Steve Alford talks about UCLA’s big men, preparation for Utah

Steve Alford talked to reporters today before UCLA’s practice, touching on the Bruins’ preparation for Thursday’s 7 p.m. tipoff against No. 11 Utah at Pauley Pavilion. The Utes blew out UCLA in Salt Lake City on Jan. 4, winning 71-39.

Some of the main notes:

— Center Tony Parker is still “day-to-day” with back spasms. He returned to practice with UCLA on Tuesday, but only did non-contact work. Senior guard Norman Powell did not practice on Tuesday with an illness — the latest setback for him after a bruised hip and two dislocated fingers.

— If Parker isn’t ready to play against Utah, true freshman Thomas Welsh will likely make his third career start. But at this point in his career, the 7-footer is more of a jump shooter — one who isn’t capable of anchoring the inside-out offense that worked well during UCLA’s three-game winning streak. He has taken just 39.4 percent of his shots at the rim this season, making 45.9 percent of them.

The key for Welsh, Alford said, is learning to initiate contact rather than bouncing away from it. The coach sees Welsh as a player who could be averaging around seven or eight points off the bench this season.

“He’s very strong and physical,” Alford said. “If you ask our guys, the one guy they don’t want to bang into in practice is Thomas. We’re trying to convince him, ‘Make sure the opponents are saying the same thing too.'”

— Sophomore guard Isaac Hamilton is mired in an ugly shooting slump, having made just 2 of 24 shots in his last three games. The numbers don’t get much prettier on the season: the former McDonald’s All-American and five-star recruit is shooting 36.9 percent from the field, and 62.5 percent from the free throw line.

There’s an argument that UCLA should try running a bigger lineup, benching Hamilton in favor of 6-foot-10 forward Gyorgy Goloman, but that doesn’t sound like a likely move at this point.

“We’ve just got to be patient with him,” Alford said of Hamilton. “We’ve told him that, how much we believe in him. We’re trying to (alleviate) as much pressure as we can with him, tell him to just to be who he is. … Players go through that. I try to tell him about my experience as a player, or other players that I’ve coached or even played with. You go through times like this, when things just won’t go in. Find other ways.”

— Asked about the Bruins’ mental state in playing an opponent that embarrassed them earlier this month, Alford said: “There is a difference in playing in here, and playing in Salt Lake City. We’ve got to do a good job in making sure the guys have a great mindset.”

— Alford called Utah’s Delon Wright the best defensive guard in the Pac-12. A candidate for conference MVP, Wright is kenpom.com currently ranks him as the second-best player in college football, using a formula that attempts to account for both offense and defensive.