Saturday, November 18, 2017
UCLA Races Past South Carolina State, 96-68
nov 17, 2017 | UCLA MEN'S BASKETBALL
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LOS ANGELES – Jaylen Hands scored a team-leading 22 points and Thomas Welsh recorded his second straight double-double as No. 18 UCLA downed South Carolina State, 96-68, before in Pauley Pavilion on Friday night.
Hands, a 6-foot-4 freshman from San Diego, dropped 20 of his 22 points in the second half, helping the Bruins pull away from the visiting Bulldogs midway through the second half. Hands' second-half outburst mirrored the Bruins, as UCLA outscored South Carolina State by a 55-33 margin after halftime.
Welsh finished with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, one shy of tying his career high in rebounds (16). Freshman Chris Smith provided a spark off the bench, scoring 15 points and dishing three assists, while freshman Kris Wilkes totaled 14 points and six rebounds.
Alex Olesinski, a 6-foot-10 sophomore forward who redshirted last season, had a productive 22-minute performance by scoring eight points and grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds.
"I thought both Chris Smith and Alex Olesinski were outstanding all week," head coach Steve Alford said. "Not good, but outstanding on both ends. I thought Chris, defensively, was better tonight than he was a couple of nights ago. Alex has been solid in both of those games, which is great to see."
Postgame Press Conferences: Coach Alford | UCLA's Student-Athletes (Smith, Hands, Olesinski)
Donte Wright led South Carolina State off the bench with a game-high 23 points, converting six of 11 attempts from beyond the arc. The Bruins were able to find their own stroke from distance, drilling 10 of 27 three-point attempts as a team.
The Bruins outrebounded the Bulldogs by a 51-30 margin and logged eight blocks – two apiece from Welsh and Olesinski.
UCLA (3-0) led throughout the second half after leading, 41-35, at the break. The Bruins used a 12-0 run – that began with 10:05 left in regulation – to help put the game out of reach. A layup from Smith and a pair of free throws from G.G. Goloman put the Bruins ahead, 67-57, with 8:15 left. From there, UCLA scored the game's next 10 points to secure a 20-point cushion – 77-57 with 6:25 to go.
Through the final seven minutes of the contest, Hands scored 13 points, connecting on each of his final five field goal attempts.
Next up for the Bruins is a trip to Kansas City, Mo., where UCLA will take on Creighton (3-0) on Monday evening in the Hall of Fame Classic at the Sprint Center. Game time is 4 p.m. (PT)/6 p.m. (CT). The Bruins' game against Creighton will be nationally televised on ESPNU.
UCLA will face either Baylor or Wisconsin at the Sprint Center on Tuesday evening. That game will take place at either 4:30 p.m. (PT)/6:30 p.m. (CT) or 7 p.m. (PT)/9 p.m. (CT).
Donte Wright led South Carolina State off the bench with a game-high 23 points, converting six of 11 attempts from beyond the arc. The Bruins were able to find their own stroke from distance, drilling 10 of 27 three-point attempts as a team.
The Bruins outrebounded the Bulldogs by a 51-30 margin and logged eight blocks – two apiece from Welsh and Olesinski.
UCLA (3-0) led throughout the second half after leading, 41-35, at the break. The Bruins used a 12-0 run – that began with 10:05 left in regulation – to help put the game out of reach. A layup from Smith and a pair of free throws from G.G. Goloman put the Bruins ahead, 67-57, with 8:15 left. From there, UCLA scored the game's next 10 points to secure a 20-point cushion – 77-57 with 6:25 to go.
Through the final seven minutes of the contest, Hands scored 13 points, connecting on each of his final five field goal attempts.
Next up for the Bruins is a trip to Kansas City, Mo., where UCLA will take on Creighton (3-0) on Monday evening in the Hall of Fame Classic at the Sprint Center. Game time is 4 p.m. (PT)/6 p.m. (CT). The Bruins' game against Creighton will be nationally televised on ESPNU.
UCLA will face either Baylor or Wisconsin at the Sprint Center on Tuesday evening. That game will take place at either 4:30 p.m. (PT)/6:30 p.m. (CT) or 7 p.m. (PT)/9 p.m. (CT).
The Box
Friday, November 17, 2017
No. 18 UCLA Set to Face South Carolina State
Story Links
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion (13,800)
Tipoff Time: 6:02 p.m. PT
Television: Pac-12 Network
TV Talent: J.B. Long (play-by-play), Don MacLean (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Sports Network from IMG): AM 1150
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS/XM Channels: Ch. 93/Ch. 197
SIRIUS App. Channel: Ch. 959
PURCHASE TICKETS
Season ticket packages for 2017-18 men's basketball campaign are on sale for less than $19 per game. To secure seats for all the home games in 2017-18, call (310) 206-5991 or visit uclabruins.com/tickets. Fans can click here to download the men's basketball schedule directly to their calendar.
DOWNLOAD THE UCLA APP
Be sure to download the UCLA Bruins Mobile App to your device, free of charge (download here). The official app of UCLA Athletics allows fans to receive in-game stats and live updates during events. Fans can also sign up to receive push notifications about gameday promotions, game times, live scoring and more. Fans can shop for UCLA gear with one click in addition to getting breaking news from UCLA Athletics. When searching iTunes or Google Play, use the term "UCLA Bruins" for more direct access.
ON DECK
UCLA will enter Friday night's home game with a 2-0 record, having averaged 84.5 points in two regular-season victories. Freshman Kris Wilkes, who recorded his first collegiate double-double on Wednesday (20 points, 12 rebounds), has averaged a team-high 19.0 points while making 6 of 9 three-point field goal attempts. Junior Aaron Holiday has registered 17.5 points, 6.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game in the Bruins' first two regular-season contests.
BRUINS WIN IN OVERTIME
UCLA overcame an 86-85 deficit in the final 3.7 seconds of regulation on Wednesday, edging Central Arkansas by a 106-101 margin in overtime. Jaylen Hands made the second of two free throw attempts with 1.3 seconds to play, tying the game at 86-86. After falling behind, 90-86, in the opening minute of overtime, the Bruins used a 9-0 scoring run to secure a 95-90 advantage and led for the rest of the contest. Central Arkansas attempted a Pauley Pavilion-record 35 three-pointers.
LAST WEEK'S SEASON OPENER
The Bruins limited Georgia Tech to 20 made field goals in the team's regular-season opener in Shanghai on Saturday, Nov. 11. The 20 shots made by Georgia Tech marked the fewest made against UCLA since Feb. 20, 2016 (when Colorado was 19-for-61 in a loss to the Bruins in Pauley Pavilion). UCLA limited Georgia Tech to four three-pointers (on 18 attempts), the fewest made threes by a team against the Bruins since Dec. 19, 2015 (North Carolina, 4-for-19 from long range).
NEARING 1,000
Senior center Thomas Welsh and junior guard Aaron Holiday are both nearing the 1,000-career-point plateau. Welsh will enter this Friday night's game having scored 857 career points, needing just 143 more to reach 1,000. Holiday has totaled 807 points, now into his third season, and stands 193 points shy of tying the 1,000-point mark. UCLA's tradition-rich men's basketball program has 54 former players who have scored at least 1,000 career points wearing the Bruins' uniform.
NATIONAL HONORS
Junior guard Aaron Holiday has been named as one of 50 players to the preseason watch lists for the 2018 John Wooden Award and the Citizen Naismith Trophy. In addition, Holiday is among 40 student-athletes on the preseason watch list for the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award. Hailing from nearby Chatsworth, Calif., and Campbell Hall High School, Holiday averaged 12.3 points and 4.4 assists per game coming off the bench for the Bruins last season.
MAKING A DEBUT
With Kris Wilkes (18 points) and Jaylen Hands (14 points) posting double-digit scoring efforts against Georgia Tech, at least one UCLA freshman has scored in double figures in his collegiate debut in six straight seasons. Last fall, TJ Leaf (22 points) and Lonzo Ball (19) scored in double figures against Pacific. Other recent freshmen in that category have included Aaron Holiday (10 pts, 2015), Kevon Looney (20 pts, 2014), Thomas Welsh (14 pts, 2014), Zach LaVine (14 pts, 2013), Jordan Adams (21 pts, 2012), Kyle Anderson (10 pts, 2012) and Shabazz Muhammad (15 pts, 2012).
YEAR FIVE
Steve Alford has entered his fifth season as UCLA's head coach and his 27th overall year as a collegiate head coach. Alford has led the Bruins to a 98-45 mark in just over four years, guiding UCLA to three NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 trips as well as the 2014 Pac-12 Tournament Championship. Last season, UCLA went 31-5 overall and posted a 15-3 mark in Pac-12 play, going 16-1 at home and defeating every team on its schedule. Through the previous four seasons, Alford and his coaching staff have had 10 Bruins selected in the NBA Draft, including four players from UCLA in June 2017.
MOVIN' ON UP
Thomas Welsh has moved into a tie for third place, along with Charles O'Bannon, on UCLA's all-time blocked shots list. Welsh (118 blocks) moved into that third-place tie with one block against Central Arkansas last Wednesday night. The top two spots on UCLA's career blocks list are occupied by Jelani McCoy (188) and Dan Gadzuric (184). In addition, Welsh currently ranks No. 7 on the school's all-time field goal percentage list, having shot 56.1 percent in over three seasons.
BRUIN SENIORITY
The Bruins' 16-man roster features four senior student-athletes – Thomas Welsh (center, 7-foot), G.G. Goloman (forward, 6-foot-11), Ikenna Okwarabizie (center, 6-foot-9) and Alec Wulff (guard, 6-foot-3). Welsh has played in 101 games (63 starts) for the Bruins, having missed just five games the past three seasons due to illness/injury. Welsh has averaged 8.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in his career, shooting 56.1 percent from the field. Goloman has played in 87 games in just over three seasons in Westwood, averaging 2.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
UCLA Signs Three Men's Basketball Standouts
nov 16, 2017 | UCLA MEN'S BASKETBALL
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The Bruins have signed three high school seniors to National Letters of Intent.
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men's basketball program has received signed National Letters of Intent from high school seniors Jules Bernard, Kenneth Nwuba and David Singleton during the early signing period, it was announced today by head coach Steve Alford.
Bernard, Nwuba and Singleton will enroll at UCLA in 2018 and begin their freshman seasons in Westwood during the 2018-19 academic year. All three student-athletes are currently high school seniors – Bernard at Windward School (Los Angeles), Singleton at Bishop Montgomery High School (Torrance, Calif.) and Nwuba at Huntington Prep in West Virginia.
"We're very excited to add these three young men to our program," Alford said. "With Jules and David, you're talking about a pair of talented guards from the Los Angeles area who have had successful high school careers. David helped lead Bishop Montgomery to the CIF state title last year, which is an extremely impressive feat here in California. Being able to add Kenneth to our team's frontcourt is tremendous. He's a player with great athletic ability, size and strength. These three players provide a great start for our 2018 recruiting class."
Bernard has been ranked No. 44, nationally, in his high school class by Rivals.com. The 6-foot-6 guard from Los Angeles has also been tabbed the No. 47 player in the country by ESPN.com and No. 52 by Scout.com. As a junior last season at Windward, he averaged 25.3 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. Bernard secured All-CIF Southern Section Division 2AA honors last season and captured first-team Division 3 acclaim from MaxPreps.com.
Singleton has been ranked No. 60, nationally, in his high school class by Scout.com. He has also been ranked No. 66 by ESPN.com and No. 92 by Rivals.com. A 6-foot-4 guard from Los Angeles, Singleton registered 16.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season as a junior. He helped his high school program win the 2017 CIF State Championship in the Open Division final. In addition, Singleton secured Los Angeles Times All-Area Team honors and was selected to the All-CIF Southern Section Open Division Team.
Nwuba, a 6-foot-10 center who is originally from Lagos, Nigeria, spent last season at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia and is currently a senior at Huntington Prep. As a junior in 2016-17, Nwuba averaged seven points, eight rebounds and nearly four blocks per game.
More highlight videos:
Bernard
Nwuba
Singleton
The Bruins have signed three high school seniors to National Letters of Intent.
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men's basketball program has received signed National Letters of Intent from high school seniors Jules Bernard, Kenneth Nwuba and David Singleton during the early signing period, it was announced today by head coach Steve Alford.
Bernard, Nwuba and Singleton will enroll at UCLA in 2018 and begin their freshman seasons in Westwood during the 2018-19 academic year. All three student-athletes are currently high school seniors – Bernard at Windward School (Los Angeles), Singleton at Bishop Montgomery High School (Torrance, Calif.) and Nwuba at Huntington Prep in West Virginia.
"We're very excited to add these three young men to our program," Alford said. "With Jules and David, you're talking about a pair of talented guards from the Los Angeles area who have had successful high school careers. David helped lead Bishop Montgomery to the CIF state title last year, which is an extremely impressive feat here in California. Being able to add Kenneth to our team's frontcourt is tremendous. He's a player with great athletic ability, size and strength. These three players provide a great start for our 2018 recruiting class."
Bernard has been ranked No. 44, nationally, in his high school class by Rivals.com. The 6-foot-6 guard from Los Angeles has also been tabbed the No. 47 player in the country by ESPN.com and No. 52 by Scout.com. As a junior last season at Windward, he averaged 25.3 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. Bernard secured All-CIF Southern Section Division 2AA honors last season and captured first-team Division 3 acclaim from MaxPreps.com.
Singleton has been ranked No. 60, nationally, in his high school class by Scout.com. He has also been ranked No. 66 by ESPN.com and No. 92 by Rivals.com. A 6-foot-4 guard from Los Angeles, Singleton registered 16.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season as a junior. He helped his high school program win the 2017 CIF State Championship in the Open Division final. In addition, Singleton secured Los Angeles Times All-Area Team honors and was selected to the All-CIF Southern Section Open Division Team.
Nwuba, a 6-foot-10 center who is originally from Lagos, Nigeria, spent last season at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia and is currently a senior at Huntington Prep. As a junior in 2016-17, Nwuba averaged seven points, eight rebounds and nearly four blocks per game.
More highlight videos:
Bernard
Nwuba
Singleton
Thursday, November 16, 2017
UCLA Defeats Central Arkansas in Overtime, 106-101
nov 15, 2017 | UCLA MEN'S BASKETBALL
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LOS ANGELES – No. 18 UCLA made key free throws in overtime and survived 18 three-pointers by Central Arkansas to secure a 106-101 victory in the Bruins' regular-season home opener in Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday.
Junior Aaron Holiday led UCLA with a career-high 24 points, and freshman Kris Wilkes recorded a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Wilkes scored seven points in overtime.
Senior Thomas Welsh also had a double-double, totaling 16 points and 11 rebounds for UCLA (2-0).
Central Arkansas (1-2) took a one-point lead, 86-85, with 3.7 seconds to play in regulation when Jordan Howard hit a three-pointer in front of his bench. But after a timeout, the Bruins were able to get the ball up the court, where Jaylen Hands grabbed it and was fouled on the shot attempt with 1.3 seconds remaining.
Hands missed the first free throw but made the second to send the game into overtime.
In the overtime period, UCLA made 9 of 10 free throws to secure the victory after having shot just 50 percent from the line through the first two halves. Holiday made five free throws while Wilkes and Alex Olesinski each hit two.
"Central Arkansas came in here and gave us their best shot," UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. "For our guys not to succumb to 'our legs are tired' and 'we were on a long trip' would have been the easy way out. And I appreciate how Thomas and Aaron are such great leaders. They kept everyone together."
The beginning of the first half was all UCLA, as the Bruins ran off to a 17-point lead at the 8:20, 34-17, but Central Arkansas kept chipping away and took its first lead, 44-43, with 1:01 to play on a three-pointer by Deandre Jones. The Bruins ended the half with a tip-in by Chris Smith at the buzzer to take a 47-45 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
Central Arkansas took a six-point lead, 57-51, early in the second half before the Bruins ran off 11 unanswered to regain the lead, 62-57, with 11:24 to play. The Bears' three-point shooting kept them within striking distance. UCLA held a five-point lead with 51 seconds to play before Hayden Koval hit a three-pointer to close to within two, 82-80. UCA pressed and forced a turnover, but Wilkes made a huge block on Darraja Parnell's layup attempt.
Olesinski followed with two free throws to give UCLA a four-point lead (84-83), but Thatch Unruh hit a quick three-pointer with 21 seconds remaining to close to within one. Holiday made just one of two free throws, giving UCLA a two-point lead at 85-83. Howard's three-pointer made him the hero until Hands' free throw forced overtime.
The visiting Bears started the extra period with momentum after Howard hit a three-pointer while being fouled by Hands, and Central Arkansas quickly raced ahead by a 90-86 margin. The Bears' lead evaporated almost immediately after a Welsh jumper and a Wilkes layup and three-pointer.
After Prince Ali had a steal and fast-break dunk, the Bruins suddenly had seven points in 80 seconds and a 95-90 lead. But the Bears' perimeter shooting kept them in it. The Bears would foul the Bruins and then come back to hit a three-pointer in two-straight possessions, but their magic ran out after a pair of Holiday free throws gave UCLA a 105-101 advantage.
UCA's Mathieu Kamba missed a jumper with 12 seconds to play, and Holiday was fouled on the rebound. He made one of two foul shots, and Howard missed a three-pointer with three seconds left. Olesinski grabbed the rebound to end the game.
Six UCLA players scored in double figures – Holiday (24), Wilkes (20) and Welsh (16), Ali (12), Olesinski (10) and Hands (10).
Central Arkansas set or tied two Pauley Pavilion records – most three-point field goals made by a team (18) and most three-point field goal attempts (35). Howard tied a UCLA opponent record with eight three-point field goals made.
The Bruins will host South Carolina State on Friday evening at 6 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion.
The Box
Sunday, November 12, 2017
No. 18 UCLA Defeats Georgia Tech, 63-60, in China
Kudos to Frankie Vision on You Tube!!!
Nov 10, 2017 | UCLA MEN'S BASKETBALL
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SHANGHAI, China – Kris Wilkes scored a team-high 18 points, while Jaylen Hands tallied 14 points as the No. 18 UCLA men's basketball team earned a 63-60 win over Georgia Tech in the 2017 Pac-12 China Game from Baoshan Arena.
Wilkes shot 6-of-12 from the floor, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, in his first regular-season collegiate game. Aaron Holidayrecorded 11 points, scoring 10 in the second half, and Thomas Welsh registered 10 points and a team-best eight rebounds.
Georgia Tech's Ben Lammers led all scorers with 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting with 10 rebounds, while Jose Alvardo had 12 points and Brandon Alston added 10.
UCLA led by as many as 11 points in the second half as the Bruins went on an 11-0 run over a six-minute stretch to make the score 48-37 started by four points by Wilkes and ended with Holiday finishing a three-point play with 11:02 remaining in the game.
Georgia Tech reduced UCLA's cushion to just three points with less than five minutes in regulation, but Holiday scored seven of UCLA's final eight points to secure the opening-game victory.
UCLA held a 35-32 lead at halftime as Wilkes scored 14 of his 18 points in the opening period. The freshman hit three of his four 3-pointers in the first period and helped the Bruins on a 7-0 run late in the half with a triple and a dunk.
The Bruins finished the game shooting 41 percent (22-54) while holding Georgia Tech to just 34 percent (20-58) from the floor. UCLA outrebounded the Yellow Jackets, 36-36, and held a 6-5 lead in blocked shots.
UCLA will return to Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday, hosting Central Arkansas in the regular-season home opener. Game time is 8 p.m. (PT). The Bruins' game will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
The Box
Latest on LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley from the LA Times Nov 11 2017 UCLA basketball team returns to L.A., with three arrested players still in China.
Friday, November 10, 2017
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
No. 18 UCLA to Face Georgia Tech in China
Story Links
nov 3, 2017 | UCLA MEN'S BASKETBALL
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The UCLA men's basketball team will open its 2017-18 season against Georgia Tech in Shanghai, China, as part of the 2017 Pac-12 China Game. UCLA's game will begin at 8:30 p.m. PT on Friday (that's at 12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday in Shanghai, at Baoshan Arena). Fans can access ticket information by clicking here.
The Bruins' season-opening game against Georgia Tech will be nationally televised on ESPN, the night of Friday, Nov. 10. ESPN's Roxy Bernstein and Bill Walton will have the call live from Baoshan Arena in Shanghai. UCLA's radio crew, Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray, will also provide a call of the game on AM 1150.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Baoshan Arena (Shanghai)
Game Time: 8:30 p.m. PT in Los Angeles on Friday, Nov. 10
Television: ESPN
TV Talent: Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Bill Walton (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Sports Network from IMG): AM 1150
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
PURCHASE TICKETS
Season ticket packages for 2017-18 men's basketball campaign are on sale for less than $19 per game. To secure seats for all the home games in 2017-18, call (310) 206-5991 or visit uclabruins.com/tickets. Fans can click here to download the men's basketball schedule directly to their calendar.
DOWNLOAD THE UCLA APP
Be sure to download the UCLA Bruins Mobile App to your device, free of charge (download here). The official app of UCLA Athletics allows fans to receive in-game stats and live updates during events. Fans can also sign up to receive push notifications about gameday promotions, game times, live scoring and more. Fans can shop for UCLA gear with one click in addition to getting breaking news from UCLA Athletics. When searching iTunes or Google Play, use the term "UCLA Bruins" for more direct access.
WELCOME BACK
UCLA returns nine players from last season's roster, including three significant contributors from the team's consistent eight-man rotation. Senior center Thomas Welsh (10.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg in 2016-17) is the only returning starter, but the Bruins also welcome back junior guard Aaron Holiday (12.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.4 apg) and senior G.G. Goloman (3.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg). In addition, guard Prince Ali and forward Alex Olesinski are back this fall as redshirt sophomores after having redshirted the 2016-17 season (Ali and Olesinski were sidelined by injuries in November and December last season).
FRESH FACES
Seven freshmen have joined the program as UCLA enters its 2017-18 campaign. UCLA's incoming group has been ranked as high as No. 5, nationally, in recruiting class rankings by ESPN.com and Scout.com (No. 6 by Rivals.com). The freshman class features a pair of McDonald's All-Americans in guards Jaylen Hands (San Diego, Calif.) and Kris Wilkes(Indianapolis, Ind.). UCLA's incoming frontcourt players include Cody Riley (Kansas City, Kan.) and Jalen Hill (Corona, Calif.) and backcourt players LiAngelo Ball (Chino Hills, Calif.), Chris Smith (Chicago, Ill.) and Joseph Wallace (Woodland Hills, Calif.).
BRUINS ROLL IN EXHIBITION
UCLA cruised past Cal State Los Angeles, 111-80, on Nov. 1, in the team's first and only exhibition game prior to the season opener against Georgia Tech (recap available here). Seven Bruins scored in double figures, as senior Thomas Welsh led the squad with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Six freshmen saw their first action in Pauley Pavilion. Freshman Jaylen Hands had 12 points, a game-high 11 assists and nine rebounds, while freshman Kris Wilkes totaled 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and six rebounds. The Bruins led at halftime, 50-34, and opened up a 45-point lead in the game's final five minutes.
NEARING 1,000
Senior center Thomas Welsh and junior guard Aaron Holiday are both nearing the 1,000-career-point plateau. Welsh will enter the Bruins' regular-season opener versus Georgia Tech having scored 831 career points, needing just 169 more to reach 1,000. Holiday has totaled 772 points in two seasons, standing just 228 shy of tying the 1,000-point mark. UCLA's tradition-rich basketball program has 54 former players who have scored at least 1,000 points wearing the Bruins' uniform – most recently, Isaac Hamilton crossed the 1,000-career-point mark in Nov. 2017 during his senior season.
CALIFORNIA LOVE
UCLA's 16-man roster features 10 student-athletes who have called Southern California their home. In the freshman class, both Cody Riley and Jalen Hill moved with their families to the region while in middle school. Freshmen Jaylen Hands (San Diego), LiAngelo Ball (Chino Hills) and Joseph Wallace (Woodland Hills), along with sophomores Armani Dodson (Fontana) and Isaac Wulff (Laguna Beach) hail from cities in Southern California. Upperclassmen from the region include junior Aaron Holiday (Chatsworth) and seniors Thomas Welsh (Redondo Beach) and Alec Wulff (Laguna Beach).
YEAR FIVE
Steve Alford has entered his fifth season as UCLA's head coach and his 27th overall year as a collegiate head coach. Alford has led the Bruins to a 96-45 mark in four years, guiding UCLA to three NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 trips as well as the 2014 Pac-12 Tournament Championship. Last season, UCLA went 31-5 overall and posted a 15-3 mark in Pac-12 play, going 16-1 at home and defeating every team on its schedule. Through the previous four seasons, Alford and his coaching staff have had 10 Bruins selected in the NBA Draft – including four players from UCLA in June 2017.
ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Thomas Welsh has earned second-team Pac-12 All-Academic honors the past two seasons. The 7-foot center from Redondo Beach, Calif., is the third men's basketball player in school history to have earned Pac-12 All-Academic Team honors in multiple seasons, joining George Zidek (1992-95) and Alfred Aboya (2006-09) in that category. Freshmen are not eligible for the conference's all-academic team. Welsh, who arrived at UCLA in the summer of 2014 after graduating from Loyola High School (Los Angeles), has posted above a 3.0 cumulative grade point average as an economics major.
The Bruins' season-opening game against Georgia Tech will be nationally televised on ESPN, the night of Friday, Nov. 10. ESPN's Roxy Bernstein and Bill Walton will have the call live from Baoshan Arena in Shanghai. UCLA's radio crew, Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray, will also provide a call of the game on AM 1150.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Baoshan Arena (Shanghai)
Game Time: 8:30 p.m. PT in Los Angeles on Friday, Nov. 10
Television: ESPN
TV Talent: Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Bill Walton (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Sports Network from IMG): AM 1150
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
PURCHASE TICKETS
Season ticket packages for 2017-18 men's basketball campaign are on sale for less than $19 per game. To secure seats for all the home games in 2017-18, call (310) 206-5991 or visit uclabruins.com/tickets. Fans can click here to download the men's basketball schedule directly to their calendar.
DOWNLOAD THE UCLA APP
Be sure to download the UCLA Bruins Mobile App to your device, free of charge (download here). The official app of UCLA Athletics allows fans to receive in-game stats and live updates during events. Fans can also sign up to receive push notifications about gameday promotions, game times, live scoring and more. Fans can shop for UCLA gear with one click in addition to getting breaking news from UCLA Athletics. When searching iTunes or Google Play, use the term "UCLA Bruins" for more direct access.
WELCOME BACK
UCLA returns nine players from last season's roster, including three significant contributors from the team's consistent eight-man rotation. Senior center Thomas Welsh (10.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg in 2016-17) is the only returning starter, but the Bruins also welcome back junior guard Aaron Holiday (12.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.4 apg) and senior G.G. Goloman (3.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg). In addition, guard Prince Ali and forward Alex Olesinski are back this fall as redshirt sophomores after having redshirted the 2016-17 season (Ali and Olesinski were sidelined by injuries in November and December last season).
FRESH FACES
Seven freshmen have joined the program as UCLA enters its 2017-18 campaign. UCLA's incoming group has been ranked as high as No. 5, nationally, in recruiting class rankings by ESPN.com and Scout.com (No. 6 by Rivals.com). The freshman class features a pair of McDonald's All-Americans in guards Jaylen Hands (San Diego, Calif.) and Kris Wilkes(Indianapolis, Ind.). UCLA's incoming frontcourt players include Cody Riley (Kansas City, Kan.) and Jalen Hill (Corona, Calif.) and backcourt players LiAngelo Ball (Chino Hills, Calif.), Chris Smith (Chicago, Ill.) and Joseph Wallace (Woodland Hills, Calif.).
BRUINS ROLL IN EXHIBITION
UCLA cruised past Cal State Los Angeles, 111-80, on Nov. 1, in the team's first and only exhibition game prior to the season opener against Georgia Tech (recap available here). Seven Bruins scored in double figures, as senior Thomas Welsh led the squad with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Six freshmen saw their first action in Pauley Pavilion. Freshman Jaylen Hands had 12 points, a game-high 11 assists and nine rebounds, while freshman Kris Wilkes totaled 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and six rebounds. The Bruins led at halftime, 50-34, and opened up a 45-point lead in the game's final five minutes.
NEARING 1,000
Senior center Thomas Welsh and junior guard Aaron Holiday are both nearing the 1,000-career-point plateau. Welsh will enter the Bruins' regular-season opener versus Georgia Tech having scored 831 career points, needing just 169 more to reach 1,000. Holiday has totaled 772 points in two seasons, standing just 228 shy of tying the 1,000-point mark. UCLA's tradition-rich basketball program has 54 former players who have scored at least 1,000 points wearing the Bruins' uniform – most recently, Isaac Hamilton crossed the 1,000-career-point mark in Nov. 2017 during his senior season.
CALIFORNIA LOVE
UCLA's 16-man roster features 10 student-athletes who have called Southern California their home. In the freshman class, both Cody Riley and Jalen Hill moved with their families to the region while in middle school. Freshmen Jaylen Hands (San Diego), LiAngelo Ball (Chino Hills) and Joseph Wallace (Woodland Hills), along with sophomores Armani Dodson (Fontana) and Isaac Wulff (Laguna Beach) hail from cities in Southern California. Upperclassmen from the region include junior Aaron Holiday (Chatsworth) and seniors Thomas Welsh (Redondo Beach) and Alec Wulff (Laguna Beach).
YEAR FIVE
Steve Alford has entered his fifth season as UCLA's head coach and his 27th overall year as a collegiate head coach. Alford has led the Bruins to a 96-45 mark in four years, guiding UCLA to three NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 trips as well as the 2014 Pac-12 Tournament Championship. Last season, UCLA went 31-5 overall and posted a 15-3 mark in Pac-12 play, going 16-1 at home and defeating every team on its schedule. Through the previous four seasons, Alford and his coaching staff have had 10 Bruins selected in the NBA Draft – including four players from UCLA in June 2017.
ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Thomas Welsh has earned second-team Pac-12 All-Academic honors the past two seasons. The 7-foot center from Redondo Beach, Calif., is the third men's basketball player in school history to have earned Pac-12 All-Academic Team honors in multiple seasons, joining George Zidek (1992-95) and Alfred Aboya (2006-09) in that category. Freshmen are not eligible for the conference's all-academic team. Welsh, who arrived at UCLA in the summer of 2014 after graduating from Loyola High School (Los Angeles), has posted above a 3.0 cumulative grade point average as an economics major.
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