2015–16 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

2015–16 UCLA Bruins men's basketball
Conference Pac-12 Conference
2015–16 record 15–17 (6–12 Pac-12)
Head coach Steve Alford (3rd season)
Assistant coach Ed Schilling
Assistant coach Duane Broussard
Assistant coach David Grace
Home arena Pauley Pavilion
2015–16 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
#5 Oregon †14–4 .778  31–7  .816
#13 Utah13–5 .722  27–9  .750
#17 Arizona12–6 .667  25–9  .735
#23 California12–6 .667  23–11  .676
Colorado10–8 .556  22–12  .647
USC9–9 .500  21–13  .618
Oregon State9–9 .500  19–13  .594
Washington9–9 .500  19–15  .559
Stanford8–10 .444  15–15  .500
UCLA6–12 .333  15–17  .469
Arizona State5–13 .278  15–17  .469
Washington State1–17 .056  9–22  .290
† 2016 Pac-12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2015–16 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles, during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They finished the season with a 15–17 record, the fourth time the program finished with a losing record since 1948, when John Wooden became their coach.[1] The Bruins were led by third-year head coach Steve Alford and played their home games at Pauley Pavilion as members in the Pac-12 Conference. Isaac Hamilton earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors, the only Bruin named to the all-conference team.[2]

With Kevon Looney having moved on to the National Basketball Association (NBA), sophomore Thomas Welsh was promoted to UCLA's starting lineup at center, while center Tony Parker moved to forward.[3][4] Freshman guard Aaron Holiday also opened the season as a starter, teaming with Hamilton and Bryce Alford to form a three-guard lineup.[5] The Bruins lost their season opener to Monmouth and lost consecutive games in the Maui Invitational to Kansas and Wake Forest.[6][7] However, they recovered to upset then-No. 1 Kentucky 87–77 at home and defeated then-No. 20 Gonzaga 71–66 on the road.[8] UCLA finished their non-conference schedule winning six of their last seven games, and entered Pac-12 play at 9–4 and ranked No. 25 in the nation.[6] They were comparatively better than a year earlier, when they entered conference play with five losses and a three-game losing streak.[8]

The Bruins had an early conference win against then-No. 7 Arizona,[9] but they were 4–5 halfway through the Pac-12 schedule, including 0–4 against the three teams with the quickest pace in the conference, Washington, USC, and Oregon.[10] Their defense was weakened without comparable replacements for Looney and Norman Powell, a senior from the prior season, and sophomore Gyorgy Goloman had been out for much of the season with a stress fracture in his leg.[11] UCLA coach Steve Alford believed his big front court was "slow" and had sophomore Jonah Bolden start in place of the senior Parker.[12] While Bolden was 1 inch (25 mm) taller than Parker, he was also 40 pounds (18 kg) lighter.[13] UCLA began their second half with a loss to USC, who swept the Bruins for the first time since 2010.[14][15] The Bruins lost both games in their crosstown rivalry by double digits for the first time since 1938.[14] In their next game, UCLA blew a 10-point halftime lead to Arizona en route to their fifth loss in seven games. The loss dropped them out of all major NCAA Tournament projections and mired in 10th place in the Pac-12.[16][17]

Previous season

The Bruins finished in fourth place (11–7) in the Pac-12 conference. They earned a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Championship tournament, and advanced to the Sweet 16, becoming the lowest-seed UCLA team to ever reach the regional semifinals. They defeated SMU 60–59 in the second round and UAB 92–75 in the third round. Then the Bruins lost to Gonzaga for the second time of the season, 74-62 in the Sweet Sixteen. The program produced its 49th 20-win season. Norman Powell led the team in scoring with 16.4 points per game, followed by Bryce Alford with 15.4 points per game.

Off-season

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Norman Powell4G6'4"215SeniorSan Diego, CaliforniaGraduated
David Brown13G6'3"185SeniorAnaheim Hills, CaliforniaWalk-on; Graduated
Kory Alford2G6'4"185RS JuniorAlbuquerque, New MexicoWalk-on; Graduated
Nick Kazemi0G6'3"210RS JuniorSanta Ana, CaliforniaWalk-on; Graduated
Wanaah Bail1F6'9"215SophomoreHouston, TexasTransferred[18]
Kevon Looney5F6'9"220FreshmanMilwaukee, WisconsinDeclared for 2015 NBA draft[19]

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Ikenna Okwarabizie34C6'10"245SophomoreLagos, NigeriaJunior college transfer from Tyler Junior College

2015 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Aaron Holiday
#15 PG		 North Hollywood, CA Campbell Hall School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Mar 3, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Prince Ali
#12 SG		 Pembroke Pines, FL Sagemont School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Aug 16, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Alex Olesinski
F		 Roswell, NM La Lumiere School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Mar 4, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2015 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  • "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 13, 2015.

    Roster

    2015–16 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    F 0 Alex Olesinski 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)200 lb (91 kg) FrLa Lumiere School Roswell, New Mexico
    G 1 Wonder Smith (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)180 lb (82 kg) FrWindward School Los Angeles, California
    G/F 2 Noah Allen 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)215 lb (98 kg) JrPalma HS Pacific Grove, California
    G 3 Aaron Holiday 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) FrCampbell Hall School North Hollywood, California
    G 5 Prince Ali 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrSagemont School Pembroke Pines, Florida
    G 10 Isaac Hamilton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) JrSt. John Bosco HS Los Angeles, California
    F 14 György Goloman 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)215 lb (98 kg) SoThe Sagemont School Körmend, Hungary
    G 15 Jerrold Smith (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)165 lb (75 kg) JrSt. Bernard HS Los Angeles, California
    G 20 Bryce Alford 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrLa Cueva HS Albuquerque, New Mexico
    G 21 Alec Wulff (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) SoLaguna Beach HS Laguna Beach, California
    G 22 Gabriel Bell-Williams (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)175 lb (79 kg) FrCampbell Hall School Toronto, Ontario
    F/C 23 Tony Parker 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)260 lb (118 kg) SrMiller Grove HS Atlanta, Georgia
    G 24 Justis Bell-Williams (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)170 lb (77 kg) FrCampbell Hall School Toronto, Ontario
    C 34 Ikenna Okwarabizie 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)250 lb (113 kg) SoEast HS/Tyler Junior College Lagos, Nigeria
    C 40 Thomas Welsh 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)245 lb (111 kg) SoLoyola HS Redondo Beach, California
    G/F 43 Jonah Bolden 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)220 lb (100 kg) SoBrewster Academy Sydney, Australia
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster
    Last update: November 13, 2015

    Schedule

    UCLA's 2015–16 schedule includes home games against Kentucky, Long Beach State, Pepperdine, Cal Poly, Louisiana-Lafayette, Monmouth, Cal State Northridge, and McNeese State. UCLA will travel to play at Gonzaga and face off against North Carolina at a neutral venue. The Bruins will also make a trip to play three of the following in the Maui Invitational: Kansas, Indiana, St. John's, UNLV, Vanderbilt, and Wake Forest.[20]

    During the Pac-12 Conference schedule, UCLA will play 18 games (9 home and 9 away) and will have home-and-homes with the following teams: Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State, USC, Washington, and Washington State. The Bruins will only play the Rocky Mountain teams (Colorado and Utah) at home. UCLA will also only play the Bay area teams (California and Stanford) on the road.[21]

    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    Oct 30*
    7:30 pm    		 Cal State Los Angeles W 95–57  –
    		  20 – Hamilton  11 – Bolden  7 – Alford  Pauley Pavilion (6,930)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Non-conference regular season
    Nov 13*
    8:00 pm, P12N    		 Monmouth L 81–84 OT 0–1
    		  22 – Alford  19 – Parker  5 – Alford  Pauley Pavilion (6,674)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Nov 15*
    7:00 pm, P12N    		 Cal Poly
    Maui Invitational Opening Round    		 W 88–83  1–1
    		  22 – Welsh  14 – Parker  8 – Alford  Pauley Pavilion (6,595)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Nov 19*
    7:30 pm, P12N    		 Pepperdine W 81–67  2–1
    		  19 – Alford  15 – Parker  5 – Tied  Pauley Pavilion (6,063)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Nov 23*
    8:30 pm, ESPN2    		 vs. UNLV
    Maui Invitational Quarterfinals    		 W 77–75  3–1
    		  20 – Tied  8 – Welsh  4 – Bolden  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
    Maui, HI
    Nov 24*
    7:00 pm, ESPN    		 vs. No. 5 Kansas
    Maui Invitational Semifinals    		 L 73–92  3–2
    		  19 – Hamilton  8 – Parker  3 – Holiday  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
    Maui, HI
    Nov 25*
    4:30 pm, ESPN2    		 vs. Wake Forest
    Maui Invitational 3rd Place Game    		 L 77–80  3–3
    		  18 – Tied  15 – Parker  7 – Alford  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
    Maui, HI
    Nov 29*
    4:00 pm, P12N    		 Cal State Northridge W 77–45  4–3
    		  14 – Tied  11 – Parker  10 – Alford  Pauley Pavilion (6,193)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Dec 3*
    6:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 1 Kentucky W 87–77  5–3
    		  21 – Welsh  11 – Welsh  7 – Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (12,202)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Dec 6*
    6:00 pm, P12N    		 Long Beach State W 83–76  6–3
    		  24 – Alford  10 – Tied  7 – Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (6,443)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Dec 12*
    7:00 pm, ESPN2    		 at No. 20 Gonzaga W 71–66  7–3
    		  20 – Hamilton  11 – Bolden  5 – Holiday  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
    Spokane, WA
    Dec 15*
    6:00 pm, P12N    		 No. 22 Louisiana–Lafayette W 89–80  8–3
    		  27 – Alford  9 – Parker  7 – Alford  Pauley Pavilion (5,460)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Dec 19*
    10:00 am, CBS    		 No. 22 vs. No. 11 North Carolina
    CBS Sports Classic    		 L 76–89  8–4
    		  23 – Hamilton  11 – Parker  4 – Alford  Barclays Center (16,311)
    Brooklyn, NY
    Dec 22*
    8:00 pm, P12N    		 McNeese State W 67–53  9–4
    		  18 – Hamilton  14 – Welsh  8 – Alford  Pauley Pavilion (6,499)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Pac-12 regular season
    Jan 1
    8:00 pm, FS1    		 No. 25 at Washington L 93–96 2OT 9–5
    (0–1)    		  30 – Alford  15 – Welsh  5 – Hamilton  Alaska Airlines Arena (6,920)
    Seattle, WA
    Jan 3
    6:30 pm, P12N    		 No. 25 at Washington State L 78–85  9–6
    (0–2)    		  27 – Hamilton  10 – Welsh  5 – Alford  Beasley Coliseum (1,912)
    Pullman, WA
    Jan 7
    6:00 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 7 Arizona
    Rivalry    		 W 87–84  10–6
    (1–2)    		  25 – Alford  12 – Parker  6 – 3 tied  Pauley Pavilion (12,026)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Jan 9
    2:00 pm, P12N    		 Arizona State W 81–74  11–6
    (2–2)    		  26 – Hamilton  16 – Welsh  5 – Tied  Pauley Pavilion (9,973)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Jan 13
    8:00 pm, ESPN2    		 USC
    Rivalry    		 L 75–89  11–7
    (2–3)    		  27 – Parker  12 – Parker  8 – Hamilton  Pauley Pavilion (12,993)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Jan 20
    8:00 pm, ESPNU    		 at Oregon State W 82–73  12–7
    (3–3)    		  25 – Hamilton  5 – Alford  12 – Welsh  Gill Coliseum (5,321)
    Corvallis, OR
    Jan 23
    1:00 pm, CBS    		 at Oregon L 72–86  12–8
    (3–4)    		  19 – Holiday  8 – Welsh  6 – Alford  Matthew Knight Arena (10,525)
    Eugene, OR
    Jan 28
    7:00 pm, FS1    		 Washington L 84–86  12–9
    (3–5)    		  28 – Alford  11 – Bolden  6 – Alford  Pauley Pavilion (6,843)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Jan 30
    4:00 pm, P12N    		 Washington State W 83–50  13–9
    (4–5)    		  22 – Hamilton  10 – Welsh  6 – Hamilton  Pauley Pavilion (9,024)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Feb 4
    7:30 pm, P12N    		 at USC
    Rivalry    		 L 61–80  13–10
    (4–6)    		  15 – Holiday  12 – Welsh  7 – Alford  Galen Center (10,258)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Feb 12
    6:00 pm, ESPN    		 at No. 17 Arizona
    Rivalry    		 L 75–81  13–11
    (4–7)    		  24 – Hamilton  10 – Parker  4 – Tied  McKale Center (14,644)
    Tucson, AZ
    Feb 14
    5:30 pm, ESPNU    		 at Arizona State W 78–65  14–11
    (5–7)    		  16 – Bolden  9 – Bolden  11 – Alford  Wells Fargo Arena (6,710)
    Tempe, AZ
    Feb 18
    7:00 pm, ESPN2    		 Utah L 73–75  14–12
    (5–8)    		  25 – Hamilton  6 – Welsh  6 – Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (7,249)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Feb 20
    8:00 pm, FS1    		 Colorado W 77–53  15–12
    (6–8)    		  22 – Hamilton  6 – Tied  9 – Alford  Pauley Pavilion (8,492)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Feb 25
    6:00 pm, ESPN2    		 at California L 63–75  15–13
    (6–9)    		  15 – Tied  16 – Welsh  5 – Holiday  Haas Pavilion (11,858)
    Berkeley, CA
    Feb 27
    1:30 pm, FOX    		 at Stanford L 70–79  15–14
    (6–10)    		  20 – Alford  9 – Welsh  6 – Holiday  Maples Pavilion (6,364)
    Stanford, CA
    Mar 2
    6:00 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 9 Oregon L 68–76  15–15
    (6–11)    		  19 – Hamilton  7 – Welsh  6 – Hamilton  Pauley Pavilion (6,578)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Mar 5
    3:30 pm, P12N    		 Oregon State L 82–86  15–16
    (6–12)    		  21 – Hamilton  12 – Welsh  5 – Alford  Pauley Pavilion (7,940)
    Los Angeles, CA
    Pac-12 Tournament
    Mar 9
    6:00 pm, P12N    		 vs. USC
    First round    		 L 71–95  15–17
    		  12 – Welsh  6 – Welsh  6 – Hamilton  MGM Grand Garden Arena (12,916)
    Paradise, NV
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Pacific Time.

    Ranking movement

    Ranking movement
    Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. RV = Received votes. NV = Received no votes.
    PollPreWk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6Wk 7Wk 8Wk 9Wk 10Wk 11Wk 12Wk 13Wk 14Wk 15Wk 16Wk 17Wk 18PostFinal
    AP RV NV NV NV RV 22 RV 25 NV RV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV N/A
    Coaches RV NV NV NV RV RV RV RV NV RV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV

    Notes

    • December 7, 2015 – Thomas Welsh was named Pac-12 Player of the Week
    • January 11, 2016 – Bryce Alford was named Pac-12 Player of the Week
    • January 20, 2016 – György Goloman returned from injury and played first game of season
    • March 5, 2016 – Forward/center Tony Parker was honored on Senior Day
    • March 24, 2016 – Sophomore center Thomas Welsh was named to the second-team Pac-12 All-Academic team

    References

    1. ↑ Helfand, Zach (March 9, 2016). "USC earns third straight win over UCLA, 95-71, in Pac-12 tournament". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 18, 2016.
    2. ↑ Wang, Jack (March 7, 2016). "UCLA guard Isaac Hamilton makes All-Pac-12 second team". Inside UCLA. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016.
    3. ↑ Kaufmann, Joey (November 12, 2015). "UCLA basketball preview: It's Thomas Welsh's turn to be center of attention". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on November 16, 2015.
    4. ↑ Kaufman, Joey (November 18, 2015). "UCLA basketball: Freshman guard Aaron Holiday proves a quick study". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on December 9, 2015.
    5. ↑ Helfand, Zach (November 22, 2015). "UCLA has a chance to prove itself in Maui Invitational". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015.
    6. 1 2 Caple, Christian (December 31, 2015). "Huskies men's basketball gameday: UCLA". The News Tribune. Archived from the original on February 9, 2016.
    7. ↑ Helfand, Zach (December 18, 2015). "UCLA's nonconference schedule gives them strength, despite some snickers". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 9, 2016.
    8. 1 2 Wang, Jack (December 31, 2015). "UCLA enters Pac-12 play hoping to build on impressive start". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2016.
    9. ↑ "UCLA vs. #17 Arizona". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2016.
    10. ↑ Kaufman, Joey (February 4, 2016). "USC to try for a rare sweep of rival UCLA". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on February 9, 2016.
    11. ↑ Wang, Jack (January 19, 2016). "What's ailing UCLA men's basketball on defense?". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on February 13, 2016.
    12. ↑ Shultz, Alex (January 30, 2016). "UCLA's juggled lineup results in big win over Washington State". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016.
    13. ↑ Wang, Jack (January 30, 2016). "UCLA benches Tony Parker against WSU, starts Jonah Bolden". Inside UCLA. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016.
    14. 1 2 Kaufman, Joey (February 4, 2016). "USC dominates from outset to complete first sweep of UCLA since 2009-10". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on February 9, 2016.
    15. ↑ Wang, Jack (February 3, 2016). "UCLA hopes lineup changes pay off in USC rematch". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2016.
    16. ↑ Helfand, Zach (February 13, 2016). "For UCLA, it's deja vu in the middle of Pac-12 play". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 14, 2016.
    17. ↑ Wang, Jack (February 13, 2016). "UCLA visits Arizona State hoping to snap losing streak". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on February 14, 2016.
    18. ↑ Helfand, Zach. "Wanaah Bail transfers from UCLA after missing second half of season". LATimes.com. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
    19. ↑ "UCLA's Kevon Looney Declares for NBA Draft". UCLABruins.com. UCLA Athletics. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
    20. ↑ "UCLA Basketball Announces 2015-16 Non-Conference Schedule". June 8, 2015.
    21. ↑ "Pac-12 Provides Opponent, Date Windows for 2015-16 Schedule". June 8, 2015.
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