Coach Alford
Wilkes, Welsh, Holiday
Thursday, December 28, 2017
Sunday, December 24, 2017
UCLA tops # 7 Kentucky 83-75
JAN 23, 2017 | UCLA MEN'S BASKETBALL PAGE | POST LINK
NEW ORLEANS – Kris Wilkes and Aaron Holiday each scored 20 points to lead the UCLA men's basketball team to a win over No. 7 Kentucky, 83-75, in the nightcap of the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday afternoon from the Smoothie King Center.
Wilkes tied a career-high in points, while Holiday tallied his fourth 20-point performance of the season. UCLA (9-3) had five players score in double-figures as Jaylen Hands registered 14 points and Prince Ali added 12. Thomas Welsh recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Bruins made a season-high 12 three-pointers and secured their third victory against Kentucky in four seasons. Since losing to the Wildcats in Dec. 2014 in Chicago, UCLA has gone 3-1 against Kentucky with victories in Pauley Pavilion (Dec. 2015) and Rupp Arena (Dec. 2016) and on Saturday in New Orleans.
"I was really pleased with our defense," UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. "I thought we did a great job on the backboard. We limited their second-chance opportunities. We did the same thing at Michigan. These are teams that have really taken pride in their board play, and we've done a good job on the backboard. That's pretty important moving forward. It's a great time for our guys to get a couple days off with the break."
Holiday scored eight of the Bruins' final 12 points over the game's last 2:30. The Bruins' floor general hit a layup with 33 seconds left to push UCLA's margin to 79-73 before sinking two free throws with 20 seconds to go, pushing the Bruins' cushion to 81-73.
"He's unbelievable," Alford said of Holiday. "I've said all along that he's like a pit bull who is just going to come at you. I've loved coaching him. These have been three great years here."
Kentucky (9-2) was led by Hamidou Diallo's 18 points. The Wildcats also received 16 points from Wenyen Gabriel (who nailed three three-pointers) and 15 points from Kevin Knox.
UCLA raced to an 11-point advantage to begin the second half as Ali hit a pair of shots from behind the 3-point line. Ali's second three-pointer came just 2:13 into the period, putting UCLA ahead by a 50-39 margin. Kentucky responded with a run of its own, tying the contest at 52-52 with 14:36 to go in regulation. Knox scored eight of his 15 points over a three-minute stretch in the second half.
The Bruins grabbed the lead and once again took a double-digit advantage over the Wildcats, thanks to a 8-0 scoring run led by back-to-back 3-pointers from Welsh and Hands. Those triples were followed by a fast-break layup by Hands, giving UCLA a 71-59 advantage with 7:33 on the clock.
Kentucky never got closer than four points through the remainder of the game. A difficult layup by Holiday made it a six-point margin with 33 seconds to play. Clutch free throws from both Holiday and Hands sealed the victory.
UCLA and Kentucky were tied at halftime, 39-39, after the Bruins had concluded the first half on a 13-5 scoring run. Wilkes started that scoring run with a 3-pointer with just over four minutes remaining in the half followed later by Welsh hitting a shot from behind the arc to force a Kentucky timeout at the 2:17 mark. Wilkes scored the final five points of the first half, knotting the game at 39-39.
The Bruins jumped out to a 15-11 lead to begin the game thanks to an 8-0 run. UCLA scored six points in the paint and Wilkes hit a sideline jumper. The Wildcats battled back and led by as many as eight points in the half after going on a 13-0 run, capped by a Nick Richards jumper with 4:32 to play in the opening half.
UCLA shot 48 percent (29-for-61) from the floor and made 48 percent (12-for-30) of its 3-point shots. Kentucky was limited to just 43 percent shooting from the field (29-for-68) and shot 29 percent (6-for-21) from beyond the three-point arc.
UCLA won the rebounding battle against Kentucky, 37-36, and posted a 26-20 advantage on the defensive glass.
The Bruins return home to open Pac-12 play against Washington State on Friday, Dec. 29 (8 p.m., PT) and will close the 2017 calendar year with a New Year's Eve game against Washington on Sunday, Dec. 31 (5 p.m., PT).
UCLA's game on Friday, Dec. 29 will be nationally televised by ESPN2 with Roxy Bernstein and Bill Walton calling the action live in Pauley Pavilion.
Wilkes tied a career-high in points, while Holiday tallied his fourth 20-point performance of the season. UCLA (9-3) had five players score in double-figures as Jaylen Hands registered 14 points and Prince Ali added 12. Thomas Welsh recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Bruins made a season-high 12 three-pointers and secured their third victory against Kentucky in four seasons. Since losing to the Wildcats in Dec. 2014 in Chicago, UCLA has gone 3-1 against Kentucky with victories in Pauley Pavilion (Dec. 2015) and Rupp Arena (Dec. 2016) and on Saturday in New Orleans.
"I was really pleased with our defense," UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. "I thought we did a great job on the backboard. We limited their second-chance opportunities. We did the same thing at Michigan. These are teams that have really taken pride in their board play, and we've done a good job on the backboard. That's pretty important moving forward. It's a great time for our guys to get a couple days off with the break."
Holiday scored eight of the Bruins' final 12 points over the game's last 2:30. The Bruins' floor general hit a layup with 33 seconds left to push UCLA's margin to 79-73 before sinking two free throws with 20 seconds to go, pushing the Bruins' cushion to 81-73.
"He's unbelievable," Alford said of Holiday. "I've said all along that he's like a pit bull who is just going to come at you. I've loved coaching him. These have been three great years here."
Kentucky (9-2) was led by Hamidou Diallo's 18 points. The Wildcats also received 16 points from Wenyen Gabriel (who nailed three three-pointers) and 15 points from Kevin Knox.
UCLA raced to an 11-point advantage to begin the second half as Ali hit a pair of shots from behind the 3-point line. Ali's second three-pointer came just 2:13 into the period, putting UCLA ahead by a 50-39 margin. Kentucky responded with a run of its own, tying the contest at 52-52 with 14:36 to go in regulation. Knox scored eight of his 15 points over a three-minute stretch in the second half.
The Bruins grabbed the lead and once again took a double-digit advantage over the Wildcats, thanks to a 8-0 scoring run led by back-to-back 3-pointers from Welsh and Hands. Those triples were followed by a fast-break layup by Hands, giving UCLA a 71-59 advantage with 7:33 on the clock.
Kentucky never got closer than four points through the remainder of the game. A difficult layup by Holiday made it a six-point margin with 33 seconds to play. Clutch free throws from both Holiday and Hands sealed the victory.
UCLA and Kentucky were tied at halftime, 39-39, after the Bruins had concluded the first half on a 13-5 scoring run. Wilkes started that scoring run with a 3-pointer with just over four minutes remaining in the half followed later by Welsh hitting a shot from behind the arc to force a Kentucky timeout at the 2:17 mark. Wilkes scored the final five points of the first half, knotting the game at 39-39.
The Bruins jumped out to a 15-11 lead to begin the game thanks to an 8-0 run. UCLA scored six points in the paint and Wilkes hit a sideline jumper. The Wildcats battled back and led by as many as eight points in the half after going on a 13-0 run, capped by a Nick Richards jumper with 4:32 to play in the opening half.
UCLA shot 48 percent (29-for-61) from the floor and made 48 percent (12-for-30) of its 3-point shots. Kentucky was limited to just 43 percent shooting from the field (29-for-68) and shot 29 percent (6-for-21) from beyond the three-point arc.
UCLA won the rebounding battle against Kentucky, 37-36, and posted a 26-20 advantage on the defensive glass.
The Bruins return home to open Pac-12 play against Washington State on Friday, Dec. 29 (8 p.m., PT) and will close the 2017 calendar year with a New Year's Eve game against Washington on Sunday, Dec. 31 (5 p.m., PT).
UCLA's game on Friday, Dec. 29 will be nationally televised by ESPN2 with Roxy Bernstein and Bill Walton calling the action live in Pauley Pavilion.
The Box
Saturday, November 18, 2017
UCLA Races Past South Carolina State, 96-68
nov 17, 2017 | UCLA MEN'S BASKETBALL
PAGE | POST LINK
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.
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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
PAGE | POST LINK
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
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