Looking At The Next Two Years Of UCLA Basketball – Are The Bruins On Their Way Back To Elite Status?
Things did not look so good for the future of UCLA basketball as head coach Steve Alford and the Bruins lost out on two big recruits recently. Stephen Zimmerman and Jaylen Brown have decided to take their talents, well, not to UCLA. But there was a back-up plan as the Bruins recently got a commitment from 3-star Ikenna Okwarabizie.
The 2016-17 season looks very promising.
Things also improved on the recruiting front when UCLA basketball received a huge commitment from 4-star center Ike Anigbogu, the first commit by a big man for the 2016 class. That got me thinking about the future of Bruin hoops… could UCLA Basketball be on their way back to elite status?
That will take some time to manifest but looking at the next two years, it does look like the Bruins are not only improving, but stabilizing as well.
Mar 21, 2015; Louisville, KY, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tony Parker (23) dunks the ball against the UAB Blazers during the first half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
2015-16 Season
Projected Starting Line-Up:
Isaac Hamilton (So) – Aaron Holiday (Fr) – Bryce Alford (Jr)
Tony Parker (Sr) – Jonah Bolden (Fr)
Projected Bench:
Thomas Welsh (So), Prince Ali (Fr), Gyorgy Goloman (So), Noah Allen (Jr), Alex Olesinski (Fr), Ike Okwarabizie (Fr)
Scholarships (Available): 11 (2)
Now let us look at the year after that.
2016-17 Season
Projected Starting Line-Up:
Isaac Hamilton (Jr) – Aaron Holiday (So) – Bryce Alford (Sr)
Thomas Welsh (Jr) – Jonah Bolden (So)
Projected Bench:
Prince Ali (So), Lonzo Ball (Fr), Ike Anigbogu (Fr), Gyorgy Goloman (Jr), Noah Allen (Sr), Alex Olesinski (So), Ike Okwarabizie (So), Kobe Parras (Fr)
Scholarships (Available): 13 (0)
UCLA Basketball Going Forward
First off, in regards to the 2015-16 season, I believe they will be better than the one that has past. Isaac Hamilton, Bryce Alford and Tony Parker will be the core of the team and should be much improved.
Mar 21, 2015; Louisville, KY, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Steve Alford and UCLA Bruins players react during a timeout in the second half against the UAB Blazers in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
The distribution should also stabilize as the Bruins get Aaron Holiday at point guard. The Bruins also thicken up the front court with two incoming freshmen, Okwarabizie and 3-star forward Alex Olesinski. And let us not forget about shooting guard Prince Ali who is a very talented shooting guard.
UCLA Bruins
In 2016-17 things get even more interesting. First off, you may have noticed that UCLA will be at the limit for scholarships that season. With the ever-changing landscape of college basketball (and the NBA for the matter), it is hard to tell who will jump to the pros early, so is it quite good to have more players than less, as we saw this past season. Let us call it “a good problem”.
Anyway, it has been said that Jonah Bolden has the talent to get to the NBA after one year in Westwood. Depending on development, there is also a chance Hamilton, Alford, Holiday or Ali could improve and go as well, hopefully not all at once. So if anything, UCLA may need one player to leave early. Why?
UCLA basketball still has two scholarships left for the up-coming 2015-16 season and do not have a notable small forward. With the space available, the Bruins could get 2015 SF Maverick Rowen who has UCLA on his short list. If the Bruins do get Rowen, then they would be over the limit by one in 2016, thus the necessity for a player to leave early.
Either way, the 2016-17 season looks very promising. UCLA will have two solid PGs in Holiday and Ball as well as a several SGs with Hamilton, Alford, Ali and Parras. And just imagine what the Bruins will be like with a junior Welsh combined with the raw talent of Anigbogu handling the front court. I have to say, that looks quite impressive.
Though it will take time, UCLA basketball going forward will be something to look forward to. Go Bruins!