UCLA Basketball: Comparing The 2015-16 Roster To Last Season

Jan 8, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tony Parker (23) reacts after a dunk in the second overtime of the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA won 86-81 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Front Court Comparison

2014-15: Kevon Looney – Tony Parker

2015-16: Tony Parker – Thomas Welsh

Deciding which has a stronger backcourt is also a tough decision. Last season the Bruins had a monster power forward in Looney who was the teams leading rebounder with 9.6 rpg and was third on the team in scoring with 11.6 ppg. Filling that void will be tough.

Parker will be the constant here with the most experience and will take on not only the leadership role, but make sure business is handled underneath the basket. The only question here is if he can stay out of foul trouble to help the Bruins late in the game.

Thomas Welsh’s development is going to be interesting. He showed flashes of greatness last season but that was few and far between as he averaged 3.8 points and rebounds per game. Additionally, he got some experience with the USA Basketball U-19 squad over the summer. Right now, for Welsh to be really effective with UCLA, he needs to focus on rebounding and shot blocking.

The question here is if Welsh can make that ever important jump from a Division I freshman to a Division I sophomore. If he has major improvements in his game, the front court will be devastating for UCLA.

Advantage: The 2014-15 Bruins

Next: The Bench Comparison