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UCLA Basketball: The men’s team 2017-18 season preview

By Mike Regalado

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 19: Head coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins applauds during a timeout in the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Pauley Pavilion on January 19, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 19: Head coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins applauds during a timeout in the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Pauley Pavilion on January 19, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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MEMPHIS, TN – MARCH 24: Head coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins looks on in the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at FedExForum on March 24, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TN – MARCH 24: Head coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins looks on in the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at FedExForum on March 24, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

3. Coaches/Staff

Head Coach – Steve Alford

Assistant Coaches – Duane Broussard, David Grace, Tyus Edney

Video Coordinator – Kory Alford

Director of Scouting/Player Development – Kory Barnett

Director of Basketball Administration – Doug Erickson

Athletic Performance Coach – Wes Long

The coaching staff was given some breathing room in 2016-17. Before last season, the Bruin faithful did not look so cheerfully on the staff who went 15-17 in 2015-16. Banners flew over head. Lories brandishing adverts circled campus. Petitions were being sent around the internet, specifically on social media, which called for the termination of Alford. Then 2016-17 happened.

The combo of core veterans and talented freshmen turned the program around. UCLA went from 15-17 to 31-5. This was a case for ‘Coach of the Year’ for Alford if we ever saw one (yet Arizona’s Sean Miller received it, funny how that is playing out in the current environment).

Alford finally had the pieces in place for his uptempo style of basketball. The Bruins were 2nd in the nation in scoring with 89.8 ppg, but they also had a few faults. Defense was an issue. The Bruins were 259th out of 347 teams in points allowed, giving up 75.5 ppg. Now keep in mind, the up-and-down nature of UCLA’s offense allowed opponents to score more points with more possessions per game against UCLA, but for those who analyzed the Bruins, knew they had deficiencies on defense.

If the coaches put more effort into the defense, there is a possibility the Bruins can win the Pac-12 and go farther in the NCAA Tournament. If UCLA makes it past the Sweet 16, it will be the first time Alford has gone that deep in his career as a head coach.