After taking a lot of criticism in his first three years, UCLA Basketball senior guard Bryce Alford has become an example of veteran leadership as he is helping his team return to the NCAA Tournament.
What a career Bryce Alford has had with UCLA Basketball. In his first season he played behind current NBA pro Kyle Anderson as the Bruins won the only Pac-12 Championship in his dad’s, Head Coach Steve Alford’s, tenure by winning the Pac-12 Tournament. That was capped off with a return to the Sweet Sixteen in NCAA Tournament.
With Anderson jumping to the NBA, Bryce took over at point guard. His second year proved to be a lot tougher as the Bruins went from a 28-win team to a 22-win team.
The Bruins were not a lock for the NCAA Tournament, but squeaked in and returned to the Sweet Sixteen, only to get manhandled by Gonzaga.
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Then their was last season, Alford’s junior year. If you are a Bruin fan, you know it was not good and if you are not familiar with what UCLA did last season, it was not good. The Bruins started the season with a 9-4 non-conference record which included a win over #1 Kentucky. It was all smoke and mirrors. Things were different when conference season rolled around.
The Bruins went 6-12 in the Pac-12 and sank to 10th place. They were kicked out of the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament by USC and were nowhere near consideration for either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT Tournament.
Needless to say, all hell broke loose among the Bruin faithful.
Steve and Bryce Alford took a lot of flack for the team’s performance. Bryce was particularly targeted for his shoot-first mentality, which might not be the best thing as a point guard when your main job should be to distribute. Either way, things changed that summer and it was the start of a, dare I say, “revolution”.
With the addition of Lonzo Ball, Bryce had moved over to the shooting guard position. He did not pout about it, he just did it because it was best for the team. With Ball running an uptempo offense, it seemed that Steve Alford finally had the players to run his ideal offense.
Not only did this benefit the team, it benefitted Bryce. Last season, Alford appeared overworked with both shooting and distribution duties. Often he would force contested shots or get double-teamed, leading to errant shot selections. This season, it is a completely different story.
Bryce Alford Is Shooting Lights Out
With Ball handling the rock, Alford has adapted his game to the 2-spot. Not only can he move freely about the court, he is able to do it at the speed the Bruins are playing at. This has helped him to create many open shots and it has been nothing short of fantastic. Not only is he able to shoot from anywhere on the court, he is doing it better than last year.
| Per Game Stats | Field Goal % | 3-Point FG% | Points per Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | .385 | .367 | 16.1 |
| 2016-17 | .470 | .454 | 16.1 |
At this point in the season, he is averaging the same amount of points with a better rate of success. This is directly attributed to being a lot more selective in his shot.
Bryce Alford is a shooter, plain and simple. He worked on improving it over the summer, and it is paying off, especially his long range shooting. The thing about Bryce being more accurate this season, is the fact that he is doing most of it from beyond the arc.
This year, Alford has taken less overall field goals, but more shots from 3-point land.
| Totals | FG Made | FG Attempted | 3-Pt FG Made | 3-pt FG Attempted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 157 | 408 | 73 | 199 |
| 2016-17 | 143 | 304 | 94 | 207 |
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Two-thirds of Alford’s shots have been from downtown and has made almost half of them. The word “savage” comes to mind.
Alford is also one of the best in the Pac-12 stat-wise. He leads the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.454) and is tied for first for most 3-pointers made per game (3.2). Earlier in the season, Alford helped UCLA make a record 19 3-pointers in a game which was fueled by a record-setting 9 of his own as he put up 37 points. “Savage”.
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Currently, the Bruins are on a 7-game win streak and just came out as the #3 team in the AP Poll. They lead the NCAA in scoring (91.6 ppg) and field goal percentage (52.9%) which has led to a 26-3, 13-3 record and will not only return to the NCAA Tournament, but is being considered as a 3-seed.
This has to do with the total team effort the Bruins are putting out. Ball might be the player that is getting the majority of the attention, but with out Alford, among several others, the Bruins would not have the success they are currently experiencing.
Bryce has seen the good and the bad and so far this is the best his has been a part of. With what he has gone through in his time at UCLA, it is apparent that he wants to do nothing more than win some hardware in Westwood as well as leave a legacy of his own.
Not only did he recently break the UCLA single-season record for made three-pointers (93), he also passed Ed O’Bannon (1,815) for 6th on UCLA’s all-time leading scorers list behind Don MacLean (2,608), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (2,325), Jason Kapono (2,095), Reggie Miller 2,095) and Toby Bailey 1,846).
He can still add to the record!
— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) February 26, 2017
Congrats to @balford20 on setting UCLA's new single-season record for made 3-pointers (94).#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/Btc6dyRqns
That is some fantastic company if we ever saw.
So with two regular season games left, Alford looks to continue to be an example for this UCLA Basketball team. The Bruins are rolling and there is no sign of slowing down. Though no matter what happens with the team, Bryce Alford has proven to be a vital part of the return of UCLA Basketball.