I don't agree that UCLA is an elite program, and it hurts since I've been a fan since I was 9...
Reasons I think this are:
1) While their AD, Dan Guerrero, has spearheaded a lot of recent badly-needed stadium/arena projects, spending oodles of UCLA's and their boosters' money, and the Bruins keep stockpiling banners in sports that only the athletes and their families care about, their main revenue sports teams underachieve with regularity.
2) Probably partly because of reason #1, it's very unlikely the Bruins will find a top coach, or even be able to hang onto a pretty-good one (if they can get one to actually take the job).
3) For the most part, the Pac-12 has become just a medium-good basketball conference and isn't really the recruit draw that it used to be.
4) It is suspected by many that the Guerrero isn't much of a basketball fan, making it unlikely that he'll have the drive to put the money and effort where it needs to be in order to right the Bruins' basketball program.
I'm sure that if I were to ponder on this some more, I would think up more reasons.
Anyway... I would replace the word "elite" with "better-than-average". Maybe if they fire Guerrero and put in an AD that demands better performance from the Bruins' major money-maker sports programs, they could build up again... in maybe 3-5 years if things go REALLY well.
Dark days in Bruinville.
![Frown :( :(](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)