With the Bruins down by one with nine seconds remaining, senior guard Japreece Dean drained a 3-point jumper, giving UCLA women’s basketball (10-9, 3-4 Pac-12) the 61-59 upset over No. 16 Arizona State (13-6, 4-4).
Dean said she did not expect the game-winning shot to go in.
“I tried to drive (initially) and then they made me switch,” Dean said. “So I just figured I’d make a move and get a shot off so we had a chance at an offensive rebound.”
But no offensive rebound was needed.
The Bruins’ leading 3-point shooter did what she does best to give UCLA its second win over a top-20 ranked opponent in its last six-game stretch.
Sophomore forward Lauryn Miller said the team needed to be more fierce coming into this game.
“We knew we wanted to come out and fight,” Miller said. “They are a really aggressive and tough team. They have two players they are constantly trying to get the ball to, so we really wanted to take those looks away and make sure we get back to our defensive kind of transition game.”
Miller posted a career-high 17 points off the bench. She led the Bruin offense in scoring with 10 points in the first half alone – more than any player for both teams.
“She showed so much grit, toughness, preparation and selflessness leading up to that,” said coach Cori Close. “I was just so proud of her and happy for her.”
Miller led the Bruins in a back-and-forth battle between both teams in the beginning of the contest.
The forward’s midrange jumper with two minutes remaining in the first quarter gave UCLA a five-point lead. But the Sun Devils battled back, going 4-of-7 from beyond the arc in the second quarter as the Bruins trailed 31-26 heading into halftime.
“We just knew that we had some mental lapses and they were going to have certain players, like (Arizona State forward Courtney Ekmark), who they were going to look to get them up and unfortunately we didn’t really execute that part in the first half,” Miller said. “But we made sure to talk about it and adjust, and make sure offensively we were communicating so they wouldn’t get those easy looks.”
The Bruins outshot the Sun Devils 50 percent to 26 percent in the third quarter, outscoring them 18-13. A 3-pointer by Dean brought UCLA back from its five point-deficit, tying the game once again at 33 with 7:18 left in the quarter. The two teams headed into the final frame knotted at 44.
“We told (the Bruins) that the team that was going to rebound and talk more in the fourth quarter was going to win,” Close said. “The overall message to the team was that it was going to be about communication, because they run a lot of sets and they are good at finding people down the stretch … and it was going to be about rebounding.”
After three more lead changes, UCLA was down 59-58 with 17 seconds remaining. Dean got the ball following a Bruin timeout and sank the 3 to give UCLA the win.
“(Dean) didn’t play well offensively, but she stayed steady emotionally and on defense,” Close said. “If she had let those other things get to her, then she would not have been ready to take and make that big shot.”
The Bruins will remain on the road and face the Arizona Wildcats (13-5, 3-4) on Sunday afternoon.
It’s no secret that Earl Watson is popular among current and former UCLA players. From what I know, he’s a great guy who truly cares about his players and their development on and off the court. However, I don’t think he will get any serious consideration for the coaching job because Athletic Director Dan Guerrero and Golden State Warriors General Manager Bob Myers will be on the hunt for the biggest fish they can get their hands on. Watson’s short stint as the head coach of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns does not scare me away like it does for other people, but I can see where some of the skepticism among that crowd comes from considering how little success he had there. You can never say never, but I would consider the potential hiring of Watson as highly unlikely.
The Bruins are going to have to go on a sizable winning streak to earn a bid to the tournament. Last season, a 21-11 season record prior to the NCAA tournament with an 11-7 Pac-12 record gave them just enough to sneak in past USC, who most people thought deserved UCLA’s spot. As of Friday morning, the Bruins sit at 10-9 with a 3-3 conference record, but a four or five-game winning streak could earn them some respect among the committee. If UCLA is going to get in, however, it will most likely have to come by having success in the Pac-12 tournament. So far, there has been no clear front-runner in the conference, which has opened the door for a number of schools. Only three games separate first and seventh place in the standings and while the Bruins are in seventh, if they can get hot come conference tournament time, then anything could happen.
There have not been any official indications as to who the front-runners for the job will be, but there are a few names that have already been thrown out there such as Fred Hoiberg, Tony Bennett and Billy Donovan. Of those three, only Hoiberg seems like a plausible option at this point. Donovan is enjoying plenty of success at the professional level while Bennett doesn’t really have any reason to leave the program he has built at Virginia. In terms of a time frame, I would expect the hiring to take place soon after the conclusion of the season. UCLA won’t be doing anything that could disrupt interim coach Murry Bartow or his players after everything they’ve already been through this year.
If UCLA hires a top-flight candidate, it would be reasonable to expect instant results. The Bruins have plenty of talent on the roster and a handful of recruits on the way in, so anything short of being competitive in the conference would be a big disappointment. However, I have faith that Guerrero and Myers will be able to hire the best fit available. The UCLA job is a desirable one, regardless of what people have to say about it, and realistically, this decision could be a make-or-break one for Guerrero. There is a lot riding on this hire, so I think it’s safe to assume that whoever gets the job will be capable of turning out instantaneous results.
Here it is.
(Daily Bruin Archive)
We had to go all the way back to 1943 to find this photo of Bill O’Brien.
UCLA men’s basketball has only had four coaches in the past 31 seasons, but the prestigious program has just one national championship to its name in that time. With a highly anticipated coaching search on the horizon, Daily Bruin Sports reflected on the Bruins’ past four coaches to see how the expectations and performances have changed over time.
Jim Harrick (1988-1996)
After a previous stint as an assistant coach, Jim Harrick’s eight-season run as head coach in Westwood culminated in one of the oddest coaching departures from UCLA – only one year removed from an NCAA championship, no less.
Harrick’s undoing hinged on a recruiting dinner at which then-UCLA players Cameron Dollar and Charles O’Bannon were present, among others. Since Harrick charged the entire meal on his tab, Dollar and O’Bannon technically violated NCAA rules by receiving extra benefits. Harrick made matters much worse by lying about the players’ presence at dinner and encouraging a member of his coaching staff to support his lies.
Jim Harrick (UCLA Athletics)
All this led to then-Athletic Director Pete Dalis offering Harrick an ultimatum – resign or be fired without pay.
He chose to get fired, ending the most successful run of any UCLA coach since John Wooden. Harrick remains the only Bruin coach other than Wooden to win an NCAA championship.
In a weird twist, current Golden State Warriors President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Bob Myers played for Harrick and was also present at the dinner as a student-athlete host. Myers is one of the members of UCLA’s search committee for the current head coach opening.
The Bruins’ 1994-95 national championship team featured former guard and current assistant coach Tyus Edney, whose full-court sprint and layup in 4.8 seconds defeated Missouri at the buzzer in the second round NCAA tournament. Forward Ed O’Bannon scored 30 points and pulled down 17 rebounds in UCLA’s 89-78 win over Arkansas in the national championship game.
Despite Harrick’s success, his tenure was also marked by underachievement. His teams lost in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament five times, even though the Bruins were infused with stars such as O’Bannon, Tracy Murray, Edney and Don MacLean, the leading scorer in UCLA and Pac-12 history.
What UCLA can learn from the Harrick era is that its men’s basketball coach should be honest and own up to their mistakes. Oh, and also recruit a couple superstars to set the table for another potential championship.
Steve Lavin (1996-2003)
Out of the ruins of the Harrick fiasco emerged Steve Lavin.
Or as his detractors describe it, nepotism, since Lavin was the longest-tenured assistant coach at the time of Harrick’s firing.
Because of various highly ranked recruiting classes and a less-than-stellar coaching resume, Lavin bears noteworthy resemblance to former coach Steve Alford, who was fired just before Pac-12 play began this season.
Steve Lavin (UCLA Athletics)
Lavin brought in future NBA talents such as Baron Davis, Matt Barnes, Dan Gadzuric and Jason Kapono. Under Lavin, UCLA made the NCAA tournament in each of his first six seasons, losing in the Elite Eight once, the Sweet 16 four times and the first round once.
But with the recruiting eventually going dry, his last season was nothing short of a disaster.
The Bruins finished 10-19, the worst post-Wooden record in school history, with losses to the University of San Diego and Northern Arizona in addition to a 10-game conference play losing streak.
Lavin’s tenure is largely responsible for beginning the media narrative that UCLA’s men’s basketball coaches must achieve nothing short of absolute excellence.
“Clearly not the success expected at UCLA, because there it has to be national championships and Final Fours or you’re out,” Lavin told the Orange County Register in 2011. “But I understand that comes with the territory so I never really took offense to it.”
Lavin, like Alford, was known as a player’s coach, but that didn’t mean he did much coaching.
During a Golden State Warriors shootaround at Pauley Pavilion in 2007, Davis reportedly said that UCLA was the only team to make the NCAA tournament without a coach, referring to Lavin.
At the very least, Lavin represents a worst-case scenario if UCLA accepts the path of least resistance in its search for a head coach. Without a doubt, he showed that the Bruins could recruit NBA-caliber talent. The bigger issue is implementing a system to turn an entire team into a cohesive unit.
Ben Howland (2003-2013)
The last time the Bruins were consistently relevant on the national stage, Ben Howland was in charge.
Howland racked up the second-most wins in school history, sticking around for 10 seasons and making three straight Final Fours in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
But he didn’t do it alone.
Just like any other UCLA coach over the past 50 years, Howland was able to reel in top talent to help the Bruins reach the next level. While he never won a championship in Westwood, superstars Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love and Arron Afflalo carried UCLA into the spotlight and kept the Bruins’ offense running like a well-oiled machine.
Howland’s downfall, however, was that he wasn’t an offensive coach. There’s nothing wrong with that, as long as you’re winning.
Shabazz Muhammad – one of the best recruits in UCLA history – came around during the twilight of the Howland era. By the time he got to town, Howland’s coaching style had worn thin, fans were no longer on board and attendance was dropping drastically.
Ben Howland (UCLA Athletics)
The Bruins lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament and Howland was axed.
“We don’t want to bring in a coach who averages 50 points per game,” said Athletic Director Dan Guerrero after firing Howland.
Guerrero wanted fun, and Howland wasn’t that. He may have had fun players at his disposal at the peak of his power with the Bruins, but he was criticized for calling too many timeouts, over-substituting and running a generally slow offense.
There’s a similar sentiment on campus now – the talent has been here, but the coaching style has been too rigid and stale for the team to overachieve. UCLA needs to find a player-friendly coach who can turn all this skill into a high-powered, well-run offense.
But most importantly, Howland taught the Bruins that talent can overcome anything, as long as that talent is top-level. Recruit the best, and the success will come with them. Tailor the coaching style to each year’s team and go from there.
Steve Alford (2013-2018)
Steve Alford’s five-plus years on the UCLA bench were filled with just as much disappointment as they were excitement.
The former Bruins coach replaced Ben Howland in 2013 after UCLA got bounced in the first round of the NCAA tournament by Minnesota, finishing that year with a 25-10 overall record and a regular season Pac-12 title.
Soon after taking over, Alford began to build a strong reputation as a recruiter, eventually helping him pull in big-name recruits like Lonzo Ball, TJ Leaf, Kris Wilkes and Moses Brown. However, he was never able to lead his top-ranked recruiting classes deep into the postseason.
In each of his first two seasons, Alford took the Bruins to the Sweet 16, but failed to advance any further. In 2015-2016, UCLA had just its fourth losing season since 1948 and finished 10th in the Pac-12 with a 15-17 record.
Steve Alford (Liz Ketcham/Assistant Photo editor)
The Bruins reloaded the following season with a roster headlined by five-star freshmen Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf, as well as the veteran experience of then-seniors Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton.
UCLA started that season 13-0 and picked up what could have arguably been the best win of Steve Alford’s coaching career along the way. The then-No. 11 Bruins went into Rupp Arena and downed then-No. 1 Kentucky, catapulting UCLA to No. 2 in the next AP poll – its highest ranking ever under Alford.
The Bruins went on to finish that season 31-5, but suffered yet another disappointing Sweet 16 exit after De’Aaron Fox and the Wildcats avenged their earlier loss with an 86-75 victory over the Bruins.
Ball and Leaf left the program for the NBA that offseason, while Bryce Alford and Hamilton graduated – setting the table for Steve Alford’s eventual downfall.
After trying to ride Aaron Holiday’s heroics to glory in 2017-2018, a First Four drubbing at the hands of St. Bonaventure had Steve Alford’s seat getting even hotter than it had already been.
Despite Steve Alford showing no concern over his job security heading into this season, a tumultuous nonconference portion of the schedule was the last straw for Athletic Director Dan Guerrero.
Guerrero fired Steve Alford in December before the start of Pac-12 play. Alford finished his UCLA coaching career with a 124-63 record and three Sweet 16 appearances, but the feeling of missed opportunity will forever be linked to his time in Westwood.
At some point in the next few months, UCLA will have to make a decision that will shape the future of the program. Guerrero and the Bruins have their legacies on the line, and if they want to stay relevant on the national stage and preserve the program Wooden built, they have to learn their lessons from their past four hires.
The Wildcats may not be at the top of the Pac-12 this season, but they are still at the top of the Bruins’ hit list.
UCLA men’s basketball (10-9, 3-3 Pac-12) will welcome Arizona (14-6, 5-2) to Pauley Pavilion on Saturday with a chance to break a three-game losing streak and avenge their loss to the Wildcats in last year’s Pac-12 tournament.
The last time Arizona came to Westwood, guard Lonzo Ball was running the point for the Bruins. He scored 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 from downtown.
This year’s UCLA squad hasn’t had a player score 24 or more points since sophomore guard Kris Wilkes dropped 27 against Purdue Fort Wayne in the season-opener. After averaging 92.3 points per game in interim coach Murry Bartow’s first three games on the bench, the Bruins have averaged 68.7 in their last three.
But those low scoring totals aren’t a result of poor field goal shooting.
UCLA outshot Arizona State 48.6 percent to 40 percent in the first half of its eventual loss Thursday night, but it entered halftime with just a one-point lead. What has hampered the Bruins in this three-game stretch has been what has hampered them all year long – turnovers and free throw shooting.
Bartow’s Bruins are shooting 44.4 percent from the line and averaging 16 turnovers per game during their losing streak. The Wildcats, on the other hand, force the most turnovers in the Pac-12.
The Wildcats’ second-leading scorer and top rebounder, center Chase Jeter, is a former top recruit and Duke transfer who will likely match up with freshman center Moses Brown down low. Brown is fourth on the conference rebounds leaderboard, but he pulled down just four boards Thursday.
Jeter missed Arizona’s matchup with USC on Thursday night due to a back injury, and his team got blown out 80-57 in the Galen Center.
The Bruins and Wildcats will both be looking to avoid weekend sweeps when the two teams tip off at 7 p.m. on Saturday night.
To get some inside information on the Arizona men’s basketball team, Daily Bruin Sports reached out to the Daily Wildcat – the University of Arizona’s student news publication – and asked its Sports editor Alec White a few questions about the Wildcats before their upcoming game against the Bruins on Saturday.
Daily Bruin: Given the events that have occurred involving the Arizona men’s basketball program in recent months, are you surprised at all by the team’s 5-1 start to Pac-12 play?
Alec White: Right now, I think they’re right around where expectations were, at least locally. I think anywhere from one to four in the Pac-12 is where we thought Arizona would be.
Last weekend, they were undefeated in the Pac-12 and tied with Washington for first (place). So I don’t think people quite expected them to be up there at the top so soon, but I think the first couple (of) weeks of conference play – Utah, Colorado at home, and then on the road against (California) and Stanford – I think most people thought Arizona would win three or four of those games and they ended up winning four.
So it wasn’t necessarily surprising to see them get out to a quick start, but right now, I think they’re right around where everybody thought they would be – making a push for the top of the Pac-12.
DB: What is Arizona doing so well to keep itself near the top of the conference?
AW: Their defense right now is what I think is allowing them to be up there. KenPom has them ranked as the 22nd defense after this weekend. Last year they were, like, the 100th ranked defense (on) KenPom, and so that really was a detriment to that team.
But they play with a lot of effort on defense. There’s not one lockdown defender that you can point to but I think they do a good job of limiting good shots from the opponents.
(Center/forward) Chase Jeter, he’ll draw a charge pretty much every single game that he’s out on the court. Same with guys like (guards) Dylan Smith, Justin Coleman. They’re not afraid to take charges and they’re not afraid to get in the hands of the opponents.
DB: From an outsider’s perspective, what has UCLA’s season looked like?
AW: I think the outsider’s view is that UCLA has got a lot of young, talented players but they just haven’t been able to put it together.
There’s been a lot of drama surrounding Steve Alford and his firing and I think people from the outside were really thinking that with (freshman center) Moses Brown, (sophomore guard) Jaylen Hands and (sophomore guard) Kris Wilkes, they could put something together. And I just don’t think offensively that they’ve been able to match the firepower or the expectations that have been placed upon them.
DB: The easy choice for most exciting matchup Saturday is Brown vs. Jeter, but are there any other matchups you are looking forward to seeing?
AW: I want to see how Arizona handles Wilkes and Hands. They’ve had a problem with some of those guys in the past. I know Hands, when he came to (McKale Memorial Center) last year, he put on quite a show. Same with Wilkes in the Pac-12 tournament.
But Arizona right now, their guards, Brandon Randolph and (Brandon) Williams, are struggling offensively – they’re doing pretty well defensively. But I think the guard matchup, it’s going to be 3-point shooting.
Arizona I think took almost 50 3s in the two games this (past) weekend and I know UCLA likes to test the waters on the 3-point line as well. So I think the matchup of the guards is going to be where the game is determined.
DB: What is your score prediction for Saturday’s game?
AW: Right now, I think Arizona is going to lose one of the two of the games that they play on the road, whether it’s at USC or at UCLA. If they were to beat USC on Thursday, I’d say that UCLA gets them, so I’ll go with that. I think Arizona beats USC Thursday and then they’ll lose at UCLA on Saturday. I’ll go with a score of 77-70 in favor of UCLA.
Now Alford is gone, and the sophomore is the lone point guard on the team. No more Aaron Holiday, Thomas Welsh or GG Goloman to lead the way – Hands is one of UCLA’s most experienced players.
And as one of the team’s fresh new leaders, Hands has turned to his most comfortable pastime to ease into the new role – regular and introspective dives into his favorite music.
“I make it a priority to just be,” Hands said. “I like taking deep breaths sometimes, whether it’s on the court or just in my room. I think music really relaxes me and I just like being able to think about where I’m at now, where I could be headed, the people I’m with, the decisions I’m making.”
Dom Kennedy, Brent Faiyaz and Kanye West are some of the artists Hands said he listens to daily, highlighting their honesty and creativity as the key draws.
“(I like West), a lot of his early stuff like ‘The College Dropout’ album,” Hands said. “He’s very honest about his position in life, self confidence, I like that. Like his song ‘Last Call,’ I play that so much because it inspires me.”
“Last Call” – the final song on “The College Dropout” – clocks in at 12 minutes, 41 seconds and features lyrics about an “overlooked” West standing up to haters and overcoming “the hand (he) was dealt.”
(Photo by Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin senior staff, Illustration by Juliette Le Saint/Daily Bruin senior staff)
While Hands was not exactly overlooked before coming to UCLA, he does have his cynics.
The San Diego native was a five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American out of Mater Dei High School, a perennial top-10 program that has produced nine NBA players. He was heralded as the successor to Lonzo Ball and was expected to be another one-and-done top pick for UCLA.
The Pac-12’s leading assister may have morphed his game into more of a pass-first approach this season, but he still averages 3.1 turnovers per game – earning him seemingly endless criticism on the internet.
But another one of Hands’ musical idols, Frank Ocean, sticks to his unique style – and it’s paid off.
Ocean had a following of haters on comment boards and Twitter after bursting onto the music scene in 2011. Since then, he has reeled in two Grammys and five additional nominations, something Hands said has to do with the rapper’s internal creativity.
“Frank Ocean, he’s just super creative, the way he writes, he always just has me thinking,” Hands said. “I listen to his music all the time and each time I listen to it, I find a different gem or way to think about something.”
Jaylen Hands has started all 18 games for UCLA men’s basketball this season and is leading the Pac-12 in assists. The former five-star recruit is the lone point guard on the roster. (Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Ocean’s lyrics on his 2016 albums “Blonde” and “Endless” align with the same themes of perseverance as Hands’ favorite Kayne songs, but they also contain messages about being reliable for the people closest to him.
Hands has done a lot of that this season.
After UCLA overcame a 17-point deficit to force overtime against Oregon on Jan. 10, freshman center Moses Brown turned the ball over with just over two minutes left in the extra period and hung his head low while getting back on defense.
Hands came up from behind the freshman, grabbed his chin, and lifted it back up.
“That’s my brother, my point guard,” Brown said. “He does a good job of encouraging me.”
The 7-footer – who is shooting 33.3 percent from the charity stripe this season – went on to hit a free throw with 19 seconds left to put the Bruins up by three, a lead they would hold onto until the final buzzer.
“We didn’t fight all that way for nothing, so we can’t dwell on one mistake,” Hands said. “I just wanted to lift (Brown) up to get (him) back focused, and that’s what happened.”
The Bruins’ other five-star sophomore, guard Kris Wilkes, has been roommates with Hands since the two got to campus in the summer of 2017. Wilkes said the two are very close and that he’s enjoyed watching Hands grow on the court, but he did not have the same kind of praise for his teammate’s taste in music.
“He has a wide range of music he likes, so it’s different,” Wilkes said. “There’s a lot of stuff he likes that I don’t like, but he’s a big musical guy, so he likes a little bit of everything.”
Basketball is a sport often associated with hip-hop artists like West and Ocean, but some of Hands’ other favorites like jazz singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse do not exactly evoke images of blacktops and hoop mixtapes.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin senior staff)
“(Winehouse was) very honest about her problems, internally, so I feel that,” Hands said. “I really feel her music. … I just like feeling stuff, be able to feel it, internalize it, think about it.”
Hands said that listening to his favorite music gives him the solitude to explore his thoughts and be thankful for everything he has accomplished, but the Bruin also happens to be an outgoing fan favorite on Twitter.
Whether he’s sharing what he’s listening to that day or listing his favorite post-practice snacks, Hands has shaped a free-spirited and expressive persona on social media.
“(My image isn’t) so much what I want it to be, (it’s) just being myself,” Hands said. “I’m still learning how to balance it out. But I just like having fun when I’m outside of basketball.”
That fun personality has spilled into basketball too.
The guard cracked SportsCenter Top 10 Plays last year when he tossed Wilkes a through-the-legs alley-oop against Stanford in Pauley Pavilion, and he nearly did the same against Notre Dame last month.
While he made it clear winning comes first, Hands said playing fast and loose is integral both to his game and his self-expression.
“It just has to do with personality,” Hands said. “I think I’m best when I’m loose and I’m in a situation where I can show my personality. … It’s fun when you can get out there and get the job done and have a little fun while you’re doing it.”
(Axel Lopez/Assistant Photo editor)
Hands carries that personality on and off the court, and when he takes a moment to blend it together with the creativity of West, the honesty of Winehouse and the poetry of Ocean, he said he can build himself into something more.
“Creativity and honesty, that’s just, for me, being honest with myself about where I’m at, how I can get better,” Hands said. “I think once it all comes together into what I envision myself to be and where I’m at, … it’s going to be beautiful.”
There have been a lot of names thrown out there for the UCLA men’s basketball head coaching job.
The thing is, I’m just not impressed.
John Beilein and Tony Bennett aren’t going anywhere. Michigan and Virginia are top-five teams with big money behind them, so UCLA can’t offer those two anything they don’t already have.
Billy Donovan probably won’t leave the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’s under contract for two more seasons at a hefty salary and he gets to coach Russell Westbrook and Paul George.
Everyone else just seems bland to me. Earl Watson, Eric Musselman, Chris Beard, Fred Hoiberg and Jamie Dixon are all fine candidates, but that’s all I see them as – fine.
So I have a true dark horse to propose, a name I haven’t seen connected to UCLA anywhere else on the internet. Disclaimer: This one’s going to be pretty hard to spell.
Steve Wojciechowski.
“Wojo” is currently the head coach for No. 12 Marquette. He is a 42-year-old disciple of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, and I want him to be the next coach for UCLA men’s basketball.
For starters, Wojciechowski coached under the legendary “Coach K” for 15 years as an assistant specializing in frontcourt players.
Where is UCLA loaded for the next few years? Down low.
Between redshirt freshmen Cody Riley and Jalen Hill, freshmen Moses Brown and Shareef O’Neal and redshirt junior Alex Olesinski, the Bruins will have superstar talent and depth on the blocks for years to come. And that list doesn’t even include five-star power forward Jaden McDaniels, the No. 5 recruit in the nation who has UCLA listed in his top five.
Wojciechowski also played for Krzyzewski at Duke from 1994 to 1998 as a point guard, ending his career inside the school’s top-ten lists in both career steals and assists. In 1998, he took home the National Association of Basketball Coaches Defensive Player of the Year award.
After going undrafted in the 1998 NBA Draft, the former McDonald’s All-American went overseas to Europe – commonly regarded as a hotspot of basketball fundamentals – to play in the Polish Basketball League.
Even before looking at his track record at Marquette, it’s clear to see that Wojciechowski has the pedigree to work with UCLA’s guards and forwards that no one else does. He’s coached with the best, played with the best and can relate to the blue-chip recruits he pursues on a personal level.
It also doesn’t hurt that he has a great defensive IQ, since Steve Alford’s Bruins were never really praised for their shut-down defense.
If Wojciechowski got his hands on this UCLA team – which is highly regarded as talented but inconsistent, reckless and raw – just imagine what he could do with it.
Take a look at what he’s doing with Marquette right now.
In his fifth year with the Golden Eagles, Wojciechowski has cemented his team as a favorite to win the Big East. His first two seasons at Marquette were rocky, but since then, he has taken them to the NCAA tournament and the NIT quarterfinals. And now he’s well on his way to the Sweet 16.
To UCLA fans, I’m sure that sounds disappointing, but he turned a mid-major that was suffering from a rocky end to the Buzz Williams era into a contender by playing the long game – something the Bruins are in dire need of.
Marquette guard Markus Howard was a top-50 recruit who averaged 13.2 points per game his freshman year. Now, as a junior, Howard is averaging 24.3 points per game on 43.4 percent 3-point shooting to go along with 4.4 assists and 4 rebounds a night.
That kind of long-term player development is exactly what UCLA needs, since in the past, most of its top recruits go one-and-done or fizzle out altogether. Wojciechowski wouldn’t compromise the Bruins’ top-level recruiting, but he would be a better player developer than Alford ever was.
Yes, the chances that Wojciechowski comes to Westwood are slim. Athletic Director Dan Guerrero and Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers – who are leading the coaching search – probably won’t even give him a call, let alone an offer.
But that doesn’t mean they’re right.
Interesting note: Myers – who played for UCLA from 1993 to 1997 – and Wojciechowski faced off on the court three times in their collegiate careers.
Wojciechowski has the perfect level of experience and is young enough to stick with UCLA for 25 years.
It’s a bit of a fantasy, but I’m still crossing my fingers that “Wojo” ends up on the Bruins’ bench next season.
