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UCLA is banking on young talent to turn its fortunes around while Pacific is counting on an experienced player with name value as head coach to resurrect its program.The 16th-ranked Bruins, who are coming off a 15-17 season a year ago, host Pacific in the season-opening game for both teams on Friday. The Tigers, who finished 8-20 in 2015-16, have 13-year NBA veteran Damon Stoudamire at the helm, his first experience as a head coach.UCLA coach Steve Alford, in his fourth season with the Bruins, recruited one of the best freshman classes in the nation that includes 6-foot-6 point guard Lonzo Ball, 6-10 power forward T.J. Leaf (who can extend to the perimeter) and 6-10 center Ike Anigbogu. Alford has indicated that Anigbogu was expected to miss at least three games at the start of the season with a torn meniscus in his right knee.The influx of young talent matched with veterans such as senior guards Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton and junior forward Thomas Welsh has Alford confident that the Bruins will become relevant after missing the NCAA tournament last year. UCLAs losing record a year ago prompted Steve Alford to write an apologetic letter to fans in which he stated he returned to the school his one-year contract extension signed after the 2013-14 season.I dont think our team is concerned about what money I make or what money I give back, Steve Alford said, referencing his letter. I dont think thats an issue to our guys at all, so that part hasnt been talked about. Its about where that bar is.Coach (John) Wooden, whether its me, guys before me or guys after me in the future, same with players that played for Coach Wooden and guys that are playing in Westwood now, that bar was raised a long time ago by a guy that won a bucket load of games and championships, and established something that quite honestly hasnt been established anywhere else in the country.Depth is not a concern for UCLA evidenced by guard Aaron Holiday, who started all 32 games last year as a freshman. He is projected to be the sixth man this season.UCLA experimented with different lineups during a recent exhibition game against The Masters University, including a four-guard up-tempo version with Ball, Bryce Alford, Hamilton and Holiday.We have four very talented guards who know how to take care of the ball and know how to put the ball in the basket, Steve Alford said.Stoudamire, who has coaching experience as an assistant at Arizona (where he starred in college) and Memphis, is taking over a Pacific program that was in turmoil last season. Former coach Ron Verlin and an assistant were suspended for three months before being terminated in March in the midst of an NCAA investigation into allegations of academic misconduct.The Tigers have a balanced lineup as they return 11 of their top 13 scorers from last season, including junior wing Ray Bowles (11.1 points per game) and senior guard T.J. Wallace (10.8). In an exhibition win over Bristol on Nov. 4, senior guard David Taylor had 19 points (including five 3-pointers) and junior forward Jacob Lampkin had 15.Stoudamire, who was part of the UCLA-Arizona rivalry from 1991-95, has noted that the wealth of Pacifics returning players are buying into his coaching.If you have guys at the top of your team, your best players that are willing to be coachable, then that makes it easy for you as the head coach, he said. Cheap NMDs Australia . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. NMD R2 Australia . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. http://www.nmdaustraliasale.com/ultra-boost-shoes-australia.html . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. NMD Shoes Australia . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. The match was similar to Isners quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber which went to three sets, all tiebreaks and contained no breaks of serve. NMD Racer Australia . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team.PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Tiger Woods is leaving nothing to chance in his last chance this year to win a major. Fresh off a seven-shot victory at a World Golf Championship -- his fifth win of the season -- Woods showed up at Oak Hill late Monday afternoon and spent most of his time chipping and putting, trying to learn the nuances of the greens. Remember, his failure to adjust to the greens is what derailed him at the British Open two weeks ago. He also spent time with Steve Stricker talking about putting, which must have been a daunting sight for the other players. The last time Stricker gave him some putting tips was in early March, and Woods went on to win three of his next four tournaments. The stakes are higher than usual for him at the PGA Championship. This isnt the first time Woods has gone into final major trying to make sure his season doesnt end without one. One difference from previous years is that Woods now is piling up wins just about everywhere except the majors. The Bridgestone Invitational was his fifth win of the year. Only twice in the last 30 years has a player had at least that many PGA Tour wins in a season without a major -- Woods in 2009 and Woods in 2003. For someone who has been stuck on 14 majors the last five years, Woods didnt sound like he was in panic mode. "I think winning one major championship automatically means you had a great year," he said Tuesday after playing nine holes and spending even more time in the practice area, fine-tuning a game that already is in great shape. "Even if you miss the cut in every tournament you play, you win one (major), youre part of history. "This year, I think its been a great year so far for me, winning five times," he said. "And you look at the quality of tournaments Ive won -- The Players and two World Golf Championships in there -- thats pretty good." It used to be major or bust for Woods, but when asked if he had adjusted his standards during this five-year drought, Woods offered a simple, "No." Still a great year without a major? "Yeah," Woods said, offering nothing more than a smile. Even so, he conceded that the 15th major has been tougher to get than he would have imagined. So much has transpired since that U.S. Open playoff victory at Torrey Pines in 2008 -- reconstructive surgery on his left knee that wiped out the rest of the 2008 season; revelations of multiple extramarital affairs at the end of 2009 that led to divorce and cost him millions in corporate endorsements; more injuries that forced him to skip two majors in 2011. The very thing that irritates him about his recent record in the majors is what gives him hope -- he keeps giving himself opportunities. "Ive had my opportunities there on the back nine on probably half of those Sundays for the last five years, where Ive had a chance and just havent won it," Woods said. "But the key is to keep giving myself chances, and eventually Ill start getting them." The traditional, tree-lined East Course at Oak Hill can present the appearance of Firestone, where Woods won for the eighth time last week. The difference is the greens on the Donald Ross design, which tend to slope severely to the front. The rough is thicker than usual, not nearly as severe as Merion, but enough to get players attention to hit whatever club his necessary off the tee to keep it in the short grass.dddddddddddd Woods tied for 39th and never broke par when the PGA Championship was last held at Oak Hill in 2003, though thats a pretty small sample to argue if this course suits him. Remember, he was finishing his first full year without a swing coach. And while he won five times that year, Woods won only one tournament over the last six months. He is back to No. 1 in the world by a mile. He is the favourite at every major, even though hes gone 17 majors without winning. He is the centre of attention, and that only ramps up when he arrives fresh off a seven-shot win. "I think Tiger is a factor no matter what -- even coming in not with that kind of form," Masters champion Adam Scott said. "Hes been up there in majors recently and just has not finished it off. But, obviously, he put it all together last week at a venue hes extremely comfortable with, so I dont know that Tigers confidence is ever really down. Its hard to imagine when youve won 80 times or something. Hes obviously going to be feeling good about where his game is at. "But this week is a new challenge, as it is for everyone," Scott said. "And we all start from the same point on Thursday." Its not getting any easier at the majors. For the first time in 25 years, the major champions were three players who were among the top 10 in the world -- Scott at the Masters, Justin Rose at the U.S. Open and Phil Mickelson at the British Open. "I think that having Tiger win last week is great because I cant remember the last time somebody won the week before a major and then went on and won," Mickelson said, waiting for the room to catch up to his wisecrack. That would be Mickelson, who won the Scottish Open the week before his British Open win. Woods had been the last player to do that -- an eight-shot win at the Bridgestone Invitational in 2007, followed by the PGA Championship at Southern Hills. This will be the 20th time that Woods goes into a major having won in his previous tournament. And while he has won four of those majors -- the U.S. Open in 2000, Masters in 2001 and PGA Championship in 2006 and 2007 -- only Mickelson (five) and Ernie Els (four) from his generation have won that many majors in a career. Of greater concern is that Woods is 0-for-7 dating to that PGA title at Southern Hills. "Having him back, having him play well, having him win like hes won this year is great for the game of golf," Mickelson said. "And the work that hes been doing with Sean Foley has been noticeable and been paying off and hes not having the shots that hes had for a few years. Hes playing solid and he played great last week. "I think its also great for the game to see guys the like Adam Scott and Justin Rose to come out and win major championships early on -- guys that have incredible games and now have won golfs biggest events," he added. "That just makes it exciting because we have a number of players that can really create a lot of interest in this final major championship." Once again, TSN.ca will feature live streaming of the PGA Championship, beginning with Tiger Woods, Davis Love III and Keegan Bradley on Thursday at 8:30am et/5:30am pt. TSNs live coverage of the PGA Championship begins with first-round action on Thursday at 1pm et/10am pt. ' ' '