Media Day 2016-2017

Ball didn’t look like a horrible shooter in high school I thought.

I dont think he was bad either, but they played such a unique style of offense, it maybe affecting the types of looks that he is getting and is familiar with. The kid seems to have a head on his shoulders so would guess he can figure it out, but hopefully it just happens after the Michigan game

Bryce Alford is actually a good player. He can hit from distance, he can find the open man he doesn’t turn it over a lot. In the Pac 12 he had over a 3 to 1 assist to turnover ratio. They still have Hamilton/Holiday in the backcourt as well. They don’t have a lot of depth inside but with Welsh and Leaf there’s no doubt they can play.at a high level.

I dont disagree with you about the overall quality of UCLA. I was trying more to speak to the player that Ball is. I think he will be an NBA all-star some day and think UCLA’s season depends quite a bit on how he does. He should be given every opportunity to succeed at UCLA, but if he hasnt found any rhythm for shooting that will make playing against him and consequently UCLA much easier.

He’s a chucker who should be playing off the ball. Trust me, I’ve seen a lot of him. He can shoot you right out of a ballgame, and he’s not a playmaker. I’d agree that when he’s hot, he’s very good, but it doesn’t happen often.

They have plenty of talent, that’s never been the issue. They’re just not that well coached and don’t play as a team.

4 posts were split to a new topic: Derrick Walton named Preseason All-Big Ten

I agree – Alford never saw a shot he didn’t like. He especially loves turnaround, off-balance, 25 footers. And making behind-the-back passes into a crowd of defenders.

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I don’t buy that not well coached reference Alford got UCLA to 2 straight appearances in the sweet sixteen. UCLA never made it past the 1st weekend from 08-13 and won 2 tournament games over that span. Alford took a team that experienced very little success to playing in the second weekend of the tournament. If my program made the second weekend of the tournament 2 out of every 3 years I would be happy.

Their average recuiting class since 2012 is 11th (Not counting this year’s class) and they’ve had two top 8 classes. I’d sure hope he made the Sweet 16 a couple times, and the fact that he hasn’t gotten passed there makes it quite suspect. Given the standards you set for Beilein, I really don’t think you can say he’s done a good job coaching except for with recruiting.

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2 sweet sixteens out of every 3 years seems like a pretty arbitrary barometer for success, but it’s good to get a glimpse at what it might take for you to not rip on your own team/coach. So 2/3 for sweet sixteens, with one Pac 12 championship (tournament) is good, but 2/4 National Championship runner up and Elite 8, plus one Big Ten conference championship (season), is bad? I just dont get it.

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Well if Beilein had been here just 4 years absolutely but he’s going on a full decade now. Tick tock. We will see with Alford but knowing the standards at UCLA sweet sixteen isn’t necessarily going to cut it long term.

You just tried saying you don’t buy that UCLA isn’t coached well because of how successful Alford has been. Then someone shows how he’s done less with a lot more talent than Beilein. Now you’re saying if Alford continues the pace he’s on he’s going to get fired. I’ll let that speak for itself.

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Steve Alford has won less NCAA games in his entire coaching career than John Beilein has won in the last six years at Michigan.

If you want to believe that Steve Alford is a coach on the level of John Beilein, that’s your right. I have to say though that even among folks who want Beilein gone, I don’t know of a single one who would trade Beilein for Alford except maybe you.

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How did he show me? He pointed out what Beilein did his past 4 years and nothing in regards to Alford. Well yes he would get fired Howland went to 3 straight Final Fours and people still hated him so suffice to say expectations are a lot different than they are in Ann Arbor. Fans at UCLA will only be happy with they win national titles consistently.

They haven’t won a championship since 1995. Before that? 1975. Winning 1 championship in 40+ years makes me think their fans either don’t expect to win championships consistently like you suggest or they’re the most delusional fan base in the country. This isn’t 1970, UCLA hasn’t been a powerhouse program in a long time.

Way to cherry pick a stat we can pin a badge on you. Just as you can cherry pick I can as well Alford has won more tourney games over the past 3 years than Beilein has. I never said Alford was a better coach either in any of my posts but thanks for putting words in my mouth. Since you want to play that game how about I say that you’re giving Beilein a pass for the last 2 years because that’s what it sounds like. Injuries, bad luck just too much for him to overcome nevermind they’re not even a top 25 caliber team with his most experienced team ever.

I’m pretty sure people hated Howland because he looked the other way for two years while his star player attempted to injure not only the opponents but his own teammates. From 2008-2012 twelve players left the program because Howland couldn’t keep control of the locker room. He pulled a scholarship extremely late to Kendall Williams, who had already committed, and delayed notifying him so that other Pac-12 coaches couldn’t pursue him. Many AAU coaches for powerhouse squads heavily advised their top players from going to UCLA.

But yes, clearly they just fired him because he couldn’t win that elusive natty.

Wow. Just wow. I made absolutely no excuse for the last two years (or indeed any comment about them at all) in my post, so I’m not sure how it sounds like anything to you. I said, and will continue to say, that Steve Alford is not a good coach, and that he’s not in a class with John Beilein. You, on the other hand, have said that you didn’t buy that Alford’s teams weren’t well coached, that if your program made 2 Sweet Sixteens in three years, you’d be happy, and that Beilein doesn’t have that record at Michigan over nine seasons… And I’m putting words in your mouth by saying that you think Alford is a better coach than Beilein (or even equal to him)? How so?

You’ve taken 3 years out of Alford’s 17 year high DI career to establish a baseline of coaching competence (making the Sweet Sixteen twice in three seasons) while ignoring the fact that he has never, at any of his other high major stops, made it to even that level (he did make it once at SW Missouri State almost twenty years ago), and has never gone beyond that point. And I’m cherry picking stats? Seriously?

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Yes for a coach to make it to 2 sweet sixteens in your first 3 years at a school is a good accomplishment. A poor coach isn’t able to get kids to buy in and have success right off the bat sometimes that takes a year plus. Like I said nowhere in my posts did I say Alford was better but you’re the one that made the statement. If you can show me in this thread where I said it I will apologize if not then you’re just another guy making a false statement.

You said:

  1. Making 2 Sweet Sixteens in 3 years was an achievement.

  2. It was evidence of Alford’s teams being well coached.

  3. If your team did this, you’d be happy.

4.Beilein is going on his tenth year, so his record of 2 Elite Eights in 4 years (including a national runner-up) wasn’t good enough, particularly in light of the last 2 years.

I’ll leave others to determine whether those comments indicate a comparison of Beilein and Alford or whether I’m “just another guy making a false statement…” Have a nice evening.

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