Last season, Steve Alford guided UCLA to the Pac-12 Tournament Championship in just his first year in Westwood. Now, the school has decided to extend his contract for one season, making him a Bruin through at least 2021.
Under Alford, the Bruins finished with a 28-9 record and reached the Sweet 16 last year. It marked that first year since 2011 that UCLA registered a win in the NCAA Tournament. It was enough to earn the praise of school athletic director Dan Guerrero.
The upcoming season provides a stiff challenge for Alford and his staff. After losing three players to the NBA, UCLA will look to reload with a talented but inexperienced roster that includes three new recruits. Freshmen Kevon Looney and Thomas Welsh will see plenty of court time as will sophomore Isaac Hamilton.
The Bruins were dealt a blow recently when the school announced incoming freshman Jonah Bolden was academically ineligible to play this season.
However, even without Bolden’s availability, the Bruins freshmen class is ranked in the nation’s top ten. Alford, who previously coached at Iowa and New Mexico, sees his highly touted youngsters as a sign of things to come at UCLA.
"You have to have recruiting classes back-to-back-to-back to really establish yourself," Alford told the Los Angeles Daily News. "Because you want the attrition. If you get guys that are being drafted, that means good things are happening and you obviously want that to happen."
