What is up with Alfred Aboya?

I got a chance to catch up with Alfred during the holidays. Alfred is one-half of the Cameroonian combo along with Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Fondly referred to as "AA2" on Bruin Zone (Arron Afflalo being AA), Alfred played at the 4 and 5 position in the Bruin line up. AA2 wore #12 and played at UCLA for 4 years, from 2005-09, reaching the Final 4 three times, and the championship game once. AA2 is back in Westwood, working on his Master's Degree. 

1) Alfred, Happy New Year! What are you doing these days? I heard you are back at UCLA?

I am completing the classes that I did not complete in the first year of my Master's program in Public Affairs. Upon completion of the classes, hopefully I will be readmitted back to The UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. After my degree, I hope to start my political career which will take me back home to Cameroon.

2) How does it feel like being back on campus? Who are the players and coaches you've run into over there? Do you guys hang out? Play basketball? 

It feels different being back on campus, because when I was here before, i was a student athlete but now I am a full time student. And I have not run into anyone else from when I was here playing. I haven't  play basketball in months but I will resume with it soon.

3) I saw the video you did for UCLA, where you talked about what UCLA meant to you. How did that come about?

I was visiting UCLA and one of the media guy approached me and asked me if I had a minute to do a video and talk about my UCLA experience, and I did.

4) When did you start playing basketball? Was basketball your first sport? If your first sport was not basketball, what made you decide to go with basketball?

14 years old. Before basketball, I played soccer, handball, volleyball. But when I grew taller, I started playing basketball.

5) Who recruited you to UCLA? 

Coach Ernie Ziegler when I was attending Tildon Prep School in New Hampshire.

6) Did you know of UCLA before they came to recruit you? 

I did not know anything about UCLA at all prior of coming and visit on my recruiting trip.

7) Did you know Luc before you guys got to UCLA?

Yes I did back In Yaoundé in the basketball community.

8) What is your fondest memory from UCLA? 

The Final Fours.

9) Do you hate Florida? They were always the team that bumped UCLA out of the tournament. 

No, I don't hate Florida. They were better than us the both times we played them. 

10) Do you still remember that dunk you had on Joakim Noah? Did you guys draw that play (Darren to you for the slam) during the last time out or was that unplanned/impromptu? Interestingly, Joakim is half-Cameroonian, he didn't let you dunk on him as a favor, did he?

It was one of our baseline out of bounds play. I don't particularly think about it, but I have been reminded of it everywhere I went on to play, which is pretty neat.

11) Can you summarize your basketball history? Starting from high school, then UCLA, then your pro teams? How was Japan? Did you run into other UCLA players out there? 

"FUN" can summarize my basketball career since I won at every level (High School, UCLA and Pro) . Fortunately or unfortunately, I did not play against any UCLA teammates overseas. Japan was a mixture of great and scary moments. Winning the championship there was great, and experiencing the Tsunami and the earthquake was the scary part.

12) You recently shut down your pro ball career. Why did you feel it was time to move on from pro basketball? What will you miss from being a pro baller?

I couldn't get offers that were satisfying for me to play overseas and that prompted my decision to shut it down. The basketball skills are transferable, I think. So my work ethic, dedication, team work etc... could be transferred to the work place. Consequently, nothing will be missed because everything will still be used.

13) You have a foundation, 3 A (Alfred Aboya Academy), can you talk about what your foundation does? 

The foundation provides inner city kids in Yaounde a platform for them to learn and better their basketball skills; and most importantly, to better themselves as human beings through community services that we participate in. 

14) How about a shout out to Cameroon, why do you think people should visit Cameroon? What makes it special? Any more Indomitable Lions coming out from Cameroon and playing hoops (like Embid, Batum)? 

Cameroon is often "Miniature Africa" because it contains everything that the continent has to offer. If you are a beach person, Douala, Kribi, and Limbe got you covered. If you love safari, The Northern part got you covered with the "Park the Waza" and lions in the wild. If you are an adventurous person, the rain forests' got you covered.

15) How do you feel about the current status of Cameroon basketball? (The National Team, not pro)

We took a step back with the past Afrobasket. But we are a young team and we'll be alright. So I'm not too concern about the current situation of my national team.

16) Back to UCLA Basketball, do you still follow UCLA Basketball? How do you feel about the current status of UCLA Basketball?

I do follow UCLA basketball and I hope that we go back to our old ways which is "" dominate "" college basketball.

17) Thanks so much, Alfred. Best of luck in grad school! 
Ciao!!!

Alfred Aboya highlights at UCLA

Alfred Aboya talks about his parents, his 6'8" grandmother and growing crops (LA Times March 4 2009)

Their UCLA legacy: Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, Alfred Aboya (LA Times March 23 2009)

Alfred Aboya highlights in the pros.

Other links on Alfred:

Alfred's profile on www.uclabruins.com (link)
Wikipedia entry on Alfred (link)

UCLA Downs Washington State, 83-50

JAN 30, 2016 | MEN'S BASKETBALL

By: UCLA Athletics

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LOS ANGELES - Isaac Hamilton scored a game-leading 22 points and had six assists as the UCLA basketball team defeated Washington State, 83-50, before 9,024 in Pauley Pavilion on Saturday afternoon.

Hamilton led a group of five Bruins who scored in double figures. Thomas Welsh recorded his ninth double-double of the season, totaling 10 points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes.

"Obviously when you get a tough loss like we had on Thursday, you show up today and could be tighter and really play passive, but I thought the guys did a really good job," UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. "I think that was the best 40 minutes that we’ve had all year, offensively and defensively."

UCLA (13-9, 4-5) employed a different starting lineup on Saturday against the Cougars (9-12, 1-8), inserting sophomore Jonah Bolden at forward after having dropped consecutive games to Oregon and Washington. Bolden finished with seven rebounds, three points and two steals in 26 minutes.

Tony Parker was efficient for the Bruins off the bench, recording 11 points and three rebounds while going a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line.

After surrendering an early 3-pointer, the Bruins claimed a 4-3 lead with 17:16 left in the first half and never trailed the rest of the way. UCLA pushed its first-half lead to as many as 14 points and entered the locker room at halftime with a 36-23 cushion.

Ike Iroegbu scored a team-leading 16 points for Washington State, while Que Johnson came off the bench to record 12 points.

The Bruins extended their margin in the second half, pushing their advantage to as many as 20 points (50-30) with 14:20 to play. Leading 38-30 at the 16:43 mark, UCLA received five consecutive points from Bryce Alford during a 12-0 scoring run to secure the 20-point cushion.

With under six minutes to play, the Bruins continued to widen their margin. Hamilton was fouled on a dunk and nailed the ensuing free throw to put UCLA ahead of Washington State, 70-48, with 4:09 to play.

UCLA closed the game on an 18-2 scoring run to secure a 33-point victory.

The Bruins will return to action at USC (17-5, 6-3) on Thursday, Feb. 4. Game time USC’s Galen Center is slated for 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised by Pac-12 Networks.

Game Notes: UCLA's 33-point margin of victory was the team's largest in a conference game since Jan. 31, 2009, when the Bruins defeated Stanford in Pauley Pavilion by 34 points (97-63) ... Isaac Hamilton scored in double figures for the 18th consecutive game, UCLA's longest such streak since 2012-13, when freshman Shabazz Muhammad had at least 10 points in 19 straight contests ... Aaron Holiday scored in double figures for the eighth straight game ... UCLA improved its record to 10-0 when holding the opposition to fewer than 80 points.

UCLA spots Washington 19 points then tries to come back comes up short. Bruins lose to the Huskies 86-84.

JAN 28, 2016 | MEN'S BASKETBALL

By: UCLA Athletics

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LOS ANGELES - UCLA battled back from a 19-point deficit and took the lead with two minutes to play but fell short in the end, losing to Washington, 86-84, in a Pac-12 game on Thursday night.

Andrew Andrews made a pair of free throws for Washington (14-6, 6-2) with 3.4 seconds to play to provide the winning margin for the visiting Huskies.

UCLA’s Bryce Alford scored a game-leading 28 points, making a 3-pointer with 2:04 remaining to give the Bruins their first lead of the game, 82-79. Washington’s Donaven Dorsey answered right back with a 3-pointer of his own, tying the contest with 42 seconds to play.

Alford came back down the court and made a layup to tie the score with 29 seconds left on the clock before Andrews drew a foul by Tony Parker on a shot fake, getting to the free throw line with just 3.4 seconds remaining.

Andrews hit both free throws and a potential game-tying jump shot from Isaac Hamilton was unsuccessful, helping the Huskies stay tied atop the Pac-12 standings with Oregon.

UCLA (12-9, 3-5) finished with four players scoring in double figures. Hamilton totaled 17 points, while Tony Parker registered 16 and Aaron Holiday netted 11.

Washington found itself in foul trouble as the second half continued, as three Huskies fouled out of the contest. UCLA started the half strong with a quick 6-0 scoring run, turning a 51-33 halftime deficit into a 12-point gap. Holiday’s free throw shots at the 9:12 mark cut Washington’s lead to single digits for the first time since early in the opening half.

The Bruins continued to chip away, using an 11-2 run to reduce Washington’s cushion to just one point (74-73) with 4:55 left in the game. Alford had eight points in that scoring run. Minutes later, UCLA used a 7-0 run, five points of which were scored by Alford, to take an 82-79 lead before Andrew helped the Huskies seal the game on the foul line.

Parker, who netted 16 points and nine rebounds, became UCLA’s 53rd player in school history to have scored at least 1,000 career points.

Noah Dickerson led six Washington players in double-figures by scoring 15 points.

The Huskies led for the entire first half and used an 11-0 run to turn a two-point lead into a 13-point 22-9 lead before extending their cushion to 19 points (46-27).

UCLA returns to action against Washington State in Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, Jan. 30. Game time is 4 p.m. (PT).

UCLA splits in the Beaver state; Falls at Oregon, 86-72

Aaron Holiday drives to the hoop past Oregon's Chris Boucher (Jack Kang/AP photo)

Associated Press

JAN 23, 2016 | MEN'S BASKETBALL
By: UCLA Athletics
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EUGENE, Ore. - Aaron Holiday scored a season-high 19 points as the UCLA basketball team dropped an 86-72 decision before 10,525 at Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday.

Holiday and UCLA’s other four starters each scored in double figures. Thomas Welsh finished with 16 points and a team-leading eight rebounds, while Tony Parker had 11 points and Isaac Hamilton and Bryce Alford each totaled 10.

Oregon’s Dillon Brooks registered a team-leading 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Ducks (16-4, 5-2), who improved to 13-0 this season at home.

Oregon claimed a 41-31 lead against UCLA (12-8, 3-4) by halftime, out-rebounding the visiting Bruins by a 26-20 margin before the intermission. The Ducks won the battle on the boards, 42-32, marking just the fourth time in 20 games this season that UCLA was out-rebounded.

UCLA reduced Oregon's lead to as few as five points, after having trailed by 12, midway through the second half. A three-pointer from Hamilton cut the Ducks’ margin to 63-58, before Oregon used consecutive baskets from Elgin Cook to push its lead to nine (67-58) one minute later.

From that point, the Bruins were never able to reduce Oregon’s cushion to fewer than seven. A three-pointer from Brooks with 6:03 to play gave the Ducks a 70-60 advantage and Jordan Bell’s layup less than 30 seconds later put Oregon ahead, 72-60.

UCLA will return to action at home versus Washington on Thursday, Jan. 28. Game time is 7 p.m. The Bruins’ game on Thursday will be nationally televised on Fox Sports 1.

Game Notes: UCLA opened the second half making 9 of its first 13 shots (69.2 percent) and finished the game having shot 43.5 percent (27-for-62) ... the Bruins made 7 of 14 shots from 3-point range (50.0 percent) ... Oregon finished with 18 offensive rebounds against the Bruins ... UCLA's three starting guards (Aaron Holiday,Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton) combined for 15 assists and just four turnovers.

UCLA Wins at Oregon State, 82-73

JAN 20, 2016 | MEN'S BASKETBALL

By: UCLA Athletics

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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Isaac Hamilton scored a game-leading 25 points to help the UCLA basketball team defeat Oregon State, 82-73, before 5,321 at Gill Coliseum on Wednesday night.

Hamilton, who scored in double figures for the 15th consecutive game, made 10 of 14 shots, including 3 of 6 attempts from 3-point range.

UCLA (12-7, 3-3) had four players score at least 10 points. Bryce Alford finished with 19, Aaron Holiday had 12, and Thomas Welsh registered his eighth double-double with 10 points and a team-leading 12 rebounds.

The Bruins secured their first win at Oregon State since Jan. 13, 2011, snapping a three-game losing streak in Corvallis. UCLA led by a 40-32 margin at halftime and never saw its second-half cushion fall to fewer than three points.

Gary Payton II led Oregon State (11-6, 2-4) with 17 points, connecting on 6 of 12 shots. Tres Tinkle registered 15 points for the Beavers, as the freshman made his first career start.

Nursing a 46-43 lead with 15:17 to play in the second half, UCLA pushed its cushion to six points on a 3-pointer from Holiday before a jump shot from Isaac Hamilton gave the Bruins a 51-43 advantage.

Leading 61-50 with fewer than nine minutes to play, Noah Allen made a steal and found Bryce Alford on the fastbreak for a layup to help UCLA secure a 13-point advantage. From that point, the Bruins maintained a double-digit advantage until the final 30 seconds, when Payton II nailed a 3-pointer at the 21-second mark.

Holiday helped put the game out of reach with 2:20 to play, making a difficult layup in traffic while drawing a foul. He converted the old-fashioned 3-point play to put UCLA ahead of Oregon State, 76-60.

Wednesday’s win helped UCLA even its Pac-12 record at 3-3 with 12 games remaining in the regular-season schedule (all in Pac-12 action).

UCLA returns to the court at Oregon on Saturday, Jan. 23. Game time is 1 p.m. (PT). The Bruins’ game at Matthew Knight Arena will be nationally televised on CBS.

UCLA cannot hang with SC. Trojans on top of Pac-12 table.

JAN 13, 2016 | MEN'S BASKETBALL

Bruins Fall to USC, 89-75

By: UCLA Athletics

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LOS ANGELES - USC snapped UCLA's six-game win streak in the series with an 89-75 victory before 12,993 in Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday night.

Tony Parker scored a season-high 27 points, including 19 in the second half, but the Bruins were out-scored in the first half by a 48-30 margin and never closed the deficit to fewer than nine points in the final five minutes of the second half.

USC (15-3, 4-1) made nine three-point field goals, increasing its conference lead to 154 three-pointers made this season. Jordan McLaughlin was 5 for 8 from beyond the 3-point arc, leading the visiting Trojans with 23 points. Freshman Chimezie Metu scored a career-high 21 points off the bench.

UCLA (11-7, 2-3) used a 7-0 scoring run to take a 17-13 lead in the first half, but USC came right back by scoring 13 unanswered points to reclaim the lead and maintain it the rest of the way.

The Trojans, who led by 18 points at halftime, pushed their margin to 21 points (58-37) at the 17:19 mark.

UCLA used an 11-0 scoring run to reduce the Trojans' cushion to 10 points (58-48) in the game's next four minutes. The Bruins trimmed the lead to single-digits, 78-69, after a Parker dunk with 5:04 to play, but McLaughlin hit a three-pointer, one of his five in the game, just one minute later to regain momentum and increase USC's advantage to 12.

Parker and Isaac Hamilton each recorded double-doubles, with Parker adding 12 rebounds to his 27 points and Hamilton recording 10 points and 10 rebounds, along with a season-high eight assists.

UCLA's Thomas Welsh added 16 points with seven rebounds, and Aaron Holiday scored 11 points.

The Bruins will return to action at Oregon State on Wednesday, Jan. 20. The game will be televised live on ESPNU at 8 p.m. (PT).

In-Focus: Isaac Hamilton Jan 13 2016

from UCLABruins.com