Previewing The UCLA Bruins Back Court

The UCLA Bruins back court is going to be a little inexperienced this season, but that does not mean there is no talent. The Bruins may be a little thin, but they have guys that can get things going, most notably senior Norman Powell. Along with Bryce Alford, Isaac Hamilton and Noah Allen, UCLA will have a different identity with a completely new look. Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson and Zach LaVine have left for the NBA, so it will be interesting to see who will lead the Bruin’s front court in the 2014-15 season.

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Head Coach Steve Alford has already stated that his son Bryce Alford and redshirt freshman Isaac Hamilton will be handling point guard duties. The Bruins were set for some extra help as they got Colorado State transfer Jon Octeus, but failed to be admitted. So now the Bruins are left with just four guards to handle the backcourt. No problem.

Norman Powell emerged as one of the more explosive Bruins last season as he would grace us with Sports Center Top 10-worthy slam dunks night in and night out. His flashiness was a god-send to an already athletic specimen that usually defended the opponents best player. Last season Powell was an All-Pac-12 Defensive Team Honorable Mention. As far as the team goes, he was 3rd in points per game with 11.4. Last season was definitely the team’s most versatile guard. This season, he is sure to be one of the biggest back court threats in the Pac-12.

Bryce Alford is a question mark in regards to leading the offense as a point guard. He did a decent job of relieving Kyle Anderson, but more is going to be asked of Alford and he needs to make up the ten minute differential in game time between him and Anderson. Alford got 8 points a game last year (5th on the team) and produced 2.8 assists (2nd for the Bruins), but also had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.125, which was better than Anderon’s of 2.118. One of his strengths was his shot as he not only was third in field goal percentage (.385) but 13th in conference when making a minimum of one per game. He was also a member of the Pac-12 All-Freshmen team.

Mar 6, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Bryce Alford (20) celebrates from the bench against the Washington Huskies during the second half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Aside from that, there are three concern with Alford: (1) stopping the flashy behind the back passes which often lead to errant passes of turnovers, (2) hopefully he improves on his stand-still defense and (3) can he take up the larger load? The leap from freshman to sophomore is critical and if Alford can not handle the burden, then it is up to the other PG set for playing time.

Isaac Hamilton is a very talented combo guard out of St. John Bosco High School who originally committed to UTEP. He was able to transfer to UCLA, but had to sit out a year per the NCAA. In just over a week, we will be able to see what this talented player can really do as it is known that he can score, but it is the variety of ways he can get to the hoop that makes him a threat.

This former four-star out of Bellflower, CA averaged 23.5 points, 5.0 assists and 7.6 rebounds per game in high school career. Though he is yet to play a single college game, Hamilton has been working with the Bruins for the past year and given his talents, he could possibly be the starting point guard. It would be great to have them both on the floor at once, but given the lack of depth for UCLA, Alford and Hamilton will most likely be coming in and out for each other.