The pressure in Westwood is unrelenting, as Steve Alford has realized during his short time at UCLA. Ultimately, the best way to deal with such an environment is to win, which means that recruiting is paramount.
Alford and the Bruins will feature a mix of young and veteran talent next season.
Key Losses: Norman Powell, Kevon Looney
Possible Losses: No announcements made
Key Returners: Tony Parker, Bryce Alford, Isaac Hamilton, Thomas Welsh
Key Newcomers: Aaron Holiday, Prince Ali, Alex Olesinski
Breakdown: Losing Powell, a senior leader and defensive stopper, is probably more harmful than losing Looney, who while fantastic as a freshman, wasn’t the only cog in UCLA’s frontcourt depth chart. Parker and Welsh will usher in a new era of UCLA big men, with Parker really finding his rhythm as the season went on a year ago and becoming one of the better scorers the Pac-12 has on the block. Olesinski is a stretch four that will give the Bruins a bit more versatility with their big men, much like the Wear twins a few years back. Still, UCLA’s battles for playing time on the perimeter should be fascinating. Alford is the incumbent at the PG spot, but Holiday is coming in thinking that he’ll be the man. Does Steve Alford push Holiday to the SG and let Bryce keep running the show, ultimately bumping Hamilton to be an undersized SF? What about Prince Ali, who is a natural SF? I’m expecting a starting five of Alford, Hamilton, Ali, Parker and Welsh, though sliding in Holiday and bumping out Welsh would make the Bruins much for explosive on both ends of the floor. Either way, this is a talented group in Westwood that should challenge for the top few spots in the conference.
