.

http://www.slipperstillfits.com/2009/12/1/1181312/i-am-drooling-drew-gordon-to

Very rare to see an in-conference transfer.  It all depends on the conference, but most make intraconference transfers tough.  If I remember correctly the Big East doesn't allow you to play at all, and the Big Ten is "lenient" in that you only have to give up your scholarship.

[77ncaachamps]

Gordon wants to play in an undisciplined, free flowing type of game is the scuttlebutt here at UCLA.  He has not been a happy camper at UCLA but didn't come across as much of a happy camper during his recruitment either.  No one is surprised by Gordon leaving out here on the coast, most were surprised that he committed to UCLA in the first place.  Everything he said he wanted in terms of basketball was the opposite of what UCLA is all about these days under Howland.

And that's what his mother also said:

Former Archbishop Mitty star Drew Gordon has left the UCLA basketball team just six games into his sophomore year.

Gordon, the highest-profile prospect to come out of the South Bay in decades, hopes to transfer to a team that better suits his style.

A natural power forward, the 6-foot-9, 230-pounder has played center for the struggling Bruins.

"The UCLA system is very methodical, and Drew is better as a transition player,'' said Gordon's mother, Shelly. "When you spend that much time and effort on something, you have to feel some gratification.

"We wanted to make the change now rather than wait and hope the situation gets better. The timing is terrible: It looks like he's leaving because they lost a bunch of games. But that's not what happened.''

Gordon told UCLA Coach Ben Howland on Monday morning, 12 hours after he scored two points and grabbed one rebound in a loss to Long Beach State. But he had been pondering the decision for weeks.

"After several discussions with Drew, we both have decided that it is in the best interests of our program and Drew that he continues his career at another school," Howland said in a statement released by UCLA.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_13903963

[ChicosBailBonds]

Yup, that's what we had heard all last year.  The last two lines sum it up

"I don't think Drew will ever be the person the coach wants him to be, and I don't think Coach Howland will ever be the person Drew wants him to be," Shelly Gordon said.

"There's a mismatch there."


People were very surprised he went to UCLA in the first place.

[Rockmic87]

Buzz should offer this guy a schollie, tell him that he'll get a lot of playing time in the Big East conference.


http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Drew-Gordon-42639
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4705019

Drew Gordon's departure from UCLA had been in the works for weeks, according to a source. Ultimately, conduct that was detrimental to the team led to a "mutual parting," between the two parties.

UCLA coach Ben Howland said in a statement that "after several discussions with Drew, we both have decided that it is in the best interests of our program and Drew that he continues his career at another school. He is no longer a member of our team and will transfer at the end of the quarter. This is not a spur of the moment decision and ultimately, it's what's best for all parties."

According to a source with direct knowledge of the situation, Gordon's conduct was detrimental to the team. He was not viewed as having positive energy in the locker room. Yet, during last weekend's 76 Classic in Anaheim, the UCLA staff said Gordon had to be the focal point offensively in the post.

Gordon, the Bruins' third-leading scorer with 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds a game, scored well in the Bruins' two wins this season with 19 and 18 points, respectively. But he was in foul trouble and didn't perform as well in losses to Cal State-Fullerton (5 of 12, 10 points, four fouls, two blocks), Portland (5 of 11, 10 points, four boards, three fouls and three blocks) and Butler (4 of 8, eight points, four boards and fouled out). He was in foul trouble in the loss to Long Beach State, too, picking up three fouls, playing only 12 minutes and scoring only two points and grabbing one board.

The Bruins haven't had a true post presence the past two seasons since Kevin Love's one-and-done season. Gordon, a 6-8 sophomore out of San Jose, hasn't played up to his potential with the Bruins. He was hurt this past summer, injuring his knee on the first day of workouts at the Under 19 USA Basketball trials in Colorado Springs. A possible destination could be San Diego State. Gordon would likely fall to a Mountain West destination unless a WCC school is willing to take a gamble on him.

With Gordon gone, the Bruins will need seniors Nikola Dragovic and James Keefe to post up a bit more, especially against top-ranked Kansas and Cole Aldrich Sunday at Pauley Pavilion. But Howland seemed to be falling for the efforts of freshmen Reeves Nelson and Brendan Lane during the winless weekend at the Anaheim Convention Center. The other option is J'mison Morgan, who logged a season-high seven minutes against Long Beach State. The 6-10 Morgan was highly sought after he got out of his commitment to LSU two seasons ago. But Morgan has yet to produce well enough to command the attention he received out of high school.

The Bruins were never going to possess a dominant post and the 2-4 start isn't a result of weak scoring inside. If the Bruins are to turn this season around then the guard play of Jerime Anderson, Malcolm Lee and Michael Roll has to be much more exceptional than it has been through the first six games.

[Rockmic87]

My apologies...I did not see that this was already a topic!

[MarquetteDano]

Buzz should offer this guy a schollie, tell him that he'll get a lot of playing time in the Big East conference.

From what everyone is saying I think the Midwest is a long shot for this guy.  Also, let's not make this "subtraction by addition".  Is this guy a potential strife master?  I don't know much about him but the last thing we need is a chemistry killer given how good the team will be next year.

[tower912]

I doubt he comes here.   If he came, he would see extensive time at the 5.   If I read this right, he sees himself as a 3/4.    Too far from home.    A nice dream, but I doubt it becomes reality. 

[downtown85]

I doubt he comes here.   If he came, he would see extensive time at the 5.   If I read this right, he sees himself as a 3/4.    Too far from home.    A nice dream, but I doubt it becomes reality. 

Tower, I believe you are right but we do have some pretty good advantages:

+Buzz's offense is perhaps more free flowing than Howland's, 

+We are a team that likes to score in transition,

+He would have extensive playing time (at both the 4 and the 5),

+He would be playing in the BEST conference with huge media exposure,

+The team is a potential final four team with him, and (perhaps most importantly)

+We have an open scholly right now. We can take him next week.

I wonder whether we are trying to make the case and whether we even have gotten through to him.  I also wonder how many high major teams have a banked scholarship right now. 

[chapman]

Don't think we'll get him, but what are the recruiting rules for transfers, particularly at mid-year?  Do we just put someone on a plane to see him as soon as he withdraws (if that hasn't happened already), and then he can just enroll for next semester right away wherever he chooses to go?

[TallTitan34]

+We have an open scholly right now. We can take him next week.

While I don't think we will get him, I think this is a HUGE advantage for us.  How many top programs have open scholarships right now?