The Logjam
What has to be addressed with an overflowing roster is the fact that roles will be defined which will cause other roles to be taken away.
Take Holiday and Bolden for example. Both were starters last season and will most likely have to take a back seat to incoming freshman. Though there will be position battles through next season, certain players will not retain the spots they once had.
There could also be possible transfers because of this, especially with players whose time has been cut, specifically Ali. He was expected to be more of a factor last season, especially as a scorer, but things did not pan out that way and as previously noted, was often passed over by Allen.
Then there is the issue with Bryce Alford. The elephant in the room goes by the name of “Nepotism” as Steve Alford has heavily favored the use of his son in the Bruin’s game plan. Despite taking the most shots of any Bruin player last season (1,160), he only shot .385, which was seventh best among the top eight scorers on the team.
Then there is the issue with Bryce still playing point guard. With Ball and Holiday as two viable PGs, it is hard to imagine Steve Alford taking Bryce out of that role. The issue with that… unrest in the locker room.
Next: Are UCLA Fans Unreasonable?
If UCLA’s head coach continues to mismanage the roster and it creates a divide, we could very well see more lackadaisical basketball as we did at the end of the 2015-16 season.