Oct. 03--The UCLA men's basketball team has reached an NCAA tournament regional semifinal in each of Steve Alford's two seasons as coach. As far as tournament results are concerned, a good start.
But Alford believes the team, which on Friday held its first practice of the season, remains a work in progress.
"I think when we're standing here next year, it'll be full depth, it'll be right where we want to be," he said. "But I think this is a year where this team has a chance to really grow, if we stay healthy, to be a fun team."
The tournament success helped soften what Alford thought would be a "transitional year" last season. In many ways, it was. UCLA didn't crack the top 25 after Thanksgiving. The Bruins were 0-6 against top-10 teams and 2-8 in road games.
The challenge this season will be for UCLA to become a consistent team that can challenge the country's top programs -- and build on that success in March.
The tests will come early. UCLA gets rematches against Kentucky, which embarrassed the Bruins in a nationally televised game last December; North Carolina, which blew the Bruins out in a Battle 4 Atlantis tournament game; and Gonzaga, which defeated UCLA in December at Pauley Pavilion and again in the NCAA tournament.
Reinforcements are coming. Next season's recruiting class has the chance to be Alford's best. Scout.com's early rankings list it at No. 4 in the country.
Alford has said the team is already deeper in talent than it has been at any time during his tenure at UCLA. He has said the lineups will be more versatile, that the program is starting to take shape.
"Getting to the Sweet 16 is definitely something that we've loved the last two years," point guard Bryce Alford said. "But we're ready to take it to the next level."
Thinking big
With the departure of guard Norman Powell and forward Kevon Looney to professional basketball, Steve Alford said one of UCLA's most pressing issues will be, "How do we fill the 3 and 4 spots?"
He indicated he is thinking big with his answer.
The Bruins return senior forward Tony Parker, who played center much of last season, and seven-footer Thomas Welsh, a sophomore who Alford said had a "great" summer.
Last season, the Parker and Welsh didn't play together often. But now Alford is contemplating an extra tall lineup that would feature Welsh, Parker and 6-9 Jonah Bolden on the wing.
"It's going to be a matchup problem," Parker said.
Dribble for the Cure
UCLA will hold its eighth annual "Dribble for the Cure" to benefit pediatric cancer research on Oct. 11. Teams of 10 or more people and individual participants collect donations and receive prizes based on the amount pledged. After the 1.2-mile dribble course, members of UCLA's men's and women's basketball teams, and other athletes, will sign autographs and pose for photographs.
zach.helfand@latimes.com
