Bryce Alford opened up about his time at UCLA in a piece published by The Players’ Tribune.
For four seasons now, the name Alford has either meant hope or anger for UCLA Basketball fans everywhere. In general, these feelings are directed at Bruin Head Coach Steve Alford, who arrived to Westwood after coaching for six years at the University of New Mexico.
But sometimes, those feelings are directed at the other Alford, now former UCLA player Bryce Alford.
Earlier this month, Alford authored a piece for The Players’ Tribune. The Bruins had not begun dancing yet, but as Alford’s last season as a Bruin was coming to the end, the senior decided he had a few things to say.
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The piece started as one would have expected—Alford relays some of the insults he has heard during his tenure at UCLA. He then goes on to confess that despite all the insults, he has been good at not letting the insults get to him. Except for one time.
A mysterious meeting with dad led @BAlford20 to Westwood.
— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) March 31, 2017
Four years later, the coach's son is an NCAA All-Star. https://t.co/p7W27GABYh
It happened when he was a sophomore. After winning a game, a middle-aged guy told Alford to “o back to New Mexico.” The man was a UCLA fan. Alford could not believe this was happening after a win. “We’d just won the game, and I was getting heckled by a UCLA fan?” he questioned.
The reality is that Alford was put in a tough spot from the get-go and that marked his entire UCLA career. In his piece, Alford acknowledges “people assumed . . . was just there because of dad.” The implication there is that he was not. But Alford never fleshes out that thought.
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Instead, the piece shows how easy Alford’s path to the UCLA Basketball program was. As soon as Coach Alford got offered the head coaching job at UCLA, he texted his kid and offered him a spot on the team. Alford was likely Coach Alford’s first recruit.
Without going into the merits of Alford’s talent, there is no doubt blood played a role. Before Coach Alford’s hiring, Alford had not received an offer from UCLA. And there is an argument to be made that he would not have, given his three-star rating.
But, can you blame Alford for taking the opportunity of a lifetime? Many young men still dream of playing ball at UCLA one day. When given the chance to play for a Power 5 Conference, in the basketball program with the most national championships, you simply do not turn that offer down.
Clearly, Alford is not to blame here. As to whether another Alford should be, that’s another story.
Despite the criticism, Bryce Alford finished his career at UCLA as the career leader in three-pointers made, the fifth-leading scorer in school history, and with three Sweet Sixteen appearances. Not bad for a three-star recruit.
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After four difficult years taking the heat that came from being the coach’s kid, Alford simply kept shooting. Hopefully he has better memories from UCLA than just the insults.
Good luck in your post-UCLA career, Bryce!