For the few hardy, dedicated souls who followed our USC blogging on the college sports site, we have great news. You will be getting beefed-up blogging of both USC and UCLA. What’s more, they have their very own dedicated blogs now.

Please stop by and check out the material in our UCLA and USC blogs starting Monday morning.

UCLA likely will play non-conference basketball games in New York’s Madison Square Garden, at Austin, Texas and vs. Notre Dame at Pauley Pavilion next season. Those are the highlights of the tentative 2008-09 schedule, which the school released Friday.
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New UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel has built a reputation as one of the top recruiters in the nation, but his team has had some problems keeping high-schoolers recently, perhaps due to uncertainty about defensive coordinator Dwayne Walker’s long-term prospects. Before UCLA hired Neuheisel, Walker had interviewed for the job and many people expect him to be a head coach somewhere else next year. If you’ll recall, Walker got a lot of the credit for the Bruins’ biggest victory in ages _ the 13-9 dismantling of rival USC two season ago. 

The latest 2009 recruit to change his mind about the Bruins is San Fernando Valley defensive back Marvin Pollard: http://rivals100.rivals.com/content.asp?cid=824588.

UCLA offensive tackle Sean Sheller underwent surgery on his left knee Tuesday at UCLA Medical Center. Sheller, a redshirt sophomore, will miss the upcoming season as he rehabilitates after surgery. Sheller was expected to start for the Bruins before he injured his knee in an off-road vehicle accident June 20.Doctors arthroscopically repaired a torn medial collateral ligament and some meniscal cartilage.  

UCLA MEDIA RELEASE

        UCLA and men’s basketball coach Ben Howland have agreed on a seven-year contract, athletic director Dan Guerrero announced Tuesday.

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UCLA redshirt sophomore Sean Sheller, who was projected as the Bruins’ starter at right tackle, will miss the 2008 season because of knee and ankle injuries sustained Friday in a motor vehicle accident.

An MRI showed that Sheller’s left knee sustained a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament and the medial collateral ligament. Surgery to reconstruct the ACL and repair the MCL will be scheduled at a later date. His left ankle also sustained a wound which is being treated on a daily basis to prevent infection.

”Our hearts go out to Sean and his family,” Coach Rick Neuheisel said, in a statement from the athletic department. ”The young man is devastated. I am confident that his surgery will go well and he will come back better than ever.”

Mike Powell is stepping down as the jumps coach at UCLA after three years with the Bruins, to continue his involvement with the IAAF, where he serves as an ambassador to the sport.

As an ambassador, Powell attends track meets and press conferences, as well as meet with sponsors, host clinics and do whatever he can to represent and promote the sport of track and field. The world record holder in the long jump also will continue to coach a handful of professional athletes in the jumps.

During his tenure as men’s and women’s jumps coach, Powell coached one NCAA champion (Rhonda Watkins) and multiple athletes to Pac-10, West Region and All-American honors.

Watkins won the 2007 NCAA indoor and outdoor long jump crowns, as well as several Pac-10 and West Region individual titles.

Powell earned West Region Coach of the Year honors for the women’s jumps in 2007.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who started in three Final Fours for UCLA, has decided to remain in the NBA draft, hire an agent and will bypass a senior season with the Bruins.

“Luc had a great career at UCLA, and I’m really proud of everything he helped our team accomplish during his tenure as a player at UCLA,” Coach Ben Howland said.

“He was the freshman of the year in the conference, won three Pac-10 titles and started in three Final Fours, but, more than anything, he is a winner.”

A head wind made for a difficult day for pole vaulters on Friday at the NCAA championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Only seven of the 15 vaulters to advance to the finals could clear 17 2 1/2 inches, the height they needed to clear to qualify two days earlier.

UCLA redshirt freshman Johnny Quinn (St. Margaret’s High) finished in a tie for eighth place, clearing 16 8 3/4, to earn the Bruins one-half point and earn All-American honors.

Dustin Deleo (Los Alamitos), who had the second best pole vault mark in the nation this season, also cleared 16 8 3/4, but finished 13th on more misses.

Maston Wallace, a freshman from Texas, won the competition at only 17 6 1/2.

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Defensive tackle Brigham Harwell and tight end Logan Paulsen will be the Bruins’ team captains this season, selected though a team vote.

In addition, additional game captains will be selected on a weekly basis.