Men’s basketball opens post-Alford era with blowout win against Stanford

This post was updated Jan. 3 at 11:38 p.m.

In Murray Bartow’s first game as head coach on the Bruin bench, a lot changed.

For starters, they won.

“It’s been a really hard two weeks,” Bartow said. “But I think the last three days, the guys have done a really good job of trying to get their spirits back up.”

UCLA men’s basketball (8-6, 1-0 Pac-12) snapped its four-game losing streak with a 92-70 victory over Stanford (7-6, 0-1) on Thursday night in the first game of the Pac-12 play. The Bruins had their highest scoring output since Nov. 16 against Saint Francis and their best defensive game since their victory over Notre Dame on Dec. 8.

“We really keyed in on playing with pride, playing for the four letters in front of us,” said sophomore guard Jaylen Hands. “We went out there and mirrored what we did in practice – just played hard, with energy and for each other.”

UCLA led for the entire second half, and trailed for less than two minutes on the night.

Freshman center Moses Brown scored a team-high 17 points to go along with 10 rebounds – his first double-double since Dec. 2 versus Loyola Marymount and his most points since the matchup with Saint Francis.

Brown, who was 8-of-9 from the field despite spraining his ankle in practice Wednesday, said that the new energy under Bartow helped the Bruins break out of their funk.

“I love Bartow’s energy,” Brown said. “Now that he’s the head coach, all of (the energy) has started to manifest. … I really like the way he’s gone about this little transition we’re going through.”

Bartow used a new starting lineup, with sophomore guard Chris Smith getting the start over redshirt freshman forwards Cody Riley and Jalen Hill. Redshirt junior forward Alex Olesinski made his return from a broken foot, and walk-on freshman guard Russell Stong made his season debut.

“I think (Smith) did a really good job of running, outletting on breaks, being active, being long,” Hands said. “It’s like having four guards out there and everyone’s a threat to drive or shoot.”

Hill was scoreless in 19 minutes, reeling in seven rebounds, while Riley scored six points in eight minutes.

The Bruins also ran a 2-3 zone and a full-court press for the majority of the game, turning 14 Cardinal turnovers into 21 points.

“We’ve really wanted to push the tempo of this game so we wanted to press more, trap a little bit more, try to run a little bit more after a made shot,” Bartow said. “I thought, defensively, a little up and down, but for the most part, pretty good.”

Sophomore guard Kris Wilkes was in foul trouble early, playing only five minutes and scoring two points in the first half. The wing bounced back to score 12 points in the second half, tied with redshirt junior guard Prince Ali for the team lead.

Although Hands scored just five points in the second half, the sophomore finished the night with 15 points, six assists and four rebounds. Hands leads the conference with 6.9 assists per game.

Two of Hands’ assists were to Brown on alley-oops, and Brown said that the Bruins’ ball movement is what helped the Bruins break out.

“We ran a lot of sets that can take advantage of their defense, and we moved the ball around,” Brown said. “It made it just way easier to get open shots, not only for me but for my teammates.”

Along with Hands, Brown and Wilkes, both Ali and freshman guard David Singleton cracked double digits as well. Ali scored 14 points and Singleton scored a season-high 13.

UCLA will have a chance to pick up a second straight win when it welcomes California to Pauley Pavilion on Saturday.

Men’s basketball leads Stanford at halftime of Pac-12 opener

The post-Steve Alford era is officially underway for the Bruins.

UCLA men’s basketball (7-6) leads Stanford (7-5) 38-32 at the half of the Pac-12 season opener, on pace to break its four-game losing streak. The Bruins hit their first three shots under interim coach Murry Bartow and held the lead for all but 1:23 in the first half.

After the Cardinal cut the Bruin lead to seven at the nine-minute mark, UCLA doubled its lead.

Sophomore guard Jaylen Hands threw a no-look alley-oop to freshman center Moses Brown from outside the 3-point line. Hands stole the ball on the next possession and finished an and-one on the fast break.

Sophomore guard Kris WIlkes picked off a Stanford pass just seconds later and flushed a dunk of his own.

The Cardinal went on a 10-0 run out of a timeout to cut the deficit to four, but the run was halted by a corner 3 by freshman guard David Singleton.

Sophomore guard Chris Smith got his first start of the season, while redshirt junior Alex Olesinski made his season debut.

Hands led the Bruins in scoring with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting to go along with three rebounds and two assists. Brown has nine points and six rebounds and has missed just one shot.

Wilkes picked up two early fouls and scored just two points in five minutes.

Thirty of UCLA’s 38 points came in the paint – 10 of which came off dunks – while the Bruins shot just 2-of-11 from downtown.

UCLA hasn’t lost to Stanford in Pauley Pavilion since 2005.

Fresh Off the Grill: Insights into UCLA Athletics’ search for Alford’s successor

The search for Steve Alford’s replacement has begun.

Following the firing of the UCLA men’s basketball coach Monday morning and the appointment of assistant coach Murry Bartow as the interim head coach, the athletic department said the search for a new coach will begin immediately.

[Related: UCLA fires men’s basketball coach Steve Alford days before start of Pac-12 play]

With a range of collegiate and NBA coaches to choose from, there are six strong candidates that should be at the forefront.

The best-case scenario

The top option for the Bruins is Billy Donovan. Donovan has coached the Oklahoma City Thunder since 2015. Prior to the NBA, he racked up over 20 years of collegiate coaching experience at Marshall and Florida.

Donovan led the Gators to 14 NCAA tournaments, including two NCAA championships, four Final Four appearances and three trips to the Elite Eight. With the Thunder and UCLA alum Russell Westbrook, Donovan has made the playoffs in each of his three seasons, including the Western Conference Finals in 2016.

The only knock on Donovan is that he may not want to leave the Thunder as he continues to build a contending team in the Western Conference.

The familiar face

Everyone is talking about Earl Watson as the next UCLA coach. While Watson was a Bruin himself for four years, from 1997-2001, he has had just over two years of head coaching experience in the NBA.

As head coach of the Phoenix Suns, Watson recorded a .280 winning percentage and suffered the worst loss in franchise history. A large part of the lack of success had to do with the weakness of his roster. However, many believe Watson was fired because he lost the locker room – much like what happened to Alford.

The fact that Watson has 13 years of NBA playing experience and is a UCLA alum make him an attractive candidate. But he does not have any collegiate coaching experience – which is a very different game from the NBA. And if he cannot have success with professionals, it is hard to believe that he would with the Bruins.

The safe choice

Another choice is Fred Hoiberg. Many believe that his four NCAA tournament appearances during his tenure at Iowa State make him a good candidate for the collegiate arena. However, he lacks recruiting experience, as the Cyclones often brought in transfer students and developmental players rather than five-star athletes.

Hoiberg played at Iowa State for four years before the Indiana Pacers picked the guard in the 1995 NBA Draft. With his ten years of NBA experience, he may offer good insight to the Bruins’ roster of NBA hopefuls.

The biggest question surrounding Hoiberg, however, is how he will rebound following his 5-19 start to the 2018-2019 season and recent firing as coach of the Chicago Bulls. Hoiberg had no NBA coaching experience prior to joining the Bulls and was unable to translate his fast-paced coaching style to the NBA.

The change-up

Buzz Williams is also an option for the Bruins. Williams is not a name that has been circling as a coaching option thus far; however, he offers a different and more intense mindset that could spark UCLA.

Williams is in his 12th year of Division I coaching, currently leading Virginia Tech with an 11-1 record and a No. 10 ranking to start this season. Prior to joining the Hokies in 2014, he coached Marquette to five seasons of over 20 wins, including two Sweet 16 appearances and one trip to the Elite Eight.

However, Williams has only brought in one ESPN five-star recruit to Virginia Tech over his five seasons – failing in comparison to Alford’s seven five-stars in his 5 1/2 years. The Hokies are also a rising program that Williams may not want to abandon.

The dark horse

Next on the list is Chris Beard. Beard is currently the coach of Texas Tech, which is sitting at No. 11 – but few have mentioned him as a candidate.

Beard has only been coaching Division I basketball since 2015, when he started at Little Rock. In his one season there, he was named Sun Belt Coach of the Year and led Little Rock to a first-round upset over Purdue in the 2016 NCAA tournament.

Beard is in his third season at Texas Tech and has a Big-12 Co-Coach of the Year honor and Elite Eight experience under his belt. Much like Alford, Beard was an assistant, under Indiana coaching legend Bobby Knight while Knight coached at Texas Tech.

Similar to both previous candidates, Beard has yet to bring in a strong recruiting class to the Red Raiders, as that program also focuses on development over “big-time recruits.” UCLA historically has revolved around the reputation of its recruiting classes.

The strong contender

Rounding out potential candidates for Alford’s replacement is Eric Musselman. Musselman currently coaches No. 6 Nevada – one of only four undefeated teams left in the NCAA.

A coach with collegiate and NBA experience, Musselman has led the Wolf Pack through three seasons with over 20 wins, including a Sweet 16 appearance last year. Analysts believe Musselman has Nevada poised for a Final Four run this season.

Musselman is at a school that relies on junior college transfers as opposed to top-100 recruits, so there is uncertainty about how he would do at an elite program with recruiting experience.

Musselman played for San Diego, giving him an edge in West Coast recruiting. Similar to Hoiberg, Musselman’s NBA coaching experience of over 10 years can also help connect him to the mindset of UCLA’s athletes.

Donovan is the dream for UCLA – but that dream is unlikely. Musselman leads the list of candidates that the Bruins should really keep their eyes on.

UCLA fires men’s basketball coach Steve Alford days before start of Pac-12 play

This post was updated Dec. 31 at 10:45 a.m.

Steve Alford’s time in Westwood has come to an end.

UCLA has fired the coach midway through his sixth season, the athletic department announced Monday morning. Assistant coach Murry Bartow will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero said in a statement that although making a coaching change midseason is rare, the program needed it immediately.

“We simply have not been at a consistent level,” Guerrero said. “Our struggles up to this point in the season do not bode well for the future.”

After a 73-58 home loss to Liberty on Saturday, UCLA men’s basketball donors pressured administration for a change in personnel, and a negotiation on Alford’s buyout reached an agreement Sunday evening, according to the Bruin Online Report.

The Bruins opened the 2018 season 5-0, but followed that losing six of their last nine games – including their two most recent home losses to Belmont and Liberty.

“While I wish we could have had more success, my family and I are so grateful for our time in Westwood,” Alford said in a statement. “We wish this program nothing but the best. I sincerely hope that the UCLA community will rally around this team, its players and the coaching staff as Pac-12 play begins.”

Alford joined the Bruins in 2013 and led them to a 124-63 overall record. UCLA reached four NCAA tournaments and made three Sweet 16 appearances during his tenure.

The Bruins advanced to the round of 16 in their first two seasons under Alford, making him only the fourth coach in program history to lead his first two teams to that point.

In the 2016-2017 season, Alford finished with a 31-5 record and took his team to the Sweet 16, led by freshman standout and eventual second overall pick in the NBA Draft Lonzo Ball.

Following the departure of Ball and forwards TJ Leaf and Ike Anigbogu – who were both drafted in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers – and the graduation of guard Bryce Alford, the Bruins finished with a 21-12 record in the 2017-2018 season.

Prior to his arrival in Westwood, Alford spent six seasons as the coach at New Mexico and led the Lobos to three NCAA tournament appearances.

Alford first made a name for himself as a collegiate player at Indiana. Under coach Bobby Knight, Alford led the Hoosiers to an NCAA championship in 1987.

Following the conclusion of his senior season, Alford was picked No. 26 overall in the 1987 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. He spent four years in the NBA – playing for both the Mavericks and Golden State Warriors – before beginning his coaching career.

While the Bruins open conference play Thursday against Stanford, the athletics department said a comprehensive search for a new head coach will begin immediately.

Women’s basketball brings home 72-65 victory against USC to start conference play

Cori Close said the third quarter was the turning point for the Bruins.

“We played with much more toughness,” the coach said. “If you want a different outcome, then you need to choose a different response. That’s really what the bottom line of the second half was.”

UCLA (8-5, 1-0 Pac-12) women’s basketball overcame a 13-point deficit by outscoring USC (10-2, 0-1) in a 16-2 run over a 4:48 stretch in the third period to defeat its crosstown rival 72-65 on the road. The Bruins have won the matchup eight times in the last nine games.

After trailing by 11 points at the end of the first half, UCLA outscored USC 31 to 10 in the third quarter by adjusting defensively.

“It really was taking away right-hand drives, sitting in a stance, forcing contested jumpers and controlling the boards,” Close said. “It was (executing) the game plan.”

The Bruins gave up six turnovers to USC in the first quarter.

Sophomore forward Michaela Onyenwere said UCLA discussed ways to change its performance at half time.

“We knew that we didn’t play our best defensively,” Onyenwere said. “(We focused on) getting back to what we had set in practice.”

Onyenwere entered the game ranked 10th in scoring and eighth in rebounding among players in the Pac-12. The forward logged her fourth double-double of the season.

“I think (Onyenwere) is a beast,” said redshirt senior forward Lajahna Drummer. “We just continue to try to feed her, find her. I mean (USC) sent two, three people at her,”

Drummer recorded UCLA’s second double-double of the night, pulling down a season high of 14 rebounds against the Trojans. Drummer ranked the fourth in rebounding among players in the Pac-12 before facing off against USC.

Close said Onyenwere’s and Drummer’s confidence going up against the Trojans was essential for a Bruin victory.

“This was a really important piece for our (conference) start and for our confidence,” Close said. “I thought (the win) was a very important piece (for us) and a very important game.”

UCLA will have the opportunity to carry momentum from its five-game win streak into its next stretch of games against four straight top-25 teams.

“We have just a horrific January in terms of how the schedule falls,” Close said. “We’ve got to get better every week.”

The Bruins will travel to face No. 14 California (9-2) on Friday. UCLA defeated the Bears in both matchups last season.