UCLA Basketball: Examining Steve Alford’s future with the Bruins
UCLA basketball head coach Steve Alford’s contract buyout drops at midnight tonight and though he might not be fired, the events leading up to this point could signal that he might not be around after next season unless something drastic happens.
It is no secret that UCLA basketball fans are not happy with the direction of the program. Specifically, they are not happy with the direction head coach Steve Alford has taken the program.
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In short, Alford has failed to live up to expectations of the program that set the standard for success in college basketball. When he replaced former coach Ben Howland, who took the Bruins to three straight Final Fours (the first time that happened since the Wooden era), Alford was expected to keep up that level of success.
So far, that has not been the case.
Since Alford took over, he has only won hardware once: the 2014 Pac-12 Tournament Championship. Though that is an achievement, he did it with mostly Howland’s players. Since then, Alford has improved his recruiting tactics, but they have not resulted in any trophies or banners.
Steve Alford’s Record, Finishes and Recruiting Class Rankings
| Season | Record | Pac-12 Finish | Recruiting Class Rank* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 28-9 | 2nd | 12th |
| 2014-15 | 22-14 | 4th | 7th |
| 2015-16 | 15-17 | 10th | 24th |
| 2016-17 | 31-5 | 3rd | 11th |
| 2017-18 | 21-12 | T-3rd | 5th |
| 2018-19 | TBD | TBD | 6th |
*Class ranking entering the listed season
What is worse is that Alford recently let go of his top assistant, David Grace, who was responsible for the majority of those top recruiting classes. Though it has been a blast having some top talent come to Westwood, Alford has not translated it to the success UCLA is held to.
The closest he came to that was during the 2016-17 season when the Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf-led Bruins finished with a 31-5 record, but ended up 3rd in the Pac-12. They were also bounced in the Sweet 16 by Kentucky, which meant that Alford would once again miss the Elite 8.
Last year, the Bruins had another top tier class come in, but that resulted in a controversial Chinese visit, the suspension of three players (Cody Riley, Jalen Hill and LiAngelo Ball), one of those players leaving the school (Ball) and the Bruins barely making it into the NCAA Tournament which they were promptly booted from in the “play-in” game.
After the season, the awkwardness continued. With Aaron Holiday, Thomas Welsh and Gyorgy Goloman already exiting the program, three more Bruins decided to test the waters of the NBA Draft. Though Jaylen Hands, Kris Wilkes and Riley have not hired an agent and have the option to return to UCLA if they leave (which might happen with at least one as there is apparent friction between Hands and Alford), that puts the Bruins’ coach in a pickle.
Furthermore, Alford is bring in a very talented class, but even that had a snag. The Bruins had 5-star C Moses Brown and 4-star PG Tyger Campbell, SG David Singleton III, SG Jules Bernard and 3-star C Kenny Nwuba signed their NLIs, but 4-star PF Shareef O’Neal (son of Shaq) has yet to send in his ink.
Additionally (will it ever end?), the Bruins only have one player signed for 2019, 4-star combo guard Grant Sherfield. As mentioned above, with head recruiter Grace gone, what will recruiting look like going forward? With the direction the program has taken, the only thing that was working for Alford was recruiting, so if he cannot keep that up, there does not seem to be a lot keeping him as the head of the Bruins.
For what it’s worth, Steve Alford’s buyout drops from $7.8 million to $5.2 million after today. #UCLA
— Go Joe Bruin (@GoJoeBruinUCLA) April 30, 2018
On Tuesday, May 1, 2018, Alford’s buyout drops from $7.8 million to $5.2 million. This buyout is a bit easier for the athletic department to swallow than the $10 million buyout after the 2015-16 season if UCLA wants to change directions, but that depends on Alford.
Next season he has a solid class coming in, but if he does not make his mark (and I am not just talking about going 31-5 again, he needs to win some hardware as well as continue to bring in Top 10 recruiting classes), than it is possible he finds himself on the outside of UCLA looking in.
Next: The Top 10 UCLA Basketball Recruiting Classes Since 2000
With everything in flux, who knows how things turn up in one year. Either way, the Athletic Department needs to figure out how to get UCLA basketball back on top and continuously competing for championships, as they should be doing every year.