LOS ANGELES _ Lonzo Ball would like to see Earl Watson become UCLA's next basketball coach.
The Lakers' second-year point guard spent one season at UCLA under recently fired head coach Steve Alford and spoke well of him.
"He's a good person, good coach, he helped me a lot, but the job's open," Ball said Wednesday. "I'd like to see, maybe, Earl Watson get the job. I know Earl personally. I think he has coaching experience in the league. Obviously he went there, he's alumni, so I think he's a good fit."
Watson was a four-year starter for the Bruins and made first-team All Pac-10 as a senior in 2001. He played 13 years in the NBA and was the head coach of the Phoenix Suns from 2015 to 2017.
Ball brought up Watson after being asked about the search in general. While he didn't see much of Watson while he played at UCLA, Watson has advised him in the past.
"I know he's in the practice facility all the time in the summer working with guys and helping teams out," Ball said. "I just know him personally off the court. He's helped me with a few things off the court, business-wise. I think he's a good person for the job."
UCLA fired Alford on New Year's Eve after the Bruins suffered their fourth consecutive loss. They are 7-6 after starting the season 4-0. It was the first time in the program's history that UCLA fired a men's basketball coach in the middle of the season.
"I got a lot of love for him," Ball said of Alford. "It's tough, but he'll be all right."
