Josh Shipp made the right choice by deciding to pull out of the NBA draft. By all accounts he would have been undrafted had he stayed in the lottery. While he plays off his descison as an attempt to win an NCAA championship, the Bruin forward had to know that staying draft would have been pretty much pointless.

“I am glad I went through this process, ” Shipp said in a statement Tuesday. “But at the end of the day, I wanted to come back and make another run for the championship. We’ve been close three times and a goal of mine is to win the NCAA championship.”

Now armed with both Collison and Shipp, expect UCLA to make an impact in next years NCAA tourney.

According to the Dagger, the governator isn’t too happy with the O.J Mayo scandal. O.J. Mayo is soon to be a pro (and soon to make the official leap into Ball Don’t Lie territory), but even as he leaves behind his alleged college indiscretions for money that he’s actually allowed to take, the case lingers. It’s not just the NCAA on Mayo’s case anymore, either. It’s the state of California, which doesn’t much like the notion of defrauding a sickle cell anemia charity:

Special agent Danny Kim in Los Angeles said he is looking into whether “any funds or credit cards were taken or used under the foundation’s name and used for other purposes.” The possible charitable trust violations appear at most to be misdemeanors, Kim said. […] Louis Johnson, a former advisor to Mayo, told ESPN that Hicks allowed Guillory to use an American Express card registered to the sickle cell charity.

In other words, the government is now officially involved. Mayo and Guillory and Bill Dwire have yet to provide any proof or documentation that Mayo paid for his gear himself, and a former convicted felon is suspected of defrauding a sickle cell charity by giving money to a college kid destined to be a millionaire in about a month. No matter what you think about Mayo and money, that all sounds incredibly sleazy.

But should the government be getting involved? As the story says, the charges here are likely misdemeanors at best — as long as he doesn’t commit perjury, Mayo has little to fear. Unless, that is, Agent Kim wants to go the Jeff Nowitzky route and start pulverizing reputations, which, of course, he doesn’t:

Regarding Mayo’s possible culpability, Kim earlier told ESPN.com, “I don’t think we want to go there. I don’t know if there’s any penal code charges we can charge him [with] for [accepting goods from Guillory with that card].” He told The Times, “It’s not a big-priority case among all the things we do, I’m not even a big fan of college basketball, but I understand it’s important and we’ll get it checked out.”

Maybe O.J. Mayo dated a washed-up country singer when she was 15, too. Unfortunately, we may never know.

Associated PressKevin Love looks is working out in Los Angeles, preparing for next month’s NBA Draft.

– UCLA’s Kevin Love, thanks to an improved diet and six to seven hours of working out per day, has dropped 13 pounds, muscled up and looks a lot quicker, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford, who watched the Lake Oswego product work out at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles with noted trainer Joe Abunassar. Wrote Ford:

“Love is clearly in much better shape than he was at UCLA and it dramatically improves his game. He’s more explosive getting off the floor. He moves better laterally. And he isn’t sacrificing the trademark strength that made him one of the toughest big men in college basketball.”

Ford, in fact, re-evaluated Love’s draft stock because of what he saw, moving him up to the 5-10 range.

Ford also took a look at UCLA’s Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Arizona’s Chase Budinger in the same report.

– Ford provided a good who’s-in, who’s-out list that breaks down most of the key possible draft picks. One interesting name: C.J. Giles, who had that brief stint at Oregon State. Ford says Giles could be at second-round pick. Wow.

– Speaking of Oregon State, the Salem Statesman Journal’s Gary Horowitz caught up with former Beavers coach Jay John, who has joined Mike Montgomery’s staff at Cal. John, of course, was fired in midseason, and the Beavers went on to finish 0-18 in the Pac-10. John told Horowitz: “We needed to have solid years from C.J. and Marcel (Jones). Those were our veteran guys and they struggled. … It still disappoints me that it turned out the way it did.”

– We’ll see dozens of mock drafts before the actual NBA Draft in a few weeks. One I respect is at draftexpress.com, and it has four Pac-10 players going in the top six, with Stanford’s Brook Lopez going No. 3 to Minnesota, Arizona’s Jerryd Bayless No. 4 to Seattle, Love No. 5 to Memphis and USC’s O.J. Mayo No. 6 to New York. The mock draft, which does not account for team’s needs (that comes later), also has a Pac-10 player going No. 13 to the Blazers, UCLA’s Russell Westbrook. Actually, given Portland’s poor perimeter defense, that wouldn’t be a bad pick, although many around here expect the Blazers to trade the choice.

Other Pac-10 players in the draftexpress list: Budinger at No. 18 to Washington, Stanford’s Robin Lopez to Houston at No. 25 and Cal’s DeVon Hardin to Boston at No. 30. In the second round, the site has Cal’s Ryan Anderson at No. 31 (Minnesota), USC’s Davon Jefferson at No. 38 (Charlotte), WSU’s Kyle Weaver at No. 46 (Utah), Oregon’s Maarty Leunen at No. 55 (Portland) and Malik Hairston at No. 57 (San Antonio).

– Mayo, of course, has been making all kinds of headlines after a former associate accused Mayo of receiving cash and gifts while at USC, and an NCAA investigation should start soon. Mayo denies the charges. Minnesota Timberwolves executive Kevin McHale said the allegation should have no effect on Mayo’s draft stock.

– Where’s Ken Goe? When not playing 36 holes of golf before his semi-daily ballroom dancing lesson, Goe continues to crank out the track and field copy in advance of the Olympic Trials. This week’s offering is a notebook sweeping up the Pac-10 meet, and he also has the track blog. And look, he finally learned to post a photo without taking up the entire screen.

OregonLive

Before we begin, it’s probably important to hammer home that I don’t believe O.J. Mayo or Rodney Guillory or USC or anyone, really, is blameless in the now-certain cheating that surrounded USC’s basketball program this year. It’s pretty obvious that Mayo was complicit in the scandal, that Tim Floyd probably knew something was up but stuck his head in the parquet, and that everyone around the program could have imagined, if they even needed to, that money was changing hands somewhere along the way.

Here’s the thing, though: How do you stop it? Is the NCAA even built to deal with this? Or is the one-year rule making it impossible?

It’s simple for coaches: With the new breed of one-and-done (soon to be two-and-done) players on campuses, programs have to very, very carefully weigh the potential consequences of signing such players. If a player seems to carry too much baggage — which Tim Floyd should have realized the minute a Mayo handler walked in to the coach’s office — the coach needs to stay away. Pretty easy stuff.

But for the NCAA at large, there will always be a coach willing to accept a player with Mayo-esque baggage. If big programs, fearful of NCAA retribution, ignore the one-and-done player, there will always be outposts (ahem, Kansas State, ahem) looking for the brief surge of national attention that comes with All-American talent. There will always be places for these players to go. There will always be places for them to cheat.

Which brings us back to the one-year rule. When the NCAA and NBA forged the agreement, it was with the knowledge that both sides benefited: the NCAA got to keep all that talent, and the NBA got to stave off the flood of high school prospects seen to be ruining the league’s cohesive image. Both sides are benefiting. Lest we forget, this year’s NCAA title game was chock with NBA-ready talent, while the NBA is having one of its most competitive seasons in recent memory.

But the NCAA is also forced to deal with a new problem: the Mayo-esque mercenary with the ability to ruin a program just before jumping to the pros. It’s silly to think that in today’s recruiting environment, this is limited to only one-year players, but the lack of commitment on the player’s side of things makes this a uniquely dangerous situation for programs, and for the NCAA’s reputation. These are not scholar-athletes, no matter what those NCAA commercials tell you, and what’s worse, they’re not staying anywhere close to four years — Mayo’s punishment won’t come down for years, long after he’s made his pro money. You think he cares if USC gets hit with the NCAA’s death penalty?

These players’ ability to take the money and run, as Mayo did, with little fear of direct retribution … well, in the words of that fat Texas cop in No Country for Old Men*: How do you defend against it?

The NCAA can’t. Not really. So when the next O.J. Mayo happens — and it will soon enough — let’s remember that it’s not just the evil deeds of an 18-year-old trying to get paid, or the car salesman basketball coach or the shady backroom booster. It’s also the NCAA, and its incredibly persistent systemic hypocrisy. Blame everyone.

From the Dagger

Johnny Dawkins, the presumed successor to a coach you may have heard of, Mike Krzyzewski, has taken the reigns at Stanford. According to Basketball Prospectus ……..

When Stanford athletic director Bob Bowlsby was doing his due diligence in checking out the background of various coaching candidates, he phoned Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski about Blue Devils assistant Johnny Dawkins.

Krzyzewski leveled with Bowlsby, saying he believed Dawkins was his heir apparent in Durham.

That did not deter Bowlsby. Earlier this week, the AD hired Dawkins as the replacement for Trent Johnson, who left Stanford to go to Louisiana State.

Dawkins was the pick over Stanford assistant and former Idaho State head coach Doug Oliver and Portland coach Eric Reveno. Bowlsby was reportedly turned down by Gonzaga’s Mark Few, Georgia Tech’s Paul Hewitt, Southern Illinois’ Chris Lowery and Davidson’s Bob McKillop.

Even though Dawkins, who was also an All-America guard under Krzyzewksi at Duke, could eventually be heading back to his alma mater, Stanford gave him a six-year contract.

“His credentials as a player combined with his coaching experience gained mentoring under a Hall of Fame coach at a university such as Duke make him a perfect fit for Stanford,” Bowlsby said.

Dawkins has never been a head coach after working under Krzyzewski for 11 seasons and insists that he did not take the Stanford job to help polish his resume for the day the Duke job opens.

“No one can predict the future,” Dawkins said at his introductory press conference. “Who will succeed Coach K? Nobody knows. I didn’t look at this as a step to take the Duke job.”

Like Duke, Stanford has high academic standards. However, Stanford has had just six McDonald’s High School All-Americans in its program’s history. Two of those, sophomore twins Brook and Robin Lopez, have declared for the NBA draft. Meanwhile, Duke has had 45, including eight on last season’s roster.

“I think you can recruit that caliber player at Stanford,” Dawkins said.

The potential mass exodus of talented Pac-10 talent continues. Is Shipp out? According to the Bruin Basketball Report….

Red-shirt junior Josh Shipp announced he has declared for the NBA draft but will not hire an agent immediately in order to maintain his NCAA eligibility.

“After speaking with my family and with Coach Howland, I think I should test the NBA waters to get some feedback,” Shipp said. “I feel like it really can’t hurt me at this time. I want to go through the process this year, which will serve as a positive experience for me in my future development.”

Shipp was part of Coach Ben Howland’s first recruiting class which also included Jordan Farmar, Arron Afflalo, and Lorenzo Mata. Farmar and Afflalo are in the NBA while Mata just completed his senior campaign. Shipp red-shirted two seasons ago due to a hip injury and subsequent surgery.

He will likely go through the NBA draft workouts later this summer to gain a gauge on himself against the competition, in addition, he hopes to gain feedback from NBA scouts on his game.

“My experience at UCLA has been amazing,” Shipp said. “It has been great being a part of so many winning teams. But at the same time, I’m at the later stages of my college career and I think it would be an advantage for me to test this year.”

Shipp averaged 12.2 points and 3.2 rebounds a game last season and was named as an honorable mention All-Pac-10 Conference selection. Although he led the team in three-point field goals made with 70, he went through a prolonged shooting slump towards the end of the year. He shot only 20% from beyond the arc in the NCAA tournament.

He becomes the fourth Bruin to declare for the draft this year. Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook and Luc Richard Mbah a Mouted all opted for the draft earlier. Point-guard Darren Collison announced yesterday he was staying for his senior season at UCLA.

Today is the deadline for early entry declarations, leading to a bit more news around the Pac-10.

And in a little twist, a player everyone thought was gone, Darren Collison of UCLA, is staying; while a player some thought might stay (though not me) is gone, USC’s Davon Jefferson. I’d heard a couple of times Jefferson had little interest in school and in the end, wouldn’t stay, even if it might make some sense long-term. As the story says, Jefferson is signing with an agent and is gone for good.

Collison, meanwhile, says he will undoubtedly return, giving him a chance to exorcise his Hec Ed demons. He’s played two horrible games there in UCLA losses to UW the last two seasons, including three points and eight turnovers this season.

- Husky Report

With the buzz of his expected decision subsiding, O.J. Mayo officially held his press conference Thursday at the Galen Center announcing that he would forgo his remaining eligibility at USC and enter the 2008 NBA Draft.

In front of about 20 reporters and members of the media, Mayo spoke publicly for the first time since a press release was sent out April 9 announcing that the freshman would be one-and-done in college basketball.

“I’d like to thank everyone for coming out today to my formal announcement,” Mayo said. “Last year at this time, the excitement was building for me to start my college basketball career with the school of my choice. This year, the excitement builds once again as I’ve been faced with the second major decision of my life.”

Mayo also announced that he has signed with agent Calvin Andrews, vice president of BDA Sports Management in Northern California. Andrews also represents NBA players such as Drew Gooden, Yao Ming and Carmelo Anthony.

After a record-setting freshman season that saw him average 20.7 points per game, setting the USC record for points by a freshman, Mayo is projected as a top-10 pick in the upcoming draft.

“I just want to go and conduct myself as a professional, really go out and work hard,” Mayo said. “Just put forth a lot of effort and basically start over and make myself the best player I can be.”

Athletes who leave school early are required to complete at least six units in their final semester so as to not hurt their schools’ Academic Proficiency Rating, which could result in the loss of scholarships for the program. Mayo said he intends on completing his classes this semester as he works out in preparation for the draft.

“I’m going to finish out school, so until then I’ll be working out here in our weight room and our gym,” Mayo said.

“I think it’s definitely in my best interest to stay in school,” he said. “Obviously I can’t play basketball my entire life even though I want to. I definitely would like to get a degree of some sort.”

An age-limit restriction prevented Mayo from making the jump to the NBA straight out of high school, forcing him to attend college for at least one season. After surprising everybody when he chose to play for the Trojans, Mayo has no second guesses about his decision.

“It’s a great university academicswise and athleticswise,” Mayo said. “At that time it was the best decision for me, and I definitely have no regrets.

“I pretty much think to this [point], it’s probably been the best thing to happen to me.”

As for the draft in June, Mayo is hopeful that he is picked high but knows that the choice is out of his hands.

“Hopefully, I can just be picked,” Mayo said with a laugh. “I think that’s a blessing, all my life I’ve worked to be an NBA player. That was my ultimate dream so I’m happy I could get the opportunity.

“It’s a one time opportunity and I just feel like, this year, why pass it up when you’ve been waiting all your life to have this opportunity?”

- Pac10.org

Freshman Kevin Love and sophomore Russell Westbrook announced today at separate press conferences that they planned to place their names in the NBA draft this summer but would not sign with agents.  In addition, they both will continue to attend classes this year so as not to harm UCLA athletic’s academic standing.

By not immediately signing with an agent, either player can pull his name out of the draft up to ten days prior and still retain his collegiate eligibility. This year’s draft will take place June 26.

However more than likely, both players will follow their path to the NBA draft this summer.

Love went home to Lake Oswego, Oregon over the weekend to contemplate his decision to leave early.  He consulted with his family, father Stan Love, UCLA Coach Ben Howland, and legendary Coach Wooden on his decision to ultimately enter the draft.

“I’m in the right spot to take my game to the next level,” Love said. “This past year has been truly special.

Love indicated he wanted to give back to the school as well as eventually return and earn his undergraduate degree from UCLA.

The freshman center is expected to be a mid to late lottery pick.  Coach Howland mentioned last week Love might go as high as No.4 in the draft.

Love helped lead UCLA to a third consecutive Final Four this season. He averaged 17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds in 39 games and was named the Pac-10 Player of the year and a First Team All-American in his freshman season.

“Kevin is going to have a long and successful career in the NBA when he chooses that path and I’m very happy for him and wish him nothing but the best,” UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland said. “He completed the greatest freshman year in the history of UCLA basketball. The entire UCLA family will be rooting for him for the rest of his career.”

Westbrook indicated he would remove his name from the draft only if it appeared he might fall to the 20th pick or below.  But with most mock drafts indicating Westbrook to be lottery selection, its unlikely he will return to Westwood next season.

The sophomore guard had a break-out season, impressing scouts with his athleticism.  Westbrook averaged 12.7 points and 4.3 assists in 33.8 minutes of action this season, including highlight reel dunks.  In the Final Four game against Memphis, Westbrook led the Bruins in scoring with 22 points.  In addition to his offense, Westbrook is a stellar defender who was given the task of locking down the opponent’s best offensive perimeter player.

Although he certainly could have benefited from another year of seasoning at the collegiate level, in particular his midrange game, the prospect of receiving big money at the highest level of the game was too tempting.

In somewhat of a surprising development, it had been announced earlier junior forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute would announce his intentions for next season along with Westbrook at the press conference, however, the plans changed and Mbah a Moute may still hold a press conference either on Friday or Monday.

Mbah a Moute is projected by various mock drafts to be a second round draft, although he may be counting on the NBA tryout camps to showcase his skills to scouts in hopes of moving up the draft list.

Junior guard Darren Collison is still contemplating whether to enter the NBA draft this summer.  After a disappointing NCAA tournament, Collison remains undecided.

Will Drew Gordon be able to step up after the likely departure of Love. Early indications are that the incoming freshman has the ability to immediately contribute.

From the Bruin Report -

Incoming Bruin big man , Drew Gordon scored 15 and grabbed 7 rebounds to help lead the USA Select basketball team to a 98-78 victory over the World Select team at the 11th Annual Nike Hoop Summit held at the Rose Garden in Portland.

Gordon demonstrated the type of athleticism and hustle he will bring to Westwood next season. Gordon added four blocks and seemingly was always around the action in his 18 minutes of play.

The USA roster included four players who are committed to play at UCLA next fall. The group included Gordon and guards Jrue Holiday, Malcolm Lee, and Jerime Anderson. Three of the Bruins, Gordon, Holiday, and Lee were in USA’s starting line-up.

The World team managed to stay close for more than a half, thanks largely to an inside presence that featured 7′1 Alexis Ajinca of France and 7′4 Boban Marjanovic of Serbia. They helped to force the Americans to alter a number off inside shots and USA led only 43-42 early in the third quarter.

But the USA team had a quicker group of perimeter players, led by Holiday, Lee, and Anderson, and the Americans used it to their advantage by forcing the internationals into 10 third-quarter turnovers. That defensive play sparked an 11-0 run that gave USA a 54-42 lead with 6:10 left in the third. Holiday led the spurt with a three-pointer and an ally-oop dunk on a lob pass from Tyreke Evans.

“Our big men weren’t quite as big as the other team,” Drew Gordon said. “We battled hard in the post but the guards definitely stepped it up on offense and on defense to stop their pressure and set up our offense.”

“I think our defense was the key to pulling away in the second half, especially our guards,” Jrue Holiday said. “We picked up full-court, and applied a lot of pressure up top, trying to distract them and disrupt them.”

Holiday finished with 11 points although he missed a number of lay-up opportunities in the first half. Teammate Malcolm Lee scored 3 points in 12 minutes action but his playing time was somewhat limited due to early foul trouble.

Although Jerime Anderson came off the bench for Team USA, he was clearly the best floor general in the game. The offense flowed better when he was at the point, in addition, his defense on the World team guards was stellar. Anderson finished with 4 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals in 15 minutes of action.

“When we play for the USA, it’s all about the team,” Andreson said. “It’s all about playing and trying to get the win. Nobody is trying to get theirs; we’re playing as a team. I felt that we did that really well today.”

- Bruin Basketball Report