Pacific is desperately hoping that its new head coach Damon Stoudemire can put the program back on track this season.
Stoudemire played 13 years in the NBA, but this marks only his first-ever stint as a head coach. He certainly has a lot on his plate in leading the Tigers, who finished 8-20 overall a season ago. Speaking of which, two of last year’s go-to scorers—Ray Bowles (11.1 PPG) and T.J. Wallace (10.8 PPG)—will at least give Stoudemire something to work around with.
Bowles got off to a hot start last season, averaging nearly 16 points per contest in his first five games. Wallace, meanwhile, wasn’t just scoring, but he was also a menace in crashing the glass for the Tigers, garnering around five rebounds a game.
A season-opening matchup with No. 20 UCLA isn’t looking favorable for the Tigers to say the least. But in any case, there is hope for Stoudemire’s crew to cause some trouble as long as Bowles and Wallace are on the floor.
Steve Alford’s job is on the line this season. Last year’s 15-17 finish, which marked UCLA’s fourth losing campaign since the John Wooden era, wasn’t easily swallowed by the Bruins fans, who petitioned for his dismissal. But that didn’t happen, and now Alford is under enormous pressure to live up to the high expectations—a ticket to the NCAA Tournament at least.
The Bruins definitely have more than enough talent to do so. They’re returning four starters and eight of its leading scorers from 2015, while welcoming a handful of highly-touted recruits.
The one-two punch of Isaac Hamilton and Bryce Alford is where the offense should mostly come from again. The two senior guards carried most of the load for the team, averaging 16.8 and 16.1 points last season.
Meanwhile, one of the newcomers in UCLA is Lonzo Ball, the Naismith Prep Player of the Year. His wide vision and ball-handling skills should add a new dimension into the offense and allow Bryce to focus more on scoring and play his real position at the two.
The Bruins are priced at +4,000 to win it all this year.
Writer’s Prediction
UCLA (-20) starts off the season the right way, dispatching the Tigers by at least 20 or more points.
