Latest news with #Pac-10
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Truly a treasure.' Dave Marcus has given voice to the rise of UCLA women's basketball
Dave Marcus has cycled through dozens of players and hundreds of games, seasons both good and bad. In his more than two decades on the job, the voice of UCLA women's basketball has often seen one — and sometimes two — teams from the Bruins' conference advance to the game's biggest stage, making him wonder when he might be able to say something like he did Sunday. Finally, after Kiki Rice made two free throws in the final seconds and the buzzer sounded inside Spokane Arena, Marcus unleashed those sweet words. Advertisement 'Final Fours up,' Marcus said, 'the Bruins are on their way to Tampa.' If UCLA's first trip to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament has been a long time coming for coach Cori Close and her players, imagine what it feels like for Marcus. Most of the current roster was either infants or hadn't been born when Marcus called his first game involving the team in November 2003. UCLA players celebrate as confetti falls onto the court after defeating LSU to reach the Final Four Sunday in Spokane, Wash. (Jenny Kane / Associated Press) Before this season, Marcus had seen the Bruins cut down nets only twice — after winning the 2006 Pac-10 tournament, when Noelle Quinn scored six points in the final 78 seconds to force overtime, and after winning the 2015 Women's National Invitation Tournament, when Jordin Canada scored half of her team's 62 points. Advertisement The Bruins doubled that collection of nets after climbing ladders twice in a 21-day span last month, their Big Ten tournament title followed by a victory over Louisiana State in the Spokane Regional final that set up an even bigger game against Connecticut on Friday inside Amalie Arena. 'I've always been curious, you know, what is the Final Four like,' Marcus said, 'and we're about to find out.' As Marcus likes to make clear during even a short conversation, UCLA's run isn't about him but the stories he gets to tell. And there have been plenty over his 22 seasons. UCLA center Lauren Betts cuts the net after the Bruins beat LSU to clinch a spot in the Final Four Sunday in Spokane, Wash. (Jenny Kane / Associated Press) 'Dave Marcus has given UCLA women's basketball a labor of love for many, many years,' Close said. 'I love his professionalism. I love his storytelling. But even more than that, I love how much he's been committed to growing the game and honoring women's basketball. He is truly a treasure for our program.' Advertisement Known for his conversational style and a smooth, mellifluous voice, Marcus is a one-man operation, serving as his own engineer and equipment manager. He perseveres through every challenge, like the time last season during an NCAA tournament game at Pauley Pavilion when someone unplugged his power cord and the webcast went silent for several minutes. 'That was just unfortunate,' said Marcus, whose calls can be heard at , 'but fortunately we were able to figure it out and get back on.' Marcus hasn't always worked alone. Past broadcast partners have included Tracy Murray, the former Bruins and NBA forward who now serves as a radio analyst for men's basketball games alongside Josh Lewin, and Angel Gray, who is now a rising star at ESPN. Read more: 'It's been a long time coming.' Denise Curry celebrates UCLA's Final Four run Advertisement After getting his start as a student broadcaster calling men's basketball games when he attended California, Marcus went on to work local high school football and basketball games for various Southern California television outlets. He was later a play-by-play announcer and sideline reporter covering college football and basketball games for an unwired radio network before getting hired to be the voice of Pepperdine women's basketball for two seasons. When the Bruins called about an opening to do their games before the 2003-04 season, Marcus was overjoyed. He's also worked a handful of men's games alongside Murray over the years and says his approach doesn't change whether he's broadcasting to the full UCLA radio network or a webcast that might be heard by significantly fewer listeners. 'The experience for me is the same — I'm at the game, I've got a great seat and I get to describe what's going on, and so I'm going to leave the metrics to others,' Marcus said. 'I hope that there's enough value there that I keep getting brought back, but so far it's worked.' Pointing out that it's hard to land airtime in the L.A. radio market — even many Kings broadcasts are relegated to an app — Marcus said there are benefits to doing a webcast that people can stream through their phone and play in their car. UCLA forwards Janiah Barker and Angela Dugalic and their teammates toss confetti after beating LSU to clinch a spot in the Final Four Sunday in Spokane, Wash. (Young Kwak / Associated Press) 'It's easier than trying to find a radio station sometimes,' Marcus said. 'We may have more people listening to the way we do it than if we were on a commercial station — I have no idea — but it's pretty accessible now, and I always think that no one's listening until I say something really dumb and then I hear about it from everywhere.' Advertisement Some of Marcus' favorite stories about this UCLA team have come off the court. Before the season opener, he watched as the Bruins conducted a basketball clinic in the suburbs of Paris with economically disadvantaged children, teaching them how to dribble with each hand, jump stop and pivot. 'It was kind of hilarious,' Marcus said, 'because very few of the kids spoke English and very few of the players spoke French — although Zania Socka-Nguemen does speak some French — but I was just watching players, some of them almost come out of their shell; Janiah Barker was animated with the kids, and it was just wonderful to see that side of her.' When the Bruins traveled to Honolulu for a tournament later in the month, they played with children living in transitional housing who delighted in the chance to spend time with new college-aged friends. Read more: UCLA's juniors are determined to finally advance past the Sweet 16 Advertisement 'At the end of it,' Marcus said, 'the Bruin players handed out some of their playing cards and a lot of kids didn't even realize these were even basketball players, they just thought a group from [mainland] America had come to play with them and it was really kind of cool.' Marcus said he also appreciated the authenticity of Close, who is the same person in postgame interviews as she is when the microphone is turned off. If all goes well this weekend, he'll get to interview her after two more games and before one final set of nets gets cut down. Though the Bruins made history by getting here, there could be more to come. 'It's great to see them at this point realize their goals,' Marcus said, 'and I'm happy to be there describing the rest of the way.' Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
03-04-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
‘Truly a treasure.' Dave Marcus has given voice to the rise of UCLA women's basketball
Dave Marcus has cycled through dozens of players and hundreds of games, seasons both good and bad. In his more than two decades on the job, the voice of UCLA women's basketball has often seen one — and sometimes two — teams from the Bruins' conference advance to the game's biggest stage, making him wonder when he might be able to say something like he did Sunday. Finally, after Kiki Rice made two free throws in the final seconds and the buzzer sounded inside Spokane Arena, Marcus unleashed those sweet words. 'Final Fours up,' Marcus said, 'the Bruins are on their way to Tampa.' If UCLA's first trip to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament has been a long time coming for coach Cori Close and her players, imagine what it feels like for Marcus. Most of the current roster was either infants or hadn't been born when Marcus called his first game involving the team in November 2003. Before this season, Marcus had seen the Bruins cut down nets only twice — after winning the 2006 Pac-10 tournament, when Noelle Quinn scored six points in the final 78 seconds to force overtime, and after winning the 2015 Women's National Invitation Tournament, when Jordin Canada scored half of her team's 62 points. The Bruins doubled that collection of nets after climbing ladders twice in a 21-day span last month, their Big Ten tournament title followed by a victory over Louisiana State in the Spokane Regional final that set up an even bigger game against Connecticut on Friday inside Amalie Arena. 'I've always been curious, you know, what is the Final Four like,' Marcus said, 'and we're about to find out.' As Marcus likes to make clear during even a short conversation, UCLA's run isn't about him but the stories he gets to tell. And there have been plenty over his 22 seasons. 'Dave Marcus has given UCLA women's basketball a labor of love for many, many years,' Close said. 'I love his professionalism. I love his storytelling. But even more than that, I love how much he's been committed to growing the game and honoring women's basketball. He is truly a treasure for our program.' Known for his conversational style and a smooth, mellifluous voice, Marcus is a one-man operation, serving as his own engineer and equipment manager. He perseveres through every challenge, like the time last season during an NCAA tournament game at Pauley Pavilion when someone unplugged his power cord and the webcast went silent for several minutes. 'That was just unfortunate,' said Marcus, whose calls can be heard at 'but fortunately we were able to figure it out and get back on.' Marcus hasn't always worked alone. Past broadcast partners have included Tracy Murray, the former Bruins and NBA forward who now serves as a radio analyst for men's basketball games alongside Josh Lewin, and Angel Gray, who is now a rising star at ESPN. After getting his start as a student broadcaster calling men's basketball games when he attended California, Marcus went on to work local high school football and basketball games for various Southern California television outlets. He was later a play-by-play announcer and sideline reporter covering college football and basketball games for an unwired radio network before getting hired to be the voice of Pepperdine women's basketball for two seasons. When the Bruins called about an opening to do their games before the 2003-04 season, Marcus was overjoyed. He's also worked a handful of men's games alongside Murray over the years and says his approach doesn't change whether he's broadcasting to the full UCLA radio network or a webcast that might be heard by significantly fewer listeners. 'The experience for me is the same — I'm at the game, I've got a great seat and I get to describe what's going on, and so I'm going to leave the metrics to others,' Marcus said. 'I hope that there's enough value there that I keep getting brought back, but so far it's worked.' Pointing out that it's hard to land airtime in the L.A. radio market — even many Kings broadcasts are relegated to an app — Marcus said there are benefits to doing a webcast that people can stream through their phone and play in their car. 'It's easier than trying to find a radio station sometimes,' Marcus said. 'We may have more people listening to the way we do it than if we were on a commercial station — I have no idea — but it's pretty accessible now, and I always think that no one's listening until I say something really dumb and then I hear about it from everywhere.' Some of Marcus' favorite stories about this UCLA team have come off the court. Before the season opener, he watched as the Bruins conducted a basketball clinic in the suburbs of Paris with economically disadvantaged children, teaching them how to dribble with each hand, jump stop and pivot. 'It was kind of hilarious,' Marcus said, 'because very few of the kids spoke English and very few of the players spoke French — although Zania Socka-Nguemen does speak some French — but I was just watching players, some of them almost come out of their shell; Janiah Barker was animated with the kids, and it was just wonderful to see that side of her.' When the Bruins traveled to Honolulu for a tournament later in the month, they played with children living in transitional housing who delighted in the chance to spend time with new college-aged friends. 'At the end of it,' Marcus said, 'the Bruin players handed out some of their playing cards and a lot of kids didn't even realize these were even basketball players, they just thought a group from [mainland] America had come to play with them and it was really kind of cool.' Marcus said he also appreciated the authenticity of Close, who is the same person in postgame interviews as she is when the microphone is turned off. If all goes well this weekend, he'll get to interview her after two more games and before one final set of nets gets cut down. Though the Bruins made history by getting here, there could be more to come. 'It's great to see them at this point realize their goals,' Marcus said, 'and I'm happy to be there describing the rest of the way.'
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Women's NCAA tournament: How to watch Lauren Betts and UCLA vs. Southern
UCLA has never made the Final Four of the NCAA women's basketball tournament. The Bruins could change that over the next few weeks. They begin March Madness as the tournament's No. 1 overall seed for the first time in program history. As the top-seeded team in Spokane regional 1, UCLA will host No. 16 Southern in the opening round. Here's everything you need to know to watch and enjoy the game. The first-round game takes place at 7 p.m. PDT Friday at Pauley Pavilion and will be televised on ESPN. Another viewing option is to head over to UCLA and watch the game in person. Ticketmaster has seats listed for less than $35 and admission also includes the 4:30 p.m. game between No. 8 Richmond and No. 9 Georgia Tech. Read more: UCLA sets school record by earning No. 1 overall seed in women's NCAA tournament The Bruins are 30-2 overall and 18-2 in the Big Ten, with both losses coming in the regular season to rival USC. UCLA avenged those losses in the conference tournament final, defeating the Trojans 72-67 to win a tournament championship for the first time since claiming the Pac-10 title in 2006. USC is the No. 1 seed in the Spokane 4 regional, so a fourth Bruins-Trojans showdown this season would only take place if both teams reach the Final Four. The Jaguars are 21-14 overall and 18-3 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Southern was the SWAC regular season and tournament champion. The Jaguars then had to play in the First Four, where they defeated UC San Diego 68-56 Wednesday night to punch their ticket to Westwood. Read more: March Madness women's tournament analysis: Teams and players to watch Lauren Betts leads the Bruins with 19.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.9 blocks a game. Kiki Rice has scored 12.8 points a game while leading UCLA in assists (4.8) and steals (1.6). Coach Cori Close was named the U.S. Basketball Writers Assn. coach of the year Thursday after leading the Bruins to their first 30-win season. Senior Aniya Gourdine is the Jaguars' leader in points (12), rebounds (4.8) and steals (2.4). Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
NCAA tournament: How to watch Lauren Betts and UCLA vs. Southern
UCLA has never made the Final Four of the NCAA women's basketball tournament. The Bruins could change that over the next few weeks. They begin March Madness as the tournament's No. 1 overall seed for the first time in program history. As the top-seeded team in Spokane regional 1, UCLA will host No. 16 Southern in the opening round. Here's everything you need to know to watch and enjoy the game. The first-round game takes place at 7 p.m. PDT Friday at Pauley Pavilion and will be televised on ESPN. Another viewing option is to head over to UCLA and watch the game in person. Ticketmaster has seats listed for less than $35 and admission also includes the 4:30 p.m. game between No. 8 Richmond and No. 9 Georgia Tech. The Bruins are 30-2 overall and 18-2 in the Big Ten, with both losses coming in the regular season to rival USC. UCLA avenged those losses in the conference tournament final, defeating the Trojans 72-67 to win a tournament championship for the first time since claiming the Pac-10 title in 2006. USC is the No. 1 seed in the Spokane 4 regional, so a fourth Bruins-Trojans showdown this season would only take place if both teams reach the Final Four. The Jaguars are 21-14 overall and 18-3 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Southern was the SWAC regular season and tournament champion. The Jaguars then had to play in the First Four, where they defeated UC San Diego 68-56 Wednesday night to punch their ticket to Westwood. Lauren Betts leads the Bruins with 19.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.9 blocks a game. Kiki Rice has scored 12.8 points a game while leading UCLA in assists (4.8) and steals (1.6). Coach Cori Close was named the U.S. Basketball Writers Assn. coach of the year Thursday after leading the Bruins to their first 30-win season. Senior Aniya Gourdine is the Jaguars' leader in points (12), rebounds (4.8) and steals (2.4).
Los Angeles Times
10-03-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
The Sports Report: UCLA defeats USC to win Big Ten tournament
Howdy, I'm your host, Houston Mitchell. Let's get right to the news. From Ben Bolch: Holding her cellphone at an angle as she sat down in the interview room, championship hat atop her head, Lauren Betts smiled for the selfie alongside teammates Kiki Rice and Londynn Jones. The picture captured more than a moment, seizing on the combined effort that was needed Sunday afternoon inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse. No matter the obstacle against their archrival, Betts and her UCLA teammates had a counter. Foul trouble, ugly turnovers, a double-digit deficit against an opponent that had handed the Bruins their only two losses this season — none of it could stop this team on this day. After second-seeded UCLA withstood every challenge, rallying for an improbable 72-67 victory over top-seeded USC in the Big Ten women's basketball tournament championship, the Bruins mobbed one another at midcourt, streamers and confetti falling from the rafters. Finally, after a disappointing loss to the Trojans at the Galen Center was followed by an even more deflating setback against their rivals at Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins mustered a strong rebuttal heading into the season's most important stretch. Tears flowed freely amid the smiles on the court as players and coaches celebrated UCLA's first tournament championship since it won the Pac-10 title in 2006. All it took was outscoring the Trojans 37-22 in the second half. 'Thankful and humbled to watch them persevere, to grow, to find ways to win, to be committed to selflessness, just so grateful,' UCLA coach Cori Close said after a triumph that might have secured the No. 1 overall seed for her team in the NCAA tournament. 'This group just said, 'We'll find a way.' There was no panic.' Continue reading here UCLA-USC box score AP top 25 rankings From Ryan Kartje: 'Are you gonna wear those?' Eric Musselman stares down at a pair of beat-up, brown boat shoes with his eyebrows raised. His smirk suggests I've chosen the wrong footwear for my first trip on the Muss Buss. We're standing in an auxiliary workout room at Galen Center a few minutes after USC wrapped morning practice in late July. And Musselman, a few months short of 60, looks prepared to run a half-marathon. His first three months as USC's men's basketball coach were a full-on sprint, with a new staff to hire, a roster to rebuild and a hoops program to reinvigorate — not to mention roots to set down in the South Bay. But for Musselman, stamina has never been a question. He's a workout fiend, just like his father, Bill, was before him. Every day, he walks or jogs or runs upwards of 10 miles, no matter where the job takes him or how packed his day is. And he's never just walking or jogging or running. He's always multitasking, sending reminder texts or listening to podcasts or highlighting passages from articles he's compiled and printed. Continue reading here From Dan Woike: As he suspected postgame Saturday night, early indications are LeBron James avoided a serious injury to his left groin muscle, according to a person close to the situation not authorized to discuss it publicly. James, who left Saturday's loss to the Boston Celtics in the fourth quarter, said postgame that he didn't believe the injury to be as serious as the one he suffered in 2018 when he missed more than a month after hearing his groin muscle pop. As of Sunday morning afternoon, there were no signs that James' initial assessment, when he said there was 'not much concern,' is inaccurate, though even minor groin injuries can take more than a week to heal. Continue reading here From Broderick Turner: Before the Clippers even played their 'very significant' game against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, they had to do so without the man who has keep their team in order — Tyronn Lue. Lue, who spoke to reporters before the game about how meaningful the contest would be, ended up not coaching in it after going home with back pain. That left Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw in charge. The game was a thriller, with Kawhi Leonard scoring on a left-handed shot as time expired to give the Clippers an important 111-110 overtime win at the Intuit Dome that keeps them in eighth place in the topsy-turvy Western Conference. Leonard, who was wrapped up in celebration by his teammates after his winning shot, finished with 17 points and four rebounds for the Clippers (35-29). James Harden had 29 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists, and Ivica Zubac had 22 points and 14 rebounds. Continue reading here Clippers box score NBA scores NBA standings From Kevin Baxter: Right-hander Michael Grove won't pitch for the Dodgers this year after undergoing season-ending surgery last week to repair his right labrum. Grove walked into the Dodgers clubhouse with his right arm in a sling Sunday morning but quietly declined to speak with reporters. He threw a couple of bullpen sessions this spring but hasn't pitched in a game since injuring his shoulder in the second game of the Division Series against the Padres. In that playoff appearance, he gave up a home run to Xander Bogaerts then struck out Jake Cronenworth. He was removed from the roster following that game. 'It's been a shoulder issue that's been bothering him for, I don't know how far back,' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. 'He tried to pitch through it and the recovery wasn't what any of us would have liked. We tried the rest approach and we just felt that we had to get the surgery done.' Continue reading here From Gary Klein: The Rams began remaking the receiver corps for star quarterback Matthew Stafford, agreeing to terms with three-time All-Pro receiver Davante Adams on a two-year contract, the team announced Sunday. Adams' deal reportedly is worth up to $46 million, with $26 million guaranteed. Adams, 32, starred for the Green Bay Packers for eight seasons before playing two-plus seasons for the Las Vegas Raiders and 11 games last season for the New York Jets. With the Jets, Adams caught 67 passes for 854 yards and seven touchdowns. He has 957 career receptions for 11,844 yards and 103 touchdowns. Adams has eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving in a season seven times. Continue reading here Adrian Kempe scored the decisive goal in the third period of the Kings' 6-5 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night. Quinton Byfield, Warren Foegele, Anze Kopitar, Trevor Moore and Brandt Clarke also scored for the Kings. David Rittich stopped 27 shots in the win, L.A.'s second in as many nights. Kempe beat goalie Adin Hill on a rush early on a power play. Byfield's goal 1:56 into the second period extended his goal streak to three games and put the Kings ahead 3-0. Continue reading here Kings summary NHL scores NHL standings Sam Colangelo scored twice, Lukas Dostal stopped 31 shots and the Ducks beat the New York Islanders 4-1 on Sunday night at Honda Center. Colangelo gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead with 2:08 left in the first period, then added an empty-netter when Islanders coach Patrick Roy pulled goalie Marcus Hogberg just 8:18 into the third. That gives Colangelo goals in four straight games and five in that span. Drew Helleson and Mason McTavish also scored for the Ducks, who won for just the third time in eight games (3-4-1) and moved to seven points behind Calgary for the second wild card in the Western Conference. Continue reading here Ducks summary NHL scores NHL standings Roman Burki made eight saves while keeping his third consecutive clean sheet to start the season and St. Louis City kept the MLS Cup champion Galaxy winless with a 3-0 victory Sunday. Burki was outstanding in his 18th career shutout for St. Louis, turning away every scoring attempt by the injury-depleted Galaxy. The standout Swiss keeper had to make just one save in St. Louis' first two games combined. The defending champions have scored just one goal in their three losses without star playmaker Riqui Puig and rampaging forward Joseph Paintsil. Both key components of last year's team are out indefinitely with significant injuries, and L.A. has been unable to compensate even though healthy stars Gabriel Pec and Marco Reus repeatedly created scoring chances against St. Louis. Continue reading here Galaxy summary MLS standings 1913 — The Quebec Bulldogs win the Stanley Cup in two games over Sydney. 1920 — Quebec's Joe Malone scores six goals to lead the Bulldogs to a 10-4 rout of the Ottawa Senators. 1961 — Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors becomes the first NBA player to score 3,000 points in a season. Chamberlain scores 32 points in a 120-103 loss to Detroit to bring his season total to 3,016. 1963 — Wilt Chamberlain of the San Francisco Warriors scores 70 points in a 163-148 loss to Syracuse. 1985 — Dick Motta becomes the fourth NBA coach to record 700 victories as Dallas beats New Jersey 126-113. 1991 — Eddie Sutton of Oklahoma State becomes the first coach to lead four schools into the NCAA tournament. Sutton also coached Creighton, Arkansas and Kentucky in the tournament. 1992 — New York Islanders coach Al Arbour becomes the second coach in NHL history to win 700 games with a 5-2 victory over Philadelphia. 2001 — With Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark looking on, Hermann Maier wins the giant slalom for his 13th victory this season, equaling one of the mightiest alpine skiing records. Maier, winner of the overall World Cup title three of the last four years, ties the record Stenmark set in 1979. 2002 — John Stockton, the NBA's career assist leader, has 13 assists in Utah's 95-92 loss at Houston to give him exactly 15,000 for his career. 2004 — Orlando's Tracy McGrady scores a franchise record 62 points in a 108-99 win over Washington. 2011 — Veteran referees Jim Burr, Tim Higgins and Earl Walton, cited for two errors in the final seconds of the St. John's-Rutgers game, withdraw from the rest of the Big East tournament. The three officials missed two calls — a travel and stepping out of bounds — in the final 1.7 seconds of St. John's 65-63 win in the second-round of Big East tournament. The Big East acknowledged after the game the officials blew the calls. 2014 — The game between Dallas and the Columbus Blue Jackets is postponed by the NHL after Stars forward Rich Peverley collapses on the bench during the first period. 2018 — Texas Southern beats Arkansas-Pine Bluff 84-69 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game. Texas Southern (15-19) earns an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament after starting out 0-13 this season. The Tigers didn't win a game until Jan. 1 and never beat a nonconference opponent. 2018 — The Vegas Golden Knights set a record for road wins by an expansion team with a 2-1 shootout victory at Buffalo. At 20-12-3, the Golden Knights break a tie with the 1993-94 Ducks for most road wins by an NHL team in its first season. 2022 — After a 99-day lockout, Major League Baseball and MLB Players Association reach a new collective bargaining agreement; MLB teams set to play full 162 game season in 2022. Compiled by the Associated Press
