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As time wound down in UCLA’s season-ending loss to Arizona State in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas, Pac-12 Networks announcer Ted Robinson said he couldn’t imagine a more uncertain time for the prestigious program.
Bill Walton, analyst, UCLA legend and ardent Bruins supporter, agreed as UCLA finished 17-16 overall and 9-9 in Pac-12 play.
A coaching search loomed over UCLA’s Pac-12 season after Athletic Director Dan Guerrero dismissed former head coach Steve Alford on New Year’s Eve. This will be his third hire for a men’s basketball coach since taking over in 2002.
Here’s a look at how the Alford era ended this season and what might be in store for the future.
WHAT WENT RIGHT?
UCLA failed to find consistency as a team but produced several spectacular individual performances. Sophomore Jaylen Hands led the Pac-12 in assists in his first season as the team’s primary ball-handler, became the first UCLA player to record 10 or more assists in three straight games and delivered a 3-point barrage in the second half against Oregon to lead the Bruins to a comeback victory in their Pauley Pavilion finale this season. Kris Wilkes hit a dramatic buzzer-beating 3-pointer against Notre Dame, falling to the floor with cramps as his team celebrated the nonconference victory. The pair of former McDonald’s All-Americans were expected to star on the young team, and they did at times, but the brief glimpses at their talent were not enough to sustain the Bruins through a tumultuous year.
WHAT WENT WRONG?
Few seasons that include a mid-year coaching change typically end well. Back-to-back home losses against Belmont and Liberty bookended a four-game losing streak that ended Alford’s tenure in December. Without their head coach, the team with two oft-injured redshirt juniors who never previously held consistent starting roles and 11 scholarship underclassmen, including six freshmen, had nowhere to turn for consistent leadership. The Bruins were often shell-shocked when one-possession games turned into blowouts in mere minutes. Appropriately, Arizona State ended UCLA’s season with 14 unanswered points at four minutes in the first half that blew-open a two-point game.
WHO’S GONE?
The Bruins didn’t have any seniors on the roster, so they aren’t guaranteed to lose any players. The only guaranteed changes are on the coaching staff. Bartow confirmed he will not be retained for the permanent head coaching position. Assistant coaches Kory Barnett, who was promoted to a coaching position from a video coordinator job after the coaching change, and Duane Broussard joined the staff with Alford and might also be caught in the turnover when the new staff takes over.
WHO MIGHT BE GONE?
The complication with having no graduating seniors is that the Bruins need to free at least two scholarships to accommodate Jaime Jaquez and Jake Kyman, who signed National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. UCLA will likely depend on transfers or NBA departures to rearrange the roster. Hands, Wilkes and freshman center Moses Brown are the most touted NBA prospects, but none are projected to be lottery picks this year. Wilkes, the highest-rated prospect of the group, is the 24th overall pick in a Bleacher Report mock draft released Sunday.
Wilkes and Hands, both of whom participated in the NBA combine last year before returning to school, told reporters after UCLA’s season-ending loss they had yet to make any decisions about their future plans.
WHO’S RETURNING?
UCLA got a glimpse at promising freshman guards David Singleton and Jules Bernard, who are expected to return next year. Singleton suffered a broken foot in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament after leading the conference in 3-point shooting percentage. Bernard scored 10 or more points in eight of the last nine regular-season games.
The Bruins are also expecting point guard Tyger Campbell and forward Shareef O’Neal to return next year. Campbell’s torn ACL suffered in the preseason was likely one of the largest contributing factors to UCLA’s offensive struggles this season as the team was left with just one true point guard. O’Neal underwent surgery in December to correct a heart condition.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The proud UCLA men’s basketball program waits for its next head coach, but with most candidates still coaching in the NCAA Tournament, the Bruins are left to watch until the end of the season. Then the program’s direction can finally start to take shape.
The school is likely targeting big-named experienced coaches. Virginia’s Tony Bennett is a favorite among some fans. Alumni previously championed former UCLA point guard Earl Watson. The choice will have to revive a program that has averaged less than 8,500 people at home games in four of the past five seasons.
Bartow might have had an outside chance at the spot after winning his first three games, but he couldn’t steady the underachieving team enough throughout Pac-12 play.
“There’s good days ahead for UCLA,” Bartow told reporters last Thursday, “and there’s great days ahead for these guys on this team.”
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