UCLA looks to make a statement in Alford’s coaching debut

Steve Alford has been waiting since March.

After months of preparation and anticipation, Alford will make his official debut as UCLA’s head coach today. But he’ll have to wait a little longer.

UCLA will begin its regular season tonight as it squares off against Drexel at Pauley Pavilion. But the late 9 p.m. start will make for a “long day of waiting” for Alford, who said he’s eager but anxious as his first game as UCLA’s head coach approaches.

“Openers are always scary,” Alford said. “It’s scary for both sides because you truly don’t have an identity yet, you don’t know your team extremely well because you haven’t had a lot of games against anybody else.”

Another Bruin in his first year isn’t quite as nervous. Freshman guard Zach LaVine has two exhibition games under his belt and doesn’t anticipate the butterflies to get to him as he takes the court tonight.

“I got the jitters out of the way in the exhibition … so I’m ready to go now and get the college season underway,” LaVine said.

LaVine and the Bruins don’t anticipate an easy first opponent. Under coach James “Bruiser” Flint, the Drexel Dragons play with a style that matches their coach’s name.

“Coach said they’re a very physical team. Their guards are gonna pressure you and get up into you, and they’re going to compete the whole game,” said sophomore guard Jordan Adams.

Sophomore guard/forward Kyle Anderson can attest to that physicality. Although he hasn’t faced Drexel before, Anderson said he grew up competing against several Dragon players and has been playing against them since he was 11 years old.

“They’re very good players. They’re all tough,” Anderson said. “They’re East Coast players, who always have the attitude of being tough and of course they’re good.”

Matching that physicality could be a challenge for the Bruins. With freshman forward Wanaah Bail still rehabbing from knee surgery and redshirt senior forward Travis Wear recovering from appendicitis, the Bruins are starting the season with a thin front court stretched even thinner. This has forced UCLA to change its style of play slightly by trying to avoid picking up fouls.

Limiting foul trouble against a physical team is a challenge, but Alford said he was pleased with how his team adapted to the lack of depth in its two exhibition games.

“I think they’ve done a great job. Since losing Trav, we had to start playing a little different and that’s obviously affected us and they’ve done a very good job. (The) guys have picked up their play,” Alford said.

One player that Alford singled out was sophomore forward/center Tony Parker, who exploded in UCLA’s final exhibition game against Cal State San Marcos on Monday, going for 17 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks while committing just one foul.

“I’d say Tony’s been looking different this year from last year,” Adams said. “What we saw the last game versus San Marcos, that’s what Tony’s been doing the whole time in practice, so hopefully he can continue to improve and keep killing on the boards.”

Controlling the glass, an area Alford said the team still needs improvement in, will be key for the Bruins to get the win. But with a new coach, a new team and a new identity, this first game is not just about getting the win. It’s about making a statement.

“You definitely want to send out a message with this first game, show that we’re a tough team, show that we’re a good team,” Anderson said. “But we’re just going to go out there and play our game and let all that take care of itself.”