Q: Last I heard, Ben Howland’s practices were closed and the players only available for media once a week. What do you expect about practices and player availability under Steve Alford?
More of the same.
Q: Would you mind detailing the expectations for basketball signing day, April 17, I believe? Continue reading
UCLA I’m a Bruin
— tony parker (@tonyparker32) April 8, 2013
Looks like freshman center Tony Parker wants to stay at UCLA. The big man had been undecided about his future after averaging just 6.3 minutes per game, and was visibly upset after many games as former coach Ben Howland left him strapped to the bench. Still, he enrolled for spring quarter and also made an appearance at Saturday’s spring football practice sporting school gear.
With a tweet Sunday night that said, “UCLA I’m a Bruin,” Parker confirmed that he will stay to play for Steve Alford — who had said that his main priority will be retaining players rather than recruiting. Shooting guard Norman Powell had also considered transferring out until Howland was fired.
Duane Broussard: Broussard, the first to join the new UCLA staff, has on the New Mexico staff even before Steve Alford started there after coaching at Iowa. One of his main responsibilities with the Lobos with advance scouting and game preparation, so his duties under Alford with the Bruins could be similar. Continue reading
Same drill as usual. Leave questions here and I’ll be back with answers on Monday.
On Thursday, UCLA officially announced that it had extended athletic director Dan Guerrero’s contract for six years and nine months. Here is a summary of the main financial terms from the new agreement, which starts retroactively on April 1 and ends on Dec. 31, 2019. Continue reading
UCLA announced Thursday that it has extended athletic director Dan Guerrero’s contract through 2019.
The Bruins have won 22 NCAA national championships since Guerrero was appointed in 2002, guiding the program to what chancellor Gene Block said is a “national example of how intercollegiate athletics serve and further the mission of higher education.”
The new contract is retroactive to April 1, and will replace the one that expired on March 31. Guerrero has a rolling five-year clause that would have taken effect had there not been an extension. As the the Daily Bruin first reported, Guerrero will be paid $734,774 with an annual 5 percent increase.
His new term of appointment will end on Dec. 31, 2019.
Prior to the extension, Guerrero was already the highest-paid athletic director at a Pac-12 public school with $715,211 in guaranteed salary.
The school said in a press release that no tuition or state funds were used in his compensation, which comes from athletic department revenues and private fundraising. Continue reading
UCLA coach Steve Alford got a hug from Shaq on Tuesday, but got some far less welcoming news a day later.
New Mexico, his employer of the past six years, wants its full $1 million buyout before the end of the month. Alford had blindsided the school, taking a job with the Bruins just 10 days after the announcement of a 10-year extension with the Lobos.
According to documents obtained by the Albuquerque Journal, the school’s legal counsel is arguing that Alford’s original contract — signed in 2007 — required that he give 30 days notice before leaving for another job. Therefore, the school considers his last day to be April 29, and is demanding full payment by the same date. Continue reading
Steve Alford said during his introductory press conference Tuesday that his UCLA staff would be filled within the next 24 to 48 hours.
Former New Mexico assistant Duane Broussard, whom Alford officially announced while giving his opening statement at Pauley Pavilion, was the first name. According to the Indianapolis Star, former Wright State head coach Ed Schilling is the next, leaving one more open Bruins assistant spot.
“I wasn’t really looking to get back into college coaching,” Schilling told the Star. “I was content with what I was doing. But to be able to coach with one of my best friends and to do it at UCLA was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Continue reading
UCLA did its best to give new coach Steve Alford a warm welcome, rolling out a grand stage for him on the Pauley Pavilion floor Tuesday at noon. Here’s the full scene from the day as well as a photo gallery featuring Shaquille O’Neal, but these are the main highlights. Continue reading
Q: Why do people say Steve Alford is a good West Coast recruiter? Alford got mainly transfers in UNM. Will he be able to take advantage of his AAU relationships? Why are they referred to in articles as shady?
He got underrated players like Kendall Williams and Tony Snell out to New Mexico, where they became his top two scorers. Alford’s assistants clearly put in a lot of work there as well, so watching his hires will be key. (Lobos assistant Duane Broussard is reportedly the first. He recruited Danny Granger to Bradley and then New Mexico by transfer, though secondary violations dogged the latter move.) Alford also has a reputation as a player’s coach, which Ben Howland wasn’t. You can take that kind of charisma and extrapolate it to what he might do with new facilities at a historic program. I haven’t seen the articles that specifically say “shady,” but the AAU scene in general isn’t exactly the cleanest place.
Q: What are our chances with Aaron Gordon? Why would he not want to play for Steve Alford? Continue reading