Previewing The UCLA Bruins Front Court
In our last piece, we previewed the Bruin’s backcourt and gave insight into the young, yet talented foursome that will lead the Bruins this season. In this piece we will look at the big men down low as we preview the UCLA Bruins front court. The Bruins lost both David Wear and Travis Wear to graduation, as well as “point forward” Kyle Anderson who lead the team in total rebounds and the Pac-12 Conference in defensive rebounds, so there is a lot of tools to replace. Knowing that, head coach Steve Alford loaded up with big men in his latest recruiting class to help out sophomore forward Wanaah Bail and junior center Tony Parker.
One of the more glaring weaknesses with the Bruins in the last few seasons was their inability to dominate the boards. They had a god-send in Anderson and had an improved Parker doing what he can down low, but ultimately the Bruins were a middle-of-the-pac (12) rebounding team. The Wears were excellent shooting forwards but did very little under the glass. This season, that changes with the addition of 5-star recruits power forward Kevon Looney and 7’0″ center Thomas Welsh as well as 3-star center Gyorgy Goloman. The Bruins also recruited the services of 5-star forward Jonah Bolden, but due to eligibility issues, Bolden will not play with UCLA this year. So let us get started with the preview!
A lot of the front court responsibilities will be placed on 6’9″ 260 lbs. center Tony Parker. It took some time for the Georgia big man to get acclimated to his new settings, but he started to take off in his second year when he was allowed a bit more freedom in Alford’s style of play. Parker showed that he could handle the work under the boards, but ultimately, he was the only one the Bruins could count on. This year he will get a lot of help with the in-coming freshmen, so the brunt of the work will be taken off of his shoulders. Without having to worry about doing all the work down low, Parker should be vastly improved this season.
January 5, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Wanaah Bail (1) moves to the basket against the Southern California Trojans during the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
As for Wanaah Bail, it is unknown what type of player he will be with UCLA. Bail only played total of 60 minutes the entire season (4.6 mins per game) and as you would expect, a lot of that was in garbage time. This year, with the loss of three big men (and two guards to the NBA), playing time will be plentiful and you can guarantee Bail will have a lot more playing time this season.
Kevon Looney was a huge get for Alford when he committed to the Bruins almost a year ago. The Milwaukee native was the #2 power forward in the nation and 15th overall player in the 2014 class according to Scout.com. Per game, the 6’8″ 210 lbs. Hamilton High School product averaged 27.9 points, 12.7 rebounds, 7 assists and 8 blocks. He can not only do some incredible things around the basket, but also has a pretty decent outside shot. At least one Wear is now replaced, albeit with a better overall game.
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Thomas Welsh was also heavily recruited by Alford and in November of 2013, he also gave his commitment to the Bruins. The great thing about Welsh was that he seemed to be a project that could be in Westwood for maybe three to four years, but during his senior season at Loyola High School in Los Angeles showed, he might be ready for some heavy minutes right away. The 7’0″ 245 lbs. Welsh collected 15.3 points per game (+2.7 more than his junior year) as well as improving in most other statistics including rebounding and assists.
Gyorgy Goloman was brought in to help reinforce a bigger line-up, but due to several unforeseen circumstances, he will also be given a bigger role to play. Goloman was not a big recruit out of Sagemont Upper School in Weston, Florida, but the lanky big man can handle the ball under the basket and knows how to finish. Using his 6’9″ 200 lbs. frame, Goloman can also get up to the rim with ease. As for Jonah Bolden, though he is not eligible this season, will be a solid contributor that will help get work done around the rim. Though he will not play in any games this season, his work in practice will help the Bruins overall.
A while ago we looked at what the possible starting line-up will be with the Bruins having the option to go with either a smaller or bigger line-up. Based on the surplus of big men and according to a tweet by Ryan Kartje of the OC Register, Alford may go to a very, very big line-up:
Interesting potential lineup Alford mentioned today: Hamilton at PG, with Allen and Looney at guard, plus two big men. That's a HUGE group.
— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) October 23, 2014
Those two big men would most likely be Parker and Welsh, which would be quite impressive to see. Having two 6’9″ players and a 7-footer on the court would not only bring a lot of production, but they would also be very intimidating. Expect an increase in rebounds at the least.
The Bruins will be young, but in the age of one-and-done, who isn’t these days? The addition of Looney and Welsh will indeed toughen up the front court attack that will be led by Parker and when you put Isaac Hamilton, Norman Powell and Bryce Alford in that mix, UCLA could be a lot more dangerous than people expect. Prepare for the Bruins, everyone!