Sunday syllabus: the week that was and the week ahead

Hello 2008! The Bruins have a new football coach and basketball is heating up with the start of Pac-10 play:

Baseball:

>> Last week: UCLA junior shortstop Brandon Crawford was tabbed as a pre-season, third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball this week. Crawford hit .335 with seven home runs and 56 RBI as a sophomore last season. The Bruins open their season Feb. 22 at Jackie Robinson Stadium against Oklahoma.

Football:

>> Last week: Former Bruin quarterback and assistant coach Rick Neuheisel was selected to be the Bruins’s head football coach Saturday after a lengthy search. He called the selection "a dream come true" and will be formally introduced at a news conference Monday on campus.

>> This week: Neuheisel will be trying to secure the services of defensive coordinator and interim head coach DeWayne Walker for the future. After that, he’ll be interviewing the remainder of the existing coaching staff and begin speaking with recruits.

Men’s Basketball:

>> Last week: No. 5-ranked UCLA finished its non-conference schedule at 12-1 with a 76-48 rout of UC Davis on Saturday. The Bruins showcased a balanced offense with four Bruins in double figures, led by guard Darren Collison with 14 points. Freshman center Kevin Love had 13 points and nine rebounds.

>> This week: The Bruins go on the road to start the Pac-10 season against Stanford (11-1) and California (9-2) on Thursday night and Saturday, respectively. It will be only their second and third games on an opponent’s home court, as their three other away games have been on neutral courts.

Men’s Volleyball:

>> This week: Al Scates’s volleyballers head to Hawaii for the Outrigger Tournament to face Ball State on Thursday, Penn State on Friday and host Hawaii on Saturday.

Women’s Basketball:

>> Last week: UCLA (6-7) split its Pac-10 opening weekend, losing Friday to No. 24 Arizona State, 62-59. The Bruins were unable to score in the last 1:35 after freshman guard Darxia Morris gave the team a 59-58 lead. Morris led the Bruins with 14 points; senior forward Lindsey Pluimer and freshman guard Doreena Campbell had 12 each.

However, UCLA defeated Arizona in Tucson, 68-59, behind a sensational performance by freshman forward Nina Earl (pictured). She had 23 points on 8 of 14 shooting, 6 of 7 from the foul line and led the Bruins with 10 rebounds in 38 minutes on the floor. Pluimer added 10 for the Bruins, who cruised home after piling up a 42-30 halftime lead.

>> This week: The Bruins entertain No. 2 Stanford at Pauley Pavilion on Friday and California on Sunday.

Women’s Gymnastics:

>> This week: The Bruin women will be favored in their first event of the season, the Vegas Cup, in Las Vegas on Friday. UCLA returns four All-Americans from its national fourth-place team of a year ago and will face No. 11 Oregon State and No. 18 Arizona State in this week’s matchup.

Women’s Soccer:

>> Last week: Tired of hearing about Bruin sophomore striker Lauren Cheney? Get used to it. She received her second "Player of the Year" award in collegiate soccer this past week from Soccer Buzz magazine. She is still in the running for two other national player of the year honors in the Herrmann Trophy (one of three finalists) and the Honda Award (one of four).

Women’s Swimming:

>> This week: The dual meet season continues for UCLA (5-1) with a match Friday against UC San Diego.

Nina Earl photo courtesy UCLA.