UCLA Basketball and Roster Mismanagement

This season is not going as planned for UCLA Basketball and could have been different with a little bit of proper roster management.

When things were not working in the front court for the UCLA Basketball team a few weeks ago, Head Coach Steve Alford made adjustments. Instead of starting senior Tony Parker, Alford benched him in favor of the more slender but more athletic Jonah Bolden.

No pun intended, but this “bold” move paid off for the Bruins. Bolden has brought a little more fire to the starting line-up which has helped the Bruins get out of the starting gate quickly. Recently against Arizona State, Bolden netted a career-high 16 points with 9 rebound and 2 blocks.

Additionally, when Parker is able to come in, he has been fairly productive despite playing fewer minutes. In the games he has come of the bench, Parker is averging 10.3 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game, a little lower than his season totals but still productive when he gets on the floor (defense aside).

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The point is, Alford actually made a change for the benefit of the team. He saw what was not working down low and adjusted. So why can’t he do that in every game and for every player? Specifically, the guards, including his son Bryce Alford.

There is no denying that Bryce is an important piece to the team, but he has been made the corner stone for Steve Alford, so taking him out of the games for long stretches could do more harm than good.

On the other side of that argument it could be said that Alford does way too much. Bryce has shot a team high 324 times this year (Isaac Hamilton is second with 322), but is 7th in field goal percentage with .387 among the eight Bruins in rotation. By comparison, Hamilton is 3rd with a FG% of .491.

Jan 30, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Bryce Alford (20) talks with head coach Steve Alford in the second half of the game against the Washington State Cougars at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

But now let us look at Alford’s assists… a team-high 126. That is great considering he is not a true point guard, but when he is shooting and passing the ball more than any other player, it is a bit concerning, especially since it is not translating to wins.

But with that aside, the point is that Bryce is doing too much. Trying to be a point guard and a shooting guard is not helping his situation or UCLA’s. Proof of that is the Bruin’s 7-11 Pac-12 Conference record.

With the team centered around Bryce, Steve Alford is doing his son and that of the team, a disservice. Now where have I heard that before?

On top of that, he is not utilizing the skills of his other players, like Hamilton, Holiday and Bolden who have all been quite impressive recently.

Alford actually made a change for the benefit of the team. He saw what was not working down low and adjusted. So why can’t he do that in every game and for every player?

But when Bryce continually has control of the ball and is missing lay-ups, jacking up contested threes and turning the ball over trying to do something fancy (which often leads to points for UCLA’s opponent), it limits the team’s chances to be successful.

Bryce needs a single role and he needs to be told to stick with it. As a shooter, Bryce could dominate behind the line, which would help out the Bruins immensely.

If the elder Alford could only see this and hand over primary point guard duties to Aaron Holiday, then Bryce can focus on being a superstar from long range.

Let the new guy take control of the offense. Take a break, Bryce, you have earned it!

Next: Can Next Season's Freshmen Save UCLA Basketball?

Unfortunately this change will not happen with Steve Alford, especially with the last two and a half seasons being any indication. What we will continue to see is an inconsistent offense that continues to fluxuate in both effort and achievement.