UCLA Basketball: How much trouble are the Bruins in?
What was turning out to be a set up for Pac-12 domination, is now quickly deteriorating with the potential loss of four UCLA basketball players.
Yesterday, Bruin Report Online released an article about the possibility of the UCLA basketball team losing four players for next season and the response was not good (just check Twitter).
RELATED: The Bruins could be without four players in 2018-19
Essentially, UCLA could possibly be without PG Jaylen Hands (NBA Draft), F Kris Wilkes (NBA Draft), PF Cody Riley (academics) and not even have a chance to utilize the services of 2018 commit PF Shareef O’Neal (academics). That leaves a lot of holes in the Bruins’ roster.
Without the first two (Riley did not play last season as he was suspended for his involvement in the shoplifting incident last November), SG Prince Ali, SF Chris Smith and PF Alex Olesinski are the only Bruins that played any minutes last season.
UCLA Basketball Projected 2018-19 Depth Chart
| Point Guard | Shooting Guard | Small Forward | Power Forward | Center |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyger Campbell | Prince Ali | Jules Bernard | Jalen Hill | Moses Brown |
| David Singleton III | Chris Smith | Alex Olesinski | Kenny Nwuba |
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Of the three, Ali was the only one that played over 20 minutes (22.9) and yet only contributed 9.1 points per game. Obvisouly it decreases from there as Olesinski had 4.5 ppg and Smith 3.9.
Though they have experience, it is nothing compared to what Aaron Holiday and Thomas Welsh brought last year as seasoned veterans who led UCLA to a 21-12 record. Looking ahead, it could be worse for the Bruins in 2018-19.
Other than that, head coach Steve Alford has to rely on freshmen. That is not going to win the Pac-12. With the turmoil that has hit programs like Arizona and USC, it looked like the Bruins could run away with the conference next season, but the closer we get, it seems that there is something holding Alford back at every turn (though most are self-imposed).
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A few weeks ago, it was announced that Alford was letting go of lead assistant and top recruiter David Grace (who has since gone to Cal). This put in question the recruiting tactics by Alford, though he came through two weeks ago when he landed two top 2019 prospects, Jaime Jaquez and Jake Kyman.
Still, Alford needs a foundation and though one can easily blame the one and done era, one also has to look at what the coach has and has not done to strengthen his team.
In the case of Shareef O’Neal, well, that is on the student and parents, but it is on Alford to know what he was getting into. If there was any inclination of O’Neal not being able to make the grades, Alford should have prioritized his recruiting tactics and possibly looked elsewhere .
Additionally, if the four players that BRO named in their article do not make it to UCLA in the fall, the Bruins will only be with one point guard, true freshman Tyger Campbell. With no backup at the 1 spot, UCLA could be in trouble. A few of the SGs could realistically backup Campbell, but that is not what they were recruited to UCLA for. And if that does happen, now the Bruins are thin at the 2 and 3 spots. Either way, it does not look good.
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It has been said that Alford might need to make the Final Four to save his job, but the way things look, if the roster is down to nine players, most of which are freshman, then I do not see this team finishing in the top 4 of the Pac-12.