UCLA - The Aftermath

After last post, I figured you might like a summary of sorts covering my trek back to UCLA and Pauley Pavilion. It was very much "as expected"...

Drove up to L.A. in some drizzly weather on Saturday morning. As soon as we got to Interstate 10, it all came flooding back to me....the horrendous traffic, that is. I quickly remembered why I hated driving in that town (and was glad my buddy Peter decided to drive us up). By L.A. standards, traffic was very light on way to our exit.

Getting off on Wilshire is always a nostalgic experience for me. Once east-bound on Wilshire, you immediately notice two things: 1) the ridiculous merging to get over to the far left, and 2) the gigantic movie poster on the tall building advertising whatever movie is about to come out in theaters (which in this instance, was Alice in Wonderland, with the freaky-ass likeness of Johnny Depp as the Madd Hatter on the poster).

Parking was not bad, and after picking up our tickets at good ol' CTO (UCLA Central Ticket Office for those of you not familiar with the days of waiting in line), we headed in. Now let me just say that I was with my girlfriend and two other friends, one of which went to UCLA with me. I could tell Peter was waiting to see my reaction when I walked in (cuz he had the wonderful pleasure of seeing me in all my glory back in the day). And although Julie never went to UCLA or saw my blue-dyed pirate monkey act (which I think she's glad), she knew it had been a long time since I had been in there, so I think she was kinda aware of this moment as well. So the four of us walked in and...

It was f***ing weird.

We walked in the top level (even though Peter scored us sweet tickets in 5th row in recruit section on the floor next to the hoop), and within seconds I was taken back to my days as a student again. I recognized every security guard, The Dirt from The Den was on every student seat, the band was playing some Beyonce song they always play, the players were warming up, and there was the distinct odor of popcorn, bathroom hand soap and hardwood floors (interesting sensation I know). I won't bore you with all the intricate details of who was there and what I saw (but for those of you Den people reading this, we gotta talk), but suffice to say, not much has changed.

Except the team. I know no one on that team other than Michael Roll (two redshirt years later) and Nikola Dragovic (who recently seems to be more concerned with beating his girlfriend than playing hoops). Beyond that, the team is comprised of kids I do not know. The fans were people I did not know. And more than anything else, this team is NOTHING like the teams during my brief tenure at UCLA. They are undisciplined, horrendous passers, and play "ok" defense. Not exactly a staple of a Ben Howland basketball team.

*A couple random things:
1) They have a corporate sponsor for everything...in-game contests, timeouts, water bottles...
2) They still play the damn helmet shuffle.
3) The dance team is still ogled over by the alumni.
4) 8-claps are still too fast

The students went through all of the pre-game ritual cheers, and I was thoroughly unimpressed. I don't blame the students though. The team is NOT good, the arena was NOT full, and they don't have much help from other fans in the place. The upper level student section was entirely empty...no one in it. For a game that would put UCLA in first place in the Pac-10 by themselves (at a less than stellar 7-4 conference record).

In all honesty, I was just kinda sad for the program. Sad that the team wasn't what it once was. Sad that the place wasn't rockin. Sad that I brought my girlfriend to a game/place I had talked up for a while, only to show up and have the arena be quiet and not so exciting. And sad because my UCLA friends weren't there with me. I missed Budak's bear-hat. I missed Branden telling me to put my camera down and enjoy the game. I missed Jenn yelling "Go Bruins." I missed Charlie putting a hand on my shoulder as he hoisted himself on the seats to yell "1-2-3, Play Ball!". I missed Comstock holding the signs. I missed Rookie plugging his ears during helmet shuffle.

But, oddly enough, I had fun. I was there in a new chapter of my life. I have to learn how to root for a team I'm not personally connected to. I'm excited for the renovations on Pauley Pavilion. I'm glad Julie got to come up with me and see the place I used to spend so much time in (although at one point in the game, she got virtually speechless after she asked "you just went to basketball and football games, right?" and I responded with "Ummm, no...volleyball, baseball, water polo, soccer and gymnastics"). I think gymnastics was the kicker....

I will go back, and I will have more fun. I got this one under my belt. It is easy just to watch hoops and be a fan, even when it's your alma mater. I'm glad I had the company I did at the game, and I hope next time she can come when I get some old UCLA friends there with me, to hear some of the ridiculous stories we have, from campouts to cheers to close games to funny memories.

It brought back good memories. I still heart U-C-L-A.