The 2008–09 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team opened the season on November 3 when it took on Cal Baptist in an exhibition game in

Pauley Pavilion Edwin W. Pauley Pavilion, commonly known as Pauley Pavilion, is an indoor arena located in the Westwood Village district of Los Angeles, California, on the campus of UCLA. It is home to the UCLA Bruins men's and women's basketball teams. Th ...

. The Bruins participated in the

2K Sports Classic The Empire Classic is an annual college basketball event played in November at the beginning of the season and televised by ESPN. Originally known as the Atlantic City Shootout and produced by the Gazelle Group, Inc., the event was first play ...

Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series The Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series was a four-year series of NCAA Division I men's college basketball games matching teams from the Big 12 Conference and the Pac-10 Conference. Started in 2007 and concluding in 2010, it was primarily a way to guara ...

, and the John R. Wooden Classic in the

Honda Center Honda Center (formerly known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim) is an indoor arena located in Anaheim, California. The arena is home to the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League. Originally named the Anaheim Arena during construction, it w ...

. The team opened the season with the following starters:

Alfred Aboya Alfred Aboya Baliaba (born 2 January 1985) is a Cameroonian former professional basketball player and current coach. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, advancing to three Final Fours. He was a member of the winningest class in UCL ...

(Center), James Keefe (Power forward), Josh Shipp (Small forward), Jrue Holiday (Shooting guard) and

Darren Collison Darren Michael Collison (born August 23, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Collison played four seasons of college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He earned All-Pa ...

(Point guard). The team opted not to have an October 17, 2008 Midnight Madness celebration this year. Practices began on Saturday, October 18, as they prepared for the first exhibition game on Monday, November 3. The team has been picked to finish first in the

Pac-10 conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...

again, over

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

and

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

. Freshman Tyler Trapani (#4), great-grandson of former head coach

John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, nati ...

, had joined the team. Three players from last season's team,

Russell Westbrook Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Westbrook made his NBA debut in 2008 and became a star as a member o ...

Kevin Love Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time All-Star and a two-time member of the All-NBA Second Team, winning an N ...

and

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute Luc Richard Mbah a Moute ( ; born 9 September 1986) is a Cameroonian former professional basketball player. Mbah a Moute also played for the Cameroon national team. Mbah a Moute is currently a player agent for Creative Artists Agency (CAA). ...

were chosen to play in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. Westbrook was picked by the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly shortened to Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and ...

as the fourth overall pick, while Love was the fifth pick by the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

, and Mbah a Moute was picked by the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

, the 37th pick in the NBA draft. The team finished the season by losing to Villanova 89–69 in the second round of the

2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2008– ...

. The senior class of

and Josh Shipp finished their careers with the most wins in school history with 123 The distinction was relative, as

's legendary teams played shorter seasons and freshmen were ineligible.

Highlights

During half-time of the January 31 game against Stanford, the Bruins' 1963–64 and 1964–65 National Championship teams were honored, along with their 98-year-old former coach

John R. Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, nati ...

, who told the crowd that he can still remember those years. The game also marked the Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend with both teams wore white sneakers with their suits and ties. A week later at the Notre Dame game,

Troy Aikman Troy Kenneth Aikman (born November 21, 1966) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. After transferring from the Oklahoma Sooners, he play ...

was honored for his induction into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

and for having recently completed his courses for a degree in sociology during half-time. A plaque was presented to Aikman to be permanently displayed at UCLA's Hall of Fame. * Most points in a game – 113, UCLA vs. Wyoming, December 23, 2008 * 2nd most field goals made – 41, UCLA vs. Wyoming, December 23, 2008 * Most 3-point FG made – 33 (tie), UCLA vs. Loyola Marymount, December 17, 2008 * Highest 3-pt percentage – .733 (11–15), UCLA vs. Stanford, January 29, 2009 * Most steals – 20, UCLA vs. Wyoming, December 23, 2008 * Most turnovers – 24, UCLA vs. Prairie View A&M, November 12, 2008 Seniors

and

played more games for UCLA than any other player in history, passing Mitchell Butler's 130 games from 1990 to 1993. The 72–54 DePaul victory in the December 13, 2008 John R. Wooden Classic game was coach Ben Howland's 300th career victory.

Sidney Wicks Sidney Wicks (born September 19, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A native of California, he played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. Wicks was selected by the Portlan ...

and his 1968–69 championship team were honored during halftime of the final home game against Oregon on Saturday, March 7, 2009. These former players are now playing on an NBA team:

Jason Kapono Jason Alan Kapono (born February 4, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He was the first National Basketball Association (NBA) player to lead the league in three-point field goal percentage in two consecutive seasons, and ...

Arron Afflalo Arron Agustin Afflalo (born October 15, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. As a junior, he was named a consensus All-America ...

Dan Gadzuric Daniel Gadzuric (; born 2 February 1978) is a Dutch-Serbian former professional basketball player. Gadzuric, a center, attended preparatory school at The Governor's Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts, before playing college basketball for the ...

Luc Mbah a Moute Luc Richard Mbah a Moute ( ; born 9 September 1986) is a Cameroonian former professional basketball player. Mbah a Moute also played for the Cameroon national team. Mbah a Moute is currently a player agent for Creative Artists Agency (CAA). ...

Ryan Hollins Ryan Kenwood Hollins (born October 10, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player who is a color commentator for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. H ...

Baron Davis Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who is a studio analyst for the ''NBA on TNT''. He was a two-time NBA All-Star, made the All-NBA Third Team in 2004, and twice led the NBA in st ...

Trevor Ariza Trevor Anthony Ariza (born June 30, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A small forward, Ariza played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins ...

Jordan Farmar Jordan Robert Farmar (born November 30, 1986) is an American-Israeli former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In high school, he was named the ''Los Angeles Times'' High School Player of the Y ...

Matt Barnes Matt Kelly Barnes (born March 9, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted in the second round of the 2002 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies an ...

Earl Watson Earl Joseph Watson Jr. (born June 12, 1979) is an American professional basketball coach and former player, who serves as an assistant coach for the San Diego Toreros. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, where he was a four-year ...

, and

. UCLA's three-year reign came to an end when Washington defeated Washington State, 67–60 to win the regular season Pac-10 title. Darren Collison was named to the All-Pac-10 team; Josh Shipp was named to the second team;

was honorable mention on the All-Pac-10 team;

Jrue Holiday Jrue Randall Holiday ( ; born June 12, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins before being selecte ...

was named to the All-Freshman team; and Alfred Aboya and

were named to the All-Defensive team. Darren Collison was an honorable mention in the 2008–09 AP All-America basketball teams. Additionally, he was named the 2009 recipient of the

Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award The Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award was an annual college basketball award in the United States intended to honor players who excelled on the court in spite of their height. The award, named in honor of James Naismith's daughter-in-law, was establi ...

by the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

. The award goes to the "nation's outstanding senior male collegian 6'0" and under who has excelled both athletically and academically." In the NCAA National Championship tournament,

scored two free-throw points with 48 seconds remaining in the game to help UCLA get by VCU in the first round at the East Regional in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Wachovia Center Wells Fargo Center (to be renamed to Xfinity Mobile Arena effective September 1, 2025) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Philadelphia. It serves as the home of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Philadel ...

. Top scorers in the game were

Eric Maynor Eric Demarqua Maynor (born June 11, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for Virginia Commonwealt ...

(21) for VCU and Josh Shipp (16) for UCLA. In the second round, with six

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...

scoring double-digit points, Villanova ended UCLA's hope of going to the Final Four for the fourth time in a row.

Dante Cunningham Dante Lamar Cunningham (born April 22, 1987) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Villanova before being selected with the 33rd overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. Early ...

had 18 points; Reggie Redding and

Corey Fisher Anthony Guy Corey Fisher (born April 8, 1988) is an American-Georgian professional basketball player who last played for Vichy-Clermont of the LNB Pro B. A point guard, he attended Villanova University in Pennsylvania. Fisher decided on Villano ...

had 13; Corey Stokes put up 12; eleven points came from

Scottie Reynolds Scottie Reynolds (born October 10, 1987) is an American professional basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with t ...

and ten points were put up by Dwayne Anderson for the winning team. Josh Shipp had 18 points and Alfred Aboya had 8 rebounds for UCLA. On Friday, April 3,

will play in the

Hershey Hershey may refer to: People * Hershey (name), a list of people with the surname, given name or nickname Places * Hershey, Nebraska, a village * Hershey, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community, home to the chocolate company * Hershey, Cuba ...

's all-star game, which is part of the kickoff celebration to

Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...

weekend at

Ford Field Ford Field is a domed American football stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It primarily serves as the home of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL), the Mid-Americ ...

. The team finished the season with an attendance of 392,980 in 35 games, averaging 11,228 fans per game. Freshman guard

announced on April 9 that he would make himself eligible for the

NBA draft The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...

without signing with an agent.

Recruiting class

The incoming class of

Jerime Anderson Jerime Anthony Anderson (born October 5, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for Astros de Jalisco of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA). He usually plays as point guard. Anderson played college basket ...

Drew Gordon Drew Edward Gordon (July 12, 1990 – May 30, 2024) was an American professional basketball player. He spent most of his career playing overseas in Europe but also played domestically in the NBA G League and with the Philadelphia 76ers of the N ...

, Malcolm Lee, and J'Mison Morgan was ranked No. 1 in the nation.

Roster

Schedule

, - !colspan=9 style=, Exhibition , - !colspan=9 style=, Non-Conference Season , - !colspan=9 style=, Conference Season , - !colspan=9 style=, Pac-10 Tournament , - !colspan=9 style=, NCAA tournament

Rankings

Notes

* UCLA was swept by ASU for the first time since the 2002–03 season (and only the third time since ASU joined the Pac). * UCLA only beat one ranked team (AP Top-25) this season: #19 Washington

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2008-09 Ucla Bruins Men's Basketball Team UCLA Bruins men's basketball seasons

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

UCLA Bruins men's basketball The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program represents the University of California, Los Angeles, in the sport of men's basketball as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Established in 1919, the program has won a record 11 NCAA Division I Men's B ...