UCLA men’s basketball might not have figured out its identity yet just two games into the season, but the Bruins have built a foundation with a pair of towering anchors in the paint.
Even after UCLA blew a 13-point lead with 12:29 left in the second half to fall in overtime to Monmouth, there was no denying one of the few positives of the game: the play of Tony Parker.
The senior forward/center finished the season opener with 19 points and 19 rebounds, and it could have been more if he hadn’t fouled out late in the extra period. Not to be outdone, sophomore center Thomas Welsh added his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
“The one positive was we did a very good job on the glass, and we’ve done a good job,” said coach Steve Alford. “I thought Tom was outstanding and obviously Tony’s stat line was tremendous.”
UCLA easily controlled the boards, out-rebounding Monmouth 60-37. Granted, the Hawks played primarily with four guards and one center, so the numbers are inflated. However, having the 7-foot Welsh and 6-foot-9 Parker crowding the paint will make a hard cover for most teams.
“It’s definitely a different go-around. In high school, most of the guys I played against weren’t 7-feet or 6-feet-10 or anything like that so I think I have some experience with it for sure,” Welsh said on being defended by guards. “Coach starts calling plays for me down low so it works really well.”
As the season progresses, Welsh and Parker will go against players more their size. While the stats may take a bit of a dip, the chemistry the two have built should last.
Multiple times against Monmouth, Parker set up in the high post and found Welsh for wide-open layups – a high-low action that shows the versatility of UCLA’s big-big lineup. That’s not to say Parker won’t be roaming around the basket – he picked up nine offensive rebounds and racked up most of his points going up strong for layups and dunks.
“I like to go high-low at times, because it’s easy to find (Welsh) – he’s 7-foot,” Parker said.
Sunday night against a slightly bigger Cal Poly team, Welsh stepped out and displayed an improved midrange jumper. He finished with 22 points, shooting 10 for 12 from the field with most of his points coming from 10 to 15 feet out.
Parker added 16 points and 14 rebounds to complement his fellow big man’s lights-out shooting.
If UCLA can continue establishing dominance in the paint as it has the past two games, it should pave the way for the Bruins’ wings to play with more consistency.
When that happens, it’ll open it up even more for the towering tandem to work down low.