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LOS ANGELES -- UCLA is poised to unveil the strongest recruiting class coach Steve Alford has brought to Westwood, led by Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf.Their arrival comes just in time.The Bruins were 15-17 last season, only the schools fourth losing season since John Wooden arrived in 1948. Alford, who wasnt a popular hire four years ago, returned a one-year contract extension he signed after his first season and wrote an apology letter to fans.Now, hes hoping Ball, Leaf and fellow freshman Ike Anigbogu are the answer to getting the Bruins back to the postseason.Alfords challenge lies in blending the talented trio with veterans like his son Bryce, fellow senior Isaac Hamilton and junior big man Thomas Welsh while improving the Bruins defense that has never been ranked higher than eighth under him.We messed around with doing too many different things last year, Alford said Wednesday. Last year for the first time in a long time with my teams, we didnt get better month to month. Thats what was frustrating and we ended up having a bad year. Now what do you do moving forward? How do you handle that adversity?The Bruins return most of their roster, with the exception of Tony Parker who graduated and Jonah Bolden who left school over the summer to pursue a pro career.The arrival of Ball brings to mind such previously hyped freshmen as Kevin Love, Kevon Looney and Shabazz Muhammad, all one-and-done players who made a mark during brief stays in Westwood.Theres going to be a lot of hype around you, but you got to realize that once you start college a lot of those things have nothing to do with anything, Alford said. It is a start over, it is a new level, just like when you get to the NBA, what you did in college means nothing.Ball led nearby Chino Hills High to a California state title and undefeated season as a senior who earned national player of the year honors.The vets are ready to win, were ready to win and Im just going to do what I can to contribute to that, he said.Leaf, a 6-foot-9 forward from suburban San Diego, was a McDonalds All-American who scored 3,022 points in his prep career.At 6-10 and 250 pounds, Anigbogu lends some heft in the middle and gives the Bruins a different kind of center than Welsh, a 7-footer with a more delicate touch.Balls arrival figures to have the biggest effect on the younger Alford, who averaged 16.1 points in a team-high 36.2 minutes last season. The senior guard is used to taking the last shot with the game on the line and he has handled the bulk of the ball-handling the last two years.With Balls playmaking ability and passing skills, Alford can slide over to the `2 spot.Now I can finally get back to what I do best off the ball and having a guy like him will really help, Alford said. Hes probably the best passer Ive ever played with, along with Kyle Anderson. Hes going to bring a lot of different aspects that we havent had in a while. Jung-ho Kang Jersey . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Kent Tekulve Jersey . Luis Suarezs double powered Liverpool to a 4-0 victory over Fulham, and Southampton easily overcame Hull 4-1 to continue the south coast clubs impressive start to the season. Liverpool and Southampton sent Chelsea down to fourth place as the west London club was held to 2-2 at home. http://www.piratesrookiestore.com/Pirates-Barry-Bonds-Kids-Jersey/ ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. Adam Frazier Jersey . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. Sean Rodriguez Jersey .1 million pounds ($61.2 million) on Saturday, giving the beleaguered English Premier League champions a major lift. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Perhaps it was the 25 mph winds. Or the slower-than-expected hard courts. Or maybe simply that Serena Williams hadnt played a match in a month.Whatever the cause, Williams opened defense of her Olympic singles gold medal with a patchy-at-times 6-4, 6-2 victory over Australias Daria Gavrilova on Sunday, gesturing or yelling at herself as she often does when not all goes her way.Im always frustrated on the court if its not perfect, the American said.Williams had not competed since collecting her Open-era record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. Shes now won 19 of her past 20 matches.Seeded No. 1 at the Rio de Janeiro Games, Williams was hardly at her best in the 91-minute contest against Gavrilova, who is ranked 46th and only once has been past the second round at a major tournament.While that match was played in the main stadium, action was delayed because of strong winds for about 2 hours on the eight smaller Olympic courts.I was a little nervous about that, Williams said of her reaction to hearing of the gusty conditions, which she called very intense.Williams compiled 37 unforced errors to 27 winners, and got broken at love while serving for the first set at 5-3, a game that included a tremendously entertaining point.The lengthy exchange featured terrific defense by both women and ended with Williams putting a forehand into the net. Afterward, she leaned over near the net, while Gavrilova dropped to her knees on the court, letting go of her racket.ddddddddddddBut Williams broke right back in the next game to take the set.The first set, especially, was extremely tricky, Williams said, referring to the wind, but Im glad it kind of slowed down in the second a little bit, so I was able to produce better tennis.Players have noticed that the green courts in Rio play slower and offer higher bounces than hard courts used on the North American circuit leading to the U.S. Open later this month.Fortunately enough, I am a pretty good clay-court player, so Im OK with the slow courts, said Williams, a three-time French Open champion. You have to hit about three or four more shots or just play a little bit better. Its OK. Im getting used to the conditions as a whole.Later Sunday, Williams and her older sister Venus lost an Olympic doubles match for the first time. They are three-time gold medalists as a team, and entered this match with a 15-0 record at the Olympics, but were beaten 6-3, 6-4 by the Czech Republics Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova.On Saturday night, Venus availability for doubles was put in doubt by U.S. womens tennis coach Mary Joe Fernandez, who said the four-time gold medalist and seven-time Grand Slam champion had cramping, dehydration and an upset stomach following a first-round loss in singles.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap NFL T-shirts Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys White Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo Wholesale Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Outlet Cheap Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Hoodies Camo China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo NFL Jerseys China ' ' '