UCLA Men’s Basketball Preview
In the modern sports age, the job security of new coaches is heavily scrutinized in the first three seasons. If a coach can take thier new team and improve upon the job of the predecessor, most likely they are going to be retained. But if there’s little to no improvement, or even trending in the opposite direction, that coach will soon be an ex-coach being replaced by another who will try to write their wrongs.
UCLA Bruins
That is the position current UCLA Men’s Basketball Head Coach Steve Alford is in. This will be Alford’s third season leading the Bruins and it has not exactly been a smooth one. After the termination of former Bruin Coach Ben Howland, Alford was chosen over several other candidates that the Bruin fan base were hoping for.
That put Alford in a particularly awkward situation. It is hard to try and bring glory back to one of the most decorated college basketball teams in history when not everyone has your support.
The hiring of Alford had polarized the Bruin community and divided fans into two categories: those that do not believe that he will be successful (based on his previous head coaching stints) and those that see the necessity to give him time.
In his first two years, Alford posted a 50-23 record that was mixed with both highs and lows. There have been several head scratching losses, as well as the inability to sweep a road series, but on the other hand, Alford has been able to get the Bruins to pull out fantastic, almost miraculous, victories. The Bruins even had success in consecutive NCAA tournaments as they finished in the Sweet 16 both of the last two seasons.
With both momentum (and recruiting) on the upswing, can Alford have the UCLA Men’s Basketball team make the jump to the next level in 2015-16?
Here is the 2015-16 Go Joe Bruin UCLA Men’s Basketball season preview…
Next: Roster & Projected Line-Up
Table of Contents
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1. UCLA Men’s Basketball Preview
4. Schedule
5. The Keys