UCLA and coach Ben Howland held its annual open practice and this team has an excellent mix of experience and talented freshmen. Jrue Holiday is the real deal and he's going to excite a lot of Bruin fans this season. Alfred Aboya, James Keefe and J'mison Morgan, also known as Bobo look like they will have a solid presence inside.

Howland met with the media after practice to talk about his team.

What was good about today's practice?

Howland: "They had good intensity. Guys played hard. I think our three practices in a row, we have played very hard. We're moving a little faster towards doing stuff five-on-five than I would normally like, but with such a young team, we have game now with seven practices to go before we actually have to play a game. We still have a lot of things that we haven't put in yet before we play those first few games."

Did Alfred Aboya hurt himself?

Howland: "No he just did the typical thing in a practice. He stepped on someone's foot and tweaked an ankle. He got hit in the knee one time. Just different little things that happen during the course of a practice. Bobo (J'mison Morgan) hurt his finger. I think his ring finger on his left hand has been sprained. So that's typical through a practice."

Any update on Nikola Dragovic?

Howland: "He said that his foot was feeling better today. There may be a chance, I haven't had the chance to talk to the trainer about this, but he may be able to go a few minutes tomorrow. I don't know, but hopefully if not tomorrow, then Friday."

For the rest of the interview, please check out BruinBlitz.com...

...More... To continue reading this article you must be a member. Sign Up Now for a FREE Trial