For 58 minutes, Jim Mora was giving UCLA fans what they wanted – a physical football game that came down to the wire against a Pac-12 rival.
The raucous cheering was deafening, but it quickly changed the moment Stanford scored the go-ahead touchdown with seconds left on the clock.
The “I believe that we will win” chants suddenly became jeers calling for Mora’s resignation.
The “Fire Mora” crowd is letting final 2 minutes blind them from previous 58, which were testament to how he has changed UCLA for the better
— Matt Cummings (@mbcummings15) September 26, 2016
Last season, UCLA men’s basketball had a historically bad season and many were irrationally pushing for Athletic Director Dan Guerrero to fire coach Steve Alford. The pressure from disgruntled fans is unproductive and the banner flying around saying “Fire Alford” was a waste of time and money.
[Related: Group demands termination of Steve Alford’s coaching contract]
Fans shouldn’t rush to replace coaches after disappointing losses, or even a disappointing season.
Coaching jobs aren’t carousels that are solely based on wins and losses. There are a lot of Xs and Os that go into finding and keeping a coach.
If they aren’t fostering a dangerous campus environment – see Art Briles and Baylor’s football program orJoe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky at Penn State – coaches shouldn’t be kicked to the curb right away.
They deserve a chance to grow the program – and that means sometimes making mistakes and racking up losses. Mora and Alford need time to find the players they want and instill philosophies they preach.
Firing, hiring and changing coaches constantly leads to instability. If you need an example, just look at USC’s football program. From Lane Kiffin to Ed Orgeron to Steve Sarkisian and now Clay Helton, the Trojans are now 1-3 in what was supposed to be a comeback year coming off NCAA sanctions.
Mora and Alford were incredibly successful their first years, leading the Bruins to the Pac-12 championship game and the Sweet 16 respectively, with players they did not recruit.
In the years since, both coaches have changed the culture of their programs, even if it’s not easily visible.
Last season, Stanford hammered UCLA. It was honestly a game to forget.
This season, the Bruins controlled almost all aspects of the game. They played physical football, competed with the Cardinal and nearly came out with a signature win.
Stanford coach David Shaw said that Mora’s team “kicked our backsides” after the game.
Alford did the same thing against powerhouse Kentucky last year. The men’s team upset the Wildcats after a 39-point beatdown the year before.
[Throwback: UCLA upsets No. 1 Kentucky 87-77]
They weren’t able to perform consistently throughout the year and failed to make it to the NCAA Tournament. But they proved they could compete, on occasion at least, with the best in the country.
Both coaches have each brought in top recruiting classes during their time in Westwood and the biggest names in their sport – Josh Rosen, Lonzo Ball – to continue building their programs and planning for the future.
Should consecutive underachieving seasons be ok? No.
But, as cliche as it sounds, one loss or one season doesn’t define a coach.