Morgan announces: It's UCLA

Giant news on the recruiting front as 6-foot-11 J'Mison Morgan today announced that he will play for the Bruins next season.

The big guy caused a big sigh (of relief) around Westwood, assuring the Bruins of a quality center to replace all-everything Kevin Love. Morgan was originally committed to Louisiana State, but requested a release from his letter of intent after the Tigers had a coaching change. Since players can only sign one letter per year, Morgan isn't technically a Bruin until he enrolls in school (expected to happen sometime this summer).

Click here for the full story from The Times' Diane Pucin.

Photo by Erich Schlegel / Dallas Morning News

Comments

[pk-in-the-mesa]

Now you have got your O.J. Mayo type of player, this guy is not rich like the Love's, so you better watch out.

[pk-in-the-mesa]

He must be a adidas kid?
Sonny Vicaro has said a number of times that he associated with adidas and UCLA is an adidas school as Ben Howland is an adidas coach. So basically you coach’s making money, schools making money, Sonny making lots of money as a runner for Adidas, you mean to tell me these players aren’t getting something?

[pk-in-the-mesa]

Bill Walton sets fire to his Alma Mater.

By Dan Wetzel

INDIANAPOLIS – UCLA has the greatest, grandest tradition in college basketball: 11 national championships, 34 first-team All-America selections, an 88-game win streak and on and on. All run by perhaps the most wonderful gentleman the game has ever known, John Wooden.

But then it has this:

"UCLA players were so well taken care of – far beyond the ground rules of the NCAA – that even players from poor backgrounds never left UCLA prematurely (for pro basketball) during John Wooden's championship years.

"If the UCLA teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s were subjected to the kind of scrutiny (other schools) have been, UCLA would probably have to forfeit about eight national championships and be on probation for the next 100 years.

"I hate to say anything that may hurt UCLA, but I can't be quiet when I see what the NCAA is doing (to other coaches) only because (they have) a reputation for giving a second chance to many black athletes other coaches have branded as troublemakers. The NCAA is working night and day trying to get (them), but no one from the NCAA ever questioned me during my four years at UCLA."

Those quotes come from none other than Bill Walton, maybe the greatest Bruin of them all, in his 1978 book "On the Road with the Portland Trailblazers", which went on to detail how Sam Gilbert, a Los Angeles contractor the feds allege made millions laundering drug money, bought a decade worth of recruits for UCLA.

"It's hard for me to have a proper perspective on financial matters, since I've always had whatever I wanted since I enrolled at UCLA," Walton wrote.

That is the conundrum of UCLA and college sports as the Bruins go for their 12th NCAA title here Monday against Florida.

On one hand, UCLA has a tradition rich with success, class and glory. Good people, great stories, wonderful memories. On the other is the fact the Bruins eviscerated the rule book like no program before or after, but went largely unpunished by a NCAA that wanted no part of taking down its marquee team.

And the truth is, neither image is wrong. And neither one is right. This is college athletics, yesterday, today and probably forever, no matter how sweet the package, now matter how pretty the bow.

It is how Wooden, universally hailed for his remarkable grace and humility, has wound up seemingly beyond reproach. No matter how dirty his program, today he sells books, speeches and financial planning commercials based on his image of trust and honesty.

The question is always why would UCLA have to cheat, what with its tremendous academics, beautiful campus and proximity to talent. But it is telling that it took Wooden, arguably the greatest coach of all time, 15 seasons to win a national title. Before Gilbert got involved and the talent arrived, the Bruins weren't the best. Which ought to tell you what the competition was up to.

Maybe it is Wooden's class that has kept talk of tainted titles to a minimum. But none of this is a secret in basketball. In the late 1970s, after Wooden retired, the Los Angeles Times did an investigation of Gilbert and the NCAA was forced to sanction UCLA, but never vacated any championships. Then there is Walton's book, which couldn't be more damning.

The NCAA never bothered to investigate UCLA during Wooden's time, part of its history of selective enforcement. During the 1960s and '70s, the organization, run by old white men, was too busy going after small, upstart programs that dared to play too many African-Americans, launching inquiries into Texas Western/UTEP, Western Kentucky, Centenary and Long Beach State.

Apparently a team capturing 10 titles in 12 years, putting together undefeated season after undefeated season, recruiting high school All-Americans from all over the country to sit on the bench, yet never having them transfer or declare hardship wasn't enough for it to dawn on anyone at the NCAA that, gee, maybe they're cheating?

But that is your NCAA.

And that is your college athletics, where corner cutting doesn't make a guy a bad person; it makes him a successful coach.

In Wooden's defense, some, including Walton, have argued that he wasn't aware of Gilbert's largesse, or at most just looked the other way. But other coaches in Southern California at the time, most notably Jerry Tarkanian, laugh at that, claiming Gilbert proudly boasted of his payouts. Tark claims Gilbert once offered to pay one of his Long Beach State stars, Robert Smith, just because he liked the way he played.

"You couldn't be more obvious than Sam," said Tarkanian. "He just laughed about it. Everyone in America knew."

Moreover, in a striking 2004 interview with Basketball Times, Wooden described confronting players Sidney Wicks and Curtis Rowe in 1969 about expensive new clothes he suspected Gilbert had purchased. "Did you get this from Sam Gilbert," he asked. "I don't like this."

"People want to say this is tainted," Wooden told BT, before folding his arms in a rare bit of anger. "I don't care. I don't believe that."

The truth of college athletics is that winning, let alone at the championship level, without rule breaking is nearly impossible. Fans and apologetic media don't want to admit this about the icons of the games, but nothing about this has changed for decades. And it probably never will.

There are no angels in this business, no white hats and black hats as the NCAA would like people to believe with its public relations campaign of a rule book. Everything is a shade of grey. Everything is situational ethics. Everything is pick your poison.

Even the great UCLA legacy. Even the great John Wooden.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[AW]

Quite a bit of very serious allegations pk-in-the-mesa. So if they are so true, why are you hiding behind a blog. Why don't you put your real name out there, so we can verify your supposed claims!!!

[Truth]

That Dan Wetzel book has been completly discredited. none of those so-called quotes were made by Walton, they were all fictions of Wetzel's twisted mind, which he has admitted. This bogus garbage keeps being brought up by moronic Bruin haters who hope that people are stupid enough to believe it.

[Nemesis]

Hey pk-in-Downey, I'd be more worried about the potential sanctions that arise from the Reggie Bush and OJ Mayo Payola scandals than J'Mison Morgan's selection of UCLA. Having to forfeit a National Championship in football would be quite a story, wouldn't it. Certainly that would be more newsworthy wouldn't you agree. People all across the nation would be all over that one.

And while we are at it, bringing up 40 year old unproven allegations pales in comparison to the shenanigans that's currently happening over at USC. As a loyal Trojan fan, you should be asking yourself why do these transgressions keep on popping up and staining USC's reputation. I'd start cleaning house over there before making such accusations of UCLA or any other school.

[dave]

WOW! Prove it and then we will talk...

[pk-in-the-mesa]

I love it I have got your little briun heads turning and curning, my the wooden devil be with you all.

[Scott Story]

Former Bruins All-American Marques Johnson -- the first winner of the Wooden Award -- discounts the theory that Gilbert had such a vast influence on keeping key players happy.

"I've heard people say, 'If it weren't for Sam Gilbert the program wouldn't have flourished like it did.' Whatever," said Johnson, now a FOX-TV basketball analyst.

"In all truthfulness, the guys I played with or knew from the earlier days don't think Sam was an influential factor on anyone going there, like, 'Yeah, I'll go to UCLA, hook up with Sam and it'll all be good.' It wasn't like that."

In keeping certain players happy, Johnson said favors might have been granted, but not freebies. Winter jackets or car tires could be had from a Gilbert contact, but at a discount. The players always had to come up with some loot.

"He had connections, where you could get better prices," Johnson said. "But to say Sam was responsible for the good players, the quality players, that UCLA was able to attract, I think, is a total misstatement."

An NCAA investigation after his tenure found no wrongdoing under Wooden's watch,

[shekib]

once again....how long before LA times realizes that you (Adam) are moderating a pretty shitty blog here. I am not only getting impatient that LA times is not making changes necessary to allow a true Bruin to run this blog but the fact that you keep trying to make UCLA look bad when ever you have a chance. Bruinsnation would never let a moron such as pk-in-the-mesa write an inaccurate comment to make UCLA look bad. Shouldnt you be making sure that those kind of comments do not get posted up here...i wonder if the Duke Devils blog is moderated by a NC Tarheel....nope...unlikely. your not qualified..and your not a true bruin. please quite.

[pk-in-the-mesa]

Shekib,
It's a blog people express their feeling about things, that's all. So if I want to say this it is a free country and I pay plenty of taxes so I can express my feeling about just another coach in John Wooden. Tark rules

[shekib]

Pk-in-the-mesa,
so i guess i should assume your one of those right wing bush supporting money loving republicans who support the war but have never in your life seen a hard day and had momy and daddy support you through college and feel that since its a free country you could write lies....and feel that theres a price to pay for your freedom so lets send poor kids to war so that you have your freedom of speech.......
im just expressing my freedom of speech now.....
how many $candles was tark involved in as a coach?

[Bruin_Bry]

Beating a dead horse w/ that Wooden thing. 40 years ago! I wasn't even alive! How about worrying about present transgressions that SC continually has year after year? But then they'll always point to the same old Wooden thing.

Deny On!!!

[Stewart]

Get this Trojan off our Blog!!!!

LA Times, not only should you remove Mr. Rose, but whom ever decided he should write the UCLA Blog should be fired. Do you need any bigger test of incompetence than to hire a Trojan to write the UCLA blog and think that would be o.k.? How do you do that? It's like handing out free tanning booth passes at the skin cancer ward. LA Times, no wonder you're totally messed up with thinking like this!

[pk-in-the-mesa]

Shekib,
I didn't go to USC I went to a JC and then to CSUDH, I worked my but off to pay my way threw school and my dad was a Milk Man making 600.00 a mouth.

[pk-in-the-mesa]

khesib why don't you answer, come on tiny bruin

[pk-in-the-mesa]

shekib, you never answered my reply