UCLA Basketball: The top four-year men’s players since 2000
The UCLA Basketball team has had a lot of exceptional players come through the program, but that is not limited to one-and-dones. Here is a list of the top payers since 2000 that have bled blue and gold for all four years.
The UCLA Basketball team has seen a wealth of talent come through Westwood since 2000. Though four-year players are becoming a rarity in college basketball, a number of incredible players have played all four years at UCLA.
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Here we take a look at five players that have really made their mark with the Bruins for their entire college career as well as several honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
Alfred Aboya, Cedric Bozeman, Lorenzo Mata, Michael Roll, Tony Parker, Isaac Hamilton, Thomas Welsh
The Top 5 Four-Year UCLA Basketball Players
Ryan Hollins
Ryan Hollins played from 2002-2006 and was a key cog in Ben Howland’s first Final Four team in 2006. His numbers don’t exactly jump out at you, but he did average almost a block per game for his career and was the key man in the middle in a defense that was one of the best in the country in 2006.
Hollins play was key in the NCAA Tournament, where he earned MVP of the Oakland Regional after tallying 14 points and 9 rebounds in a 50-45 barnburner against Memphis.
Josh Shipp
Another key to two of Ben Howland’s Final Four teams was Josh Shipp, who played at UCLA from 2004-2009.
He was injured during the 2006 Final Four run but returned to lead the Bruins to the 2007 and 2008 Final Fours.
Shipp averaged 12 points per game for his career and played 32.5 minutes per game in his senior season, the third highest total in UCLA history.
Darren Collison
The last Final Four hero, Darren Collison, donned the Blue and Gold from 2006-2009. After playing meaningful bench minutes behind Jordan Farmar on the 2006 team, Collison blossomed as the starting point guard his final three seasons. Collison has career averages of 11 points, four assists, and almost two steals. His 142 games played is tied for the most by any UCLA player and his recruiting class (who Shipp was also apart of), left Westwood as the winningest class in UCLA history with 123 wins.
Norman Powell
After struggling to find himself in his first two seasons, Norman Powell burst onto the scene during his junior and senior seasons. He averaged almost 14 points in his final two seasons, after earning a full time starting role.
Powell became the steady vet after the departures of Kyle Anderson, Jordan Adams, and Zach Lavine and averaged 16 points and almost five rebounds per game in his final season. He was also a very good defender, consistently drawing opponent’s best player and locking them down.
Bryce Alford
The final name on this list is sure to draw some controversy, though it is hard to deny what Bryce Alford accomplished in his four seasons as a Bruin. After many questioned whether he played because of nepotism (Alford was a 3-star recruit), Alford shut the doubters up in his final few seasons at UCLA. After the departures of Anderson and Lavine, Alford was forced to become the team’s primary ball handler in his sophomore season and averaged 15 points and almost five assists per game.
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Alford really shined in his senior season when the arrival of Lonzo Ball forced him to once again move off the ball and he was free to be more of a shot maker. His efforts in his senior season earned him All-Pac 12 First Team honors. Alford left UCLA as the leader in career three pointers made (329) and is 5th on the all time scoring list (1922 points).