Los Angeles Times
October 28, 2010
Pacific 10 Conference Commissioner Larry Scott announced Thursday morning that the conference would dedicate its season to legendary UCLA basketball Coach John Wooden, who died in June at age 99.
The conference's awards for coach of the year, given to both the men's and women's top coaches, will be named in Wooden's honor.
The conference also will run a series of sportsmanship public-service announcements during its football and basketball broadcasts based on Wooden's famed pyramid of success.
"What set him apart were his core values," Washington Coach Lorenzo Romar said.
Championship Setting
The Pacific 10 also announced that its women's basketball tournament semifinals and championship will be held at Staples Center in March preceding the men's semifinals and title game.
"We wanted to provide our student-athletes and our fans with a memorable experience and felt a joint tournament in the heart of the entertainment capital of the world would deliver just that," Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott said. "Having an opportunity to play on the same floor where the Lakers and Sparks have combined to win seven NBA and WNBA championships gives us a championship setting that is difficult to match."
All four rounds of the men's tournament will continue to be held at Staples Center, while the first two rounds of the women's tournament will be held at USC's Galen Center.
The women's semifinals will be held at noon and 2:30 p.m. on March 11, followed by the men's semifinals at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The women's championship will be held at 11:30 a.m. March 12, followed by the men's title game at 3 p.m.
Early Look
The Washington Huskies men's basketball team, which returns four starters from a team that won the Pacific 10 Conference Tournament last season and advanced to the Sweet 16, was picked to finish first in the 2010-11 Pac-10 race, according to a poll of media members who cover the league.
UCLA, which returns three starters from a team that finished 14-18 last season, was ranked third, and USC, which returns two starters from a 16-14 season, fourth.
Here is the media poll:
Team - (first-place votes) - Overall points
1. Washington (33) 348
2. Arizona (1) 296
3. UCLA (1) 281
4. Arizona State 215
5. Washington State 191
6. USC 178
7. California 151
8. Oregon State 120
9. Stanford 98
10. Oregon 47
