Dan Guerrero's Emails On Steve Alford - Part 3

From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Mark Gerard
Guerrero, Dan
Rebholz, Joshua; Block, Gene
Absolute Dissatisfaction with Steve Alford remaining coach of UCLA basketball
Tuesday, March 15, 2016 12:48:43 AM
Dear Mr. Guerrero (and Mr. Rebholz and Dean Block),

Without going into a long winded diatribe, please take very seriously my
deepest concern EVER regarding UCLA athletics and the disastrous
potential continued employment of Steve Alford as UCLA basketball coach.
UCLA basketball made me fall in love with UCLA the school as an 8 year
old fan in 1969. My father received his PhD in clinical Psychology at UCLA
in the 50's and my oldest brother graduated from UCLA in 1975. I realized
my dream of going to UCLA in 1978 and I graduated in 1982 Phi Beta
Kappa, Summa Cum Laude, and a Regent Scholar. While there, I went to
virtually every basketball game often sleeping out for several nights for the
best seats to the biggest games.
While in medical school at University of Michigan from 1982-1986, I
watched late night games when televised in the midwest. I returned to
UCLA for my internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Center for
Health Sciences in 1986-1989 and went to many games despite a grueling
schedule in the hospital.
In 1990, I became a season ticket holder and subsequently a WAF donor. I
have traveled to each of the Final Fours since then and could not have
been prouder when we won the championship in 1995. Despite that
feeling, it is not my expectation that we go to the Final Four regularly.
However, I do expect the team to play with tremendous effort, discipline,
defensive intensity, and above all with heart. These qualities are direct
reflections of the team's coach. Sadly, they are not part of this coach's
culture. It is for this reason that I am pleading with you to reverse your
decision and terminate Steve Alford's employment now before permanent
damage has been done to our beloved program. Even during Steve Lavin's
worst years, I never felt compelled to write a letter to the athletic
department.
Unfortunately, the current status of the program is at an all time low and has
become totally unacceptable. The last 3 years the quality of basketball
being played by UCLA has been thoroughly uninspiring and hard to watch.
Alford's 1st year, despite the talent, there were maybe 2 games all year at
Pauley that I could honestly say were entertaining from a basketball
standpoint. It was clear then that the energy at Pauley was dying. Do not
fool yourself with sweet 16 appearances; we know last year we did not
deserve to be in the tourney and got a very favorable draw after the fluke
goaltending call against SMU. I did not view last years team a success on
any level. This year continued to get worse and it is obvious that there is a
toxic state within that caused the players to give up on their coach.
Whether the very real issue of nepotism is at the root of it or the fact Coach
Alford is just an average to mediocre coach, it doesn't matter. All that
matters is that you are not blind to the obvious reality we all see. There are
so many die hard fans who have just tuned out UCLA basketball. When my
friends have listened to my concerns over the last 3 years, they all say that
"IF UCLA HAS LOST YOU, THEY ARE IN BAD SHAPE" as I am one of the
most positive, glass half-full fans you could be.
Do not make a decision to protect the ridiculous contract your department
offered him along with compounding the situation by extending it after year
1 to make the over 10 million dollar buyout valid through April 2017. That
amount will pale in comparison to the long term damage to the brand that is
actively deteriorating as we speak. We will all respect you greatly if you
swallow the pill of a bad hire and move forward swiftly with a change. If
you don't, your legacy will forever be tainted. I know that is not what you
want for UCLA in your heart. Bite the bullet. Terminate Steve Alford now.
Thank you for reading this email.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Mark Gerard, M.D.
Coaches Roundtable WAF member
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Cornelius Fong
Guerrero, Dan
Re: UCLA Men"s Basketball
Dear Mr. Guerrero:

I hope that the early indications that Coach Alford will be returning next year are untrue. If so,
I will be cancelling my season tickets and reevaluate my CRT donation. Lack of action when
it is clearly known that we do not have the right coach is only compounding the bad hire.
Take action and correct the situation before you lose many loyal supporters for good.
Please give us new hope for our basketball program.
Sincerely,
Cornelius Fong
On Sun, Mar 6, 2016 at 10:37 PM, Cornelius Fong <cornbrew@
Dear Mr. Guerrero:
> wrote:
I am sure you have received many emails from unhappy season ticket holders regarding the
state of our men's basketball program. As a loyal donor for over 20 years (currently at
Coaches Roundtable level), I have seen the program go through good and bad times. The
current state of the program is an all-time low with the lack of coaching and leadership.
Friends who I share my season tickets have already indicated to me that they will not renew
next season if Coach Alford is still leading the team. Although I have submitted my renewal
request for the 2016-17 season, I am seriously considering cancelling the renewal.
Waiting another year will only push the program into a deeper hole that will be even more
difficult to recover from. Your prompt and decisive action is needed to save our program.
Sincerely,
Cornelius Fong
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Mike
Guerrero, Dan; Chancellor Gene D. Block
Dan Guerrero supports nepotism
Mr Block, Guerrero has allowed the basketball coach to play his son the most minutes in UCLA history after three
years, he allowed his other son to take a position on the staff and also watched the coach hire the son of his agent to
run player development. How is this allowed?
Sent from my iPhone
From:
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ljtdds@
Guerrero, Dan; Block, Gene; Rebholz, Joshua
Fw:
How much more embarrassing can it get? And now a banner flying on campus
asking for his ouster? Time for leadership to step up..............
http://www.bruinsnation.com/2016/3/13/11217854/ncaa-and-nit-tournamentbrackets-show-how-massively-ucla-underachieved
FREE Animations for your email
Click Here!
From:
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Abraham Ochoa
Guerrero, Dan
Fire Stevo
Is this jackass part 6. Is Stevo Alford still pulling pranks on you. You are the jackass in this case. Go Bruins......
Wooooooo, Go Bruins.
Sent from my iPad
From:
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Subject:
Date:
Abraham Ochoa
Guerrero, Dan
Steeeevoooooo
Jackass! From Happy Gilmore.

Sent from my iPad
From:
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Cc:
Subject:
Date:
LoDuca, Paul
Block, Gene
Guerrero, Dan; Rebholz, Joshua
UCLA Basketball
Chancellor Block:
I believe that there is a misconception that Coach Steve Alford must be replaced by a big
name coach. If Dan Guerrero is holding back, in letting Steve Alford go, because he
doesnt feel he can land a big name replacement then he is missing the whole Bruin
basketball value proposition. Given its natural advantages UCLA is a top ten program
waiting to happen. We just need a someone with really good coaching chops to lead the
way.
I think the best solution is to find the next great coach before everyone else does. Here are
some suggestions:
Bryce Drew, Valparaiso: Hes 119 47 at Valparaiso. Hes 41 years old
Mitch Henderson, Princeton: Hes 96-52. Hes 40 years old
Zach Spicker, Army: Hes 102 111 overall there but 65 - 59 over the last four
years. Coach K was modestly better going 73 59 in 5 years. Spiker is 39 years
old.
Andy Toole, Robert Morris: Hes 120 88 all at RM. He is 35 years old.
The worst decision in the world is to keep the status quo because you are afraid you cant
do better. A leader sees that a change must be made and makes it. Im beginning to feel
that UCLA basketball doesnt only have head coaching problem but also a leadership
vacuum in the ADs office.
Thank you.
Paul LoDuca
Financial Advisor
The Linzmeier Group

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
1901 Main Street | 7th Floor | Irvine, CA 92614

Direct: 949.955.7814 | Toll Free: 800.533.3402 | Fax: 949.833.3542
Email: paul.loduca@ms.com
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From:
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Date:
Leland Smith
Guerrero, Dan
bball
Im begging you, please restore UCLA basketball. You know in your heart Alford is not the right coach
for a program like UCLA.
Please
Leland Smith
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Mike Jedrzynski
Guerrero, Dan
USC Dominates UCLA
Make a change. Dont let this happen again. Fire Alford

Michael S Jedrzynski, MD
Sent from my iPad
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
John Galloway
Chancellor Gene D. Block; Block, Gene
Status of the UCLA Athletic Department is in question now
Dear Chancellor Block:
UCLA alumni and world-wide supporters of the school have had their voices heard. Please
understand the state of the Athletic Department is in question. Our school is one of a
kind. Please consider removing Dan Guerrero as Athletic Director immediately. Do this
without reservation, and feel confident doing so. Understand there are countless qualified
individuals with impeccable resumes whod beg for the chance to serve UCLA and all it
stands for.
The time has come for a change. Yesterdays protests have made national news and
have continued to be a topic of conversation today. Please understand this is much bigger
than you may be giving credit for. The status quo clearly is no longer acceptable and the
protests will carry on.
Again, my wife (class of 89) and I are WAF donors and have had 4 UCLA football seats
season seats since 1992.
Regards,
John G. Galloway
Director Information Technology Services
Verbum Dei High School
11100 S. Central Ave.
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 564-6651 ext. 6800
www.verbumdei.us
From:
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Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Loren Deters
Guerrero, Dan
Block, Gene
The Horse Has Left the Barn
MR. GUERRERO: Steve Alford has lost the respect of his players and the UCLA fan base. Its become
apparent to all including you, Im sure that the UCLA student athletes are not learning the
fundamentals of basketball. UCLA players arrive on campus with enormous raw skill, but theyre not
learning to prepare properly. A new crop of talent next year will not correct this fundamental
problem. You need to act now for the good of the program. Thank you.
Loren A. Deters, Esq.

SAMUELS, GREEN & STEEL, LLP
19800 MacArthur Blvd., Suite 1000
Irvine, California 92612-2433
Phone: 949/263-0004 ext. 329
Facsimile: 949/263-0005
e-mail: loren.deters@sgsattorneys.com
internet: sgsattorneys.com
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From:
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Subject:
Date:
Steven Chew
Guerrero, Dan
RE: Regarding Coach Alford
Hello Mr. Guerrero,
I wanted to follow-up from my previous email. Although there has been no official word from you or
the school, most rumors seem to indicate your intention to retain Coach Alford. I cannot emphasize
enough how distressing this decision is. Perhaps one of your concerns is that if you remove Coach
Alford, who could you hire that would possibly meet fan expectations? Why would any coach want
to come to UCLA after they fired a coach who went to two Sweet 16s in three years?
To answer the first question, I think most fans are so down-and-out regarding UCLA basketball that
any coach with LEGITIMATE coaching acumen, whether or not they are a big name home run hire,
would immediately tick the needle in the correct direction. For all of his faults and missteps, Coach
Howland was a guy who knew his basketball Xs and Os. Alford was unequivocally a step back in
that regard, though at least his ability to connect with players helped to mitigate that deficiency.
From an admittedly outside perspective, this connection with his players seems to have eroded due
to his blatant favoritism toward his own son, who makes more mistakes and takes more defensive
plays off than any other player, yet still continues to get more minutes than anyone with no
repercussions. Surely you see this happening when you watch the games? Doesnt it frustrate you
to see that? Please, please bring us a real coach. UCLA practically recruits for itself. If a good Xs and
Os coach surrounds himself with strong recruiters, UCLA can compete consistently at a high level.
To answer the second question, I very honestly think that any real coach (or common spectator for
that matter) would look at what Coach Alford did with the levels of talent he had the last 3 years,
and come to the conclusion that Alford vastly underperformed. I think most other coaches would
look at Coach Alfords personnel decisions (playing Bryce over Zach Lavine!?) and scratch their head
in disbelief. I think any other coach worth his salt would think Yeah, they fired that guy with just
cause. I can come in and right this ship. UCLAs expectations are not unreasonable. Consistency.
Improvement. Effort. Good Sportsmanship. Thats all were asking for. Instead, the product on the
court and the excuses from the coach are embarrassing.
Once again, I want to stress that I do have utmost respect for you and your position. But I fear that
continuing on this path with Coach Alford will only serve to further damage the basketball program
for years to come. I fear that a year from now, Ill be copying and pasting these same emails to you,
begging you to fire Coach Alford so that I can once again support UCLA basketball both in spirit and
in dollars.
Thank you for your time,
STEVEN CHEW, CFA

Portfolio Management Associate
LOS ANGELES CAPITAL

11150 Santa Monica Blvd. | Suite 200 | Los Angeles, CA 90025
P 310.479.1382 | F 310.479.9930
E schew@lacapm.com | W www.lacapm.com
From: Steven Chew

Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2016 4:42 PM
To: 'dguerrero@athletics.ucla.edu'
Subject: Regarding Coach Alford
Hello Mr. Guerrero,
Let me begin by saying that this email is intended to be thoughtful and respectful with regards to
your position as the Athletic Director of one of the most successful (both performance-wise and
financially) collegiate athletic departments in the country. I understand that you make many hard
decisions and are privy to information that I am not aware of, however I am writing to express my
extreme disappointment in your apparent commitment to retaining Steve Alford as the head coach
of UCLAs basketball program.
I was born into a family of two Bruin parents, had two older sisters that went to UCLA, and then
finally went to UCLA myself and graduated in 2010. I was a member of the UCLA Yell Crew, and
count my days leading 8 claps in the Rose Bowl and Pauley Pavilion as some of my fondest college
memories. My parents are long time season ticket holders, so my oldest memories involve going to
football and basketball games. As soon as I was financially capable, I purchased season tickets for
UCLA basketball for the first season back in the new Pauley Pavilion (with my good friend Rick
Server, who is also a member of the class of 2010). I try my best to support the WAF as well as other
academic departments on campus, and look forward to growing those contributions as my
professional career progresses.
Which brings me to today. I fully supported the decision to remove Ben Howland as head coach. He
certainly helped revitalize the program after Steve Lavin, but it was clear by the end of his time at
UCLA that the program was lost. I was cautiously optimistic when Coach Alford was hired, but
quickly realized he would not be the answer. Quite frankly, after Steve Alfords first season, I
immediately made the decision not to renew my tickets. The ending W-L column was respectable
enough, but as a lifelong student of basketball, I could tell that our teams fundamentals were
headed in the wrong direction. And whats more, I could not believe the amount of playing time the
coachs son was getting. Over the last few years, I have come to one of two conclusions. Either 1)
Coach Alford is sincerely so deluded that his own son deserves the playing time he receives that he
clearly isnt the caliber of coach UCLA deserves, or 2) He is fully aware of his sons deficiencies, and
is playing him anyway out of extreme selfishness and nepotism. Neither conclusion is not
acceptable, and the UCLA fan base is catching on.
UCLA basketball was my first love. I camped out for games. I joined Yell Crew. I travelled for the post-
season. My childhood pets were all named after 95 Bruin players. Now? I went to only ONE game all
season and left early in disgust. I had free tickets for the last home game of the season (thanks to
the football renewal deal) and elected to skip rather than subject myself to the pain of seeing my
schools basketball team run by Coach Alford. I dont even bother turning the games on TV because
I know my time is better spent elsewhere. If you had told me 5-10 years ago that this would be my
attitude, I would never have believed you. Even during the worst years of Steve Lavins tenure, I
watched every game with undying passion.
The point is, Im practically begging you to do something so that I can start giving UCLA athletics
money again. I am young and I have less money to share at this stage in my life, but as a volunteer
for the UCLA Fund for the Young Alumni Development Council, I feel particularly resolute in
believing that my generation has massive potential for support, both in spirit and in dollars. You will
not tap that potential with this coaching staff. For that matter, my father Richard Chew, who is a
MUCH higher level donor, is also considering withdrawing his ticket renewals and financial support.
His name (and mine) are engraved on the inside of Pauleys donor wall.
I hate that this email feels and reads like a threat. I do not believe it is in the spirit of UCLA, of good
sportsmanship or of the values that John Wooden instilled in our university. But I have never felt so
low about UCLA basketball. And until I see material change, I cannot go on supporting the Athletic
Department financially.
Best regards,
STEVEN CHEW, CFA

Portfolio Management Associate
LOS ANGELES CAPITAL

11150 Santa Monica Blvd. | Suite 200 | Los Angeles, CA 90025
P 310.479.1382 | F 310.479.9930
E schew@lacapm.com | W www.lacapm.com
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From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Michael Presser
Guerrero, Dan; Rebholz, Joshua; Block, Gene
RE: New basketball coach needed
While the right decision is not always an easy one, I find it is usually better to deal with it sooner
rather than later. Better to move on from Steve Alford now rather than 12 months from now. The
culture of the basketball program will not improve next year and the infusion of talent will be
wasted if UCLA retains Steve Alford. The culture cant be changed if the coach and his son both
remain in their current positions. You saw yesterday the result of that dynamic.
Please do what is in the best interest of UCLA and fire Steve Alford!
MIKE PRESSER
PRINCIpAL
George Elkins Mortgage Banking Company

michael.presser@gemb.com
949.752.1662 office
cell
949.752.1667 fax
BRE #01391972
www gemb.com
26180 Enterprise Way, No. 300

Lake Forest, CA 92630
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Jay Chung
Guerrero, Dan; Rebholz, Joshua; Alford, Steve
When will Aaron Holiday go public re: leaving UCLA?
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Greg Patterson
Guerrero, Dan
Men"s Basketball
Tuesday, March 15, 2016 12:10:51 PM
I must say that I am disappointed if the news is true that Steve Alford is being retained as the head
coach at UCLA. I cant pretend to know everything that is going into this decision, but I do know
after three years of watching his team play selfish, me-first basketball that this is no longer the
program that I grew up supporting, nor do I feel that Mr. Alford is an appropriate steward of John
Woodens program.
Greg Patterson
Trace3
Business Operations Manager
gpatterson@trace3.com
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Michael Zank
Guerrero, Dan
Block, Gene; Rebholz, Joshua
Re: Please Fix it (Men"s Basketball, obviously)
Chancellor Block, Mr. Guerrero, Mr. Rebholz:

After four days and three messages, I'm wondering if the lack of even a cut-and-paste courtesy
reply from the Athletic Department is a really bad indicator of its ability to safely
navigatethis current crisis.
Mr. Guerrero, you can fix this. I can help. Others can help. What, if anything, is going on
behind the scenes to salvage this situation?
Based on the lack of responsiveness thus far, my worstfear that Ucla's response to its current
Athletics and donor crisis has been to do absolutely nothing.Some better, if not
required,actions over the past week (or month, or year) include:
(1) Perform financial and budgetary analysis of how eating Mr. Alford's buyout payment
could be absorbed without any outside funds (hint: it can)
(2) Identify what new contributionswould be immediately available from donors to mitigate
Ucla's standalone liability toward Mr. Alford's buyout (hint: at least some, and that's a great
start).
(2) Quietly reach out to the representatives of successful head coaches at smaller schools and
identify whether they would have interest if there were an opening. If you don't want to do
this, or don't know how, there are dozens of Ucla alumni and donors that can help (hint: fans
don't need a "big name" - just a competent adult who got their coaching opportunities based
on acumen rather thana past as a star player).
(3) Speak with Ucla's counsel about remedies it may have to mitigate Mr. Alford's buyout
clause, and what contractual leverage Ucla may have toward negotiating a settlement that
leaves all parties free and clear going forward.
(4) With Ucla's counsel (or other appropriate representation), approach Mr. Alford's
representatives and begin foundational discussions toward a closeout settlement of his
contract. Trust me, they won't be shocked or insulted. They know he sucks, too.
(5) Most importantly, ENGAGE YOUR DONORS who have skills and expertise to assist and
encourage you. Be willing to listen, and don't be afraid to ask for help.
Have any of these things been done? If the answer is "no", you are a very long way from
solving this problem.
Again, please, fix Men's Basketball, repair the relationship with your donors, and stop driving
your former donors to instead spend money on sillythings designed to make you look bad.Be
the hero.
I hope you can tell from my tone that I am trying to be constructive, and want to be helpful. I
can help.Others can help. Call and let's talk.

Best Regards,
Michael Zank
UCLA Anderson 2007
(m)
Executive Vice President and COO
Topaz Systems Inc.
On Mon, Mar 14, 2016 at 12:02 PM, Michael Zank <mike.zank@
Mr. Guerrero, Mr. Rebholz, and Chancellor Block,
> wrote:
This is my third message (I've received no reply to the other two), and I'm amazed that
young donors walking away from a $50,000 pledge to Athletics (the Football Facility, in
particular) doesn't even merit a placeholder copy-paste response. Maybe your CRM system
is broken?
I'm not sure the three of you understand the level of crisis that Ucla Athletics finds itself in,
or the damage Mr. Guererro has caused to the relationship between Ucla and its donor
community by (1) failing to do and due diligence when hiring a men's basketball coach in
2013, (2) failing to dismiss a failed basketball coach at the end of this season, and (3)
dismissing the pleas of hundreds (thousands?) of members of the Ucla community to fix the
problem, in the most tone-deaf manner possible, by quietly leaking that he was going to
retain Steve Alford just 36 hours after the end of this miserable season in hopes it would
shut us up, rather than really examine or address the multiple issues causing this crisis.
People (me included) really, really, really want to support Ucla and its athletic programs.
We don't want to be stuck in a war with Mr. Guerrerothat we didn't start. Athletics in
particular (for better or worse)providesthe common cultural element that unites all
students, alumni, and fans, and builds the goodwill that eventually matures intodonorship
like that of Mr. Wasserman and Mr. Ostin, and others that have made large gifts to other
departments. The current course of the Athletics administration is destroying this culture,
and making the donor experience miserable. We want to give more, not less. We don't want
to walk away from pledges, but Mr. Guerrero has left us no option.
I'll close with a few suggestions and observations that you may not have considered. It's not
too late for Mr. Guerrero to avoid the perception that he will be the Athletic Director that
killed Ucla Men's Basketball, the crown jewel of the entire department. Fire the alreadyfailed Mr. Alford. Don't further alienate your closest supporters by giving up on Men's
Basketball.
Please consider:
(1) The situation is only going to get worse. The "Fire Alford" movement, in all likelihood,
is just getting started. The entirety of next basketball season, and all the time in between,
will be even uglier if Mr. Alford is retained.
(2) In time, the focus for the failed Hoops program will shift from Mr. Alford to Mr.
Guerrero and Ucla. Right now, Mr. Alford's failures are in the spotlight. It will be bad for
all of us when this shifts to Mr. Guerrero and Ucla, and the question and perception among
the Ucla community and the national mediabecomes "why have THEY failed?"
(3) Mr. Guerrero has two choices: hero or goat. Unfortunately, his service and legacy as
athletic director will, unfairly or not, be cast solely by his response to this crisis. I hope for
his sake he chooses "hero". We wantpeace, forgiveness, and reconciliation, and only Mr.
Guerrero can provide them.
As I said before, we want to give more, not less. Please give us a reason to consider Ucla
worthy of support, because on the current course there won't be any Wassermans or Ostins
to support the next Athletic Director.
Best Regards,
Michael Zank
PS - If you perceive thatthis crisis to be too problematic for the current athletics
organization to successfully resolve, I promise there are many capable, professional people
who are happy to volunteer to help out. Please call me if there is anything I can do with my
time or expertise to help fix Ucla Basketball, or assist the Athletics organization in general.
From:
To:
Date:
Terry & Karen

Guerrero, Dan
CAN ALFORD'S SORRY ASS!!!
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Ben Esfandi
Guerrero, Dan
Fire Steve Alford
He is the worst thing to ever happen to UCLA basketball dan. Don't let this stain your legacy at UCLA. Fire him and
bring in a quality coach. Our players fans alums boosters and all deserve better!
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Alice Tsuyuki
Steve Alford
Gentlemen:
I am a UCLA alumna and a 40+ year diehard UCLA basketball fan. I was also a longtime
basketball season ticket holder until last season, when I finally could no longer stomach what I
was seeing on the court under the leadership of Steve Alford.
His nepotism and his inability to build a solid basketball program with tough defense, sound
fundamentals, and something as basic as playing with heart, have made it hard to even care
about UCLA basketball.
If Steve Alford is retained, I will not be renewing my WAF membership. When Alford is gone, I
will be more than happy to contribute and buy season tickets again.
If you believe that UCLA fans are unreasonable and will only settle for the Coach Ks of the
world, let me assure you that is not true. I believe most fans just want a coach who will teach
a fundamentally sound, tough-minded brand of basketball.
Please do the right thing for UCLA. Dismiss Steve Alford now.
Thank you,
Alice Tsuyuki
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Gilberto Limon
Guerrero, Dan; Block, Gene; Chancellor Gene D. Block
TCU head basketball coaching job open
Tell Alford we'll let him leave without a penalty of $10.5 million. Come
on, Dan, remedy your mistake. Help Alford leave.
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Matthew
Guerrero, Dan
the unfolding basketball drama
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

As you must be aware, the situation surrounding Coach Alford's tenure has not been resolved
in the past day. In fact, it is getting worse, and the UCLA basketball program is being raked
over the coals by the national media. Whatever you think of Jim Rome, he speaks with a loud
voice andcommands a large audience in this field, and he excoriated the program and Coach
Alford on his showtoday. Other national and local media outlets are alsocommenting on the
controversy, and it shows no signs of letting up.
I write to you once more to urge you to act. The men's basketball program is mired in malaise
and mediocrity, and the status quo is not sustainable. No tinkering at the margins (replacing
assistant coaches, public avowals to change or "do better," incoming recruits, etc.) can save it.
The only way to restore order and bring UCLA basketball up to its reasonable potential is to
make a coaching change. Delaying the inevitable will only further ravage the fan base and
cause additional scrutiny and criticism.
Please do the right thing and terminate Coach Alford's employment.
Sincerely,
Matt Henderson
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Trevor Fuller
Guerrero, Dan
Please Fire Steve Alford for Gross Nepotism
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

I'm sure you're already aware of this but I just discovered today that previous to this year
Alford had employed as his video coordinator one Kory Barnett, the son of his (Steve's)
agent, Mike Barnett. And this year as we all know Steve appointed his own son Kory Alford
to the position of video coordinator after he graduated from college and needed a job. The
Video Coordinator position became free because Kory Barnett (again, Mike Barnett's, Steve
Alford's agent's, son) was promoted to the position of Director of Player Development and
Scouting.
This is on top of the obscene minutes he, Coach Alford, has allotted to his other son, Bryce, at
the expense of far superior players like Aaron Holiday and Prince Ali this year, and Zach
Lavine his first year. If you want statistical proof of Alford's nepotistic treatment of Bryce,
you can go here: https://medium.com/@68degreesPlz/nep-o-tism-3f118c43af99#.jllzmmnqa.
All of this is to say that Steve Alford has clearly used UCLA men's basketball to promote the
success of his friends and family before the success of the school, the team, and the program,
which has resulted in our fourth losing season since Wooden's retirement, our worst finish in
Pac-12 play in school history, a toxic environment for the players and staff in the program not
named Alford, just so an undeserving Bryce can enter the UCLA record books for minutes
played, scoring, and assists.
Please, stop letting Steve Alford treat UCLA's men's basketball program as his own personal
Mom and Pop store and dismiss him from his position as the head coach of UCLA men's
basketball before the start of this upcoming off-season.
Sincerely,
Trevor Fuller
UCLA Class of 2012
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Jeff Brown
Guerrero, Dan
Men"s Basketball
Hi Dan:
I have not heard anything official from your office on the status of Coach Steve Alford which
I take as a good sign. I trust you are doing your due diligence and waiting for the right time
to make a move. Perhaps you have a candidate in mind and that coach is in the tournament
and you do not want to cause a distraction for his team; which I would find commendable. I
look forward to a new coach at UCLA - one that is dedicated to the team and the university.
Regards,
Jeff '91
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Rich Plotin
Guerrero, Dan
Dismiss Alford
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

I have been a long time UCLA fan, and would enjoy going to the basketball games. Ever
since Alford was hired, I noticed something was definitely missing. There was little coaching
on defense. The attitude of the players were not representative of the pride in UCLA
basketball, and most significantly, Alford used the
UCLA program to showcase his son, who shot us out of games more times than he helped us
win. He can't defend, his man blows by him, and the Coach leaves him in the gamel. I kept
hoping that things would turn around, that Alford would get a grip on the program, but things
got worse. To the point that with this coach, I don't even care anymore. I won't buy tickets,
and it is a disgrace to even watch the team on TV. This coach and team just plain quit for the
last 10 games. With his checkered past, Alford never should have been hired at UCLA
I urge you to fire Alford, and get a coach who cares about UCLA and its once storied program.
Sincerely,
Richard Plotin
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Namir Shaba
Take this program to another level
Dear Sirs,
This program has sunk so low that we get enamored by empty Sweet 16s in between losing seasons. The final
record or NCAA tourney finish doesn't tell the whole story.
2013-2014-Alford had a team with 5 NBA players his first year and under achieved all year. That team should
have been a top 3 protected seed and a final four contender. Instead he botched playing time by prioritizing his
son, alienated Zach LaVine, and did not develop the talent. That team didn't play defense until the PAC 12
tourney. And even in the Sweet 16 game against Florida, he sat Kyle Anderson in favor of his son in the most
crucial portion of the game. He ran off important recruits especially at the guard position because he didn't want
anyone to compete with his son (which has set up a short bench and lack of accountability on the next 2 teams)FAIL
2014-2015- With a failure in recruiting to fully stock his bench, the team sputtered thru the season with terrible
losses and inconsistency. Norman Powell and Looney carried that team on their backs when Alford's leadership
disappeared. That team was on track to a disastrous end, but Norman Powell took over leadership and rallied that
team to the NCAA tourney. We did not deserve the bid, somehow we got it, and got the luckiest draw to make it to
the Sweet 16. When UCLA is talking about the bubble all season long, something is wrong.- FAIL
2015-2016- There isn't much to say about this team that you haven't heard already. What's the excuse in year 3?
There is talent- 3 McDonald's All Americans, multiple 4-5 star athletes, an older team with a senior, junior, and
seasoned sophomores getting most of the minutes. Where is the defense? Where is the maturity? Where is
player development? Where is the coach?..... His son plays 37min a game, shoots under 40% from the field but
still gets the most shots on the team and is the worst defender. - FAIL
It doesn't take long to turn a program around in this day and age. Steve Alford came into a perfect situation. Great
school, easy to recruit, a loaded team.... he should have had an easy transition. Instead he showcased his son
and in 3 years turned a good team into a terrible team. It's embarrassing that USC has more athletic players at
every position, they play hard and they dominated us 3 times this year. Not acceptable.
Now is the perfect time. A good recruiting class coming in will make the transition smooth. Hire a good X's and O's
guy, bring in a good recruiter like Kerry Keating and UCLA will be rolling once again.
If you don't make a move now, Steve Alford will again waste the talent coming in and stumble his way to an
underachieving season. And in turn, there will be empty seats in Pauley, season tickets won't be renewed,
donations will be on hold, and merchandise and the UCLA brand will be hurt.
I don't have the means to donate $50,000. But I will pledge $1000 to UCLA basketball if the move is made now.
Otherwise I'll save that money for something more worth while.
Namir Shaba, Class of 2000
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Kim Luk
Block, Gene; Guerrero, Dan; Rebholz, Joshua
UCLA BB
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

UCLA DESERVES BETTER! FIRE ALFORD!
Please the right thing.
Go Bruins!
Kim Luk
1976
Sent from my iPad
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Abner Kwon
Guerrero, Dan
UCLA Basketball
Mr. Guerrero
I know you are a busy man, so I will keep this short and sweet. Plans to retain Alford officially made or not,
we need to look ahead to the future. Either now, or 1 year from now (whenever you are ready to move on
from Alford), please do your due diligence on Valparaiso head coach Bryce Drew. Paired with head assistant
coach Kerry Keating, I believe he can bring back UCLA to where we should be. Thank you.
Respectfully,
Abner Kwon
ARES MANAGEMENT LLC
2000 Avenue of the Stars | 12th Floor | Los Angeles | California | 90067 |US
310.201.4172 voice| 310.432.8736 fax | akwon@aresmgmt.com
www.aresmgmt.com
This message, including any attachments, may include privileged, confidential and/or inside
information. Any distribution or use of this communication by anyone other than the intended
recipient(s) is strictly prohibited unless authorized by the sender and may be unlawful. If you
are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then
delete it from your system.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
R. Brink
Guerrero, Dan
Please Fire Alford
For innumerable reasons Steve Alford has proven over the past three years that he is not
capable of leading our team. Please admit a mistake and fire Alford now.
Roy Donald Brink
UCLA Engineering 1968, MBA 1992
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Raj Patel
Guerrero, Dan
Fire Alford
Otherwise your legacy is garbage. You still have time to fix it.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Attachments:
Scott Revlin
How long will this continue?
image001.png
image002.png
Gentleman,
I email you all for the fourth time; I have yet to receive a response. I will be ceasing all donations in
any form to UCLA until Steve Alford is dismissed. It pains me to do so, as we are a Bruin family
through and through. We do the 8-clap together each night at my daughters bedtime. But enough
is enough, and I cannot support what the current regime is doing to our proud basketball program.
I hope youll give me the courtesy of a response.
Regards,
Scott Revlin
Class of 1999
Wife Class of 2001 and 2009 (Anderson MBA)
Father Class of 1965
Mother Class of 1968
Aunt Class of 1962
Cousin Class of 1989
Scott Revlin, MA, BCBA

Clinical Manager
STAR of CA
(805) 644-7827 Office
Cell
starofca.com
Connect with STAR of CA:
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Kenji Kumara
Guerrero, Dan
Fans choice for new coach
Scott Drew - Baylor

Cuonzo Martin - Cal
Tad Boyle - Colorado
Archie Miller - Dayton
Fran McCaffery - Iowa
Josh Pastner - Memphis
Jim Larranaga - Miami
Mike Brey - Notre Dame
Lon Kruger - Oklahoma
Randy Bennett - St. Mary's
Billy Kennedy - Texas A&M
Larry Krystkowiak - Utah
Tony Bennett - Virginia
Gregg Marshall - Wichita St.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Jeffrey Hoover
Guerrero, Dan
Coaching change needed!
:
> Dear Mr. Guerrero,
>
> I have sent you messages in the past and even here recently regarding the situation at hand with the men's
basketball program. It is obvious you have no intentions of making UCLA an elite program like it should be. You
are single-handedly destroying what so many UCLA Bruin fans have admired and cherished over many years.
>
> Looking at numbers, it is amazing that you still have a job. The football team and men's basketball team, since
you're hiring, has been pitiful. Most years they are unranked at the end of the season and play horribly throughout.
It is so frustrating to even see you in videos receiving awards for other team's programs or when new additions are
included to UCLA grounds.
>
> You come off as a lazy bureaucrat who is only caring about his paycheck when he retires. Do UCLA a favor and
leave soon! We deserve much better. And having an athletic director who doesn't allow for damages to take place
to make a program irrelevant is a must. You clearly are not that person.
>
> It's amazing that you are able to keep your job. If any other person, in any occupation, lead his coworkers the way
you do, he would never work at that job again.
>
> What a disgrace!
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Jeffrey Hoover - UCLA Fan
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
LoDuca, Paul
Block, Gene
Make UCLA Basketball Great Again
Wednesday, March 16, 2016 8:31:25 AM
Chancellor Block:
Yesterday, I made the suggestion that UCLA should pursue a young up and coming coach
for the basketball team as opposed to an already elite name. The logic is sound elite
coaches are rare and expensive and to make a move they would need to be available.
Im not sure any of them will be on the move this Spring.
However, the names that I shared are likely all available and would come for less money
than you are paying for Alford. Of the four names provided, I would initially target Bryce
Drew. He has a solid record as a player in both college and the NBA. He was an assistant
at Valparaiso before becoming the head coach. His 5 year winning percentage is .715.
He is on the cusp of greatness and you can get him if you have the courage to act now!
Three years ago the hot coaching candidate was Brad Stevens. We all know that Dan
Guerrero could not close him and broke the hearts of every Bruin fan by settling for
mediocrity in Alford. With the public outcry against Alford, and his blatant nepotism, he is
not viable long term. Why keep someone who you know you should fire now?
Bryce Drew and Valparaiso were 3-0 against Stevens Butler team. Stevens was extremely
complimentary about Drews coaching. Bryce Drew is the real deal and he would come to
UCLA in a heartbeat. Bryce Drew is the solution for UCLA Basketball and hes young
enough to stay here for 25 years.
All it takes is leadership. I urge you to ask Dan Guerrero to lead.
Thank you.
Paul LoDuca
Financial Advisor
The Linzmeier Group



NMLS ID # 1364401
From: LoDuca, Paul (Wealth Mgmt MS)

Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2016 8:23 AM
To: gblock@conet.ucla.edu
Cc: dguerrero@athletics.ucla.edu; jrebholz@athletics.ucla.edu
Subject: UCLA Basketball
Chancellor Block:
I believe that there is a misconception that Coach Steve Alford must be replaced by a big
name coach. If Dan Guerrero is holding back, in letting Steve Alford go, because he
doesnt feel he can land a big name replacement then he is missing the whole Bruin
basketball value proposition. Given its natural advantages UCLA is a top ten program
waiting to happen. We just need a someone with really good coaching chops to lead the
way.
I think the best solution is to find the next great coach before everyone else does. Here are
some suggestions:
Bryce Drew, Valparaiso: Hes 119 47 at Valparaiso. Hes 41 years old
Mitch Henderson, Princeton: Hes 96-52. Hes 40 years old
Zach Spicker, Army: Hes 102 111 overall there but 65 - 59 over the last four
years. Coach K was modestly better going 73 59 in 5 years. Spiker is 39 years
old.
Andy Toole, Robert Morris: Hes 120 88 all at RM. He is 35 years old.
The worst decision in the world is to keep the status quo because you are afraid you cant
do better. A leader sees that a change must be made and makes it. Im beginning to feel
that UCLA basketball doesnt only have head coaching problem but also a leadership
vacuum in the ADs office.
Thank you.
Paul LoDuca
Financial Advisor
The Linzmeier Group



NMLS ID # 1364401
From:
To:
Date:
evoape@
Guerrero, Dan
Hello, the obvious question is to you: What possessed you to give Alford such an absurd buy-out, that
obviously goes to no other coach?
And: How many coaches can you point to that have such an absurd buy-out?
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Carrie White-Parrish
Guerrero, Dan
Re: the state of the program
Dear Sirs,
I'm writing to you again to beg you to consider the bigger picture, here, and the larger fan
base. We are not happy. Almost to a man, the university and its fans and donors are not
happy. As an AD, I would expect that you care for the university as a whole, rather than
the ego and feelings of one man, who is coaching our glorious basketball program into a
black hole.
This sort of thing would never be allowed to happen at any of the other blue bloods.
Kentucky? Absolutely not. Duke? Please. North Carolina? Well who can really call them
a blue blood at this point? But UCLA???? We have the longest and most illustrious
basketball history in the country, and, arguably, in the world. How is it possible that we
have been allowed to come to this point, and have to face another year of this
embarrassment, under an AD who claims to love UCLA, simply for Well, what actually
IS the reason here? I don't believe any reason could possibly be good enough.
Please consider your decision carefully. Consider how many alumns, students, fans, and
donors you're alienating, and how deserted Pauley will be next year if we have to endure
another year of Steve Alford. I literally never thought I would say this, but this is worse
than going to school during the Steve Lavin years.
If you truly love UCLA, do the right thing. Please.
______________________________________________
Editorial Director, Publisher

GlassHouse Press
Carrie.white@glasshousepress.com
www.glasshousepress.com
____________________________________________
Doc doesn't believe that Dresden survived his escape. He thinks we're safe, now that Dresden
has disappeared.
ButIknow differently.Iknow whatIsaw when he escaped, and the stone made sureI
understood what it meant. NowIhave to find him. No matter how much Doc tries to convince
meotherwise, the stones don't lie. Dresden is still out there, somewhere. AndIhave to stop
him, before he does anything else to damage history.
Because the world won't be safe untilIdo.
Follow Jason Evans and his friends on their newest quest to save
the world in A Rebel's Stone by bestselling author PT McHugh,
coming in spring, 2016. This time, they're not all coming home.
From: Carrie White <carrie.white@glasshousepress.com>

Date: Friday, March 4, 2016 7:45 AM
To: <dguerrero@athletics.ucla.edu>
Cc: <jrebholz@athletics.ucla.edu>, <gblock@conet.ucla.edu>
Subject: the state of the program
Dear Sirs
I grew up on UCLA lore. In fact, I was born to it. Both of my parents went to UCLA, and
were there for the Wooden years. My mother was a tutor to Walton and his gang. My father
hid from the Black Panthers in Royce when they invaded the campus. They lived and breathed
John Wooden, and taught me everything I needed to know about how to get into UCLA
myself. In fact, the common joke is that I was bred to go there.
Some of my earliest memories are of watching Bruin basketball. I remember seeing Reggie
fly. I cheered for what we called the 5 MsTracy Murray, Mitch Butler, Derrick Martin,
Gerald Madkins, Don Maclean. I was pacing outside of my house, listening to my dad and
sisters scream, when Tyus made his layup against Minnesota. And in the end, when it came
down to choosing a college, I went to UCLA for the academics, yes, but because UCLA
basketball ran through my blood like oxygen.
I got there a year after the national championship and was there during the fall into the Lavin
years. I graduated in 2000 and suffered through those embarrassing years of no basketball
identity. I was ecstatic when Howland came on board, and I supported him and his hardnosed style up until the end. I met him several times, and really liked him personally, as
well as his style and passion for UCLA. When Steve Alford arrived, I was disappointed, but
wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the AD had seen something no one else
knew. Maybe he really was the one to bring the program back up. We have all, however, seen
that this is not the case. I dont know whats going on behind the scenes, and I dont know
what the motivations or political agendas are. I dont know how we got to this point.
What I do know is that Ive never been so embarrassed to be a UCLA basketball fan. Ive
never intentionally ignored my TV when theres a game on. Ive NEVER been able to say I
dont care about any of the players on the team. Not even during the Lavin years was I so
disillusioned with our team and what it was doing to our lofty history. I can say without a
doubt that Ill be withholding any and all support financial and otherwise until this
problem within the program is fixed. I absolutely cannot condone contributing to the downfall
of our program, or the man men who are allowing our tradition to be flushed away like
this. Please, for the love of all that is UCLA, fix the problem. Fire Steve Alford and find us a
coach worthy of those four letters.
Class of 2000
______________________________________________
Editorial Director, Publisher

GlassHouse Press
Carrie.white@glasshousepress.com
www.glasshousepress.com
____________________________________________
Doc doesn't believe that Dresden survived his escape. He thinks we're safe, now that Dresden
has disappeared.
ButIknow differently.Iknow whatIsaw when he escaped, and the stone made sureI
understood what it meant. NowIhave to find him. No matter how much Doc tries to convince
meotherwise, the stones don't lie. Dresden is still out there, somewhere. AndIhave to stop
him, before he does anything else to damage history.
Because the world won't be safe untilIdo.
Follow Jason Evans and his friends on their newest quest to save
the world in A Rebel's Stone by bestselling author PT McHugh,
coming in spring, 2016. This time, they're not all coming home.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
mrtibbs44
Guerrero, Dan
UCLA BASKETBALL
Good morning. You have received countless emails I am sure regarding the plight of the
basketball program. You have the opportunity to rescue the program by doing the right thing
and terminating the contract of Steve Alford. He is simply not up to the task of stewardship of
the UCLA Basketball program. It is that simple.
Very truly,
Fredrick James
Sent from my Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 6.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Dan Brisket
Steve Alford"s dismissal
Dear UCLA administration,

I am still amazed that you have not acted on firing Steve Alford. I am emailing you 3-4 times a week on behalf of
late father who was a devoted fan and alum. Keeping Alford is the worst possible decision. The nepotism and lack
of player development will force players to begin to look elsewhere. I know of two strongly considering leaving.
The situation is toxic among fans and players. Please act and save UCLA basketball by letting Coach Alford go.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Tony Rossi
Chancellor Gene D. Block; Guerrero, Dan; Rebholz, Joshua
Jim Rome comments on UCLA basketball program
Dear sirs,
The UCLA basketball program is now subject to national ridicule. Please see below for the
comments made by Jim Rome on his national radio show yesterday. The fan base continues to
wonder when the administration will listen to the will of the people.
Yesterday, a plane was flying over Westwood dragging a banner that read
UCLA Deserves Better- Fire Alford Give that pilot a 1-seed. And give whoever
paid him a key to the city.
Thats one of the most iconic flights LA has seen since Howard Hughes landed
on a golf course and Harry Ford crashed into one.
And Id like to say its a low point for UCLA basketball, but I cant. Sure, there
have been some shaky coaching runs over the years. But I dont remember
getting the fly-over treatment after a 6-12 season in conference. And even
thats not your low point. The low point was walking off the floor after losing to
USC by 24 points to complete the first cross-town season sweep since the
1940s. The last time that happened, John Wooden was serving in World War II.
Never mind hiring a plane, the program should have put Steve Alford on one and
flew him out of town.
But give credit to Alford for something his team had 1 more Pac-12 win than
the Bruins football team had. So at least tip the cap for Alf for the re-branding.
Because hes helping turn a classic national basketball program into a football
school.
Sincerely,
Tony Rossi
UCLA Class of 1993
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
patoooo@
Guerrero, Dan
UCLA Basketball
Sir,
Did you see this? This is Nationwide media. We're being laughed at.
from Jim Rome show today:

"Spring Break just started early at UCLA. Ive gotta a feeling on Frat Row in
Westwood, there were some red solo cups raised to the sky out of respect for
the pilot buzzing campus with a FIRE ALFORD banner.
Yesterday, a plane was flying over Westwood dragging a banner that read
UCLA Deserves Better- Fire Alford Give that pilot a 1-seed. And give whoever
paid him a key to the city.
Thats one of the most iconic flights LA has seen since Howard Hughes landed
on a golf course and Harry Ford crashed into one.
And Id like to say its a low point for UCLA basketball, but I cant. Sure, there
have been some shaky coaching runs over the years. But I dont remember
getting the fly-over treatment after a 6-12 season in conference. And even
thats not your low point. The low point was walking off the floor after losing to
USC by 24 points to complete the first cross-town season sweep since the
1940s. The last time that happened, John Wooden was serving in World War II.
Never mind hiring a plane, the program should have put Steve Alford on one and
flew him out of town. Not that I dont respect the hustle of whoever threw down
for that plane. Can you even imagine how much that must have cost in LA? If
you have to break off a half mill to get a 2-bedroom condo, with a shared wall,
its gotta be steep to rent a 2-passenger plane. And yet, whatever it is its a
drop in the bucket compared to what UCLA would have to pay to actually
Whack the Alf.Never mind that puddle jumper, you could buy 3 private jets for
the 10.4 mill Alf would be due if they ran him.Thats the buzzkill in this party.
UCLA wasnt even close to going to March Madness. And Alf isnt going
anywhere.
As much I respect angry UCLA fans throwing down for an aviator, theyd be
better off starting a Kickstarter.
But give credit to Alford for something his team had 1 more Pac-12 win than
the Bruins football team had. So at least tip the cap for Alf for the re-branding.
Because hes helping turn a classic national basketball program into a football
school.
You deserve better than Steve Alford, Bruin fan, but unless you can scratch a
ten million dollar check, youre not going to get it. Never mind that you had
better. And his name is Ben Howland. You believe that: you fired a guy who
took you to three Final Fours in order to hire a guy who just got swept by USC?!
How the hell does that work? Id love to tell you its all going to work out just
fine, Bruin fan. But it wont."
-- Jim Rome
UCLA deserves better!
As long as Steve Alford is coaching UCLA basketball I will never attend another game or give any money
to the UCLA athletic program.
Thank you for your time.
Pat Thompson
50 year die-hard UCLA fan.
if you wish to chat.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
sprtpsych@
on behalf of Nathan Roman
Guerrero, Dan
Boston Alum - #firealford
Dear Dan,
As an alum of UCLA and a frustrated men's basketball fan, I must implore you to please look
at the state of the program. Last year's Sweet 16 was fool's gold, ESPECIALLY in the light of
the team being demolished by Kentucky ( 7 POINTS AT THE HALF!) and Utah (17 POINTS
AT THE HALF!). The team lucked into the 2nd weekend of the Tournament. This year, with
how many McDonald's All-Americans?! With how many of Alford's recruits?! Sub-500
season and a VERY discontent fan-base AND donor-base.
PLEASE, as an aging alum I want to see a team I can be proud of; one that plays
fundamentally sound, recruiting the Best in the West and having the fortitude to compete for
Pac-12 and National Titles on a consistent basis. We shouldn't strive to be like Duke or
Kentucky, they should be trying to catch us!
Regards,
Nathan Roman
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Ryan Wells
Guerrero, Dan
Re: UCLA Men"s Basketball Coach
Dear Mr. Guerrero:

As a lifelong UCLA fan and UCLA alumnus, I request that you seriously consider firing Steve
Alford. UCLA basketball has been a major part of my life for many years. For 2 years I
oversaw the M.D. coverage at UCLA basketball games. UCLA has one of, if not the,
proudest college basketball traditions. Some of the best basketball players of all time have
played at UCLA. Yet, Bryce Alford, the coach's son is on pace to set the all time minutes
played mark at UCLA. More than any other Bruin in history. Can you comprehend what is
going on here? He sat Zach Levine, Kyle Anderson, and other first round NBA players for
Bryce. Not only that, but there is absolutely no accountability for Bryce. He does not have to
play any defense and he can hoist any poor shot he would like with no repercussion. Do you
wonder why the team stopped playing for him for the past month plus? Other players (see
Prince Ali) are held accountable for any defensive lapses - not Bryce. The degree of nepotism
taking place at UCLA basketball is historic. He has sacrificed UCLA basketball to showcase
his son. He is not an elite coach to begin with (that is why Indiana passed on him 3 times) but
add to it all of his other deficiencies...we deserve better!
Do you realize how little top 25 exposure we have had during his tenure? Also at an ALL
TIME LOW! Please see the statistics below. During Steve Alford's tenure, UCLA has been
UNRANKED in the AP poll 47 of 58 weeks (81%) of the time. The longest stretch of being
ranked was 5 weeks - coach Alford's first 5 weeks. Since then UCLA has not once been
ranked in consecutive weeks. This is difficult to believe. What do you think would happen to
a coach with this little success at most high level college programs?
2013-14 season:UCLA wasunrankedin the AP poll 12 of 20 weeks or 60% of the time. UCLA's highest
ranking was 18.This UCLA team had three first round draft picks playing on it.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
Preseason: 22
Week 2: 24
Week 3: 22
Week 4: 19
Week 5: 18
Week 6: Not Ranked
Week 7: Not Ranked
Week 8: Not Ranked
Week 9: Not Ranked
Week 10: Not Ranked
Week 11: 25
Week 12: Not Ranked
Week 13: Not Ranked
Week 14: Not Ranked
Week 15: Not Ranked
Week 16: 23
Week 17: Not Ranked
Week 18: Not Ranked
19. Week 19: Not Ranked

20. Postseason: 20
2014-15 season:UCLA wasunrankedin the AP poll 18 of 19 weeks or 94.73% of the time.UCLA's highest
ranking was 22.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
Preseason: Not Ranked

Week 2: Not Ranked
Week 3: 22
Week 4: Not Ranked
Week 5: Not Ranked
Week 6: Not Ranked
Week 7: Not Ranked
Week 8: Not Ranked
Week 9: Not Ranked
Week 10: Not Ranked
Week 11: Not Ranked
Week 12: Not Ranked
Week 13: Not Ranked
Week 14: Not Ranked
Week 15: Not Ranked
Week 16: Not Ranked
Week 17: Not Ranked
Week 18: Not Ranked
Postseason: Not Ranked
2015-16 season: UCLA wasunrankedin the AP poll 17 of 19 weeks or 89.47% of the time.UCLA's highest
ranking was 22.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Preseason: Not Ranked

Week 2: Not Ranked
Week 3: Not Ranked
Week 4: Not Ranked
Week 5: Not Ranked
Week 6: 22
Week 7: Not Ranked
Week 8: 25
Week 9: Not Ranked
Week 10: Not Ranked
Week 11: Not Ranked
Week 12: Not Ranked
Week 13: Not Ranked
Week 14: Not Ranked
Week 15: Not Ranked
Week 16: Not Ranked
Week 17: Not Ranked
18. Week 18: Not Ranked

19. Postseason: Not Ranked
You have to make the decision.
I will no longer be attending any basketball games, buying any licensed gear or clothing, or donating to any
UCLA fundraising while Steve Alford is the coach.
Sincerely,
Ryan Wells, MD
UCLA Emergency Medicine Residency, 2003
On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 6:49 PM, Ryan Wells <ryandrea1@

Dear Mr. Guerrero;
> wrote:
I am sorry that I have to write this email. I have never written an email related to another
person's job. However, I am a lifelong Bruins fan and have been a very dedicated fan of
UCLA basketball since the mid 1980's and feel that I need to express my concerns. I have
watched nearly every UCLA men's basketball game (at Pauley, live, or recorded) for 30
years....up until this year. As a matter of fact I didn't even take the time to record the games
as I have lost interest in watching the 'product' that is on the floor under the guidance of the
current coach. Clearly the fans are losing interest (embarrassing amounts of empty seats in
Pauley) , as are the majority of the players (effort, lack of focus, lack of team), and I even
wonder about the coaches' level of interest over the past month. I believe this coach should
be fired. I know you are likely worried about the buyout package for his contract.
However I am certain you also realize that the cost to UCLA basketball will be much
greater if he is retained. Both financially and in terms of local and national respect. We
may never dig out of the hole coach Alford is digging for us.
If retained, this coach (or any coach) will likely have a better year next year simply because
he has very good players coming in (these recruits are coming to UCLA whether or not he
is coach) and the Pac-12 will be down talent-wise. Yet, this will be fool's gold. This coach
has shown that he does not have what it takes to have long term success. His first year at
UCLA he had 3 NBA first rounders on the team and he only made the sweet 16. Last year
we squeaked into the NCAAs (truly on the bubble) and then had an unbelievably lucky goal
tending call to win our 1st game and our 2nd game was against a 14 seed. Thus another
sweet 16. We have gone from 28 wins to 22 wins to 15 wins and a losing record. We were
beaten by USC 3 times this year - and all 3 games were not even competitive. We finished
10th in the Pac-12!
Steve Alford clearly has UCLA headed the wrong direction and I don't see any evidence that
he knows how to correct things. If he is not released this year, he will be here for 2 more
years (see paragraph above) and that is not good for UCLA. He is not the right coach for
our proud university. I feel it is in UCLA's best interest to find a better coach for our
basketball team now. I will not be purchasing any further tickets while he is the coach at
UCLA. Nor will I consider donating to the WAF.
Best of luck with the decision. I know you have UCLA's best interests at heart.
Sincerely,
Ryan Wells
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Matthew
Guerrero, Dan
Coach Alford must be relieved of his duties
Wednesday, March 16, 2016 12:00:40 PM
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

I am sure by now you are tired of receiving these emails. Believe me, I am tired of sending
them, and I'm sure my fellow Bruin fans are, too. It is a measureof our love of the men's
basketball program and our respect for you to do the right thing that we continue to lobby to
save Bruin hoops from the depths to which it has sunk. At this time of year, when we should
be breaking down our brackets and sizing up the competition (not as a lame double-digit seed
but one with a real chance to make the Final Four), we are instead focused on the change
that must be made. Why? Because Bruin basketball has beenreduced to irrelevance.
Let that sink in. UCLA basketball is nationally irrelevant -- not even worthy of an NIT bid (not
that a proud Bruin program should ever be reduced to playing in the NIT).
Even last year's Sweet 16 team (reminiscent of the days of Steve Lavin, whom you rightfully
fired) was a sign of trouble for the program. UCLA was a controversial choice to even be in
the tournament, and only as an 11 seed. Everyone knew UCLA had no chance of making a
deep run in the tournament, and of course we did not. Mid-majors rightfullycelebrate
Cinderella Sweet 16 runs; basketball royalty does not. But the longer Coach Alford is
retained, the farther away from basketball royalty UCLA becomes.
Every team turns in a bad performance now and then. But that is not what we have here. A
team that was talented enough to beat Kentucky, Gonzaga, and Arizona completely collapsed.
No defense, no fundamentals, no intensity, no pride. They rolled over and got demolished by
USC three times.
Coach Alford lost the team, and lost the program. It cannot be recovered. Rumors of
imminent transfers are swirling around the program. When it is mentioned in the media, the
coverage is not favorable. Taken with the groundswell of fan opposition to Coach Alford's
tenure, transfers clearly telegraph to the outside world that something is rotten in the state
of Westwood.
You know all of this. You also know on some level that there is only one cure for it.
Please relieve Coach Alford of his duties. It is time.
Respectfully,
Matt Henderson
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Attachments:
Scott Revlin
Prince Ali is transferring
image001.png
image002.png
"Weve had our issues with transfers as of late. Im hoping that Steve can come in, bring in quality
players, and hopefully allow them to grow and develop so that they can have a program, that year
in and year out, can compete at a high level." - Dan Guerrero on hiring Steve Alford, March, 2013
Scott Revlin, MA, BCBA

Clinical Manager
STAR of CA
(805) 644-7827 Office
Cell
starofca.com
Connect with STAR of CA:
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Kenji Kumara
Guerrero, Dan
Accurate overview of the men"s program and this season
http://mostlyuclahoops.blogspot.com/
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Dan Brisket
Prince Ali is transferring because of the Alfords
Mr. Guerrero and Rebholz,

Again,
The entire fabric of the program is in jeopardy. Please fire Coach Alford and end the nepotism and bad situation
overall. More
Players to come. Steve Alford is a disaster.
Sent from my iPhone
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Jay Chung
Guerrero, Dan; Rebholz, Joshua; Alford, Steve
HOW"S BRYCE"S DEFENSE? ALI TRANSFERRING. FIRE COACH ALFORD..
WAKE THE FUCK UP.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Zaid Qureshi
Guerrero, Dan
Fire Coach Steve Alford
Mr. Guerrero,
The subject line of my email says it all. Coach Alford has been on a 3 year downward
trajectory, culminating in this embarrassment of a season. UCLA should not accept this
mediocrity. The program that Coach Wooden built is being disgraced every day that Coach
Alford remains head coach. As a lifelong Bruin fan,I have never been so embarrassed of
UCLA basketball in my entire life. I implore you, fire Coach Steve Alford immediately.
Regards,
Zaid Qureshi
UCLA Class of 2013
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Michael Zank
Guerrero, Dan
Block, Gene; Rebholz, Joshua; Emily Zank
Ignoring people that pledge $50,000 to your department is an interesting choice
Four messages, five days, and not a peep in return.

An "out-of-office" reply would at least makesense. Isa gag order in effect? (Also an
interesting choice). Without communication and information, people tend to assume the
worst.
Ihope, for your sake,that rumors that you are trying to meddle in Alford's basketball staff but
retain him as coach through at least 2017 as sort of fantasy "leverage" to reduce his buyout in
the future are false, since:
(1) Replacing one or more assistant coaches will NOT make the basketball team any better
next season, or fix any of the underlying problems causing the terribleness and dysfunction.
So, what's the point?
(2) it indicates you have no intention of solving your basketball problem, since you are
prolonging the cause of its suffering;
(3) it signals that your donors and fans that youknow Alford has failed and should be fired,
but you aren't going to do it until after the next miserable season (if at all);
(4) that Mr. Alford wouldtrade away a portion of $10MM in guaranteed buyout payments in
order to keep a job where he has poisoned the entire ecosystem, has no support from anyone,
and will enter next season on the hottest of hot seats even if you fail to fire him.
(5) it may be distracting you from pursuing other, more productive avenues to solving your
basketball crisis
Fire him now. Make the madness stop. End the civil war. The solution is so obvious, and it is
bizarre that you are resisting it. The firstplayers put in their transfer paperwork today and
more will follow; they've had enough of Alford also.
Please, please, please let someone help you.
Michael Zank

> wrote:
This is my third message (I've received no reply to the other two), and I'm amazed that
young donors walking away from a $50,000 pledge to Athletics (the Football Facility, in
particular) doesn't even merit a placeholder copy-paste response. Maybe your CRM system
is broken?
I'm not sure the three of you understand the level of crisis that Ucla Athletics finds itself in,
or the damage Mr. Guererro has caused to the relationship between Ucla and its donor
community by (1) failing to do and due diligence when hiring a men's basketball coach in
2013, (2) failing to dismiss a failed basketball coach at the end of this season, and (3)
dismissing the pleas of hundreds (thousands?) of members of the Ucla community to fix the
problem, in the most tone-deaf manner possible, by quietly leaking that he was going to
retain Steve Alford just 36 hours after the end of this miserable season in hopes it would
shut us up, rather than really examine or address the multiple issues causing this crisis.
People (me included) really, really, really want to support Ucla and its athletic programs.
We don't want to be stuck in a war with Mr. Guerrerothat we didn't start. Athletics in
particular (for better or worse)providesthe common cultural element that unites all
students, alumni, and fans, and builds the goodwill that eventually matures intodonorship
like that of Mr. Wasserman and Mr. Ostin, and others that have made large gifts to other
departments. The current course of the Athletics administration is destroying this culture,
and making the donor experience miserable. We want to give more, not less. We don't want
to walk away from pledges, but Mr. Guerrero has left us no option.
I'll close with a few suggestions and observations that you may not have considered. It's not
too late for Mr. Guerrero to avoid the perception that he will be the Athletic Director that
killed Ucla Men's Basketball, the crown jewel of the entire department. Fire the alreadyfailed Mr. Alford. Don't further alienate your closest supporters by giving up on Men's
Basketball.
Please consider:
(1) The situation is only going to get worse. The "Fire Alford" movement, in all likelihood,
is just getting started. The entirety of next basketball season, and all the time in between,
will be even uglier if Mr. Alford is retained.
(2) In time, the focus for the failed Hoops program will shift from Mr. Alford to Mr.
Guerrero and Ucla. Right now, Mr. Alford's failures are in the spotlight. It will be bad for
all of us when this shifts to Mr. Guerrero and Ucla, and the question and perception among
the Ucla community and the national mediabecomes "why have THEY failed?"
(3) Mr. Guerrero has two choices: hero or goat. Unfortunately, his service and legacy as
athletic director will, unfairly or not, be cast solely by his response to this crisis. I hope for
his sake he chooses "hero". We wantpeace, forgiveness, and reconciliation, and only Mr.
Guerrero can provide them.
As I said before, we want to give more, not less. Please give us a reason to consider Ucla
worthy of support, because on the current course there won't be any Wassermans or Ostins
to support the next Athletic Director.
Best Regards,
Michael Zank
organization to successfully resolve, I promise there are many capable, professional people
who are happy to volunteer to help out. Please call me if there is anything I can do with my
time or expertise to help fix Ucla Basketball, or assist the Athletics organization in general.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
David Ferreira
Guerrero, Dan
Re: The state of our football and basketball teams
After many years, I have felt the need to write in. I apologize in advance as I would never want to be considered
an entitled or spoiled fan. I have been a huge fan of UCLA Basketball since 1971. I have kept my football tickets
going now for 23 years. We travel on the road once in a while and have gotten friends to join our annual trip
even. We continue to love the Rose Bowl and the changes to Pauley have been impressive to say the least.
This was a message that I wrote on facebook on something called Bruins Blue and Gold Pride. Someone was
defending the state of the basketball program, and as this reminds me of the last 2 years of Coach Howland's
tenure, I felt the need to send it to you.
Here is what I wrote on something called Bruins Blue and Gold Pride on facebook:
You guys are missing out on the big picture. This was Alford's 3rd year as head coach. He
recruited these kids. He developed their skills. If the roster is bad, it was his doing. He had an
excuse the first few years with a roster that wasn't full. He had to play what he had and that
wasn't great but he had a lot of Ben's players and they knew what they were doing. He
brought in plenty of guys like Olesinski that weren't PAC-12 level from across the country
and didn't offer Metu - who was local and would have jumped at a scholarship. Metu killed
the guys that Alford did bring in like GG and Olesinski and other guys that didn't know how
to box out too. He didn't recruit kids hard that could play PG because he wanted to his son to
play PG. McLaughlin ended up at SC because he wasn't recruited hard. They had a G decommit because he wanted to come to UCLA and learn to play PG and Alford told him he
wouldn't play much here. They finally added a PG this year in Holiday but he isn't a pure PG
and is learning the position after being a shooting guard in HS and AAU ball. As the years
have gone by, as he loses more of the Howland players, the lack of fundamentals has become
more pronounced. The only backcourt player that knows how to play any kind of D is
Holiday and I think that we all know that he didn't learn that here. In fact, Alford has never
put on a skills camp to get recruits on campus and playing in Pauley which is a magical place.
Howland used to do that every year. Recruiting suffered until the Adidas/AAU ball started a
pipeline to UCLA. Recruiting is going well but the entire classes haven't been great until this
next class. That we have elite level kids coming in the next two classes means things will get
better, but putting new tires on a bad suspension doesn't mean the car will drive well. The
lack of fundamentals and the lack of athletic kids killed this year's team. Skill wasn't the
problem as they beat Gonzaga, AZ and KY. Athleticism and fundamentals were the problem.
Those are a result of the coaches not recognizing the benefit of athleticism and the upside that
goes with it, and the need to teach basics like getting down in a crouch. Mike Roll wasn't a
great athlete but he was a good defender because Ben taught him to get in a proper stance and
move his feet. Can you imagine if a kid like Hamilton could play defense as well as Roll,
we'd think that he was the greatest player in the conference.
As a concerned fan, I feel the need to share this with you. I don't want a reply, in fact I would prefer that you don't
respond. I would however, ask that you read this and then re-read it the next day. Although I understand that you
worked with Ben to make changes to right the ship near the end of his tenure, I believe that what we have going
on now is equally as troubling as what we went through the last time I wrote you. So while you have to do things
the way you believe that they should be done, I would hope that there is reflection that the state of the program
today is very much like it was 5 years ago. So while I commend the decision to build FB and BB specific training
centers, and I understand that there is a lot on your plate right now. However, this is not unlike the end of the
Howland years, the end of the Lavin years, the end of the Dorrell years. Thank you for your time and effort.
On Wednesday, February 2, 2011 5:06 PM, "Guerrero, Dan" <dguerrero@athletics.ucla.edu> wrote:
Thanks David.
Working on basketball venues for next year.

As an FYI, we love the Honda Centerwill definitely be part of next years Bruin Road Show
Go Bruins!
Dan
From: David Ferreira [mailto:daferreira61@

]
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2011 9:55 PM
To: Guerrero, Dan
Subject: Re: The state of our football and basketball teams
Thank you for responding. I have come in off the edge.
I would like to see UCLA play a couple of series down here at the Honda Center next year
while the Pauley renovation is going on. It will be interesting to have the Bruins playing in
different venues for that year (including Long Beach, Anaheim, Staples, S B, and even Palm
Springs if you haven't thought of it).
From: "Guerrero, Dan" <dguerrero@athletics.ucla.edu>

To: "daferreira61@
" <daferreira61@
>
Sent: Sun, January 30, 2011 5:18:39 PM
Subject: Re: The state of our football and basketball teams
Hi David,
Thanks for email. Please know that we all wish both programs were clicking on all cylinders and
performing at a higher level, as do the coaches and players.
I don't believe in making excuses. We need to find the respective formula, within the rules, and
perform at a higher level.
Ben and Rick know this more than anyone.
They have the resources and support they need to turn things around and we have to work hard with,
and for them, to help them get there.
I know it is frustrating for fans, but our student-athletes are great young men to be around, work hard
and want to do well.
We will continue to keep the throttle down until we turn the corner. And then we will keep it down.
Thanks again for your continued support over the years. We all want the same thing. Stay with us
David.
Go Bruins!
Dan
From: David Ferreira [mailto:daferreira61@

]
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2011 07:22 AM
To: Guerrero, Dan
Subject: The state of our football and basketball teams
I am sure that you probably get a ton of these emails every year and probably don't have time
to read them. As an alumni, I have had season tickets for nearly 20 years in football and
attend as many basketball games as I can. I have made a couple of small donations over the
years but mostly to the department from which I graduated. I also help funnel resumes from
recent graduates of UCLA to my company and I even will send those resumes to other
companies if my company don't appear that we are going to move on them quick enough for
my liking. No one that I know bleeds blue and gold more than I do.
The recent developments in the two main sports programs have made me feel indifferent about
UCLA and I am now questioning why I really care about this university, which seemingly
can't manage it's affairs. Perhaps I am in the minority, but I have loved UCLA since watching
John Wooden and Bill Walton win a championship nearly 40 years ago. I have more UCLA
gear than anyone that I know and I seem to no longer care due to the last couple of years.
Sadly, I believe that I am not part of a minority. The empty seats at Pauley (and yet still not
being able to get good seats for us that have to drive 2 hours to the school to see a game) is
embarrasing. Watching our teams no longer being outstanding is part of life but having them
both be mediocre at the same time shows that there is not a commitment to winning. I am not
advocating breaking the rules like USC has done, nor am I advocating firing the coaches, as
you have already done that enough times to satisfy even the craziest fans (which is not what I
am), but I am thinking that there needs to be a change in the culture. There needs to be
something before all that I used to care about is gone. If I were you or someone on your staff
reading this, my inclination would be to say that we recognize a problem and are working on
fixing the problem and go on with whatever it is that we are doing. The fact is, that is what
you shouldn't be doing. The last thing that we need is more of what has gotten us to where
we are because where we are is embarrasing to me and to many others. The status quo is
exactly what got us to where we are. Status quo prevented us from being better under
Donahue and Toledo and other than one year under Harrick, in basketball too. Worse, we
seem to be slipping into mediocrity in basketball too.
Thank you,
David Ferreira
Class of 1985
Bryce's defense is atrocious and Hefland gets it.

An important second point is Hefland does not tow the party line talking about Bryce's great assist
to turnover ratio, why? Hefland knows that next year UCLA has a real and elite point guard
option. As the diplomatic intern says:
Lonzo Ball; G; 6-5; Fr.; Might be Alford's most decorated recruit ever. Was the
Naismith high school player of the year.
Ball has to have the ball in his hands. Ball is not good but amazing. Ball is one of those guys the
question is not if he is going to be good but how good is he going to be. There is a reason why
Hefland talks about Bryce's clutchness and lack of defense, not his point guard skills.
The finaltwo players I will highlight:
Isaac Hamilton; G; 6-5; Sr.; Arguably UCLA's most improved player. He was third
in the Pac-12 Conference in scoring and is a capable defender.
Aaron Holiday; PG; 6-1; So.; The team's steals and three-point percentage leader,
Holiday contributed in all facets as a freshman.
Notice that Hefland praised Hamilton's defense and all facets of the game for Holiday. In other
words, if Steve Alford believes the problem is defense thenBryce Alfordmust be benched.
UCLA should look like this next year:
PG: Offense: Ball Defense; Holiday
SG: Offense Holiday Defense Hamilton
SF: Offense Hamilton Defense: Ball
Quick comments on this fantasy. Holiday is a good defender who could be great. Holiday was the
team's leading three shooter as well. Most importantly Holiday is the only guy who can cover a
quick point guard on the opposing team.
Hamilton is a very good shooter but limited as a ball handler (me being diplomatic.) He actually
makes sense as a small forward on offense. Steve Alford felt Hamilton struggled against stronger
threes on defense. That makes Ball the obvious choice to guard the three.
Of course this is a fantasy because Steve Alford won't cut Bryce's minutes let alone bench him. As
the Diplomat says in another article entitled"UCLA's lack of defense, effort and leadership
led to a lost season"with a picture of a sitting Bryce :
However, next season will be a critical one. Reaching the status UCLA craves
contending for Final Fours and national championships requires addressing this
season's shortcomings: defense, effort and leadership.
Most likely, Ball will play point guard, with Bryce Alford shifting to shooting guard
and Isaac Hamilton, the team's leading scorer, staying at small forward.
That would leave Aaron Holiday, who showed talent and toughness as a freshman,
coming off the bench.
Again let's read between the lines on what the Dipolmat says on the problems:
"defense" No other player besides Bryce is criticized by Hefland for his defense.
"effort" Okay Hefland does not say this but part of Bryce's problem is he makes little effort on
defense. He does pick a siting Bryce for the picture to accompany the article.
"leadership" Bryce along withTony Parkeris identified as the leader. Hefland praisesNorman
Powellleadership the year before and is strongly implying that Bryce failed as a leader.
So basically Hefland is diplomatically saying Bryce needs to play less, not be a point guard and gasp
maybe be benched in favor of the good in all facets Holiday.
We all know that Bryce is a lock next year to lead UCLA in minutes and play a lot of point, which is
why we very undiplomatically say "Fire Steve Alford now!"
Go Bruins!
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Daniel LaFrance
Guerrero, Dan
Shared from Twitter: The State of the UCLA Basketball Program - Ucla - Scout
The State of the UCLA Basketball Program - Ucla - Scout from Bruin Report Onlines Tweet
Download the Twitter app
Sent from my iPhone
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Michael Zank
Rebholz, Joshua
Emily Zank; Guerrero, Dan
Thanks for your reply.
Hi Josh,
Thanks for your reply, I do truly appreciate it. Emily and I really do want to be helpful and
supportive.
It is not so easy when the administration seems to be, from an outside perspective, running
from a problem it does not intend to solve while dragging all of us through the mud together. I
hope you can appreciate why there are a lot of us that share this perspective.
I'm sure you have a lot of demands on your attention at the moment, but I would appreciate a
call when you have a few minutes to talk.
Best regards,
Mike Zank
On Mar 16, 2016, at 2:04 PM, Rebholz, Joshua <jrebholz@athletics.ucla.edu> wrote:
Mike,
My apologies for the delay We most certainly appreciate your feedback, respect your
position and of course appreciate your support. I am happy to talk through with you if
youd like let me know, thanks.
JR
From: Michael Zank [mailto:mike.zank@

]
To: Guerrero, Dan
Cc: Block, Gene; Rebholz, Joshua; Emily Zank
Subject: Ignoring people that pledge $50,000 to your department is an interesting choice
Four messages, five days, and not a peep in return.
An "out-of-office" reply would at least makesense. Isa gag order in effect? (Also
an interesting choice). Without communication and information, people tend to
assume the worst.
Ihope, for your sake,that rumors that you are trying to meddle in Alford's
basketball staff but retain him as coach through at least 2017 as sort of fantasy
"leverage" to reduce his buyout in the future are false, since:
(1) Replacing one or more assistant coaches will NOT make the basketball team
any better next season, or fix any of the underlying problems causing the
terribleness and dysfunction. So, what's the point?
(2) it indicates you have no intention of solving your basketball problem, since
you are prolonging the cause of its suffering;
(3) it signals that your donors and fans that youknow Alford has failed and
should be fired, but you aren't going to do it until after the next miserable season
(if at all);
(4) that Mr. Alford wouldtrade away a portion of $10MM in guaranteed buyout
payments in order to keep a job where he has poisoned the entire ecosystem, has
no support from anyone, and will enter next season on the hottest of hot seats
even if you fail to fire him.
(5) it may be distracting you from pursuing other, more productive avenues to
solving your basketball crisis
Fire him now. Make the madness stop. End the civil war. The solution is so
obvious, and it is bizarre that you are resisting it. The firstplayers put in their
transfer paperwork today and more will follow; they've had enough of Alford
also.
Please, please, please let someone help you.
Michael Zank

>
wrote:
This is my third message (I've received no reply to the other two), and I'm amazed
that young donors walking away from a $50,000 pledge to Athletics (the Football
Facility, in particular) doesn't even merit a placeholder copy-paste response.
Maybe your CRM system is broken?
I'm not sure the three of you understand the level of crisis that Ucla Athletics
finds itself in, or the damage Mr. Guererro has caused to the relationship between
Ucla and its donor community by (1) failing to do and due diligence when hiring
a men's basketball coach in 2013, (2) failing to dismiss a failed basketball coach
at the end of this season, and (3) dismissing the pleas of hundreds (thousands?) of
members of the Ucla community to fix the problem, in the most tone-deaf
manner possible, by quietly leaking that he was going to retain Steve Alford just
36 hours after the end of this miserable season in hopes it would shut us up,
rather than really examine or address the multiple issues causing this crisis.

People (me included) really, really, really want to support Ucla and its athletic
programs. We don't want to be stuck in a war with Mr. Guerrerothat we didn't
start. Athletics in particular (for better or worse)providesthe common cultural
element that unites all students, alumni, and fans, and builds the goodwill that
eventually matures intodonorship like that of Mr. Wasserman and Mr. Ostin, and
others that have made large gifts to other departments. The current course of the
Athletics administration is destroying this culture, and making the donor
experience miserable. We want to give more, not less. We don't want to walk
away from pledges, but Mr. Guerrero has left us no option.
I'll close with a few suggestions and observations that you may not have
considered. It's not too late for Mr. Guerrero to avoid the perception that he will
be the Athletic Director that killed Ucla Men's Basketball, the crown jewel of the
entire department. Fire the already-failed Mr. Alford. Don't further alienate your
closest supporters by giving up on Men's Basketball.
Please consider:
(1) The situation is only going to get worse. The "Fire Alford" movement, in all
likelihood, is just getting started. The entirety of next basketball season, and all
the time in between, will be even uglier if Mr. Alford is retained.
(2) In time, the focus for the failed Hoops program will shift from Mr. Alford to
Mr. Guerrero and Ucla. Right now, Mr. Alford's failures are in the spotlight. It
will be bad for all of us when this shifts to Mr. Guerrero and Ucla, and the
question and perception among the Ucla community and the national
mediabecomes "why have THEY failed?"
(3) Mr. Guerrero has two choices: hero or goat. Unfortunately, his service and
legacy as athletic director will, unfairly or not, be cast solely by his response to
this crisis. I hope for his sake he chooses "hero". We wantpeace, forgiveness,
and reconciliation, and only Mr. Guerrero can provide them.
As I said before, we want to give more, not less. Please give us a reason to
consider Ucla worthy of support, because on the current course there won't be
any Wassermans or Ostins to support the next Athletic Director.
Best Regards,
Michael Zank
organization to successfully resolve, I promise there are many capable,
professional people who are happy to volunteer to help out. Please call me if
there is anything I can do with my time or expertise to help fix Ucla Basketball,
or assist the Athletics organization in general.
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Trevor Fuller
Guerrero, Dan
Please Dismiss Steve Alford
Dear Mr Guerrero,
Asking Coach Alford to change his staff is a vote of no confidence and will not improve the
situation at hand, which is one of gross nepotism and professional negligence. Rearranging
the bystanders (i.e. the coaching staff) to this mess will solve nothing. Steve will still be the
coach and will still be favoring his son over far superior players like Prince Ali, whom I'm
sure you're aware by now is transferring due to mistreatment at the hands of the person who
should have been guiding and teaching him (Steve Alford). If you want to know what I'm
referring to, go here: http://www.scout.com/college/ucla/forums/1735-bro-premiumhoops/14636328-the-truth-behind-this-transfer. Please, if you are considering asking Steve to
make changes to his staff, stop. It will satisfy no one and will solve nothing, because it does
not address the true core of the problem.
Asking Steve for a reduction to the buyout you gave him will also solve nothing, at least from
the point-of-view of all of us dissatisfied with the program. The buyout was an extraordinary
mistake, and extending it after Steve's disappointing first year was an even greater blunder,
but trying to retroactively erase those decisions will, again, not protect the program from
further degradation: Steve will still be coaching; he will still be insisting Bryce play over
thirty-five minutes a game, whether it's for the good of the team or not; he will still be
demanding from other players superb effort while tolerating Bryce's on-court laziness and
selfishness, if not passionately encouraging it; etc.
The only effective course of action available to you is to dismiss Steve Alford from his post.
Anything else is blatant pusillanimity.
To reiterate: please dismiss Steve Alford from his post as the head coach of UCLA men's
basketball. No other action will correct the very steep decline in quality the program is on
right now, and has been on since Steve's first year. No progress can be made if Steve Alford
remains as head coach.
Sincerely,
Trevor Fuller
UCLA Class of 2012
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Matthew
Guerrero, Dan
yet more on Coach Alford
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

If rumors are to believed, not only is Prince Ali transferring from UCLA, he is doing so in large
measure because of the disparate treatment he and other members of the team receive
compared to the coach's son, Bryce Alford.
If this rumor is not true, it must be swiftly and honestlyrebutted.
If this rumor is true, it is a gross indictment of Coach Alford and his program and is, standing
alone, grounds for termination.
I am sure you are sick of Bruin Report Online by now. However, you must also recognize that
it is the leading outlet for UCLA sports fans on the internet, and as such, represents the
collective voice of thousands of fans, many of whom buy the tickets, merchandise, and
concessions that drive UCLA athletic department revenue. We also collectively make untold
dollars in donations to the athletic department (and indeed all departments and programs at
the school). Bruin Report Online is thus the most credible and active voice in the world of
UCLA sports (and, to be clear, they give praise and credit where it is due and are not mere
bomb-throwing, name-calling fanatics as other fan sites might be).
This is Bruin Report Online's assessment of the men's basketball program. It is not an easy
read, but it is a vital one.
http://www.scout.com/college/ucla/story/1652435-the-state-of-the-ucla-basketball-program
One excerpt:
The foundation of the program has rarely been on as shaky ground as this. From a historical
perspective, the last eight years have been pretty close to the nadir for the UCLA program
in the modern, post-Wooden era, and over the last three years, Alford has done little to slow
the slide into mediocrity. Player development has been poor, recruiting has taken an
unnecessary amount of time to get going, and the obvious favoritism shown to his son has
alienated certain players and could help to lead to mass departures this offseason.
The fanbase has also been marginalized and alienated, and it has led to an enormous
groundswell of fan anger over the last several weeks, with a petition to fire Steve Alford
gaining over 1500 signatures and an actual banner flown over the UCLA campus this week
calling for his ouster. Even in the waning days of Lavin and Howland, there wasnt this level
of fan anger at the coach. Its truly unprecedented, and signals nothing good about the
current state of the UCLA basketball program.
This is the sad state of what should be one of the great exemplars of college athletics, the
pinnacle of being an NCAA student athlete. Instead it is a morass of indifference, nepotism,
and irrelevance.
The only means of fixing this is clear. Please dismiss Coach Alford from his position,
immediately. Nothing short of this -- not assistant coaching changes, not promises to "do
better," not meetings or conferences or discussions or memoranda -- will suffice.
Sincerely,
Matt Henderson
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Brett Threlkeld
Nepotism in UCLA Basketball
Dear Dr. Block,

As the chancellor of this great public institution, I would like to ask you how the
administration would respond if allegations or evidence of nepotism were identified in, say,
the Math or Life Sciences department? Would the administration take such allegations
seriously, and investigate? If the allegations of nepotism were found to have a basis in fact,
what steps (if any) would the administration take to correct the situation?
Followers of UCLA's basketball program are well aware that such a situation currently exists,
with dramatic negative effect. Why is this situation being ignored, or even tolerated? Why is a
coach allowed to showcase his son, to the detriment of the team, the program and the
university?
Sadly, these are fair questions to ask, given the current state of the UCLA men's basketball
program. I am hopeful that each of you will do the right thing, and hold the men's basketball
program to the same high standards as every other department at UCLA.
Best regards,
Brett Threlkeld
UCLA Class of 1984
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H. James Hnatyszyn
Article for UCLA Athletics Leadership
Please read when you have time.

http://www.scout.com/college/ucla/story/1652435-state-ucla-basketball-program
Thanks,
james
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Aron Cramer
Guerrero, Dan
Rebholz, Joshua
Basketball program
Dear Dan and Josh I feel compelled during this critical time for the present and future of the Bruin
basketball program to implore you again to make a change in leadership.
It is fundamentally clear that Steve Alford is not the coach to lead this program.
The record the team has amassed is mediocre and deteriorating.
Assuming that a freshman class will save things runs against virtually all the evidence.
It is equally clear that the noise surrounding the program will only make things miserable for the
players, fans, students, and administration.
Unfortunately, it is now clear that the coaching staff is not up to the task of leading this program, or
representing this university.
It is high time for a change.
Without one, 2016-17 will see transfers out of the team, a further decline in attendance and
fan/financial support, and will be a very sour experience indeed for those who remain involved.
UCLA students are taught to exhibit leadership, and to tackle problems, not avoid them.
I would hope that you will approach this situation in precisely the same manner.
Aron Cramer
Aron Cramer
President and CEO
BSR
88 Kearny Street, 12th floor
San Francisco, CA 94108 USA
T: +1 415 984 3214
My Tweets: https://twitter.com/aroncramer
BSR Tweets https://twitter.com/bsrnews
www.bsr.org
BSR Conference 2015 Videos

Seevideo highlightsfrom our annual event.
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Travis Fuller
Fire Steve Alford
Attached is a somber appraisal of the current state of the UCLA Hoops program.
Take action now. Please fire Steve Alford. Restore UCLA Hoops.
Respectfully,
Travis Fuller
UCLA Class of 2012
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R. Brink
Guerrero, Dan
PLEASE COME TO YOUR SENSES AND FIRE ALFORD NOW
UCLA has gone unranked in 46 of the 57 weeks during Alfords tenure.
Anyone that pays any attention to our performance in games during the Alford era can see
how poorly our teams are coached.
Please fire Alford now.
Sincerely, Roy Donald Brink

Engineering class of 68,
Executive MBA class of 92
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Abner Kwon
Guerrero, Dan
UCLA Basketball
Mr. Guerrero:
The below is a must read piece from Bruin Report Online and one that is eerily eye-opening. Thank you for
your time.
It has now been 21 seasons since UCLA won a national championship, and prior to that championship in
1995, it had been 20 seasons. In other words, in 41 seasons since John Wooden retired, UCLA has won a
single national championship. In that same time frame, Kentucky has won four of its eight total titles, Duke
has won all five of its titles, North Carolina has won four of its five, Indiana has won three of its five,
Connecticut has won four, Louisville has won three, Kansas has won two, and the list goes on.
Here's a better way to put it: of the 14 schools who have actually won NCAA basketball championships, UCLA
is tied for 11th for the most since 1975, which puts the Bruins ahead of basketball powerhouses Cincinnati
(last won in 1962), San Francisco (last won in 1956), and Oklahoma State (last won in 1946) and tied with
North Carolina State (last won in 1983).
So, when we're writing a piece about the state of the UCLA basketball program, it's important to understand
what kind of basketball program UCLA actually has. This is not a program that is among the uber-elite in
college basketball -- unfortunately, that categorization is reserved for schools like Kentucky, Duke, North
Carolina, and Kansas these days. UCLA has simply not won enough to get lumped in with those schools at
the top of the mountain.
Of course, UCLA fading from the category of the elite didn't just happen in a vacuum, and it hasn't been a
straight-line fall. There was that brief, awesome up-tick for the first half of Ben Howland's tenure when he
recruited, developed, and coached very well, and UCLA, as a matter of course, went to three straight Final
Fours. If Howland could have sustained that style, and if he'd been wired a little differently, it's actually kind
of easy to imagine that UCLA might have been able to ascend firmly back into that elite category, and pull in
a 12th or 13th banner.
But Howland wasn't able to sustain the success, and UCLA probably waited a year too long to fire him, and
that has long been part of UCLA's problem -- waiting too long to fire a guy. Of course, the more significant
issue has been hiring the wrong guy in the first place, as UCLA did with Steve Lavin after Jim Harrick was
fired. By hiring Lavin, UCLA wasn't able to parlay the 1995 championship into any kind of meaningful,
sustained winning, and Howland's own issues squandered the window that yawned open after the threestraight Final Fours.
Now, as we talked about in the last piece, UCLA has had four losing seasons in the last 14, and has missed
the NCAA Tournament altogether in five of the last 14 years. As far as college basketball goes, that's the
mark of an average-ish high-major program, and certainly not anything close to elite.
The frustrating thing for UCLA fans, though, is that it's obvious UCLA still has the tools to be an elite
program, with a great recruiting base, an unparalleled tradition, soon-to-be very good facilities, and a
location that makes the school attractive to players country-wide. Think about this: it took Lavin, who isn't a
real basketball coach, six whole years to crater the program -- UCLA had enough natural juice that he
managed to go to an Elite Eight in his first season and Sweet 16s in his next five! Howland proved that
UCLA is just a smart, sustained recruiting strategy and a good coach away from being right back in the mix
for Final Fours and national championships.
Now, UCLA has missed the NCAA Tournament again this year after a very bad season that saw the Bruins
finish 15-17. Under Steve Alford, UCLA has become a progressively worse team on both offense and
defense, and the shocking thing this year was the near total lack of effort at times, especially over the last
three or four weeks of the season when UCLA needed to put together a win streak to get an NCAA
Tournament bid. Instead, the team (both coaches and players) folded. It was an awful season to watch,
and, as we wrote last week, it is certainly in the conversation for the worst season UCLA has had since
1948. Alfords first three years, as we talked about last week, were the worst first three years for a coach
since Wilbur Johns, and are comparable to the LAST three years for Walt Hazzard and Ben Howland.
Hows this for a stat: UCLA has gone unranked in 46 of 57 weeks during Alfords tenure. Thats just
irrelevance.
But judging the record and rankings is only a surface-level way to evaluate a program. Below, we're going to
take a look at the significant factors that have played into UCLA being in the state it's in: On-Court Issues,
Favoritism, and Recruiting Problems.
On-Court Issues
UCLA showed a stunning lack of effort on defense this year, and this was easily the worst year for UCLA
under Alford in terms of defensive effort. But what's especially shocking is the sheer lack of defensive
fundamentals you see from the players on the court. After four years, Tony Parker still doesn't know how to
position himself to avoid fouls, and after three years, Bryce Alford, and Isaac Hamilton to a lesser extent,
still don't know to consistently get in a stance and keep their hands up on defense. These aren't even
complex things -- keeping your hands up in a zone defense is something you can teach a group of third
graders.
The lack of fundamentals in the program is obvious from watching any of the games, and from what we've
seen and heard, it stems from a practice culture that is anything but stringent. Howland's practices during
his time in Westwood were the stuff of legend, with players having to spend long hours off-court preparing
for what they'd have to do on the court. They were extremely tough practices with a ton of time spent on
minute attention to detail -- how to space your feet, how to position your hands, the proper angle to bend
your knee in a defensive stance.
Alford's practices are lackadaisical affairs from what we've heard, and from what we've seen. There's little
attention to detail and little time spent on specific tactics for a given opponent. They're also not close to as
rigorous as Howland's practices, which often left players physically exhausted (which was, of course,
sometimes detrimental). When it comes to film work and developing game plans, what we've heard is that
this staff really has a hard time developing effective game plans, and, what's more, has a pronounced
inability to adjust game plans mid-game.
Universally, even if players didn't like him at times, they had a profound respect for Howland's hoops
acumen, and what we've heard over the last three years is that it's pretty much the opposite for the overall
assessment of Alford. The feeling is that there isn't an emphasis on player development, at least not to the
extent there was under Howland, and that's another thing that's pretty obvious watching the team,
especially from a physical perspective, where all of these guys look the same as they did last year.
From a game preparation and motivation standpoint, this year specifically, the players and the coaches
pretty much gave up on the season down the stretch. Again, not to keep comparing things to Howland's
years in Westwood, but when the team would have a losing streak or just not play well for a while,
Howland, who was already a tireless, 16-hour-day type worker, would ratchet up the intensity to an
altogether new level. Practices would be tougher, there would be even more film work, and more often than
not, play would improve.
None of that happened this year. If anything, from what we've gathered, there was actually more of a sense
of the coaches and players going through the motions over the last three weeks in practice and film study.
If giving effort is the basic thing to expect from players, then giving motivation is the basic thing to expect
from coaches, and from what we've heard, both parties failed in those basic jobs.
Its the consensus from several people around the program: this staff just isnt the grinding type. They dont
put in the kind of time that Howland did, and as a general rule, theyre just not putting in that same kind of
effort. Even throwing that out, theres an open question whether this staff has the coaching chops to
compete at the highest level of basketball it certainly hasnt shown up on the court or in practice.
Favoritism
I've actually avoided this subject in most of what I've written about the basketball team, because its an
uncomfortable subject and its not Bryce Alfords fault that his dad plays him so many minutes. That's
probably been an error on my part, because it's obvious now how much of an issue it is and has been for
the team. When Steve Alford was hired, he brought his son Bryce with him to Westwood, and since then, he
has played Bryce too many minutes and given him too many shots every single year that he's been here.
It's not really even up for debate. In 2014, Bryce played 23 minutes per game, almost all of them at point
guard, and that was a misallocation of the ball responsibilities, for one, since Kyle Anderson was a far better
option initiating the offense (Anderson's assist rate that year was a ridiculous 34.1 while Bryce's was a fine,
unspectacular 19.1). Alford played just three fewer minutes per game than Norman Powell, who was a
significantly better offensive and defensive option and should have played more than 25 minutes per game.
Heck, Anderson only played 33 minutes per game, and given that we've seen Alford is more than willing to
play Bryce 36+ minutes per game, Anderson probably should have played a few more as well.
Last year, with only three guards on the roster, Alford was forced to play all three of Bryce, Powell, and
Isaac Hamilton major minutes, but its worth noting that Bryce played the most minutes on the team at
36.3 per game, with Powell notching 34 and Hamilton playing 33. This year, with one more guard in the
rotation, Bryce again played 36.3 minutes per game, followed by Hamilton at 35 and Aaron Holiday at 31.
To give that some context, this year he played a greater percentage of minutes for UCLA than any Pac-12
player is playing for any Pac-12 team. He played a greater percentage of minutes for UCLA than Tyler Ulis is
playing for Kentucky. He played a greater percentage of minutes for UCLA than Buddy Hield is playing for
Oklahoma, and Hield might be the best player in college basketball this year. He played more than
Hamilton, Welsh, and Parker, who all shot the ball better this year and played more defense, and he played
more than Holiday, who was a significantly better defender and only a slightly worse shooter. Bryce has
some obvious assets as a player he doesnt turn the ball over much at all and he shoots threes pretty
well but those two things really do not justify the amount of minutes he gets. This year, he was the
fourth-best shooter among starters but took the second-most shots.
And from what we understand, the players recognize this issue as well. From what weve heard, the players
dont have any specific dislike for Bryce far from it, actually, as most of what we heard indicates hes a
pretty likable guy but theres a real pronounced resentment of the obvious favoritism shown to him by
the coaching staff. There will be film sessions where the defensive issues of certain players will be dissected
ad nauseum, but rarely is there any mention of Bryces defensive issues. There have been a couple of
instances over the last couple of years where weve heard, after one player or another steps up offensively
in a particular game, that the coaching staffs message is that it was a result of the opposing team being so
focused on taking away Bryce.
Theres been enough obvious favoritism in the program that it has contributed to a significant amount of
resentment from the players on the team (and not just this season), so its something that needs to be
mentioned. Whatever we might feel about Bryce playing so many minutes and how it might affect whether
the team wins a certain amount of games, our assessment is nowhere near as important as the assessment
of the players on the team.
UCLA could see at least one player, and possibly more players, leave the program this offseason, and, from
what weve gathered, the obvious favoritism, along with the poor coaching and lack of development, could
be a factor in those decisions.
Recruiting Problems
No one is disputing that UCLA has a good group of players coming in with the 2016 class, and the 2017 class
is certainly shaping up to be a pretty good one as well. But this year's team was built on the strength of the
2013, 2014, and 2015 classes, and it's hard to describe those classes as anything other than a significant
failure.
In the 2013 class, UCLA signed Isaac Hamilton (who had to sit out his first year), Wanaah Bail (who has
transferred, and also who probably shouldn't have been playing at this level anyway), Bryce Alford (the
head coach's son who plays too many minutes), Noah Allen (who probably shouldn't be playing at this
level), and Zach LaVine (who played one year and left for the NBA). You can give them a general pass for
this class, since they didn't have much time to do anything beyond bring in a warm body in Bail and
eventually get Hamilton on the bounce-back from UTEP. Notably, though, they parted ways with Allerik
Freeman, who's a key piece at shooting guard for a pretty good Baylor team this year.
In the 2014 class, UCLA signed Jonah Bolden (who had to sit out his first year), Thomas Welsh, Kevon
Looney (who played one year and left for the NBA), and Gyorgy Goloman (who's a backup, at best, for a
very good team). No, your eyes don't deceive you -- there's not a single guard in that class.
In the 2015 class, UCLA signed Ikenna Okwarabizie (who probably shouldn't be playing at this level), Alex
Olesinski (who's a backup, at best, for a very good team), Prince Ali (who we've heard will likely transfer
after this season), and Aaron Holiday.
In other words, after three years of recruiting, of 13 players UCLA signed, four of those still on the roster are
probably not capable of playing for a very good UCLA team, one has already transferred, at least one of the
remainders is likely to transfer before next season, and two have moved on for the NBA. The 2015 class is
shaping up to be a significant failure, with what looks like two non-contributors and a transfer out of four
players, and that's not even taking into account what Holiday may decide to do (we've heard he's still
uncertain about whether he'll return to UCLA next season). UCLA did not sign a single guard in the 2014
class, which was a failure of pretty extreme magnitude given that UCLA had just three guards on the roster
for 2014-15.
Ultimately, just looking at that group of classes, this isn't the way UCLA recruits when the program is
healthy. We've gone over Steve Alford's recruiting strategy from those couple of years more than enough,
but, to hammer it home, pursuing the uber-elite national recruits all over the country like UCLA did for the
first two summers under Alford was a very bad strategy and not the sort of thing UCLA has historically had
a great deal of success doing. When UCLA has been very good, the Bruins have built their teams around the
great amounts of talent you can find within a 200-mile radius around UCLA. As we wrote at the time, unless
you have a firm connection to a kid across the country, it's usually a waste of time to spend a ton of
recruiting capital recruiting nationally. It just doesn't pay off enough to justify the expense of time and
resources. UCLA spent a ton of time going after guys like Myles Turner, Rashad Vaughn, Justise Winslow,
and more, especially in the 2014 class, and it really inhibited the Bruins' ability to sign local talent. Just look
at USC's roster of athletic, talented shooters and keep in mind that four of those guys from the 2014 and
2015 classes (Jordan McLaughlin, Elijah Stewart, Chimezie Metu, and Bennie Boatwright) wanted to be
Bruins at one time or another. UCLA showed a tremendous amount of hubris in recruiting through the first
two cycles, with Alford thinking that his name coupled with UCLA was enough to recruit with the Dukes and
Kentuckys of the world.
UCLA is leveraging its connections to the Compton Magic, a local AAU program, significantly more over the
next two cycles, which has helped UCLA earn commitments from very talented pieces in Ike Anigbogu, Jalen
Hill, and Jaylen Hands, and landing players like those guys is exactly what UCLA should be doing going
forward, and what UCLA should have done for the last three cycles. This isn't revisionist history -- everyone
who really knew the landscape of UCLA recruiting was telling the staff that they needed to prioritize local
recruiting at the time when UCLA was flying all over the country following the elites. We wrote it several
times here. Landing a Kevon Looney here or there doesn't justify missing out on the McLaughlins and Metus
of the world.
It's also worth noting that, as good as the next two classes are shaping up to be, they're really built on two
things: the coaching staff's relationship with the Compton Magic and the coaching staff's relationship with
Lavar Ball. Every player committed or signed with UCLA in 2016 and beyond is either named "Ball" or a
member of the Compton Magic. Having a partnership with just one AAU program and just one family of
basketball players is probably not a path to sustained long-term success. And its worth noting as well that
one of the few major successes Alfords staff had recruiting nationally in its first two cycles (landing Kevon
Looney) came about largely through the schools relationship with Adidas.
The foundation of the program has rarely been on as shaky ground as this. From a historical perspective, the
last eight years have been pretty close to the nadir for the UCLA program in the modern, post-Wooden era,
and over the last three years, Alford has done little to slow the slide into mediocrity. Player development
has been poor, recruiting has taken an unnecessary amount of time to get going, and the obvious favoritism
shown to his son has alienated certain players and could help to lead to mass departures this offseason.
The fanbase has also been marginalized and alienated, and it has led to an enormous groundswell of fan
anger over the last several weeks, with a petition to fire Steve Alford gaining over 1500 signatures and an
actual banner flown over the UCLA campus this week calling for his ouster. Even in the waning days of Lavin
and Howland, there wasnt this level of fan anger at the coach. Its truly unprecedented, and signals nothing
good about the current state of the UCLA basketball program.
UCLA is a storied program, with the kind of tradition, recruiting base, and name brand to be a very good to
elite college basketball program. As Howland showed just a decade ago, turning the program around and
getting back to elite status at UCLA really only requires a pretty good coach whos dedicated to his craft and
a smart, sustained recruiting approach.
And thats the hope for fans, I suppose: perhaps UCLA will one day have both of those things again.
Respectfully,
Abner Kwon
ARES MANAGEMENT LLC
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Jaime Goldfarb
Block, Gene
Reports on Status of our Basketball Program
Although not privy to insider information on the inner dealings of our basketball program, unflattering rumors are
emerging regarding the handling of our players by the coaching staff. Are you investigating the allegations as part
of your due diligence in consideration of whether we retain or dismiss Coach Alford?
Jaime Goldfarb
Jaime Goldfarb, Ph.D.
CEO
Goldfarb Educational Consulting
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Subject:
Date:
Alice Tsuyuki
Guerrero, Dan
Steve Alford
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

It is my understanding that Steve Alford has been told to replace his staff with people who are
approved by the Athletic Department. If that is true, it won't be enough to prevent the
further sinking of the once proud basketball program into irrelevance. Steve Alford must be
removed as head coach. With next year being Bryce's senior campaign, his dad will be
guaranteed to feature him even more than he has the last three years. Bryce plays no
defense, and certainly should not be playing the most minutes on the team. This blatant
nepotism will continue to affect team morale and cause players to transfer out (as I have
heard Prince Ali has already filed transfer papers).
Please do the right thing and fire Steve Alford. If you do that, I will renew my WAF
membership and buy season tickets again.
Thank you,
Alice Tsuyuki
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Michael Macdonald
Guerrero, Dan
Stanford vs UCLA Basketball Program
Mr. Guerrero,
It was reported on Monday that Johnny Dawkins was relieved of his duties as
the head coach of the Stanford Basketball program. Although he had some
success earlier in his tenure, his recent performance had taking a decidedly
downward trajectory and the fan base and administration both recognized that
he was not the coach to bring their program sustained success. Although he
coached there for a longer period than Steve Alford at UCLA, Dawkins final
three years and Alford's last three years share an eerie similarity:
Stanford
23-13 overall 10-8 conf sweet 16
24-13 overall 9-9 conf NIT champions
15-15 overall 8-10 conf No postseason
Johnny Dawkins, fired
UCLA
15-17 overall 6-12 conf no postseason
Both programs enjoyed a run to the sweet 16 two years ago, however, it is
apparent in looking at the records that both programs were sinking further
into mediocrity as time went by. While Stanford is not recognized
historically as an elite basketball program, the athletic department made a
decisive move to reverse what was seen as a downward trend. Our program is
in a similar if not more precarious position. Decisive action needs to be
taken to repair our crumbling program. Follow the lead of Stanford and make
the change that is needed to the UCLA basketball program.
Respectfully,
Michael Macdonald
UCLA, class of 2003
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
DM
Rebholz, Joshua; Chancellor Gene D. Block; Guerrero, Dan
New assistants are not enough
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

A recent report states that UCLA is requiring Coach Alford to replace his assistants. This will
not do. The problem is Coach Alford, and no amount of shuffling the staff will suffice.
Please remove Alford as coach.
David Madeo
Class of 1992
Current WAF member
Former season ticket holder
Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Peter Stevens
New Men"s Hoops Head Coach Needed, Not Just New Assistant Coaches!
Dear Chancellor Block, Mr. Guerrero, and Mr. Rebholz:

The rumored "fix" for UCLA men's basketball of forcing Coach Alford to hire
a brand new staff composed of ex-UCLA players as his assistant coaches
is doomed to fail.
There are no examples in the annals of intercollegiate athletics of a fatally
flawed head coach being saved and reconstituted by new assistant
coaches.
Coach Alford must be jettisoned for a new head coach.
Please focus your energies on a true remedy to this calamity rather than a
ruse. If the proper amount of confidence in Coach Alford existed, he would
be allowed to make his own independent decisions as to staff. But the fact
that UCLA administrators ostensibly cannot trust Coach Alford in this
regard reflectsa need for a new Bruin head coach rather thana need for a
new stable of assistant coaches under a failed head coach.
Thank you. Go Bruins!
Sincerely,
Peter H. Stevens
Pasadena, California
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Greg Patterson
Guerrero, Dan
Disappointed - Mens Basketball
Mr. Guerrero,
I am disappointed that my previous emails have not received a response, but I understand you must
be busy dealing with what has now become somewhat of a calamity in regards to the UCLA mens
basketball program. With long-time fans such as myself in an uproar, coupled with (at least one
possibly more as rumored) transfers out of the program and away from Coach Alford, Im sure you
must be quite busy.
I just wanted to reiterate my displeasure at the thought of retaining Mr. Alford for another season. I
know that there is a lot that would go into a decision such as that, but I feel strongly enough about a
replacement being needed to write to you at this time.
I am what would be considered a very small donor to the WAF ($300/YR) and between Joshs tireless
efforts for our athletic department, and Coach Moras positive trajectory of our football
culture/program, I have felt very good about my contribution to this point. However, I do have a
hard time believing that I would renew my donation for next year absent a head coaching change of
our basketball program (no Coach Alford changing as assistant or two doesnt really do much for
my thoughts on him as a man, and as a coach).
Greg Patterson
Trace3
Business Operations Manager
gpatterson@trace3.com
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Brett Threlkeld
New Head Basketball Coach is the Answer, Not New Assistants
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Steve Otera
The State of the UCLA Basketball Program
Gentlemen,
You should read the article linked and cut and pasted below.
Thank you for all you do for UCLA.
Steve Otera
enough to get lumped in with those schools at the top of the mountain.
Of course, UCLA fading from the category of the elite didn't just happen in a vacuum, and it
hasn't been a straight-line fall. There was that brief, awesome up-tick for the first half of Ben
by
Bruin Report Online

at 4:18 PM
Howland's
tenure when Friday
he recruited,
developed, and coached very well, and UCLA, as a matter
of course, went to three straight Final Fours. If Howland could have sustained that style, and if
he'd been wired a little differently, it's actually kind of easy to imagine that UCLA might have
been able to ascend firmly back into that elite category, and pull in a 12th or 13th banner.
But Howland wasn't able to sustain the success, and UCLA probably waited a year too long to fire
him, and that has long been part of UCLA's problem -- waiting too long to fire a guy. Of course,
the more significant issue has been hiring the wrong guy in the first place, as UCLA did with
Steve Lavin after Jim Harrick was fired. By hiring Lavin, UCLA wasn't able to parlay the 1995
championship into any kind of meaningful, sustained winning, and Howland's own issues
squandered the window that yawned open after the three-straight Final Fours.
Now, as we talked about in the last piece, UCLA has had four losing seasons in the last 14, and
has missed the NCAA Tournament altogether in five of the last 14 years. As far as college
basketball goes, that's the mark of an average-ish high-major program, andcertainly not anything
close to elite.
The frustrating thing for UCLA fans, though, is that it's obviousUCLAstillhas the tools to be an
elite program, with a great recruiting base, an unparalleled tradition, soon-to-be very good
facilities, and a location that makes the school attractive to players country-wide. Think about
this: it took Lavin, who isn't a real basketball coach,six whole yearsto crater the program -UCLA had enough natural juice that he managed to go to an Elite Eight in his first season and
Sweet 16s in his next five! Howland proved that UCLA is just a smart, sustained recruiting
strategy and a good coach away from being right back in the mix for Final Fours and national
championships.
Now, UCLA has missed the NCAA Tournament again this year after a very bad seasonthat
sawthe Bruins finish 15-17. Under Steve Alford, UCLA has become a progressively worse team
on both offense and defense, and the shocking thing this year was the near total lack of effort at
times, especially over the last three or four weeks of the season when UCLA needed to put
together a win streak to get an NCAA Tournament bid. Instead, the team (both coaches and
players) folded.It was an awful season to watch, and, as we wrote last week, it is certainly in the
conversation for the worst season UCLA has had since 1948. Alfords first three years, as we
talked about last week, were the worst first three years for a coach since Wilbur Johns, and are
comparable to the LAST three years for Walt Hazzard and Ben Howland.
Hows this for a stat: UCLA has gone unranked in 46 of 57 weeks during Alfords tenure. Thats
of defensive fundamentals you see from the players on the court. After four years,Tony
Parkerstill doesn't know how to position himself to avoid fouls, and after three years,Bryce
Alford, andIsaac Hamiltonto a lesser extent,still don'tknow to consistently get in a stance and
keep theirhands up on defense. These aren't even complex things -- keeping your hands up in a
zone defense is something you can teach a group of third graders.
The lack of fundamentals in the program is obvious from watching any of the games, and from
what we've seen and heard, it stems from a practice culture that is anything but stringent.
Howland's practices during his time in Westwood were the stuff of legend, with players having to
spend long hours off-court preparing for what they'd have to do on the court. They were
extremely tough practices with a ton of time spent on minute attention to detail -- how to
spaceyour feet, how to position your hands, the proper angle to bend your knee in a defensive
stance.
Alford's practices are lackadaisical affairs from what we've heard, and from what we've seen.
There's little attention to detail and little time spent on specific tactics for a given
opponent.They're also not close to as rigorous as Howland's practices, which often left players
physically exhausted (which was, of course, sometimes detrimental). When it comes to film work
and developing game plans, what we've heard is that this staff really has a hard time developing
effective game plans, and, what's more, has a pronounced inability to adjust game plans midgame.
Universally, even if players didn't like him at times, they had a profound respect for Howland's
hoops acumen, and what we've heard over the last three years is that it's pretty much the opposite
for the overall assessment of Alford. The feeling is that there isn't an emphasis on player
development, at least not to the extent there was under Howland, and that's another thing that's
pretty obvious watching the team, especially from a physical perspective, where all of these guys
look the same as they did last year.
From a game preparation and motivation standpoint, this year specifically, the players and the
coaches pretty much gave up on the season down the stretch. Again, not to keep comparing things
to Howland's years in Westwood, but when the team would have a losing streak or just not play
well for a while, Howland, who was already a tireless, 16-hour-day type worker, would ratchet up
the intensity to an altogether new level. Practices would be tougher, there would be even more
film work, and more often than not, play would improve.
None of that happened this year. If anything, from what we've gathered, there was actually more
of a sense of the coaches and players going through the motions over the last three weeks in
practice and film study. If giving effort is the basicthing to expect from players, then giving
motivation is the basicthing to expect from coaches, and from what we've heard, both parties
failed in thosebasicjobs.
its an uncomfortable subject and its not Bryce Alfords fault that his dad plays him so many
minutes. That's probably been an error on my part, because it's obvious now how much of an
issue it is and has been for the team. When Steve Alford was hired, he brought his son Bryce with
him to Westwood, and since then, he has played Brycetoo many minutes and given him too
many shots every single year that he's been here.
It's not really even up for debate. In 2014, Bryceplayed 23 minutes per game, almost all of them
at point guard, and that was a misallocation of the ball responsibilities, for one, sinceKyle
Andersonwas a far better option initiating the offense (Anderson's assist rate that year was a
ridiculous 34.1 while Bryce'swas a fine, unspectacular 19.1). Alford played just three fewer
minutes per game than Norman Powell, who was a significantly better offensive and defensive
option and should have played more than 25 minutes per game. Heck, Anderson only played 33
minutes per game, and given that we've seen Alford is more than willing to play Bryce 36+
minutes per game, Anderson probably should have played a few more as well.
Last year, with only three guards on the roster, Alford was forced to play all three of Bryce,
Powell, and Isaac Hamilton major minutes, but its worth noting that Bryce played the most
minutes on the team at 36.3 per game, with Powell notching 34 and Hamilton playing 33. This
year, with one more guard in the rotation, Bryce again played 36.3 minutes per game, followed
by Hamilton at 35 and Aaron Holiday at 31.
To give that some context, this year he played a greater percentage of minutes for UCLA than any
Pac-12 player is playing for any Pac-12 team. He played a greater percentage of minutes for
UCLA than Tyler Ulis is playing for Kentucky. He played a greater percentage of minutes for
UCLA than Buddy Hield is playing for Oklahoma, and Hield might be the best player in college
basketball this year. He played more than Hamilton, Welsh, and Parker, who all shot the ball
better this year and played more defense, and he played more than Holiday, who was a
significantly better defender and only a slightly worse shooter. Bryce has some obvious assets as
a player he doesnt turn the ball over much at all and he shoots threes pretty well but those
two things really do not justify the amount of minutes he gets. This year, he was the fourth-best
shooter among starters but took the second-most shots.
And from what we understand, the players recognize this issue as well. From what weve heard,
the players dont have any specific dislike for Bryce far from it, actually, as most of what we
heard indicates hes a pretty likable guy but theres a real pronounced resentment of the
obvious favoritism shown to him by the coaching staff. There will be film sessions where the
defensive issues of certain players will be dissected ad nauseum, but rarely is there any mention
of Bryces defensive issues. There have been a couple of instances over the last couple of years
where weve heard, after one player or another steps up offensively in a particular game, that the
coaching staffs message is that it was a result of the opposing team being so focused on taking
Recruiting Problems
No one is disputing that UCLA has a good group of players coming in with the 2016 class, and
the 2017 class is certainly shaping up to be a pretty good one as well. But this year's team was
built on the strength of the 2013, 2014, and 2015 classes, and it's hard to describe those classes as
anything other than a significant failure.
In the 2013 class, UCLA signedIsaac Hamilton(who had to sit out his first year),Wanaah
Bail(who has transferred, and also who probably shouldn't have been playing at this level
anyway),Bryce Alford(the head coach's son who plays too many minutes),Noah Allen(who
probably shouldn't be playing at this level), andZach LaVine(who played one year and left for
the NBA). You can give them a general pass for this class, since they didn't have much time to do
anything beyond bring in a warm body in Bail and eventually get Hamilton on the bounce-back
from UTEP. Notably, though, they parted ways withAllerik Freeman, who's a key piece at
shooting guard for a pretty good Baylor team this year.
In the 2014 class, UCLA signedJonah Bolden(who had to sit out his first year),Thomas
Welsh,Kevon Looney(who played one year and left for the NBA), andGyorgy
Goloman(who's a backup, at best, for a very good team). No, your eyes don't deceive you -there's not a single guard in that class.
In the 2015 class, UCLA signedIkenna Okwarabizie(who probably shouldn't beplaying at this
level),Alex Olesinski(who's a backup, at best, for a very good team),Prince Ali(who we've
heard will likely transfer after this season), andAaron Holiday.
In other words, after three years of recruiting,of 13 players UCLA signed, fourof those still on
the rosterare probably not capable ofplaying for a very good UCLA team, one has already
transferred, at least one of the remainders is likely to transfer before next season, and two have
moved on for the NBA. The 2015 class is shaping up to be a significant failure, with what looks
like two non-contributors and a transfer out of four players, and that's not even taking into
account what Holiday may decide to do (we've heard he's still uncertain about whether he'll
return to UCLA next season). UCLA did not sign a single guard in the 2014 class, which was a
failure of pretty extreme magnitude given that UCLA had just three guards on the roster for201415.
Ultimately, just looking at that group of classes, this isn't the way UCLA recruits when the
program is healthy. We've gone over Steve Alford's recruiting strategy from those couple of
yearsmore than enough, but, to hammer it home, pursuing the uber-elite national recruits all over
the country like UCLA did for the first two summers under Alford was a very bad strategy and
not the sort of thing UCLA has historically had a great deal of success doing. When UCLA has
been very good, the Bruins have built their teams around the great amounts of talent you can find
within a 200-mile radius around UCLA. As we wrote at the time, unless you have a firm
connection to a kid across the country, it's usually a waste of time to spend a ton of recruiting
capital recruiting nationally. It just doesn't pay off enough to justify the expense of time and
resources. UCLA spent a ton of time going after guys likeMyles Turner,Rashad
Vaughn,Justise Winslow, and more, especially in the 2014 class, and it really inhibited the
Bruins' ability to sign local talent. Just look at USC's roster of athletic, talented shooters and keep
in mind that four of those guys from the 2014 and 2015 classes (Jordan McLaughlin,Elijah
Stewart,Chimezie Metu, andBennie Boatwright) wanted to be Bruins at one time or another.
UCLA showed a tremendous amount of hubris in recruiting through the first two cycles, with
Alford thinking that his name coupled with UCLA was enough to recruit with the Dukes and
UCLA is leveragingits connections to the Compton Magic, a local AAU program, significantly
more over the next two cycles, which has helped UCLA earn commitments from very talented
pieces inIke Anigbogu,Jalen Hill, andJaylen Hands,and landing players like those guys is
exactly what UCLA should be doing going forward, and what UCLA should have done for the
last three cycles. This isn't revisionist history -- everyonewho really knew the landscape of
UCLA recruiting was telling the staff that they needed to prioritize local recruiting at the time
when UCLA was flying all over the country following the elites. We wrote it several times here.
Landing aKevon Looneyhere or there doesn't justify missing out on the McLaughlins and
Metus of the world.
It's also worth noting that, as good as the next two classes are shaping up to be, they're really built
on two things: the coaching staff's relationship with the Compton Magic and the coaching staff's
relationship with Lavar Ball.Every player committed or signed with UCLA in 2016 and beyond
is either named "Ball" or a member of the Compton Magic. Having a partnershipwith just one
AAU program and just one family of basketball players is probably not a path to sustained longterm success. And its worth noting as well that one of the few major successes Alfords staff had
recruiting nationally in its first two cycles (landing Kevon Looney) came about largely through
the schools relationship with Adidas.
perspective, the last eight years have been pretty close to the nadir for the UCLA program in the
modern, post-Wooden era, and over the last three years, Alford has done little to slow the slide
into mediocrity. Player development has been poor, recruiting has taken an unnecessary amount
of time to get going, and the obvious favoritism shown to his son has alienated certain players
and could help to lead to mass departures this offseason.

The fanbase has also been marginalized and alienated, and it has led to an enormous groundswell
of fan anger over the last several weeks, with a petition to fire Steve Alford gaining over 1500
signatures and an actual banner flown over the UCLA campus this week calling for his ouster.
Even in the waning days of Lavin and Howland, there wasnt this level of fan anger at the coach.
Its truly unprecedented, and signals nothing good about the current state of the UCLA basketball
program.
UCLA is a storied program, with the kind of tradition, recruiting base, and name brand to be a
very good to elite college basketball program. As Howland showed just a decade ago, turning the
program around and getting back to elite status at UCLA really only requires a pretty good coach
whos dedicated to his craft and a smart, sustained recruiting approach.
And thats the hope for fans, I suppose: perhaps UCLA will one day have both of those things
again.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
ryan saiyasombat
Guerrero, Dan
I can no longer support UCLA basketball
Dear Sir:
I have been a Bruin basketball fan since I can remember. My father personally knew Coach Wooden, and I was
raised with frequent reminders of his wisdom and integrity both on and off the basketball court.
As an adult, I graduated from UCLA (in no small part choosing UCLA due to my longtime love of Bruin athletics)
and became a season ticket holder. I have countless fond memories of exciting times at Pauley Pavillion.
In recent years, I have cancelled by season tickets and ceased to watch my beloved Bruins on television. I feel that
Coach Alford has done immeasurable damage to the UCLA brand with his losing style of basketball along with his
lack of integrity and teaching on and off the court.
I will no longer support UCLA basketball either financially or emotionally until a new head coach is hired. I know
many fans and life-long Bruins that feel the same as I do.
Ryan Saiyasombat
Psychology '98
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Denis Ryono
Guerrero, Dan
The state of UCLA basketball
Please read the following article on the state of UCLA basketball. I agree with everything it
says:

DAVID WOODS Bruin Report Online
March 16, 2016 3:41 PM
Mar. 16 -- UCLA's basketball program has rarely been on as shaky ground as it is

right now...
It has now been 21 seasons since UCLA won a national championship, and prior to that
championship in 1995, it had been 20 seasons. In other words, in 41 seasons since John
Wooden retired, UCLA has won a single national championship. In that same time frame,
Kentucky has won four of its eight total titles, Duke has won all five of its titles, North
Carolina has won four of its five, Indiana has won three of its five, Connecticut has won
four, Louisville has won three, Kansas has won two, and the list goes on.
Here's a better way to put it: of the 14 schools who have actually won NCAA basketball
championships, UCLA is tied for 11th for the most since 1975, which puts the Bruins ahead
of basketball powerhouses Cincinnati (last won in 1962), San Francisco (last won in 1956),
and Oklahoma State (last won in 1946) and tied with North Carolina State (last won in
1983).
So, when we're writing a piece about the state of the UCLA basketball program, it's
important to understand what kind of basketball program UCLA actually has. This is not a
program that is among the uber-elite in college basketball -- unfortunately, that
categorization is reserved for schools like Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, and Kansas
these days. UCLA has simply not won enough to get lumped in with those schools at the
top of the mountain.
Of course, UCLA fading from the category of the elite didn't just happen in a vacuum, and it
hasn't been a straight-line fall. There was that brief, awesome up-tick for the first half of
Ben Howland's tenure when he recruited, developed, and coached very well, and UCLA, as
a matter of course, went to three straight Final Fours. If Howland could have sustained that
style, and if he'd been wired a little differently, it's actually kind of easy to imagine that
UCLA might have been able to ascend firmly back into that elite category, and pull in a
12th or 13th banner.
But Howland wasn't able to sustain the success, and UCLA probably waited a year too long
to fire him, and that has long been part of UCLA's problem -- waiting too long to fire a guy.
Of course, the more significant issue has been hiring the wrong guy in the first place, as
UCLA did with Steve Lavin after Jim Harrick was fired. By hiring Lavin, UCLA wasn't able to
parlay the 1995 championship into any kind of meaningful, sustained winning, and
Howland's own issues squandered the window that yawned open after the three-straight
Final Fours.
Now, as we talked about in the last piece, UCLA has had four losing seasons in the last 14,
and has missed the NCAA Tournament altogether in five of the last 14 years. As far as
college basketball goes, that's the mark of an average-ish high-major program, and
certainly not anything close to elite.
The frustrating thing for UCLA fans, though, is that it's obvious UCLA still has the tools to be
an elite program, with a great recruiting base, an unparalleled tradition, soon-to-be very
good facilities, and a location that makes the school attractive to players country-wide.
Think about this: it took Lavin, who isn't a real basketball coach, six whole years to crater
the program -- UCLA had enough natural juice that he managed to go to an Elite Eight in
his first season and Sweet 16s in his next five! Howland proved that UCLA is just a smart,
sustained recruiting strategy and a good coach away from being right back in the mix for
Final Fours and national championships.
Now, UCLA has missed the NCAA Tournament again this year after a very bad season that
saw the Bruins finish 15-17. Under Steve Alford, UCLA has become a progressively worse
team on both offense and defense, and the shocking thing this year was the near total lack
of effort at times, especially over the last three or four weeks of the season when UCLA
needed to put together a win streak to get an NCAA Tournament bid. Instead, the team
(both coaches and players) folded. It was an awful season to watch, and, as we wrote last
week, it is certainly in the conversation for the worst season UCLA has had since 1948.
Alfords first three years, as we talked about last week, were the worst first three years for
a coach since Wilbur Johns, and are comparable to the LAST three years for Walt Hazzard
and Ben Howland.
Hows this for a stat: UCLA has gone unranked in 46 of 57 weeks during Alfords tenure.
Thats justirrelevance.
But judging the record and rankings is only a surface-level way to evaluate a program.
Below, we're going to take a look at the significant factors that have played into UCLA
being in the state it's in: On-Court Issues, Favoritism, and Recruiting Problems.
On-Court Issues
UCLA showed a stunning lack of effort on defense this year, and this was easily the worst
year for UCLA under Alford in terms of defensive effort. But what's especially shocking is
the sheer lack of defensive fundamentals you see from the players on the court. After four
years, Tony Parker still doesn't know how to position himself to avoid fouls, and after three
years, Bryce Alford, and Isaac Hamilton to a lesser extent, still don't know to consistently
get in a stance and keep their hands up on defense. These aren't even complex things -keeping your hands up in a zone defense is something you can teach a group of third
graders.
The lack of fundamentals in the program is obvious from watching any of the games, and
from what we've seen and heard, it stems from a practice culture that is anything but
stringent. Howland's practices during his time in Westwood were the stuff of legend, with
players having to spend long hours off-court preparing for what they'd have to do on the
court. They were extremely tough practices with a ton of time spent on minute attention to
detail -- how to space your feet, how to position your hands, the proper angle to bend your
knee in a defensive stance.
Alford's practices are lackadaisical affairs from what we've heard, and from what we've
seen. There's little attention to detail and little time spent on specific tactics for a given
opponent. They're also not close to as rigorous as Howland's practices, which often left
players physically exhausted (which was, of course, sometimes detrimental). When it
comes to film work and developing game plans, what we've heard is that this staff really
has a hard time developing effective game plans, and, what's more, has a pronounced
Universally, even if players didn't like him at times, they had a profound respect for
Howland's hoops acumen, and what we've heard over the last three years is that it's pretty
much the opposite for the overall assessment of Alford. The feeling is that there isn't an
emphasis on player development, at least not to the extent there was under Howland, and
that's another thing that's pretty obvious watching the team, especially from a physical
perspective, where all of these guys look the same as they did last year.
From a game preparation and motivation standpoint, this year specifically, the players and
the coaches pretty much gave up on the season down the stretch. Again, not to keep
comparing things to Howland's years in Westwood, but when the team would have a losing
streak or just not play well for a while, Howland, who was already a tireless, 16-hour-day
type worker, would ratchet up the intensity to an altogether new level. Practices would be
tougher, there would be even more film work, and more often than not, play would
improve.
None of that happened this year. If anything, from what we've gathered, there was actually
more of a sense of the coaches and players going through the motions over the last three
weeks in practice and film study. If giving effort is the basic thing to expect from players,
then giving motivation is the basic thing to expect from coaches, and from what we've
heard, both parties failed in those basic jobs.
Its the consensus from several people around the program: this staff just isnt the grinding
type. They dont put in the kind of time that Howland did, and as a general rule, theyre
just not putting in that same kind of effort. Even throwing that out, theres an open
question whether this staff has the coaching chops to compete at the highest level of
basketball it certainly hasnt shown up on the court or in practice.
Favoritism
I've actually avoided this subject in most of what I've written about the basketball team,
because its an uncomfortable subject and its not Bryce Alfords fault that his dad plays
him so many minutes. That's probably been an error on my part, because it's obvious now
how much of an issue it is and has been for the team. When Steve Alford was hired, he
brought his son Bryce with him to Westwood, and since then, he has played Bryce too
many minutes and given him too many shots every single year that he's been here.
It's not really even up for debate. In 2014, Bryce played 23 minutes per game, almost all of
them at point guard, and that was a misallocation of the ball responsibilities, for one, since
Kyle Anderson was a far better option initiating the offense (Anderson's assist rate that
year was a ridiculous 34.1 while Bryce's was a fine, unspectacular 19.1). Alford played just
three fewer minutes per game than Norman Powell, who was a significantly better offensive
and defensive option and should have played more than 25 minutes per game. Heck,
Anderson only played 33 minutes per game, and given that we've seen Alford is more than
willing to play Bryce 36+ minutes per game, Anderson probably should have played a few
more as well.
minutes on the team at 36.3 per game, with Powell notching 34 and Hamilton playing 33.
This year, with one more guard in the rotation, Bryce again played 36.3 minutes per game,
followed by Hamilton at 35 and Aaron Holiday at 31.
To give that some context, this year he played a greater percentage of minutes for UCLA
than any Pac-12 player is playing for any Pac-12 team. He played a greater percentage of
minutes for UCLA than Tyler Ulis is playing for Kentucky. He played a greater percentage of
minutes for UCLA than Buddy Hield is playing for Oklahoma, and Hield might be the best
player in college basketball this year. He played more than Hamilton, Welsh, and Parker,
who all shot the ball better this year and played more defense, and he played more than
Holiday, who was a significantly better defender and only a slightly worse shooter. Bryce
has some obvious assets as a player he doesnt turn the ball over much at all and he
shoots threes pretty well but those two things really do not justify the amount of
minutes he gets. This year, he was the fourth-best shooter among starters but took the
second-most shots.
And from what we understand, the players recognize this issue as well. From what weve
heard, the players dont have any specific dislike for Bryce far from it, actually, as most
of what we heard indicates hes a pretty likable guy but theres a real pronounced
resentment of the obvious favoritism shown to him by the coaching staff. There will be film
sessions where the defensive issues of certain players will be dissected ad nauseum, but
rarely is there any mention of Bryces defensive issues. There have been a couple of
instances over the last couple of years where weve heard, after one player or another
steps up offensively in a particular game, that the coaching staffs message is that it was a
result of the opposing team being so focused on taking away Bryce.
Theres been enough obvious favoritism in the program that it has contributed to a
significant amount of resentment from the players on the team (and not just this season),
so its something that needs to be mentioned. Whatever we might feel about Bryce playing
so many minutes and how it might affect whether the team wins a certain amount of
games, our assessment is nowhere near as important as the assessment of the players on
the team.
UCLA could see at least one player, and possibly more players, leave the program this
offseason, and, from what weve gathered, the obvious favoritism, along with the poor
coaching and lack of development, could be a factor in those decisions.
Recruiting Problems
No one is disputing that UCLA has a good group of players coming in with the 2016 class,
and the 2017 class is certainly shaping up to be a pretty good one as well. But this year's
team was built on the strength of the 2013, 2014, and 2015 classes, and it's hard to
describe those classes as anything other than a significant failure.
In the 2013 class, UCLA signed Isaac Hamilton (who had to sit out his first year), Wanaah
Bail (who has transferred, and also who probably shouldn't have been playing at this level
anyway), Bryce Alford (the head coach's son who plays too many minutes), Noah Allen
(who probably shouldn't be playing at this level), and Zach LaVine (who played one year
and left for the NBA). You can give them a general pass for this class, since they didn't
have much time to do anything beyond bring in a warm body in Bail and eventually get
Hamilton on the bounce-back from UTEP. Notably, though, they parted ways with Allerik
Freeman, who's a key piece at shooting guard for a pretty good Baylor team this year.
In the 2014 class, UCLA signed Jonah Bolden (who had to sit out his first year), Thomas
Welsh, Kevon Looney (who played one year and left for the NBA), and Gyorgy Goloman
(who's a backup, at best, for a very good team). No, your eyes don't deceive you -- there's
not a single guard in that class.
In the 2015 class, UCLA signed Ikenna Okwarabizie (who probably shouldn't be playing at
this level), Alex Olesinski (who's a backup, at best, for a very good team), Prince Ali (who
we've heard will likely transfer after this season), and Aaron Holiday.
In other words, after three years of recruiting, of 13 players UCLA signed, four of those still
on the roster are probably not capable of playing for a very good UCLA team, one has
already transferred, at least one of the remainders is likely to transfer before next season,
and two have moved on for the NBA. The 2015 class is shaping up to be a significant
failure, with what looks like two non-contributors and a transfer out of four players, and
that's not even taking into account what Holiday may decide to do (we've heard he's still
uncertain about whether he'll return to UCLA next season). UCLA did not sign a single
guard in the 2014 class, which was a failure of pretty extreme magnitude given that UCLA
had just three guards on the roster for 2014-15.
years more than enough, but, to hammer it home, pursuing the uber-elite national recruits
all over the country like UCLA did for the first two summers under Alford was a very bad
strategy and not the sort of thing UCLA has historically had a great deal of success doing.
When UCLA has been very good, the Bruins have built their teams around the great
amounts of talent you can find within a 200-mile radius around UCLA. As we wrote at the
time, unless you have a firm connection to a kid across the country, it's usually a waste of
time to spend a ton of recruiting capital recruiting nationally. It just doesn't pay off enough
to justify the expense of time and resources. UCLA spent a ton of time going after guys like
Myles Turner, Rashad Vaughn, Justise Winslow, and more, especially in the 2014 class, and
it really inhibited the Bruins' ability to sign local talent. Just look at USC's roster of athletic,
talented shooters and keep in mind that four of those guys from the 2014 and 2015 classes
(Jordan McLaughlin, Elijah Stewart, Chimezie Metu, and Bennie Boatwright) wanted to be
Bruins at one time or another. UCLA showed a tremendous amount of hubris in recruiting
through the first two cycles, with Alford thinking that his name coupled with UCLA was
enough to recruit with the Dukes and Kentuckys of the world.
UCLA is leveraging its connections to the Compton Magic, a local AAU program, significantly
more over the next two cycles, which has helped UCLA earn commitments from very
talented pieces in Ike Anigbogu, Jalen Hill, and Jaylen Hands, and landing players like those
guys is exactly what UCLA should be doing going forward, and what UCLA should have
done for the last three cycles. This isn't revisionist history -- everyone who really knew the
landscape of UCLA recruiting was telling the staff that they needed to prioritize local
recruiting at the time when UCLA was flying all over the country following the elites. We
wrote it several times here. Landing a Kevon Looney here or there doesn't justify missing
out on the McLaughlins and Metus of the world.
It's also worth noting that, as good as the next two classes are shaping up to be, they're
really built on two things: the coaching staff's relationship with the Compton Magic and the
coaching staff's relationship with Lavar Ball. Every player committed or signed with UCLA in
2016 and beyond is either named "Ball" or a member of the Compton Magic. Having a
partnership with just one AAU program and just one family of basketball players is probably
not a path to sustained long-term success. And its worth noting as well that one of the few
major successes Alfords staff had recruiting nationally in its first two cycles (landing Kevon
Looney) came about largely through the schools relationship with Adidas.
-
perspective, the last eight years have been pretty close to the nadir for the UCLA program
in the modern, post-Wooden era, and over the last three years, Alford has done little to
slow the slide into mediocrity. Player development has been poor, recruiting has taken an
unnecessary amount of time to get going, and the obvious favoritism shown to his son has
alienated certain players and could help to lead to mass departures this offseason.
The fanbase has also been marginalized and alienated, and it has led to an enormous
groundswell of fan anger over the last several weeks, with a petition to fire Steve Alford
gaining over 1500 signatures and an actual banner flown over the UCLA campus this week
calling for his ouster. Even in the waning days of Lavin and Howland, there wasnt this level
of fan anger at the coach. Its truly unprecedented, and signals nothing good about the
current state of the UCLA basketball program.
UCLA is a storied program, with the kind of tradition, recruiting base, and name brand to be
a very good to elite college basketball program. As Howland showed just a decade ago,
turning the program around and getting back to elite status at UCLA really only requires a
pretty good coach whos dedicated to his craft and a smart, sustained recruiting approach.
And thats the hope for fans, I suppose: perhaps UCLA will one day have both of those
things again.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Ross heman
Guerrero, Dan
Men"s basketball
Did you approve of the nepotism in the program? will it continue next year?
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Alan Cox
Rebholz, Joshua; Guerrero, Dan; Block, Gene
New Head Coach Is Answer, Not New Assistants
Gentlemen,
How long will the daily embarrassment of the basketball program continue?
The rumored attempt to get new assistants for Steve Alford's program, in hopes of getting it turned around, is
simply the equivalent of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
The nepotistic implosion of this program, now suffering another blow with the apparent transfer of top 50 recruit
Prince Ali, can only be rectified with a new head coach, plain and simple.
Let Steve Alford go and start over somewhere else, and then all devoted UCLA fans can have a new beginning
and hope once again that their proud tradition that they're so passionate about can be restored.
Respectfully,
Alan Cox
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Tony Mallord
Basketball
I have heard a rumor that UCLA AD wants to change some of the

Basketball Assistant Coaches, While allowing the real problem
(Steve Alford) to be retained.
I pray there is no truth to this.
If this is true, please reconsider and realize that the Head
Coach is ultimately responsible for what happens on a team,
and Alford has already admitted he failed.
Is a Coach who knows he is a failure going to shown the door? I
would hope so.
Sincerely,
Tony Mallord (WAF Donor)
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
spartanman21insj .
Guerrero, Dan
New Head Coach Is Answer, Not New Assistants
Dear Mr. Guerrero, Mr. Block, and Mr. Rebholz,

As a diehard fan and supporter of UCLA basketball for over 20 years (along with many UCLA
alums in my family who feel the same), I am very concerned with what is going on with the
program. A recruiting class and a couple new assistants are not the answer to fix UCLA
basketball. All of the signs are there that Steve Alford does not have what it takes to lead
UCLA basketball and help it reach it's potential. There are many candidates out there that can
bring UCLA back. A solid coach who can focus on recruiting the west, teaching defense and
fundamentals, and holding players accountable on and off the court is a recipe for success. It
pains me deeply to see this program underachieve so badly since Alford has been here, and
the display of nepotism with Steve and Bryce is unacceptable. Please make a change before
the program is damaged even further. Now is not the time to wait and hope that all works
out-- the signs are there that a change at the head coaching position is absolutely needed now.
Like the very high percentage of UCLA supporters are agreeing, I cannot continue to support
UCLA basketball with Steve Alford as head coach.
Regards,
Scott Lueke
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Sent from
Andrew Marroquin
Guerrero, Dan
Rebholz, Joshua; Chancellor Gene D. Block
FIRE ALF NOW!
Mail on Android
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
New head coach is the Answer, NOT NEW ASSISTANTS!!!!!!!
Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 15, 2016, at 11:51 AM, Michael Presser <michael.presser@gemb.com> wrote:
While the right decision is not always an easy one, I find it is usually better to deal with
it sooner rather than later. Better to move on from Steve Alford now rather than 12
months from now. The culture of the basketball program will not improve next year
and the infusion of talent will be wasted if UCLA retains Steve Alford. The culture cant
be changed if the coach and his son both remain in their current positions. You saw
yesterday the result of that dynamic.
Please do what is in the best interest of UCLA and fire Steve Alford!
MIKE PRESSER
<image001.jpg>
PRINCIpAL
George Elkins Mortgage Banking Company

949.752.1662 office
cell
949.752.1667 fax
BRE #01391972
www gemb.com
26180 Enterprise Way, No. 300

Lake Forest, CA 92630
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Alan Cox
The State of the UCLA Basketball Program - Ucla - Scout
http://www.scout.com/college/ucla/story/1652435-the-state-of-the-ucla-basketball-program
Sent from my iPhone
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Jeff Brown
Guerrero, Dan
What I read today
Dan:
I feel like we are on a first name basis now. I cannot internalize what I read today about
UCLA's program. I read we may want to force changes to the staff - that will not suffice and
if Coach had any integrity, he would resign regardless. I read about the state of our program I have been attorney for 20 plus years and am pretty good at discerning the difference
between a slanted piece and one that is balanced; sadly, it was very balanced. And I read
about a kid on our team who is getting run off because he had the fortitude to point out
hypocrisy - a trait that UCLA should champion, not push to the curb.
There is nothing left. Coach Steve Alford must be let go.
There is no way to salvage his stewardship of the program. There is no one to blame other
than Coach. It was a mistake to allow him to bring Bryce (and I certainly do not blame
Bryce); but the relationship clouded his judgment and made him a horrible coach.
Regards,
Jeff
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
LoDuca, Paul
Block, Gene
Dan Guerrero and the UCLA Basketball Mess
Chancellor Block:
I heard that Dan Guerrero tried to get Coach Alford to replace assistant coaches then
offered to allow Alford to keep his coaches in exchange for a reduced contract buyout.
How does his make sense? Alford is the problem, not his assistants. There is no solution
other than letting Alford go.
I understand that Prince Ali will be transferring. I have been told that at a recent film
session Coach Alford really lit into Ali about his defense. Yet Alford was silent on the film
which clearly showed a lack of effort by Bryce. This prompted Ali to point out the obvious
that Coach Alford has a blind spot for his son and is favoring him to the detriment of the
team. The two (Ali and Bryce) got into a fight at a later practice. How many other players
will leave because of this toxic environment created by Alford?
How an institution such as UCLA can tolerate and enable such blatant nepotism is beyond
me. It is beginning to appear as if Dan Guerrero would rather allow the UCLA Basketball
program to implode than admit his mistake and correct it by letting Steve Alford go.
Hiring Alford was a mistake and giving him such an onerous buyout was even a larger one.
But the biggest error by far is not taking action now to fix the problem.
The time to act is now!
Paul LoDuca
Financial Advisor
The Linzmeier Group



NMLS ID # 1364401
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Kim Luk
New Head Coach is the Answer, not New Assistants
Steve Alford is the cancer of our Basketball program. He must be got rid off now, not next year.
Go Bruins!
Kim Luk
1976
Sent from my iPad
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Nat Plotts
New Head Coach is Answer, Not New Assistants.
I saw a report that you are telling Alford that he needs to change up his staff. Wow. This just
shows how out of touch the Athletic Department really is. You think changing assistant
coaches will somehow magically get the team more prepared, make Bryce accountable, and
solve the lockeroom problems (Which if some rumors are true, they make the Howland days
look like an elementary school)? Horrible. There is one thing that can be done to fix this
situation and save UCLA basketball, firing Steve Alford. You will not get us fans to stand
down this time, this is truly unacceptable behavior/performance at a school that is considered
to be an elite basketball school. A change must be made. If Alford stays, be prepared for more
banners, more petitions, more emails, more tweets, but they won't only be calling for Alford's
head...DO THE RIGHT THING.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Jeffrey Hoover
Guerrero, Dan
New head coach is the answer, not new assistance!
Dear Sir,
You have made it very clear you that are a horrible athletic director. Spineless, clueless, and have no care or
admiration for a once proud program.
Move on please! You will go down as the worst athletic director not only at UCLA, but at all Division I institutions.
UCLA Fan,
Jeffrey Hoover
Sent from my iPhone
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
John Roy
Rebholz, Joshua; Guerrero, Dan
Fire Steve Alford!!!!!!!
Nepotism
Poor coaching
Running off talent- Prince Ali and Zach LaVine
Arrogance
Poor leadership
Lack of effort
Please save UCLA Basketball
I am UCLA Graduate and life long UCLA Basketball Fan. Please save our program.
Waiting a year will make it worse.
Send him back to powerhouse New Mexico
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Brad DeJean
Block, Gene
New Head Coach Is Answer, Not New Assistants!
Gentlemen,
Further to my email from last Friday (text copied below), I am dismayed by the rumor that you
may be considering solving the Coach Alford problem by forcing him to replace some
assistants. With due respect, it's too late to rearrange the deck chairs. Saving UCLA
basketball demands that the captain of the sinking ship, Coach Alford, be relieved of his
duties.
We're where we are as a program because Coach Alford has failed at too many critical aspects
of his job. He has misevaluated talent--several players he recruited are not good enough to
play significant minutes on a top-20 team. He has not been able to get the team to play with
requisite effort more than sporadically. He has outwardly favored his son to the detriment of
the team -- no player can respect a coach who sends him to the bench for a single mistake
when another player is allowed to play no matter how many mistakes he makes. He has either
not demanded that his team play defense or not taught them how to play defense. He has
made strategic misevaluations, most notably in our three losses to USC this year, where he
played a large but slow lineup that could not guard USC's quickness no matter how hard they
tried (for two halves out of six where they did seem to try, anyway).
Please heed Coach Wooden's wisdom. Any of it will do: "Success is never final, failure is
never fatal. It's courage that counts." Now is the time for you to show courage by doing what
needs to be done to put UCLA basketball back on the path of success.
Replacing assistants would be nothing more than scapegoating them for their boss's failures.
Please be a rightful steward of our beloved and tradition-rich program, and earn the respect of
fans, students, donors and alums by replacing Coach Alford with someone who will teach and
develop the players, and hold them accountable, and make them into a good team.
It doesn't have to be a big name. Just a high quality, kind person with coaching chops, and
tireless work ethic.
Thank you for your consideration
Brad DeJean
Class of '93, Wooden Athletic Fund - Bruin Bench
***
Mr. Guerrero,
You've probably received hundreds of emails from other concerned alums and donors about the poor showing of our men's
basketball team this year and presenting a litany of reasons why you should fire Coach Alford now. To be sure, I agree with
my fellow alums and donors, signed the petition and hope that he has coached his last game at UCLA. But I won't repeat all
of those reasons, other than to say I found the utter lack of effort of this year's team to bean abomination, a black mark on a
championship brand, and a coach who can't get his players to consistentlytry at defensewill never succeed.
Instead, I'd like to focus on you, and what might be holding you back from deciding to remove Coach Alford. You love
UCLA. You have accomplished great things as athletic director, from the championships to the facilities, thanks to your
program, UCLA has everything it needs to continue to mint championship-level teams and players who will do great things
in the world after they graduate.
You may have a few concerns about firing Coach Alford now, after only three years. The four most obvious reasons not to
fire him are (1) potential media backlash over firing a coach after three years, (2) a costly buyout, (3) keeping together an
excellent incoming recruiting class, and (4) a sense of fairness to him, that he should have 4 years to prove himself,
These are not good reasons to keep a coach. Here's why:
(1)Media. With the media, all will be forgotten when you hire a coach that leads the program to success. Do you remember
Billy Gillespie? It's ok if you don't, few others do. He was fired after two years at UK, including a 22-14 record in his last
season. Replaced by Coach Calipari. Matt Doherty? Unceremoniously fired after 3 seasons. Replaced by Roy Williams. Two
of the 6 blue blood programs acted quickly and decisively and restored their programs to greatness. The guys who were fired
are long forgotten, and no one cares whether they were fired too soon.
(2)Buyout. The buyout is a sunken cost. It was an investment that has not panned out. A smart investor takes his loss, takes
what's left and invests again. The other option is to hope for a turnaround, but the reality is that hope is not a strategy, and can
lead to a total loss. In this case, the big loss would be the destruction of UCLA's basketball brand, one of the 6 blue blood
programs could be forgotten or irrelevant for years if not forever. But you can avoid that by selling now and taking your
lumps. You can probably also negotiate it lower.
(3)Recruiting. The recruiting argument is a red herring. First, those guys have signed NLIs with UCLA, not with Coach
Alford. If you hire a good coach, as I am confident you will do, that coach, together with the leverage the NLI gives us, will
keep them on board. Second, a better coach will bring optimism, which will help recruiting, then he will yield better results
on the court, again aiding recruiting. Third, some of the players from this year's team could leave because they don't like the
direction of the program, which would be a setback that incoming recruits cannot overcome. Fourth, our program recruits
itself. Put the right coach in place, and even if we lost all of the Balls and Leaf, recruits will come. But they will stop coming
to a program that is in disarray and finishing in 10th place. Fifth, we actually owe it to the recruits to give them a coach who
can help them grow as players. Kevin Love chose UCLA in part because he knew Ben Howland would teach him how to
defend. It's not clear whether Coach Alford teaches defense. Based on results, if he does teach defense, he's not good at it.
(4)Fairness. I appreciate your sense of fairness, but to be frank, keeping a coach on principle that "coaches deserve a 4th year
to prove their mettle" should not be part of the calculus. You are the in charge of a great international brand, one that is
synonymous with championships and competitive greatness. Our brand -- UCLA basketball, one of 6 blue blood programs is
in peril. Its peril began under the last few years of Ben Howland (who was a great hire, by the way) and has continued, and
worsened, over the three years of Steve Alford. It is a team that fails to compete, fails to provide anything close to maximum
effort, fails to defend, night after night. You need to protect our brand. Imagine a Fortune 500 board deciding to retain its
CEO after 3 years of mediocre results, trending downward. It's unfathomable, right? Never mind what Soros or Icahn would
do if that happened, even Warren Buffet would oust that board. And if you disagree with my view of fairness, Coach Alford's
buyout is a written agreement as to what would be fair if you were to fire him now.
To summarize, none of the reasons to keep Coach Alford warrant his retention. A bad wine won't get better with an extra year
in the cellar. Please do the right thing for our program. Please remove Coach Alford now and replace him with a coach that
will make UCLA basketball competitive again.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
steve hwang
Steve Alford must be replaced
Dear Dan,
I have been an avid UCLA basketball fan until this year and all my UCLA graduate friends of
15 stopped attending and watching the UCLA basketball games this year. It is really sad that
you would not do anything but let our basketball program to crumble. You are losing more
and more die hard UCLA fans everyday. Please do what is right and let go coach Alford!
We have suffered long enough.
Thank you.
Steve Hwang
Class of 1985 ( representing 15 other UCLA grads!)
Danny Byun 1985
John Choi 1985
Joseph Kwon 1985
Young Ryee 1985
Charles Rim 1984
Frank Noh 1985
Young Park 1985
Michael Kwon 1985
Chan Kim 1985
Edward Ju 1985
Christie Chu 1989
Carole Kim 1985
Bong Chang 1981
Timothy Chang 1987
Christopher Ro 1985
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
David Gordon
Re: Plea From a Passionate Bruin
Mr. Guerrero,
It is the highest form of self-respect to admit our errors and mistakes and make amends for them.
To make a mistake is only an error in judgment, but to adhere to it when it is discovered shows
infirmity of character---Dale Turner
In medical training we always discussed that while its important whoyouve done, tsmore
important what you do next
Please admit that you made a mistake by hiring Coach Alford. There is zero change he is
successful over his tenure. He will be fired within the next couple years if you let him stay
now. He is simply not a good coach and is destroying the program from its core. Things will
only get worse. The incoming talent we have next year might make our records slightly better
but it will not change the course.
If you admit your mistake and correct it, UCLA fans will forever hold you in admiration and
respect. If you refuse to see the facts and truth and allow decimation of our program and fan
base to continue, you will carry that burden with you and the scorn of all Bruins forever.
Please make this right. We are depending on you.
Sincerely,
David Gordon
Class of95
On Mar 10, 2016, at 7:59 PM, David Gordon <cygnusdave@
> wrote:
I know many others have written so obviously do not expect a reply. My guess
its questionable whether this gets read at all. While I am not a donor, or a big
name on campus, I feel obligated to write this. My father, James Gordon, who
died in 2014, was not a huge donor, but a lifelong contributor to the athletic
department both financially and with his time. I moved to Denver in 1996 but
prior to that had been to nearly every single UCLA football and basketball home
game since about age 6, along with multiple olympic events each year.
I am simply writing to implore you to relieve Coach Alford of his duties
immediately. I have read many opinions on this matter and have heard from those
that feel his firing is not warranted at this time. The letter Mr. Guerrero wrote in
response to the Restore UCLA Hoops petition echoed some of the arguments Ive
heard from others. I find these excuses completely unacceptable. In fact, I think
if one critically looks at Coachs time at UCLA, its blatantly obvious that our
program is doomed for failure. Obviously our record this season was notably
worse than prior years. However, the on court performance this season really was
not all that different than the prior 2 years. There are themes that have existed
since day 1, Many of us, upon seeing those themes play out, have know for 3
years this coach was doomed for failure. These themes include a complete lack of
emphasis and expectation of any sort of defensive effort, lack of emphasis
(assumedly) and certainly lack of results for any strength and conditioning
program, and the blatant nepotism which has resulted in the complete mis-use and
over estimation of Bryces basketball skills. Again, these issues were obvious
from season 1. That team, despite being eventual Pac-12 tourney champions, also
gave little to no effort on the defensive side. Nepotism was blatant from day 1
where two NBA-level performers were denied time at point guard so Bryce could
get minutes there. From strength and conditioning standpoint, there is almost no
body change in the majority of our players. Furthermore, those players that are
most athletic and who give us the best chance of success, are more commonly
relegated to the bench. These are 3 major issues that stand out to me, that have
been 100% consistent during Coachs entire tenure and are clearly indicative of a
program mentality that has no chance of real success. The other major argument
Ive heard made for keeping Coach is improvement in recruiting. However, when
hearing from actual recruiting experts, our successes in the past 12 months are
simply tied to a single AAU program. In fact, I would argue complete recruiting
mismanagement is another major reason to terminate Coach Alford. It was most
evident when USC is destroying us with local players that would have loved to
come to UCLA would they have been prioritized.
In my view there is absolutely zero justification to retain Coach Alford. His
continued presence will simply further destroy our beloved program and further
alienate our passionate fan base. Since there is an influx of talent coming next
year, it would be near impossible to not some some improvement in our W-L
record. However, I have no doubt the glaring issues that I discussed above will
remain quite prevalent and leave us with a simply mediocre team that is frankly
not at all pleasurable to watch and with a program that we can all clearly see has
no chance for long-term success.
You have a chance to make this right. Please do not fail us.
Sincerely,
David Gordon
Class of 95 and lifelong Bruin
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Kevin Deggelman
Get to the root of the problem, it"s Alford, not his assistants
Each day that goes by, people are unearthing more and more statistics and stories that show
just how far the UCLA program has fallen in recent years.
We all know (yourselves included) that the only remedy for the situation is to start fresh with a
new head coach.
Make it happen!
Kevin Deggelman
UCLA 2012
Wooden Athletic Fund Member
Football Season Ticket Holder
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Trevor Fuller
Guerrero, Dan
I'm sending this just in case you didn't read my last email.
Please dismiss Steve Alford from his post as head coach of UCLA men's basketball, not his
assistants.
Sincerely,
Trevor Fuller
UCLA Class of 2012
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
J Waterman
Re: Please let Steve Alford go
Please get rid of Alford. No more nepotism/daddy ball.

> On Mar 11, 2016, at 8:13 PM, J Waterman <jeremiechina@
> wrote:
>
> Can't believe you guys are letting me him stay. So terribly disappointing.
>
> Best to admit the mistake and recoup credibility that you keep the fan base. UCLA alums love UCLA basketball
but the program is now in a ditch with Alford from which it won't get out without brining in an new regime.
>
> Please do the right thing and get rid of Alford....NOW!
>
>> On Mar 10, 2016, at 12:29 AM, J Waterman <jeremiechina@
> wrote:
>>
>> I am a UCLA grad and come from a family of UCLA grads/loyalists. We all desperately want to root for the
program, but Steve Alford has made it impossible to do so.
>>
>> He is an embarrassment to the fine tradition of UCLA basketball.
>>
>> We hope the institution will decide now to move in a different direction and protect the program from additional
damage, regardless of the incoming recruiting class.
>>
>> In our view, a change should be made now.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Dorie Iwata
Guerrero, Dan
Throwing the alumni, students and other fans a bone is insulting
Dear Mr. Guerrero, we've all heard the rumor regarding a possible change in Alford's coaching staff. If this is your
attempt to patronize us, it will NOT work, unless it includes getting Billy Donavan or Brad Stevens to replace one
of the assistants! Please do the brave thing...the right thing, fire the ENTIRE staff including first and foremost,
Steve Alford. On closer examination, this would be a "win-win" for the fans; Steve, who walks away with a huge
monetary buyout and you, who will be finally viewed in a favorable light!
Dorie Iwata
Class of '71
Sent from my iPad
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Steve Havas
UCLA Basketball
I can only assume that the rumor that you are asking Coach Alford to change assistants is a
joke. It is the boss that is the issue. The boss that is treating his kid like some sort of
basketball god, while great talent exits (see Ali .. and whomever is next).
You can't actually think that your decision to hire Alford will be justified next year, because of
incoming talent. The freshmen will eventually be good ... but counting on a few freshmen to
bring this team to a credible place is absurd on the face of it.
Hope is not a strategy.
-Steve Havas
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Bill Elkins
RE: Fire Steve Alford IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gentlemen,
I hope the rumor circulating that an emphasis has been placed on asking Coach Alford to change his
Assistant coaches is not true. Coach Alford is the problem! It is his leadership that has produced
and cultivated the culture of unsound fundamentals, half stepping player effort, nonexistent player
development and nepotism that has engulfed the UCLA basketball program. Pauley is half full
because the way the team plays is no fun to watch. Has Prince Ali transferred yet? Who the
Assistant Coaches are is a mute consideration. The UCLA basketball program can never reach elite
status with Steve Alford as the Head Coach. Fire Steve Alford immediately!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From: Bill Elkins [mailto:billelkins461@

]
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2016 12:10 PM
To: dguerrero@athletics.ucla.edu; jrebholz@athletics.ucla.edu; gblock@conet.ucla.edu
Subject: FW: Fire Steve Alford IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

]
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2016 11:42 AM
To: dguerroro@athletics.ucla.com; jrebholz@athletics.ucla.com; gblock@conet.ucla.edu
Subject: Fire Steve Alford IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gentlemen,
Im not a season ticket holder but for the past 40 years, three friends and I have attended six mens
basketball games at Pauley each year. This year we attended only one game because the product
on the court was so poor and difficult to watch. Im emailing you to urge the immediate
termination of Steve Alford as head basketball coach at UCLA.
His first year, Coach Alford inherited three first round NBA draft picks. That level of talent, not his
coaching acumen, was largely responsible for the 28 wins. Beginning with his second year it was
crystal clear Alford was at best a mediocre coach. His record of 22 wins last year, 15 wins this year
witnessed by a half full Pauley Pavilion clearly demonstrates a lack of support from the UCLA
basketball community. John Wooden taught us what high quality basketball looks like. In good
conscience, I know you cant believe the product Coach Alford is giving us is anything close to high
quality. The team is fundamentally unsound. The players do not play hard. The games are no fun
to watch. The sinking attendance speaks volumes. I also trust that the disgusting nepotism Coach
Alford consistently shows with his son bothers you just as much as it bothers the UCLA fan base.
Bryce possesses marginal basketball skills. In addition to never being held accountable on the court,
he is on pace to play more minutes than any player in UCLA basketball history and to attempt more
shots per game than any Guard in the storied history of UCLA basketball. This is coaching
malpractice! Is there any real question why there is such a chemistry problem with the team. To
any knowledgeable UCLA basketball fan, it appears that Coach Alfords number one priority is to
showcase his son.
I challenge you to not forget to remember the lesson we painfully learned from the Steve Lavin.
That lesson was not even the most superior recruiting can compensate for mediocre coaching. I
know Coach Alford signed a top recruiting class last November. I know he has verbal commitments
from two highly regarding players for 2017. Steve Alford just like Steve Lavin is at best a mediocre
basketball coach. His record of over two decades speaks for itself. He has never coached a team
past the Sweet 16. At most universities the Sweet 16 is a reasonable goal. The Sweet 16 is Steve
Alfords ceiling. If and when he gets UCLA back to the Sweet 16, the elite coaches he will meet there
will coach circles around him. The basketball program at UCLA is special! Im counting mon you!! I
miss coming to Pauley with my friends, sitting behind to bench and basking in the high quality
basketball being played by the team wearing Blue & Gold. Fire Steve Alford
immediately!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Ian Atkinson
Guerrero, Dan
Information on UCLA Basketball.
Hi Dan,
I thought this would be a good read for you.

DAVID WOODS
1:41 PM
Mar. 16 -- UCLA's basketball program has rarely been on as shaky

ground as it is right now...
It has now been 21 seasons since UCLA won a national championship,and prior to that
championship in 1995, it had been 20 seasons. In other words, in 41 seasons since John Wooden
retired, UCLA has won a single national championship. In that same time frame, Kentucky has
won four of its eight total titles, Duke has won all five of its titles, North Carolina has won four of
its five, Indiana has won three of itsfive, Connecticut has won four, Louisville has won three,
Kansas has won two, and the list goes on.
Here's a better way to put it: of the 14 schools who have actually won NCAA basketball
championships, UCLA is tied for 11th for the most since 1975, which puts the Bruins ahead of
basketball powerhouses Cincinnati (last won in 1962), San Francisco (last won in 1956), and
Oklahoma State (last won in 1946) and tied with North Carolina State (last won in 1983).
So, when we're writing a piece about the state of the UCLA basketball program, it's important to
understand what kind of basketball program UCLA actually has.This is not a program that is
among the uber-elite in college basketball -- unfortunately, that categorization is reserved for
schools like Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, and Kansas these days. UCLA has simply not won
enough to get lumped in with those schools at the top of the mountain.
Of course, UCLA fading from the category of the elite didn't just happen in a vacuum, and it hasn't
been a straight-line fall. There was that brief, awesome up-tick for the first half of Ben Howland's
tenure when he recruited, developed, and coached very well, and UCLA, as a matter of course,
went to three straight Final Fours. If Howland could have sustained that style, and if he'd been
wired a little differently, it's actually kind of easy to imagine that UCLA might have been able to
ascend firmly back into that elite category, and pull in a 12th or 13th banner.
Now, as we talked about in the last piece, UCLA has had four losing seasons in the last 14, and has
missed the NCAA Tournament altogether in five of the last 14 years. As far as college basketball
goes, that's the mark of an average-ish high-major program, andcertainly not anything close to
elite.
championships.
justirrelevance.
But judging the record and rankings is only a surface-level way to evaluate a program. Below,
we're going to take a look at the significant factors that have played into UCLA being in the state
it's in: On-Court Issues,Favoritism, and Recruiting Problems.
C Tony Parker (USA Today)
On-Court Issues
UCLA showed a stunning lack of effort
on defense this year, and this was easily the worst year for UCLA under Alford in terms of
defensive effort. But what's especially shocking is thesheer lack of defensive fundamentals you
see from the players on the court. After four years,Tony Parkerstill doesn't know how to
position himself to avoid fouls, and after three years,Bryce Alford, andIsaac Hamiltonto a
lesser extent,still don'tknow to consistently get in a stance and keep theirhands up on defense.
These aren't even complex things -- keeping your hands up in a zone defense is something you can
teach a group of third graders.
spend long hours off-court preparing for what they'd have to do on the court. They were extremely
tough practices with a ton of time spent on minute attention to detail -- how to spaceyour feet,
how to position your hands, the proper angle to bend your knee in a defensive stance.
None of that happened this year. If anything, from what we've gathered, there was actually more of
a sense of the coaches and players going through the motions over the last three weeks in practice
and film study. If giving effort is the basicthing to expect from players, then giving motivation is
the basicthing to expect from coaches, and from what we've heard, both parties failed in
thosebasicjobs.
Its the consensus from several people around the program: this staff just isnt the grinding type.
They dont put in the kind of time that Howland did, and as a general rule, theyre just not putting
in that same kind of effort. Even throwing that out, theres an open question whether this staff has
the coaching chops to compete at the highest level of basketball it certainly hasnt shown up on
the court or in practice.
PG Bryce Alford (USA Today)
FavoritismI've actually avoided this

subject in most of what I've written about
the basketball team, because its an
uncomfortable subject and its not Bryce Alfords fault that his dad plays him so many minutes.
That's probably been an error on my part, because it's obvious now how much of an issue it is and
has been for the team. When Steve Alford was hired, he brought his son Bryce with him to
Westwood, and since then, he has played Brycetoo many minutes and given him too many shots
every single year that he's been here.
It's not really even up for debate. In 2014, Bryceplayed 23 minutes per game, almost all of them at
point guard, and that was a misallocation of the ball responsibilities, for one, sinceKyle
year, with one more guard in the rotation, Bryce again played 36.3 minutes per game, followed by
Hamilton at 35 and Aaron Holiday at 31.
significantly better defender and only a slightly worse shooter. Bryce has some obvious assets as a
player he doesnt turn the ball over much at all and he shoots threes pretty well but those
defensive issues of certain players will be dissected ad nauseum, but rarely is there any mention of
Bryces defensive issues. There have been a couple of instances over the last couple of years
away Bryce.
Theres been enough obvious favoritism in the program that it has contributed to a significant
amount of resentment from the players on the team (and not just this season), so its something
that needs to be mentioned. Whatever we might feel about Bryce playing so many minutes and
how it might affect whether the team wins a certain amount of games, our assessment is nowhere
near as important as the assessment of the players on the team.
UCLA could see at least one player, and possibly more players, leave the program this offseason,
and, from what weve gathered, the obvious favoritism, along with the poor coaching and lack of
development, could be a factor in those decisions.
HC Steve Alford (Photo by Steve Cheng)
Recruiting Problems
No one is disputing that UCLA has a good
group of players coming in with the 2016 class, and the 2017 class is certainly shaping up to be a
pretty good one as well. But this year's team was built on the strength of the 2013, 2014, and 2015
classes, and it's hard to describe those classes as anything other than a significant failure.
In other words, after three years of recruiting,of 13 players UCLA signed, fourof those still on the
rosterare probably not capable ofplaying for a very good UCLA team, one has already
like two non-contributors and a transfer out of four players, and that's not even taking into account
what Holiday may decide to do (we've heard he's still uncertain about whether he'll return to
UCLA next season). UCLA did not sign a single guard in the 2014 class, which was a failure of
pretty extreme magnitude given that UCLA had just three guards on the roster for2014-15.
the country like UCLA did for the first two summers under Alford was a very bad strategy and not
the sort of thing UCLA has historically had a great deal of success doing. When UCLA has been
very good, the Bruins have built their teams around the great amounts of talent you can find
last three cycles. This isn't revisionist history -- everyonewho really knew the landscape of UCLA
recruiting was telling the staff that they needed to prioritize local recruiting at the time when
UCLA was flying all over the country following the elites. We wrote it several times here.
Landing aKevon Looneyhere or there doesn't justify missing out on the McLaughlins and Metus
of the world.
relationship with Lavar Ball.Every player committed or signed with UCLA in 2016 and beyond is
either named "Ball" or a member of the Compton Magic. Having a partnershipwith just one AAU
program and just one family of basketball players is probably not a path to sustained long-term
success. And its worth noting as well that one of the few major successes Alfords staff had
into mediocrity. Player development has been poor, recruiting has taken an unnecessary amount of
time to get going, and the obvious favoritism shown to his son has alienated certain players and
could help to lead to mass departures this offseason.
program.
UCLA is a storied program, with the kind of tradition, recruiting base, and name brand to be a very
good to elite college basketball program. As Howland showed just a decade ago, turning the
again.
Ian Atkinson
ianatkinson@
c)
AIM:
Yahoo Messenger: i
Google Talk:
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
David Schaffner
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

Word appears to be getting out that changes in the assistant coaching ranks are being
considered and/or implemented by you and the Athletic Department. I must emphatically state
that this solution to the current situation is utterly unacceptable and insulting and suffices to
be no more than a tiny bandage against the gaping wound that is this basketball program. Do
not think for a second that any move like this will ameliorate my or anyone else in the UCLA
fan base's view of this terrible situation. We need real change and it starts from the very top,
not through a change in Alford's yes men.
Thank you,
David Schaffner
UCLA Bruin
Class of 2006
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Sean Corson
Guerrero, Dan; Rebholz, Joshua; Chancellor Gene D. Block
Transfer #1 is already happening
Prince Ali is leaving. My guess is 1-2 others follow soon after. Can you please take the time
to sit with players and understand how and why this season went south and what is pushing
them towards the door? If asked in a private manner they will confirm that Steve Alford's
coaching and favoritism of his son have resulted in an atmosphere that does not breed
championship (or even mediocre) basketball.
Forcing Alford to make changes to his assistants is not enough. If you do not trust him to hire
the correct assistants, how can you trust him to run this program? Please, fire Steve Alford
immediately and save this once proud program.
Sean Corson
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Josh Burnam
Let me see if I have this correct
Steve, either make some changes, or if not, fine. But if not then please agree to a lesser buyout so we can have it
easier to fire you if you don't?
What the hell. Fire the guy now. He's NOT the guy. This is amateur hour. You don't do business this way.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
nefkens
Assistant Coaches are NOT the Problem
Chancellor Block, Mr. Guerrero, and Mr. Rebholz Coach Alford clearly said at his last press conference that the buck
stops with him and he is responsible for the product on the court. His
assistant coaches are not to blame and should not be the fall guy for
his poor coaching. UCLA had an historically bad season last year. Coach
Alford did not adequately prepare the team to consistently compete the
entire season. The few notable victories should be evidence of what the
team was capable of, but did not achieve. Coach Alford was not able to
get the team to perform to its potential. The performance of the team
has declined in each year of his tenure. The product on the court is
simply a product of poorly run practices and poor game preparation. In
addition, Coach Alford has lost his effectiveness because of favoritism
towards his son. It is clear to anyone who has any sort of basketball
background that his son is a very bad defender, yet he plays the most
minutes on the team. His son also has a poor shooting percentage, yet he
took the second most shots on the team this season and last. Because
Coach Alford has not been consistent in making players accountable for
defense and poor performance, he has caused friction on the team that
has resulted in some players tuning him out and others considering
transferring.
UCLA alumni, students, donors, and fans are already disenchanted with
the direction the program has taken. A change is assistant coaches will
result in further alienating the fan base, which in turn will result in
more protests, less home game attendance, and fewer donations. Time,
energy, and money that I would normally apply towards supporting and
following the team will not be applied in anyway that supports retaining
Coach Alford as head coach. I am just one of thousands of fans that care
enough to write letters, sign petitions, and engage in social media
protest. If there are opportunities to financially contribute to to
flying banners, running ads, and other means of public protest, I will
contribute there. I will still make my normal contributions to academic
and research programs.
As alumni, fans, friends, and non-whale donors, we have a voice in the
decision too. Please do what is right for the program. This is an
unfortunate situation that no one wanted. Tough decisions need to be
made to set the program back on course for long term success. The damage
Coach Alford has done will make it virtually impossible for him to
succeed long term at this point. A change in head coach is needed.
Respectfully,
Chuck Nefkens
Son of Prof. Bernard M.K. Nefkens
Dept of Physics 1966-2011
Please note that I am an alumnus of UCSD. I was accepted to UCLA as an
undergraduate but opted to "leave the nest" and go to UCSD instead. I
was born a Bruin and will always be a Bruin. My father helped bring
millions of research dollars to the university. I completed all the

coursework for my CPA license through UCLA extension. I donate to the
Physics Dept and Mary Easton Center.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Greg
Guerrero, Dan
New head coach needed, not new assistants
Rumors abound that the UCLA athletic department is attempting to force Coach Alford into changing assistant
coaches and allow him to continue indefinitely as head coach. As an avid follower of college basketball for 45
years, I can't think of a single instance where this strategy resulted in anything other than the eventual dismissal of
said coach. The best way to view this is to look at how the most successful coaches continue to be very successful
even though they often lose top assistants to head coaching jobs. Retaining Steve Alford as coach at UCLA is
simply delaying the inevitable to the detriment of the UCLA program.
Greg Scofield - class of 1986
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
gabe rothman
Do you really have this low an opinion of your graduates?
Dear Messrs. Guerrero, Block and Rebholz,

I'm not sure if you all realize this, but your alumni, who are graduates of UCLA, actually have
degrees from...you guessed it: none other than UCLA -- one of the preeminent public
universities in the world. If you did realize this salient fact, you would probably also realize
that with such an elite education comes at least a modicum of intelligence, a fact of which you
are all clearly ignorant given your current course of action with respect to the stewardship of
the UCLA Men's Basketball program.
I can't imagine that you truly believe that a change of assistant coaches will be effective in
remedying the systemic and debilitating problems afflicting the basketball program, all of
which start with one Steve Alford. Thus I can only assume that you believe your alumni to be
too naive or perhaps stupid to see through your ever so thinly-veiled attempt to tell us to
pound sand.
What I truly do not understand is your loyalty to a man who has torpedoed the UCLA
basketball program and done so in a manner that shows an utter lack of respect for our proud
traditions.
It's time to own up to the fact that you hired a man who was and is woefully under qualified
for this job, and then gave him an unconscionably one-sided contract for utterly no reason
whatsoever.
Please do the right thing by your alumni and own up to your errors by firing Steve Alford
immediately. No other resolution will be satisfactory.
- Gabriel Rothman (Class of 2000)
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
r--perez@
Dear gentlemen,
Much like a great part of the correspondence may be receiving on these topics, this may not
generate a response, but like many others in the UCLA community, I'd like to say that rearranging
deck chairs will not be acceptable. We will respectfully continue to oppose anything other than a
change in the head coaching position, for UCLA Basketball. It is not acceptable for this
embarrassment to continue, and like many others, I will not support the program in any way, so
long as Steve Alford remains the head coach at UCLA. Please do the right thing and relieve him
of his duties immediately.
Sincerely,
Ricardo Perez
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Jeremy West
Nepotism affecting other players
Story about Nepotism:

The truth behind this transfer...
12:50 PMLast edited1:38 PMby
RobBruinIceCream
During the team film session

immediately after the Cal game late in the
season, CSA began ripping on Ali both offensively and defensively for bad shots, lack of
effort, and lack of help D possession after possession. My source said it was bad. This lead
to a emotional confrontation between CSA and Ali later in the film session during an all-tooften defensive series for Bryce where CSA did not say a word.
Prince Ali flat out called Bryce and CSA out in front of the entire team for what is going on
and had to be removed from the film session by an assistant coach. At the next practice a
supposed shoving match between Ali and Bryce occurred where Ali was then removed from
practice (these details were a bit gray so I do not know exactly what happened). Bryce was
allowed to stay. From that point on Ali was benched and was actually encouraged by CSA
sometime after the Oregon game to start looking elsewhere.
Source also told me Bryce is so rarely criticized in film study vs. everyone else it makes
numerous players angry.
Take it FWIW... this source is extremely close to a player on the team...
Listen - For those asking I do not have hard evidence and specific proof of any of this. If I did
I would gladly drive up to the AD office and meet with Block and DG personally
immediately! This is what I was told from a source extremely close to a player on the team. I
will not release the identity of the player out of respect..
Just to let you know what is really happening Behind the scenes
at UCLA. GREAT example of nepotism and how it has cancered our basketball team.
Jeremy West
Sent from my iPhone
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Michael Cummings
Guerrero, Dan
Please fire Steve Alford
Mr. Guerrero,
We've never met, but in the last few days I know you have been deluged with emails about
firing the UCLA basketball coach. While I have never done this, I feel the need to add my
voice to the chorus.
Since I came to campus and since I graduated I have been a die hard UCLA fan. To show my
dedication, when I was deployed to Afghanistan, it means that I woke up at 3am to watch the
2008 Final Four. In Iraq, I woke up at a similar time to watch UCLA play Texas. I've been to
a game every year even when I lived around the country.
This season may be the low point in UCLA basketball. I didn't attend a game this year and
missed more games on TV than I ever have. If Alford is the coach next year, I won't attend
again or watch any.
-Respectfully,
Michael Cummings
OnViolence.com
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Frank Damon
Guerrero, Dan
New Head Coach Is Necessary , Not New Assistants!
Dear Mr. Guerrero:

In case you havent seen it, I am attaching an article entitled The State of the UCLA
Basketball Program by David Woods which was published today. It is not necessary for me
to reiterate the things mentioned in it as it speaks for itself. I urge all of you to read it
carefully, as I believe it succinctly states woeful state of UCLA basketball.
The UCLA basketball program is in a free fall spiral and in shambles. The foundation has
crumbled and the fan base is vanishing. Before you know it, team members may even leave
the program. What was once a storied and marvelous program has now fallen into a dark
abyss of horrible mediocrity. It has become irrelevant.
I have read that the Athletic Department is contemplating asking Coach Alford to replace
some of his assistants. I truly hope that this is incorrect information and the correct
information is that you have asked Coach Alford to leave UCLA. He, along with the entire
basketball program, is truly an embarrassment to our internationally renown university. It
makes no sense under any scenario why UCLA keeps him as head basketball coach. It is an
insult to those of us who have graduated from UCLA, have contributed money and time over
the years and who revere it.
Please take immediate action and relieve Steve Alford as basketball coach and hire someone
we can respect and who can once again truly represent UCLA in the positive way it so
deserves.
Thank you.
Frank Damon
Class of 1965
WAF donor
Chancellors Society-Lifetime Member

DAVID WOODS
1:41 PM
Mar. 16 -- UCLA's basketball program has rarely

been on as shaky ground as it is right now...
It has now been 21 seasons since UCLA won a national
championship,and prior to that championship in 1995,

it had been 20 seasons. In other words, in 41 seasons
since John Wooden retired, UCLA has won a single
national championship. In that same time frame,
Kentucky has won four of its eight total titles, Duke has
won all five of its titles, North Carolina has won four
of its five, Indiana has won three of itsfive,
Connecticut has won four, Louisville has won three,
Kansas has won two, and the list goes on.
Here's a better way to put it: of the 14 schools who have
actually won NCAA basketball championships, UCLA
is tied for 11th for the most since 1975, which puts the
Bruins ahead of basketball powerhouses Cincinnati (last
won in 1962), San Francisco (last won in 1956), and
Oklahoma State (last won in 1946) and tied with North
Carolina State (last won in 1983).
So, when we're writing a piece about the state of the
UCLA basketball program, it's important to understand
what kind of basketball program UCLA actually has.
This is not a program that is among the uber-elite in
college basketball -- unfortunately, that categorization
is reserved for schools like Kentucky, Duke, North
Carolina, and Kansas these days. UCLA has simply not
won enough to get lumped in with those schools at the
top of the mountain.
Of course, UCLA fading from the category of the elite
didn't just happen in a vacuum, and it hasn't been a

straight-line fall. There was that brief, awesome up-tick
for the first half of Ben Howland's tenure when he
recruited, developed, and coached very well, and
UCLA, as a matter of course, went to three straight
Final Fours. If Howland could have sustained that style,
and if he'd been wired a little differently, it's actually
kind of easy to imagine that UCLA might have been
able to ascend firmly back into that elite category, and
pull in a 12th or 13th banner.
But Howland wasn't able to sustain the success, and
UCLA probably waited a year too long to fire him, and
that has long been part of UCLA's problem -- waiting
too long to fire a guy. Of course, the more significant
issue has been hiring the wrong guy in the first place, as
UCLA did with Steve Lavin after Jim Harrick was
fired. By hiring Lavin, UCLA wasn't able to parlay the
1995 championship into any kind of meaningful,
sustained winning, and Howland's own issues
squandered the window that yawned open after the
three-straight Final Fours.
Now, as we talked about in the last piece, UCLA has
had four losing seasons in the last 14, and has missed
the NCAA Tournament altogether in five of the last 14
years. As far as college basketball goes, that's the mark
of an average-ish high-major program, andcertainly not
anything close to elite.
The frustrating thing for UCLA fans, though, is that it's

obviousUCLAstillhas the tools to be an elite program,
with a great recruiting base, an unparalleled tradition,
soon-to-be very good facilities, and a location that
makes the school attractive to players country-wide.
Think about this: it took Lavin, who isn't a real
basketball coach,six whole yearsto crater the program
-- UCLA had enough natural juice that he managed to
go to an Elite Eight in his first season and Sweet 16s in
his next five! Howland proved that UCLA is just a
smart, sustained recruiting strategy and a good coach
away from being right back in the mix for Final Fours
and national championships.
Now, UCLA has missed the NCAA Tournament again
this year after a very bad seasonthat sawthe Bruins
finish 15-17. Under Steve Alford, UCLA has become a
progressively worse team on both offense and defense,
and the shocking thing this year was the near total lack
of effort at times, especially over the last three or four
weeks of the season when UCLA needed to put
together a win streak to get an NCAA Tournament bid.
Instead, the team (both coaches and players) folded.It
was an awful season to watch, and, as we wrote last
week, it is certainly in the conversation for the worst
season UCLA has had since 1948. Alfords first three
years, as we talked about last week, were the worst first
three years for a coach since Wilbur Johns, and are
comparable to the LAST three years for Walt Hazzard

and Ben Howland.
Hows this for a stat: UCLA has gone unranked in 46 of
57 weeks during Alfords tenure. Thats just
irrelevance.
But judging the record and rankings is only a surfacelevel way to evaluate a program. Below, we're going to
take a look at the significant factors that have played
into UCLA being in the state it's in: On-Court Issues,
Favoritism, and Recruiting Problems.
On-Court Issues
UCLA showed a stunning lack of effort on defense this
year, and this was easily the worst year for UCLA
under Alford in terms of defensive effort. But what's
especially shocking is thesheer lack of defensive
fundamentals you see from the players on the court.
After four years,Tony Parkerstill doesn't know how
to position himself to avoid fouls, and after three years,
Bryce Alford, andIsaac Hamiltonto a lesser extent,
still don'tknow to consistently get in a stance and keep
theirhands up on defense. These aren't even complex
things -- keeping your hands up in a zone defense is
something you can teach a group of third graders.
The lack of fundamentals in the program is obvious
from watching any of the games, and from what we've
seen and heard, it stems from a practice culture that is
anything but stringent. Howland's practices during his
time in Westwood were the stuff of legend, with players

having to spend long hours off-court preparing for
what they'd have to do on the court. They were
extremely tough practices with a ton of time spent on
minute attention to detail -- how to spaceyour feet, how
to position your hands, the proper angle to bend your
knee in a defensive stance.
Alford's practices are lackadaisical affairs from what
we've heard, and from what we've seen. There's little
attention to detail and little time spent on specific
tactics for a given opponent.They're also not close to as
rigorous as Howland's practices, which often left
players physically exhausted (which was, of course,
sometimes detrimental). When it comes to film work
and developing game plans, what we've heard is that
this staff really has a hard time developing effective
game plans, and, what's more, has a pronounced
Universally, even if players didn't like him at times,
they had a profound respect for Howland's hoops
acumen, and what we've heard over the last three years
is that it's pretty much the opposite for the overall
assessment of Alford. The feeling is that there isn't an
emphasis on player development, at least not to the
extent there was under Howland, and that's another
thing that's pretty obvious watching the team, especially
from a physical perspective, where all of these guys

From a game preparation and motivation standpoint,
this year specifically, the players and the coaches pretty
much gave up on the season down the stretch. Again,
not to keep comparing things to Howland's years in
Westwood, but when the team would have a losing
streak or just not play well for a while, Howland, who
was already a tireless, 16-hour-day type worker, would
ratchet up the intensity to an altogether new level.
Practices would be tougher, there would be even more
film work, and more often than not, play would
improve.
None of that happened this year. If anything, from what
we've gathered, there was actually more of a sense of
the coaches and players going through the motions over
the last three weeks in practice and film study. If
giving effort is the basicthing to expect from players,
then giving motivation is the basicthing to expect from
coaches, and from what we've heard, both parties failed
in thosebasicjobs.
Its the consensus from several people around the
program: this staff just isnt the grinding type. They
dont put in the kind of time that Howland did, and as a
general rule, theyre just not putting in that same kind
of effort. Even throwing that out, theres an open
question whether this staff has the coaching chops to
compete at the highest level of basketball it certainly
hasnt shown up on the court or in practice.

Favoritism
I've actually avoided this subject in most of what I've
written about the basketball team, because its an
uncomfortable subject and its not Bryce Alfords fault
that his dad plays him so many minutes. That's probably
been an error on my part, because it's obvious now how
much of an issue it is and has been for the team. When
Steve Alford was hired, he brought his son Bryce with
him to Westwood, and since then, he has played Bryce
too many minutes and given him too many shots every
single year that he's been here.
It's not really even up for debate. In 2014, Bryceplayed
23 minutes per game, almost all of them at point guard,
and that was a misallocation of the ball responsibilities,
for one, sinceKyle Andersonwas a far better option
initiating the offense (Anderson's assist rate that year
was a ridiculous 34.1 while Bryce'swas a fine,
unspectacular 19.1). Alford played just three fewer
minutes per game than Norman Powell, who was a
significantly better offensive and defensive option and
should have played more than 25 minutes per game.
Heck, Anderson only played 33 minutes per game, and
given that we've seen Alford is more than willing to
play Bryce 36+ minutes per game, Anderson probably
should have played a few more as well.
Last year, with only three guards on the roster, Alford

was forced to play all three of Bryce, Powell, and Isaac
Hamilton major minutes, but its worth noting that
Bryce played the most minutes on the team at 36.3 per
game, with Powell notching 34 and Hamilton playing
33. This year, with one more guard in the rotation,
Bryce again played 36.3 minutes per game, followed by
Hamilton at 35 and Aaron Holiday at 31.
To give that some context, this year he played a greater
percentage of minutes for UCLA than any Pac-12
player is playing for any Pac-12 team. He played a
greater percentage of minutes for UCLA than Tyler
Ulis is playing for Kentucky. He played a greater
percentage of minutes for UCLA than Buddy Hield is
playing for Oklahoma, and Hield might be the best
player in college basketball this year. He played more
than Hamilton, Welsh, and Parker, who all shot the ball
better this year and played more defense, and he played
more than Holiday, who was a significantly better
defender and only a slightly worse shooter. Bryce has
some obvious assets as a player he doesnt turn the
ball over much at all and he shoots threes pretty well
but those two things really do not justify the amount of
minutes he gets. This year, he was the fourth-best
And from what we understand, the players recognize
this issue as well. From what weve heard, the players
dont have any specific dislike for Bryce far from it,
actually, as most of what we heard indicates hes a
pretty likable guy but theres a real pronounced
resentment of the obvious favoritism shown to him by
the coaching staff. There will be film sessions where
the defensive issues of certain players will be dissected
ad nauseum, but rarely is there any mention of Bryces
defensive issues. There have been a couple of instances
over the last couple of years where weve heard, after
one player or another steps up offensively in a
particular game, that the coaching staffs message is
that it was a result of the opposing team being so
focused on taking away Bryce.
Theres been enough obvious favoritism in the program
that it has contributed to a significant amount of
resentment from the players on the team (and not just
this season), so its something that needs to be
mentioned. Whatever we might feel about Bryce
playing so many minutes and how it might affect
whether the team wins a certain amount of games, our
assessment is nowhere near as important as the
assessment of the players on the team.
UCLA could see at least one player, and possibly more
players, leave the program this offseason, and, from
what weve gathered, the obvious favoritism, along
with the poor coaching and lack of development, could
be a factor in those decisions.
Recruiting Problems
No one is disputing that UCLA has a good group of
players coming in with the 2016 class, and the 2017
class is certainly shaping up to be a pretty good one as
well. But this year's team was built on the strength of
the 2013, 2014, and 2015 classes, and it's hard to
describe those classes as anything other than a
significant failure.
In the 2013 class, UCLA signedIsaac Hamilton(who
had to sit out his first year),Wanaah Bail(who has
transferred, and also who probably shouldn't have been
playing at this level anyway),Bryce Alford(the head
coach's son who plays too many minutes),Noah Allen
(who probably shouldn't be playing at this level), and
Zach LaVine(who played one year and left for the
NBA). You can give them a general pass for this class,
since they didn't have much time to do anything beyond
bring in a warm body in Bail and eventually get
Hamilton on the bounce-back from UTEP. Notably,
though, they parted ways withAllerik Freeman, who's
a key piece at shooting guard for a pretty good Baylor
team this year.
In the 2014 class, UCLA signedJonah Bolden(who
had to sit out his first year),Thomas Welsh,Kevon
Looney(who played one year and left for the NBA),
andGyorgy Goloman(who's a backup, at best, for a
very good team). No, your eyes don't deceive you --
there's not a single guard in that class.

In the 2015 class, UCLA signedIkenna Okwarabizie
(who probably shouldn't beplaying at this level),Alex
Olesinski(who's a backup, at best, for a very good
team),Prince Ali(who we've heard will likely transfer
after this season), andAaron Holiday.
In other words, after three years of recruiting,of 13
players UCLA signed, fourof those still on the roster
are probably not capable ofplaying for a very good
UCLA team, one has already transferred, at least one of
the remainders is likely to transfer before next season,
and two have moved on for the NBA. The 2015 class is
shaping up to be a significant failure, with what looks
like two non-contributors and a transfer out of four
players, and that's not even taking into account what
Holiday may decide to do (we've heard he's still
uncertain about whether he'll return to UCLA next
season). UCLA did not sign a single guard in the 2014
class, which was a failure of pretty extreme magnitude
given that UCLA had just three guards on the roster for
2014-15.
Ultimately, just looking at that group of classes, this
isn't the way UCLA recruits when the program is
healthy. We've gone over Steve Alford's recruiting
strategy from those couple of yearsmore than enough,
but, to hammer it home, pursuing the uber-elite national
recruits all over the country like UCLA did for the first
two summers under Alford was a very bad strategy and

not the sort of thing UCLA has historically had a great
deal of success doing. When UCLA has been very
good, the Bruins have built their teams around the great
amounts of talent you can find within a 200-mile radius
around UCLA. As we wrote at the time, unless you
have a firm connection to a kid across the country, it's
usually a waste of time to spend a ton of recruiting
capital recruiting nationally. It just doesn't pay off
enough to justify the expense of time and resources.
UCLA spent a ton of time going after guys likeMyles
Turner,Rashad Vaughn,Justise Winslow, and more,
especially in the 2014 class, and it really inhibited the
Bruins' ability to sign local talent. Just look at USC's
roster of athletic, talented shooters and keep in mind
that four of those guys from the 2014 and 2015 classes
(Jordan McLaughlin,Elijah Stewart,Chimezie
Metu, andBennie Boatwright) wanted to be Bruins at
one time or another. UCLA showed a tremendous
amount of hubris in recruiting through the first two
cycles, with Alford thinking that his name coupled with
UCLA was enough to recruit with the Dukes and
UCLA is leveragingits connections to the Compton
Magic, a local AAU program, significantly more over
the next two cycles, which has helped UCLA earn
commitments from very talented pieces inIke
Anigbogu,Jalen Hill, andJaylen Hands,and landing

players like those guys is exactly what UCLA should be
doing going forward, and what UCLA should have
done for the last three cycles. This isn't revisionist
history -- everyonewho really knew the landscape of
UCLA recruiting was telling the staff that they needed
to prioritize local recruiting at the time when UCLA
was flying all over the country following the elites. We
wrote it several times here. Landing aKevon Looney
here or there doesn't justify missing out on the
McLaughlins and Metus of the world.
It's also worth noting that, as good as the next two
classes are shaping up to be, they're really built on two
things: the coaching staff's relationship with the
Compton Magic and the coaching staff's relationship
with Lavar Ball.Every player committed or signed with
UCLA in 2016 and beyond is either named "Ball" or a
member of the Compton Magic. Having a partnership
with just one AAU program and just one family of
basketball players is probably not a path to sustained
long-term success. And its worth noting as well that
one of the few major successes Alfords staff had
recruiting nationally in its first two cycles (landing
Kevon Looney) came about largely through the
schools relationship with Adidas.
The foundation of the program has rarely been on as
shaky ground as this. From a historical perspective, the

last eight years have been pretty close to the nadir for
the UCLA program in the modern, post-Wooden era,
and over the last three years, Alford has done little to
slow the slide into mediocrity. Player development has
been poor, recruiting has taken an unnecessary amount
of time to get going, and the obvious favoritism shown
to his son has alienated certain players and could help
to lead to mass departures this offseason.
The fanbase has also been marginalized and alienated,
and it has led to an enormous groundswell of fan anger
over the last several weeks, with a petition to fire Steve
Alford gaining over 1500 signatures and an actual
banner flown over the UCLA campus this week calling
for his ouster. Even in the waning days of Lavin and
Howland, there wasnt this level of fan anger at the
coach. Its truly unprecedented, and signals nothing
good about the current state of the UCLA basketball
program.
UCLA is a storied program, with the kind of tradition,
recruiting base, and name brand to be a very good to
elite college basketball program. As Howland showed
just a decade ago, turning the program around and
getting back to elite status at UCLA really only requires
a pretty good coach whos dedicated to his craft and a
smart, sustained recruiting approach.
And thats the hope for fans, I suppose: perhaps UCLA

will one day have both of those things again.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
James Zhou
Alford Must Go; Changing Assistants will not do
Dear Mr. Guerrero

This is my fourth in what I suspect will be an innumerable amount of emails to you
regarding the termination of Steve Alford as the head basketball coach of UCLA. As
no action to this end since my first email to you, I will continue to write until Alford is
gone.
Some of the reasons to fire Alford:
-Under Alford, UCLA Basketball has been unranked (AP) 46 of 57 weeks (80.7%) .
-The only PG who surpasses Bryce Alfords Minutes/Gm over the last two years is
Pooh Richardson. This clearly indicate nepotism.
-Alford won one more pac12 game than mora. Alford played 18 games. Mora played
9.
- In his third year as head coach at UCLA, Alford has posted a 15-17 losing record.
- In his third year as head coach at UCLA, Alford has lost to cross-town rival USC
three times, all in blowout fashion.
-Lowest win percentage in the first 3 years as coach (since Wooden was hired).
-Only coach with a losing record in his third year (since Wooden was hired).
-Worst loss to USC (24 points).
-Worst Pac-12 record (6-12) and finish (10th).
-7 points scored in a half (vs UK in 2014).
2014-15 UCLA was 12-12 against Power 5 opponents
2015-16 UCLA was 7-16 against Power 5 opponent
2013-14 UCLA was 1-4 against ranked opponents
Do the right thing, make the necessary change, rectify the situation that you created.
If you do not, I suspect your position is tenuous at best. People will not be with
patient with out forever
James Zhou, class of 1995.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Mike
Guerrero, Dan
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

The reports that are coming out to the extent of how Steve Alford handled the team is flat out unacceptable and this
man should be removed from his position at once. It is obvious that there has been no one there to protect the
players and the schools best interests and prevent this man from his own agenda which has directly pushed this
great program to an all time low. The answer is not to give him new assistants but to remove him at once. We will
see transfers from this team due to his poor leadership and lack of accountability and fairness. This wonderful
institution and storied program doesn't need a new splashy hire but a solid up and coming coach that can actually
coach the game rather that just being a name but a fraud underneath like Alford. Please act now so we can get
things back moving in the right direction. All the recruits will stay on, they all chose the school and not the coach.
Best regards,
Mike Mendoza
Sent from my iPhone
> On Mar 14, 2016, at 1:45 PM, Mike <mikemen2425@
> wrote:
>
> Hello Mr. Guerrero,
> As a South Bay native (Carson High Graduate) I felt great pride when you came on as AD of my beloved UCLA
Bruins. I think overall you have done an excellent job through tough times to get things done within the
Administration and have the sports programs in a great position, all except basketball. I do feel that Steve Alford
doesn't understand the importance and honor it is to be the Head Basketball Coach at UCLA. He has used this
platform to showcase his son and with doing this there is no accountability and stability in the program. Steve
Alford doesn't understand the importance that UCLA basketball is to many people beyond, donors, students and
alumni. Please this is the time to act and restore our great tradition by removing Steve Alford and replacing him
with someone that will understand the value of the position and remove the nepotism factor plaguing this storied
program.
>
> Sincerely
> Mike Mendoza
>
> Sent from my iPhone
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
ALAN WINTERS
Hello...
Over the past 3 years I have gone from season ticket holder to occasional TV viewing to no
TV viewing whatsoever.
Coach Steve Alford and the program are on a clear, downward trajectory. This is not a
progress doesnt come in a straight line scenario. This is worse than the Lavin years, and
Lavin as we all know today is a media personality, not a coach.
I will buy season tickets again when Alford is deservedly replaced. I cant stand the nepotism
(Bryce Alford would be, at best, the 10th man on most PAC 12 teams), awful game
preparation, poor in-game coaching, no interest in defense, lack of effort/motivation amongst
many players. This all falls on the head coach. And Alford, unlike Jim Mora, represents the
university horribly.
Changing one or even two assistants wont make a difference at all. The fish rots from the
head.
Do we really need to wait another one, two or three years for this debacle to end?
Read this article - totally fact-based. Not a pleasant read, but sometimes the truth needs to see
the light of day.
http://www.scout.com/college/ucla/story/1652435-the-state-of-the-ucla-basketballprogram
Regards,
Alan Winters
Former Long-time UCLA Basketball Season Ticket Holder
UCLA Anderson MBA Class of '81
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Brian Iriye
Coach Alford
Thursday, March 17, 2016 6:32:37 AM
To All,
Respectfully again I must state my ongoing dissatisfaction with the current status of retaining
coach Alford. Apparently yesterday Prince Ali submitted his transfer papers and there is a
perception among players of uneven discipline due to the appearance of nepotism.
The results under coach Alford have been dismal for a UCLA coach with a recent report calling
it the worst season possibly since 1948. The coach is a top 20 paid coach and has been out of
the top 20 polls 80% of the time while at one of the top programs in college basketball
history.
The average termination in the US in the workforce is 6-18 months after the employer
believes the person cannot do the job. This fits this situation well. The evidence is clear. The
current recruiting class will stay due to the power of UCLA, not coach Alford. In addition, to
see us beat 3 times by USC by a team full of players that wanted to come to UCLA but were
not wanted by this coaching staff. A change in assistants will bring nothing. Further
continuation of his employment will poison the fanbase. Pauley will become even more
empty and the financial implications of this will continue and a generation of fans is being
lost.
Please fire coach Alford now.
Sincerely,
Brian Iriye, MD
Class of 85
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reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
he'd been wired a little differently, it's actually kind of easy to imagine that UCLA might have
been able to ascend firmly back into that elite category, and pull in a 12th or 13th banner.
Now, as we talked about in the last piece, UCLA has had four losing seasons in the last 14, and
has missed the NCAA Tournament altogether in five of the last 14 years. As far as college
basketball goes, that's the mark of an average-ish high-major program, andcertainly not anything
close to elite.
championships.
justirrelevance.
But judging the record and rankings is only a surface-level way to evaluate a program. Below,
we're going to take a look at the significant factors that have played into UCLA being in the state
it's in: On-Court Issues,Favoritism, and Recruiting Problems.
spend long hours off-court preparing for what they'd have to do on the court. They were
extremely tough practices with a ton of time spent on minute attention to detail -- how to
spaceyour feet, how to position your hands, the proper angle to bend your knee in a defensive
stance.
None of that happened this year. If anything, from what we've gathered, there was actually more
of a sense of the coaches and players going through the motions over the last three weeks in
practice and film study. If giving effort is the basicthing to expect from players, then giving
motivation is the basicthing to expect from coaches, and from what we've heard, both parties
failed in thosebasicjobs.
Its the consensus from several people around the program: this staff just isnt the grinding type.
They dont put in the kind of time that Howland did, and as a general rule, theyre just not putting
in that same kind of effort. Even throwing that out, theres an open question whether this staff has
the coaching chops to compete at the highest level of basketball it certainly hasnt shown up
on the court or in practice.
It's not really even up for debate. In 2014, Bryceplayed 23 minutes per game, almost all of them
at point guard, and that was a misallocation of the ball responsibilities, for one, sinceKyle
year, with one more guard in the rotation, Bryce again played 36.3 minutes per game, followed
by Hamilton at 35 and Aaron Holiday at 31.
significantly better defender and only a slightly worse shooter. Bryce has some obvious assets as
a player he doesnt turn the ball over much at all and he shoots threes pretty well but those
defensive issues of certain players will be dissected ad nauseum, but rarely is there any mention
of Bryces defensive issues. There have been a couple of instances over the last couple of years
away Bryce.
Theres been enough obvious favoritism in the program that it has contributed to a significant
amount of resentment from the players on the team (and not just this season), so its something
that needs to be mentioned. Whatever we might feel about Bryce playing so many minutes and
how it might affect whether the team wins a certain amount of games, our assessment is nowhere
built on the strength of the 2013, 2014, and 2015 classes, and it's hard to describe those classes as
anything other than a significant failure.
In other words, after three years of recruiting,of 13 players UCLA signed, fourof those still on
the rosterare probably not capable ofplaying for a very good UCLA team, one has already
like two non-contributors and a transfer out of four players, and that's not even taking into
account what Holiday may decide to do (we've heard he's still uncertain about whether he'll
return to UCLA next season). UCLA did not sign a single guard in the 2014 class, which was a
failure of pretty extreme magnitude given that UCLA had just three guards on the roster for201415.
the country like UCLA did for the first two summers under Alford was a very bad strategy and
not the sort of thing UCLA has historically had a great deal of success doing. When UCLA has
been very good, the Bruins have built their teams around the great amounts of talent you can find
last three cycles. This isn't revisionist history -- everyonewho really knew the landscape of
UCLA recruiting was telling the staff that they needed to prioritize local recruiting at the time
when UCLA was flying all over the country following the elites. We wrote it several times here.
Landing aKevon Looneyhere or there doesn't justify missing out on the McLaughlins and
Metus of the world.
relationship with Lavar Ball.Every player committed or signed with UCLA in 2016 and beyond
is either named "Ball" or a member of the Compton Magic. Having a partnershipwith just one
AAU program and just one family of basketball players is probably not a path to sustained longterm success. And its worth noting as well that one of the few major successes Alfords staff had
into mediocrity. Player development has been poor, recruiting has taken an unnecessary amount
of time to get going, and the obvious favoritism shown to his son has alienated certain players
and could help to lead to mass departures this offseason.
program.
UCLA is a storied program, with the kind of tradition, recruiting base, and name brand to be a
very good to elite college basketball program. As Howland showed just a decade ago, turning the
again.
On Mon, Mar 14, 2016 at 12:35 PM, Josh Kaplan <jkaplan21@

Gentlemen,
> wrote:
Please see the link below. Whether you think it is time to let Steve go or not, this can't be a
good thing for UCLA sports.
https://twitter.com/ewcorpuz/status/709434171995717632
-Josh Kaplan
UCLA Undergraduate Class of 2000
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Mitchell Austin
Guerrero, Dan
Re: Removal of Coach Steve Alford
Mr. Guerrero,
I'm writing, again, to urge you to terminate UCLA's relationship with Coach Alford
immediately.
Requesting that Coach Alford hire new assistants will not resolve the problems surrounding
his stewardship of the UCLA basketball program. Every day that Coach Alford is retained
inflicts more damage upon the reputation and health of the program. This is most recently
evidenced by the rumors that Prince Ali will be transferring (as a result of his limited playing
time due to Bryce's unprecedented minutes).
Please act now. There is still time to find a replacement for the upcoming season.
Sincerely,
Mitchell Austin (UCLA B.A. 2008, UCLA J.D. 2013)
On Mar 11, 2016, at 4:08 PM, Mitchell Austin <mitchellaustin@
> wrote:
Mr. Guerrero,
I've seen the latest news reports that indicate that UCLA plans to retain Coach
Alford. I hope this is entirely false.
The UCLA Men's Basketball Program is not owned by a few of the biggest
donors. Especially those donors who were involved with the hiring of Coach
Alford and may feel that their reputation is at stake if Alford is fired.
Rather, the UCLA Men's Basketball Program is owned by all of the fans, alumni
and others who hold the Program close to our hearts.
Please perform your duties as AD and listen to the fanbase. We have spoken
loudly and clearly and will continue to do until Coach Alford is fired.
Sincerely,
On Mar 10, 2016, at 10:50 AM, Mitchell Austin <mitchellaustin@
wrote:
Messrs. Guerrero, Block and Rebholz,
I am writing to urge you to immediately remove Coach Steve Alford
as the Mens Basketball Head Coach. While, as Mr. Guerrero has
>
noted, progress does not always proceed forward in a straight line, it

also does not proceed backward in a straight line. This would be
regress which is what has occurred in Coach Alfords second and
third seasons at UCLA.
In his first year, Coach Alford finished with an overall record of 28-9,
a Pac-12 season record of 12-6 and a Sweet 16 loss. In his second
year, Coach Alford finished with an overall record of 22-14, a Pac12 season record of 11-7 for a 4thplace finish and a Sweet 16 loss. In
his third year, Coach Alford currently has an overall record of 15-17,
a Pac-12 season record of 6-12 for a 10thplace finish and no NCAA
tournament bid. The facts are clear; Coach Alfords program has
regressed, not progressed.
This regression is the result of a number of Coach Alfords failures.
He has failed to develop players that have remained in his program.
He was unable to recruit positions of need in his first and second
years. He has a blind spot for his son, Bryce. His teams lack an
identity. Most significantly to me as a Bruin fan is that Coach
Alford appears to lack a passion for UCLA Basketball. While he
may be passionate about the game of basketball, he does not appear
to respect the history of the UCLA Basketball Program.
Please immediately remove Coach Alford.
Sincerely,
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Mike
Devastating article about UCLA basketball
Sent from my iPhone
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
apollo1987@
on behalf of Kyle Noble
Restore UCLA Basketball Now
Chancellor Block, Mr. Guerrero, Mr. Rebholz,

First, I'd like to thank you for your hard work supporting UCLA and making it the great
institution that is is today. I wear my blue and gold with pride every day and I have you in
part to thank for that. Your work in retaining Coach Mora despite multiple suitors for his
services has kept the football program on a great upward trajectory and I am proud of that.
However, the current state of the basketball program is something of which I cannot be proud.
I used to make time in my day to watch the Bruins play, stop anything I was doing so I could
support the team for those 2-3 hours twice a week. I attended almost every home game as a
student in the band and many more even after I moved back to San Diego.This season,
however, I barely watched, only casually following on social media or checking a score while
busy with something else.
It was apparent early on in the year that the team had inconsistent effort, poor discipline, and
poor game preparation. It's hard not to be motivated when Kentucky and Arizona are in town.
My main concern however is the blatant nepotism and disrespect the Alford's are allowing to
continue within the program. I admit I'm not in the locker room so I don't know the truth, but
when more than one respected media source is reporting it it's hard to ignore. Coach Alford's
preferential treatment of his sons has created a lack of accountability, lack of discipline, and a
lack of trust within the program. Not to mention the early departures that are rumored to be
continuing this offseason.
Coach Alford may have achieved 2 Sweet 16s and a great incoming recruiting class for next
year, but I strongly believe that UCLA has natural advantages thanks to it's location and
prestige that any coach with an ability to maintain relationships with local high schools and a
plan can recruit at UCLA. As for the Sweet 16s, it was pretty fortunate that we got double
digit seeds in the round of 32 both times.
The Alfords must be let go immediately and not be given another chance to disrespect this
university. Why not give a new coach an opportunity with a great group of players to show
that proper accountability and coaching can make a difference?
I have always been a donor to UCLA since my graduation in 2009, and I have proudly donated
to the football facility, the Pauley renovation, the engineering school, and the WAF.
However, I cannot continue to support the Alford regime. My donations will have to change
and go towards areas of the school and athletic program that I believe represent the school
with pride.
I truly hope the athletic department does not let this 3 year downward tumble of UCLA
basketball continue. This is not going to blow over. A temporary band-aid of a good
recruiting class or assistant coach changes will not fix the problem of the head coach's
disrespect for the program that Coach Wooden built. Change must come soon.
Thank you for your time and Go Bruins
Respectfully,
Kyle Noble
UCLA B.S. '09 M.S. '11
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Kenny Cohen
Guerrero, Dan
Do not listen to the Anti Alford group
Dan,
Do what you think is right for UCLA. I think that the BRO element is spearheading a drive to fire the coach mainly
because he has a poor relationship with them and doesn't care to hear their input.
The season was certainly disappointing and hasn't done as well as I expected so far but he deserves a fourth year and some support.
Not an undermining group of fans and a website that enables them to act out like schoolchildren .
It takes time to rebuild a program and with no support it becomes impossible . Some of the fans have given him zero
support since day one. I would ask about the Bryce playing time issue and make sure all players are treated fairly. If
anyone transfers, hopefully you do exit interviews..
If you think it's best , you decide either way . I think you do a great job regardless !
Best regards !
Kenny
Kenny Cohen
VP Corporate & National Accounts
AMERICANDAWN
Sent from IPhone
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Mark D. Hurwitz
Guerrero, Dan
Real change, not just shuffling of assistants, is needed before we can pay for season tickets again
Dear Mr. Guerrero:

The start of the NCAA Tournament is a painful reminder of the unacceptable state of our
men's basketball program. While it was enjoyable to watch our top incoming recruits play
each other in the state high school playoffs on Tuesday, we were both (1) bothered that we
looked forward to that game more than to the Pac-12 Tournament and (2) concerned that the
new talent we will be adding next season will be wasted by inadequate coaching, instruction
and guidance.
Not that UCLA should have to look to Southern Cal as a measuring stick, but it was appalling
to see our team, in three games, not even compete against the crosstown rival, several of
whose players wanted to be Bruins. Considering the relative states of our program and theirs
three years ago, it is inexcusable for our Bruins to fall so far short of being the best team in
LA, let alone the Pac-12, the West or the country.
When we received our season ticket renewal we noticed that as an apparent result of the
declining interest in our team, our seats no longer require a Wooden Athletic Fund donation.
Not only are we not going to renew our donation until we have a new head coach worthy of
the opportunity to lead the program that Coach Wooden built, but we are not prepared to pay
for next season's seats, even at the reduced price.
We are not spoiled fans and do not have unreasonable expectations. During my seven years
on campus as an undergraduate and post-graduate student in the 1980s, I experienced some of
the lowest points of the modern era of UCLA basketball, with only a single win in the NCAA
Tournament (over Central Michigan) in an eight-year span from 1981 through 1988. But we
cannot recall ever feeling such pessimism about the future of the program. And this is not
being fed by rumors--it's the result of what we've seen and the unmistakably disturbing trends.
We need change now.
Thank you for your consideration.
Mark Hurwitz (1987, 1990)
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Muhlrad, Craig
Guerrero, Dan
Please Fire Steve Alford
Nepotism aside, this team has really taken a turn for the worse. Alford may have a big contract, but
he needs to go immediately. Next time you need to negotiate one of these coaching deals, Id be
happy to help for free. (JD-MBA 2012).
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Patrick
Nepotism is Deplorable
"During the team film session immediately after the Cal game late in the season, CSA began
ripping on Ali both offensively and defensively for bad shots, lack of effort, and lack of help D
possession after possession. My source said it was bad. This lead to a emotional
confrontation between CSA and Ali later in the film session during an all-to-often defensive
series for Bryce where CSA did not say a word.
Prince Ali flat out called Bryce and CSA out in front of the entire team for what is going on and
had to be removed from the film session by an assistant coach. At the next practice a
supposed shoving match between Ali and Bryce occurred where Ali was then removed from
practice (these details were a bit gray so I do not know exactly what happened). Bryce was
allowed to stay. From that point on Ali was benched and was actually encouraged by CSA
sometime after the Oregon game to start looking elsewhere.
Source also told me Bryce is so rarely criticized in film study vs. everyone else it makes
numerous players angry.
Take it FWIW... this source is extremely close to a player on the team..."
Coach Alford and his nepotistic ways are tearing this team apart. Ali is probably transferring.
Is this the kind of culture you want for UCLA basketball?
UCLA DESERVES BETTER. FIRE ALFORD!!
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
LoDuca, Paul
Block, Gene
National Media and the Steve Alford Mess
Chancellor Block:
The groundswell of protest against Steve Alford is getting stronger. The longer it continues
the more likely it is that national media outlets will pick up the story and run with it.
From a sports perspective the story is damaging enough: storied basketball program,
mediocre coach, nepotism and the ADs role in the whole mess. Im sure George
Dohrman, of Sports Illustrated, cant wait to get his hands on this one.
Worse, what if this story is picked up by real news organizations that want to look at
nepotism from a UCLA institutional perspective? After all if UCLA is condoning a coach,
who is all about promoting his son at the expense of the team, then what else is being
permitted? What if every faculty member and administrator had to defend the hiring of a
spouse or family member to the detriment of other qualified candidates? Im not saying
this is rampant at UCLA but Im not nave enough to believe it hasnt happened. In any
event such a story would be damning to the university in terms of negative coverage and
the expense of responding to countless inquiries.
Why is this administration willing to risk so much to protect a coach that should never have
been hired in the first place? What aspect of cut your losses is so hard to understand?
Paul LoDuca
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Kirk Crawford
Guerrero, Dan
Basketaball Coach
Dear Mr. Guerrero:

You cannot be blind to the multitude of issues surrounding the basketball program.
Nepotism and laziness on the part the head coach are at the center of the problem.
Please replace the head coach with a qualified candidate. There is no reason to
keep Mr. Alford and allow him to continue to degrade our once proud basketball
program.
Thank you.
Kirk Crawford
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Rick Bradley
Guerrero, Dan
RE: UCLA Basketball
Congratulations on making the bad decision Dan. Its now on you. You took the easy way out and
made virtually no effort to change. I am saddened by the continuing fall of our once great program.
Rick Bradley
Class of 84
From: Rick Bradley [mailto:rb@celebci.com]

Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2016 3:56 PM
To: 'dguerrero@athletics.ucla.edu' <dguerrero@athletics.ucla.edu>
Subject: UCLA Basketball
Dan, as a lifelong UCLA fan and a graduate of the great school that is UCLA, I feel like I must express
to you how miserable many of us Bruin fans feel about the state of our basketball program. Not to
elaborate too much because you are getting these same emails from tons of other Bruin faithful,
but to witness what our team did this season is a disaster, to say the least.
If you cant make a change with the head coach, then you need to seriously consider moving on. I
would never imagine watching my team lose to USC 3 times in one season, let alone the WAY in
which we lost. It was pathetic. Miserable. Painful. Choose your adjective. John Wooden, God rest
his soul, must be turning over in his grave. Its one thing to lose games, every team does. Its
another all together to not even compete. To not even try. To give up.
Can you hear the emotion coming out in these words? Well, get used to it because you are going to
be hearing it loud and clear from thousands of devoted Bruin fans in the near future.
Now is the time to do something. Make a change. Bring some life back into our historic program.
And do it before the wheels completely come off. By then it will be too late and we will be forced to
watch our program sink into oblivion. I cant bear to think about that. Change isnt always easy, but
sometimes its necessary. Now is that time.
Thank you.
Best,
Rick Bradley
Rick Bradley
Celebrity Consultants, LLC

3340 Ocean Park Blvd.
Suite 1030
Santa Monica, Ca. 90405
310 581-6383
rb@celebci.com.
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Jonathan Lee
Guerrero, Dan
UCLA Mens Basketball: Coach Alford Must Go
Dear Sirs,
It was reported yesterday by Bruin Report Online, that the Athletic Department made recent
attempts to force changes to Coach Alford's staff, or accept a lower buyout terms. I can only
imagine that the sole reason for having done so, was in order to try and placate the masses. I
think it is important for the three of you to realize that the UCLA fanbase is a sophisticated
bunch, and we are united in our opinion that unless Coach Alford is removed, our anger will
not dissipate, we will not attend games, and probably more importantly, we will withhold our
donations.
Please do the right thing and terminate Coach Alford's contract immediately.
Your Friend,
Jonathan Lee Esq.
-Law Offices of Jonathan Lee
90 New Montgomery St., Suite 1250
San Francisco, CA 94105
USA
t: (415) 685-0813
f: (415) 738-0492
Internal Revenue Service Circular 230 Disclosure: In compliance with IRS

requirements, you are on notice that any U.S. tax advice contained in this
communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and
cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue
Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction
or matter addressed herein.
This information contained in this electronic message and any attachments to this
message are intended only for the exclusive use of the designated recipient(s). It
may contain confidential or proprietary information and may be subject to the
attorney-client privilege or other confidentiality protections. If you are not the intended
recipient, or the person responsible for delivering the e-mail to the intended recipient,
be advised you have received this message in error and that any use, dissemination,
forwarding, printing, or copying is strictly prohibited. Thank you.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
David Elliott
Guerrero, Dan
Steve Alford
Mr. Guerrero,
Never mind that Steve Alford, given his reprehensible decisions at Iowa involving Pierre Pierce, should not have
been hired to coach at UCLA, his record this year speaks volumes about his lack of coaching acumen. Nepotism is
a troubling issue as well.
I call on you to make the decision to relieve Steve Alford of his duties. I don't believe that next year's class is a
valid reason to keep him on, nor do I believe that two trips to the Sweet 16 are.
As a loyal alum who graduated in 1969, I am tremendously proud of my alma mater and of my degree. I am also a
regular contributor to the UCLA Fund as well as a member of the Legacy Society. This year, for the first time, I am
giving serious consideration to withholding my contribution which I will do if action is not taken on Steve Alford.
UCLA's history of excellence in academics AND athletics must never be allowed to languish. Please do the right
thing and terminate Alford. His buyout admittedly exacerbates this action, but there are ways to minimize the
university's exposure.
Sincerely,
David Elliott
UCLA Class of 1969
Sent from my iPad
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Matthew Crytzer
Guerrero, Dan
Re: UCLA Men"s Basketball - Change Needed
Hello Mr. Guerrero,

It has been a few days, so I thought I would check in to see if you are close to
dismissing Steve Alford?
I understand that you might have brought up the idea of changing the assistant
coaches, but retaining coach Alford.
If you think the assistant coaches are that bad and Steve Alford hired them, then it is
best to just dismiss them all (including Steve Alford).
Sincerely,
Matthew Crytzer
From: Matthew Crytzer <mdcrytzer@
>
To: "dguerrero@athletics.ucla.edu" <dguerrero@athletics.ucla.edu>
Cc: "gblock@conet.ucla.edu" <gblock@conet.ucla.edu>; "jrebholz@athletics.ucla.edu"
<jrebholz@athletics.ucla.edu>
Subject: UCLA Men's Basketball - Change Needed
Hello Mr. Guerrero,

Since no official announcement has been made, I thought I would try one more time
to convince you that Steve Alford needs to be dismissed right away.
1) The terrible way he handled the Pierre Pierce incident.
2) The way he favors his son, Bryce, over other players.
3) Due to the nepotism, he has caused unhappiness with the other members of the
team. This will likely lead to transfers.
4) He has the lowest winning percentage of any UCLA men's basketball coach since
the Wilbur Johns.
5) He lost to USC three times in one season.
6) His record this season was 15-17.
7) Attendance is low and UCLA is losing donations.
We would like to bring our young children to a basketball game at Pauley Pavilion, but
we won't feel comfortable doing that until Steve Alford is dismissed.
Please terminate Steve Alford's contract immediately.
Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Matthew Crytzer

>
Cc: "gblock@conet.ucla.edu" <gblock@conet.ucla.edu>;
"jrebholz@athletics.ucla.edu" <jrebholz@athletics.ucla.edu>
Sent: Friday, March 11, 2016 9:09 AM
Subject: Re: UCLA Men's Basketball - Change Needed
Hello Mr. Guerrero,
I just heard that you decided to retain Steve Alford for next season.
As you can imagine, this is supremely disappointing.
It saddens me that I won't be able to pass along UCLA basketball to our kids, like my
mother and father did with me.
Good luck with your program.
Sincerely,
Matthew Crytzer

>
Cc: "gblock@conet.ucla.edu" <gblock@conet.ucla.edu>;
"jrebholz@athletics.ucla.edu" <jrebholz@athletics.ucla.edu>
Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2016 11:27 AM
Subject: UCLA Men's Basketball - Change Needed
Hello Mr. Guerrero,
My wife and I graduated from UCLA in 1997. While students at UCLA, we attended
many men's basketball games. We have very fond memories of these times.
After graduating, we still attended a few games each year, and I watched every other
game on TV.
We were both disappointed when Steve Alford was hired as the coach to replace Ben
Howland. We decided to give him a chance, but unfortunately, our fears have been
realized.
UCLA records for the past three years have steadily declined:
28-9
22-14
15-17
This season, we were blown out three times by bitter rival USC (in basketball...).
We have stopped attending games and sadly, I don't even watch them on TV any
longer. We won't be attending games or watching them on TV until a new head
coach is hired.
Please don't look to the 2016 recruiting class as the savior. It is fool's gold. They
won't be able to overcome the eventual transfers, the bad chemistry (Coach Alford
featuring his son), and Coach Alford's lack of coaching acumen.
Please don't fear the national media backlash at replacing a coach after three
seasons. Regardless of when a coaching change is made in UCLA mens
basketball, the media will always say that it is due to UCLA's unreasonably high
expectations. No championships in 20 years and missing the tournament 5 out of
the last 14 seasons... Does that say "High Expectations" to you?
Please don't worry about the curiously high buyout clause for Steve Alford. UCLA
fans will return as soon as the coaching change is made, and the revenue from the
increased attendance will help offset the cost of the buyout.
Please don't wait.

The time is now.
Sincerely,
Matthew Crytzer
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Cliff Sakata
Guerrero, Dan
UCLA Basketball
Hi Dan,
Some of my earliest and fondest memories as a child was watching UCLA basketball on TV. I was enamored with
UCLA, not for the education or the international renown, but for the basketball team. It was my dream to make it
into UCLA and I did and experienced the national championship winning season in 1995.
I watched UCLA basketball religiously. I would schedule my day around watching UCLA basketball and in recent
years, I would be sure to record the game. Steve Alford has been the worst UCLA basketball coach since I've been
a UCLA. He doesn't inspire confidence or passion. I am sure you've heard all the reasons why many in the UCLA
community are against him as a coach and I am not going to bore you with the details.
Let me just say that I no longer watch UCLA basketball. I no longer attend games and I no longer watch the games
on TV. I feel bad for the kids, but I feel apathetic towards the program. Alford made me not care about UCLA
basketball, which is the worst possible thing I can say about any coach. UCLA basketball needs new leadership.
Please replace Alford as the basketball coach.
Sincerely,
Cliff
Clifford Sakata
Attorney At Law
www.KSVISALAW.com
4909 Murphy Canyon Road, Suite 400
San Diego, CA 92123
(t) 858-874-0711
(f) 858-874-0775
This e-mail and any attachments thereto, is intended only for use by the addressee(s) named herein and may contain
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list of the Partners and their professional qualifications will be provided upon request.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Andy Wing
Done as Bruins Basketball Fan
Dear Dan,
I have been a die-hard Bruins basketball fan since 1990. Been through good and bad, and
some mediocre in between, but I have remained faithful and loyal until now.
I am done as UCLA Basketball fan and have quit following the team since 2015. It was brutal
and embarrassing watching my be-loved Bruins playing the ways it had this whole season;
lack of effort and focuses at times; horrendous and stubbornness coaching, and playing
without "SPIRIT" and "HEART". It's just not the brand of basketball representing UCLA
basketball.
Dear Dan, enough is enough. It's time to make the right choice by firing CSA. We will all stand
behind you when you make the RIGHT choice by firing CSA.
Sincerely,
Andy W.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Daniel LaFrance
Steve Alford
Gentlemen - I am following up my email to you the other day to ask you again to remove
Steve Alford as basketball coach. He was a mistake hire from day 1 and has shown no
respect for UCLA and its tradition as the storied program that coach Wooden built. Now we
are hearing that one of our top players, Prince Ali, is transferring. Players leaving, fans
abandoning the program, and a coach sits atop the program laughing all the way to the bank.
Sirs - I implore you to make a change now and demonstrate to the fanbase that mediocrity,
nepotism and poor effort will not be the new normal in the UCLA program. The time has
come to make the decision and move Steve Alford along.
Respectfully,
Dan LaFrance
Class of 1993
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Kim Luk
Save our BB Team
Thursday, March 17, 2016 12:28:33 PM
There is a rumor that many key players on the BB team are not happy with Alford because of nepotism and want to
transfer to other schools.
Please talk to each members of the team and all assistant coaches to find out the situation. If the rumor is in fact
true, please fire Alford now before players transferring to other schools.
Thanks,
Kim Luk
1976
Sent from my iPad
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Paul Mohme
Guerrero, Dan
Sorry state of men"s basketball
Mr. Guerrero,
With the start of the tournament UCLA has won 11 times, I wanted to take the opportunity to
voice my disgust at the state of our school's marquee athletic program, and your handling of
the situation.
Steve Alford was a poor choice. This is evident in the team's performance over the past three
seasons. Allow me to recap briefly:
- 2013: a team with THREE first round NBA picks underachieves during the regular season
before being beaten by an inferior team in the NCAA round of 16
- 2014: Norman Powell wills the team out of a defense-less funk; favorable bracket and a gift
goaltending call gets the team its second straight Sweet 16
- 2015: complete collapse by a team whose talent would be the envy of anyone not from
Chapel Hill, Durham, Lexington, KY or Lawrence, KS.
Your response to the petition signed by more than 1,000 alumni (myself included) was
insulting. "Progress isn't always linear". Seriously? First of all, the Bruins under Alford have
shown absolutely no progress. Moreover, Mr. Alford did not inherit a turnaround project
(remember those three NBA first round picks?) and has absolutely no excuse for the
backward slide capped by last season's embarrassment of the program Coach built.
The fact of the matter is that you made a bad hiring decision and coupounded the error with
the obscene contract given to Mr. Alford. A $10 million guarantee? For a coach whose
teams made it to the NCAA round of 16 exactly once in the 18 years prior to being hired by
you? Really??
The other excuses you offered: 2 sweet 16s (Steve Lavin took the Bruins to 4, and an Elite 8,
before you fired him), victories over Kentucky, Gonzaga & Arizona (so what? last season's
record was 15-17) are wholly inadequate.
And you completely ignore the cancer that has metastasized during the past 3 seasons: Mr.
Alford's blatant favoritism of his son to the detriment of the team. Bryce Alford leads the
team in minutes played, despite his obvious defensive shortcomings, and shot attempts,
despite his sub-40% accuracy from the field. Two years ago he took minutes away from
fellow freshman Zach LaVine (first round draft pick and now NBA starter); last season he
kept Aaron Holiday (true point guard and better defender) on the bench. And you can bet
next season Bryce will again start in the backcourt and play 35+ minutes per game, regardless
of guard talent on the roster.
You have no objective basis to stand behind Mr. Alford. None. UCLA can do better.
Very truly yours,
Paul Mohme '90, MBA '98
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Richard Shapiro
Our new Coach
Gentlemen,
I am a Vice president in the Private Wealth Management Division at Morgan Stanley.
I realize you need a plan before you can erase the fatal error that is Steve Alford.
I am going to give it to you.
Our client is not only the single best option to replace Alford, but I have spoken to his agent
and his attorney. He not only wants the job but he will accept it. He wants it very badly.
Bryce Drew is your man. Defensive genius, true family man, a piller of morality and a great
coach. He will be here for the next 25 years.
Richard Shapiro
UCLA 1984
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Dan Brisket
Guerrero, Dan; Block, Gene
Sad to see the state of UCLA... Please fire Alford
Today it really hits home when I see teams with less talent but better coaching. Please fire Coach Alford.
Sent from my iPhone
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Tony Rossi
Chancellor Gene D. Block; Guerrero, Dan; Rebholz, Joshua
Disturbing reports regarding nepotism
Gentlemen,
There are disturbing reports regarding how nepotism has created tension and discord within the
men's basketball program. The environment and culture that has been created in the program by
Coach Alford are not conducive to playing winning basketball. Nepotism should not be tolerated
at a place like UCLA.
Steve Alford has taken advantage of UCLA. He is not the coach that you thought he was when he
was hired. The presence of his son on the roster has made him a completely different coach
from his tenure at New Mexico. He does not deserve your loyalty. Please take decisive action
and remove him as head coach.
Sincerely,
Tony Rossi
UCLA Class of 1993
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Chai, Andrew U. MD, FACC

How to alienate your fan base
http://kennedy-cosgrove.squarespace.com/blog/2016/3/12/nej1ryucw4qiyjmfh0j78384qo42a3
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From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Matt Gavlick
Guerrero, Dan
Fire Alford
Dan,
I think that you and I know that UCLA Men's BB will onlybecomeworse under Alford's
reign. Sure we have a great recruiting class next year, but was does that mean if the talent is
tutored under a talentless coach. We canno longer stand for this. Fire Alford!!!
Regards,
Matt
Matt Gavlick
matt.gavlick@
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Benjamin Blue
Guerrero, Dan
Steve Alford
Mr GuerreroAs a longtime Bruin fan and west coast AAU director... I am writing this to demand you do what you know needs
to be done
By demanding new assistants you are acknowledging a problem but trying to solve the problem in the incorrect
manner. You can't kill anything without cutting off the head
Steve Alford has led this program to new lows by cratering it to showcase his son. The staff and players both quit
this year and if that isn't unacceptable to you... Maybe there is a bigger problem
UCLA was long a basketball school. No longer 46 of the past 57 weeks we have been unranked. How is that
acceptable???
I run the Seattle Stars AAU program and under no circumstances will I allow any UCLA coach access to my kids if
Steve Alford is the coach. I don't care if it is UCLA. He's a fraud of a coach and you know it
Fire Alford now and give the program a chance. We don't have the time to waste another year on a lame duck coach
Benjamin Blue
Seattle Stars Director
Ben@seattlestarsbball.com
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Steve Westman
Guerrero, Dan
UCLA Basketball
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

As I have not received a response to my email of March 10, I am following up to express my severe disappointment
with reports that Coach Steve Alford will be retained as Head Basketball Coach.
I will not belabor the points I made previously about why I believe that our beloved basketball program is at a
critical crossroads right now, and that a coaching change is urgently needed. It is quite clear that the poor state of
the basketball program is about much more than one slate of poor conference play, nor can it be rationalized as a
one-year blip. We have all witnessed a steady downward trend in quality of play and results for the entirety of
Coach Alford's tenure.
I am sure that you are aware that the men's basketball team has been ranked in the top 25 less than 20% of the time
during the past three years (and this despite the program being ranked during the first five weeks of this period). By
this basic quantitative measure the program has not been up the standards of a high quality program, let alone an
elite one. And by any reasonable qualitative measure the current coaching staff has badly failed to recruit and
develop players in a way that indicates that a sudden dramatic turnaround can be expected, even taking into account
the uptick in recruiting.
It is clear that the time to act is now, before further damage is done to an already beleaguered program and fan base.
Thus, I respectfully urge you to take the action that will signal to Bruins everywhere that excellence remains the
standard for UCLA basketball.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my thoughts.
Sincerely,
Steve Westman ('92)
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Alice Tsuyuki
Guerrero, Dan
Steve Alford
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

I am a UCLA alumna, WAF member, and I was a longtime season ticket holder (until last year
when I could no longer abide the obvious nepotism and poor coaching under Steve Alford).
Please do the right thing for UCLA. Fire Alford now and restore UCLA basketball to its rightful
place among the best programs in the country. If you do that, I will be happy to renew my
WAF membership and become a season ticket holder again.
Thank you,
Alice Tsuyuki
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
David & Amy Madeo

We"re not going anywhere
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

The NCAA Mens Tournament started today, and UCLA is nowhere to be found. Fans who
are disgusted with Alford are not going anywhere. The only way to fix this intolerable
situation is remove Alford. I personally know 12 current WAF members who will not be
renewing if Alford remains as coach.
Please do the right thing and protect UCLAs reputation and legacy.
David Madeo
Class of 1992
Current WAF member
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
David & Amy Madeo

UCLA is synonymous with nepotism, thanks to Alford
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

Alfords starting point guard is his son, a 3-star who was not highly recruited. He plays more
minutes than anyone in UCLA history, while playing zero defense and shooting at one of the
poorest rates of any UCLA point guard ever.
Alfords assistant is his other son.
Another assistant is the son of Alfords agent.
Do you honestly not see a problem here?
Alford has made UCLA synonymous with nepotism, and it is embarrassing.
David Madeo
Class of 1992
Current WAF member
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Jaime Goldfarb
Block, Gene
Another Metric for Consideration
Continuing my life earlier thread on metrics to be used in evaluating our coach's performance I have seen recent
reports regarding our relative NCAA rankings; specifically our time sitting in the top 25 falls below that of
Providence, Xavier, Baylor and Utah over Coach Alford's three year tenure at UCLA; no one of whom I believe
you would agree should have a higher performing program than UCLA. Again, I ask has this been taken into
consideration on the decision whether to dismiss or retain Coach Alford. As the data mounts it would seem the case
for retention is completely untenable.
Regards. Jaime Goldfarb
Providence -- 25%
Xavier -- 31%
Baylor -- 73%
Utah -- 54%
CEO
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
rawley valverde
Coach Alford must go today!!!
Please read 'The State of the UCLA Basketball Program' on the front page of Bruin Report
Online.
It's a terribly distressing and accurate account of the one-time crown jewel of mens college
basketball.
Get us a new coach gang!!! We've got some great young talent coming in next year- the
right coach could start us on the path back to the promised land.
Respectfully,
Rawley Valverde
Class of '83
Go Bruins!!!
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Namir Shaba
Guerrero, Dan
NCAA Tourney and No UCLA
Dear Sirs,
I am sitting here watching all these teams playing in the best sporting event in the world. But UCLA is sitting at
home. How is this possible.
Steve Alford makes a Top 20 national salary with a 10 million dollar buyout. You would think that would put
UCLA in the top 25 rankings regularly. Instead we have a team in dissarray, players transfering, no defense and a
coach who is oblivious and blinded by his son.
Please fire Alford now. This is your job. You cannot let this go on.
Sincerely,
Namir Shaba class of 2000
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Miranda, Ivan
Guerrero, Dan
Fire Alford
I'll put this as succinctly as I can: you hired him, you fire him.
This is completely on your shoulders.
I'm sure you are hearing a lot from Alumni and fans of UCLA basketball, so
why not hear from one more. I can't wait for the day you are fired or retire
or are aged out. You have been the single worst AD in UCLA history. I don't
know how you can call yourself a Bruin.
Ivan Miranda
History Dept
Segerstrom High School
ivan.miranda@sausd.us
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From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Travis Fuller
Fire Steve Alford
Hello,
The link below includes somber appraisal of the current state of the UCLA Hoops program.
Take action now. Please fire Steve Alford. Restore UCLA Hoops.
Respectfully,
Travis Fuller
UCLA Class of 2012
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Matthew
Guerrero, Dan
replace Coach Alford
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

As the eyes of American sports fans turn to one of the greatest sporting events in the world,
the NCAA men's basketball tournament, UCLA fans across the globe are left morose and
forlorn. For the Bruins are not in the tournament this year, and nor did they deserve to be.
And while some would claim this is an aberration for Coach Alford's program, the plain truth is
that last year's bid was a lucky (and controversial) one. Indeed, as each year of Coach Alford's
tenure has seen fewer wins and more losses, perhaps this season should be considered
predictive of the future. Moreover, in the three years Coach Alford has overseen UCLA
basketball, the team has been nationally ranked only 19% of the time -- less than one fifth.
In that same stretch, these schools (none of them basketball powerhouses, let alone
royalty)have been ranked forthe following percentages:
Providence -- 25%
Xavier -- 31%
Baylor -- 73%
Utah -- 54%
These statistics speak for themselves.
Please take the only appropriate course of action and dismiss Coach Alford.
Sincerely,
Matt Henderson
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Jeffrey Hoover
Guerrero, Dan
Dear Sir,
UCLA Fan,
Jeffrey Hoover
Sent from my iPhone
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Jay Chung
It"s fucking UCLA. Who cares if coaches are afraid to come here, it"s your fucking job to sell the damn gig.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Kenji Kumara
Guerrero, Dan
Really bad coaching attitude
Normally I don't post premium BRO stuff because you're not supposed to but since
they're posting it all over the internet right now I will post it.
A guy yesterday posted a rumor he got from a "friend" close to the team. He says
after the Cal game during the film meeting CSA called out Prince Ali more than
once for bad shots(0-2) and bad defense. It was bad enough that Ali felt picked on.
Later during the same film session, there was a sequence where Bryce took a bad
shot and played no defense, and CSA didn't say a thing.
At that point Ali effectively called CSA out, you went off on me a few minutes ago
but now when it's your son, you don't say a thing. They apparently exchanged
words, it got heated, and Ali had to be removed from the film study. He of course
played less than 5 minutes in each of his last 3 games.
No idea if true, but remember, Cal was the game where late in the game Bryce
effectively watched Jabari Bird hit the nail in the coffin jumper right in front of him
because he appeared to not know what defense we were in. CSA called timeout and
Bryce walked to the bench with Shilling yelling at him and him throwing his hands
up and clearly saying "not my man" twice. The other 4 Bruins appeared to be in a
zone, the shooter was right there but Bryce ignored him.
So my guess is that was the sequence that led to Ali calling out CSA in the film
session if that rumor is true.
Apparently the end result of all this was a meeting with CSA and Ali where he was
told he should look for another program he's not part of UCLA's plans. Now to be
clear, the guy who posted the film argument rumor did NOT say Ali was told to
transfer, taht came from someone else and has been backed up by others but who
knows.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Julian Mintz
Re: UCLA Basketball
Gentlemen,
This is a follow up note to my original two emails from last week to express my displeasure
with the state of the basketball program. The current state is unacceptable, and it needs to
change. And guessing by your silence for the 9 days after the season ended, you deep down
know that this is true.
Recent reports on fan sites, specifically Bruin Report Online (who has a sterling reputation in
being right about happenings inside the program, both the good and bad), have exposed some
half hearted attempts at rectifying the situation. Those reported solutions not only fail to
recognize the true source of the problem, but are frankly insulting to us fans who have been
so loyal to Coach Wooden's program.
Issues such as nepotism from our head basketball coach, especially when it's so plain for even
the casual fan to see, are a disgrace to the program and a black eye for the university. It's flat
out embarrassing to tell people I support UCLA Basketball.
Please do the right thing and restore our program to respectability.
Best,
Julian Mintz
Class of 2006
On Wed, Mar 9, 2016 at 8:52 PM, Julian Mintz <jemintz@
Mr. Block, Mr Guerrero, and Mr Rebholz,
> wrote:
I'm writing to express my displeasure and concern with the state of our basketball program
and it's current leadership.
I won't belabor the various facts and opinions about our program that lead to this concern - I
know many other fellow fans will already be doing that.
But it's important that you know that I'm among the many that won't be participating in the
UCLA Basketball experience - an experience that has meant so much to me since I was a
young kid - until big changes are made that show that you guys care half as much as we
fans do.
I started attending games when I was 7. Some of my fondest sports memories happened with
my family and friends in Pauley.
I remember in '95, I was 10 years old and had a basketball game of my own during the
Missouri game in the tournament. A large group of players, coaches, and parents had
gathered around a small TV in the corner of the gym in the games final minutes, and
exploded with joy when Tyus made his famous layup. I remember that for probably the
only time in my childhood playing days, I could have cared less about the game that I was
in, and still to this day am sad that I didn't get to experience that moment with the rest of the
UCLA community.
I was a Senior at UCLA during Coach Howland's first Final Four run. I attended all 6
tournament games with friends that year; those 3 weekends make up some of my fondest
memories as a student in Westwood.
UCLA basketball was a big part of my life as a kid, and while it's importance in my life has
decreased as I've gotten older and real priorities have set in, it still holds a special place in
my heart. I have two young kids now, and I always dreamed that they'd get to experience
the glory of a rocking Pauley Pavilion with their dad. As it stands today, I wonder when that
moment will finally come, if it ever comes.
I get that sustained excellence in college hoops is hard. I don't expect UCLA to win at the
highest levels at all times. Us UCLA fans get a bad rap for our unrealistic expectations, but
that's a fallacy. All we want is a product on the floor that we can be proud of, one that
reflects the tenets of the University that it represents: smart, tough, resilient, and honest.
It's my and many other Bruin fans opinion that the current leadership of the program, and
the subsequent product put on the floor, does not reflect those tenets. Specifically, I'm
concerned that the leadership doesn't have the best interests of the program at heart. That
alone is enough to walk away from Bruin basketball until a change is made. But combined
with the inarguably mediocre basketball coaching skills (.500 record at the high major
level), and you have a recipe for disaster (see: overall season record; Pac12 record; results
vs USC).
I'm in a great place in my life. I have two wonderful kids, a loving and supportive wife, and
an already successful career with a really promising future. I don't NEED basketball to
make me happy liked I did as a kid. But I've always dreamed of having season tickets; of
sharing them with friends; of taking my two kids and my dad to games to watch my Alma
Mater; and of my kids one day growing up to love Coach Wooden's program and the
University that it represents. I stayed at arms distance after the questionable head coaching
hire 3 years ago, and have only increased my distance after seeing the results. Until changes
are made, we'll all be staying away from Pauley and UCLA broadcasts.
Thanks for your time.
Respectfully,
Julian Mintz
Class of 2006
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Bill Elkins
RE: Fire Steve Alford IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gentlemen,
I cant imagine that anyone with a truly high basketball IQ would argue that Sean Miller is an elite
basketball coach. Hes an excellent recruiter who can coach just okay enough. Arizona has more
talent than Wichita State but Greg Mitchell coached circles around Sean Miller. Its so refreshing to
see players implement an excellent coachs tight well designed game plan by playing smart,
disciplined, efficient hard nose basketball for an entire 40 minutes to become all that team is
capable of becoming on the court. This is why UCLA basketball will never regain elite status under
the leadership of Steve Alford. Elite coaches will send limos for the Bruins as long as Alford is the
coach. The fact USC lost tonight in no way changed the fact that the trajectory of their basketball
program is so much higher than ours. That is disgustingly sad and totally unacceptable.

]
Subject: RE: Fire Steve Alford IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gentlemen,
I hope the rumor circulating that an emphasis has been placed on asking Coach Alford to change his
Assistant coaches is not true. Coach Alford is the problem! It is his leadership that has produced
and cultivated the culture of unsound fundamentals, half stepping player effort, nonexistent player
development and nepotism that has engulfed the UCLA basketball program. Pauley is half full
because the way the team plays is no fun to watch. Has Prince Ali transferred yet? Who the
Assistant Coaches are is a mute consideration. The UCLA basketball program can never reach elite
status with Steve Alford as the Head Coach. Fire Steve Alford immediately!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

]
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2016 12:10 PM
Subject: FW: Fire Steve Alford IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

]
To: dguerroro@athletics.ucla.com; jrebholz@athletics.ucla.com; gblock@conet.ucla.edu
Subject: Fire Steve Alford IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gentlemen,

Im not a season ticket holder but for the past 40 years, three friends and I have attended six mens
basketball games at Pauley each year. This year we attended only one game because the product
on the court was so poor and difficult to watch. Im emailing you to urge the immediate
termination of Steve Alford as head basketball coach at UCLA.
His first year, Coach Alford inherited three first round NBA draft picks. That level of talent, not his
coaching acumen, was largely responsible for the 28 wins. Beginning with his second year it was
crystal clear Alford was at best a mediocre coach. His record of 22 wins last year, 15 wins this year
witnessed by a half full Pauley Pavilion clearly demonstrates a lack of support from the UCLA
basketball community. John Wooden taught us what high quality basketball looks like. In good
conscience, I know you cant believe the product Coach Alford is giving us is anything close to high
quality. The team is fundamentally unsound. The players do not play hard. The games are no fun
to watch. The sinking attendance speaks volumes. I also trust that the disgusting nepotism Coach
Alford consistently shows with his son bothers you just as much as it bothers the UCLA fan base.
Bryce possesses marginal basketball skills. In addition to never being held accountable on the court,
he is on pace to play more minutes than any player in UCLA basketball history and to attempt more
shots per game than any Guard in the storied history of UCLA basketball. This is coaching
malpractice! Is there any real question why there is such a chemistry problem with the team. To
any knowledgeable UCLA basketball fan, it appears that Coach Alfords number one priority is to
showcase his son.
I challenge you to not forget to remember the lesson we painfully learned from the Steve Lavin.
That lesson was not even the most superior recruiting can compensate for mediocre coaching. I
know Coach Alford signed a top recruiting class last November. I know he has verbal commitments
from two highly regarding players for 2017. Steve Alford just like Steve Lavin is at best a mediocre
basketball coach. His record of over two decades speaks for itself. He has never coached a team
past the Sweet 16. At most universities the Sweet 16 is a reasonable goal. The Sweet 16 is Steve
Alfords ceiling. If and when he gets UCLA back to the Sweet 16, the elite coaches he will meet there
will coach circles around him. The basketball program at UCLA is special! Im counting mon you!! I
miss coming to Pauley with my friends, sitting behind to bench and basking in the high quality
basketball being played by the team wearing Blue & Gold. Fire Steve Alford
immediately!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Elaine Rosso Severa

Men"s Basketball
Mr. Guerrero,
It's in your hands to stop the downward spiral of UCLA's basketball program by firing Steve Alford now.
He is an extremely poor fit for our storied program. He hasn't developed is players and he hasn't
coached the team well. It's as if they have no plays at all and obviously no one plays any defense.. It's
all one on one ball. He his blindness towards his own son is reminiscent of when my son played in Parks
and Rec basketball as a kid. Many coaches where there only to 'coach' their own son, deaf to the other
parents yelling "pass the ball" to the poor kid who was dribbling himself into the corner. How many post
game conferences has he praised his son and criticized the other players.
My husband and I had season tickets for nine years until this year. We decided that we could not watch
another season of UCLA basketball coached by Alford and would not support him by donating to the
athletic department and buying season tickets. People sitting all around us in section 115 would shout, "
No more daddy ball". It was very demoralizing watching our program be single handedly ruined. It's very
demoralizing to hear our program dismissed on national TV as a bad team not worth watching.
UCLA has the money to pay the buyout of his contract. UCLA has time to hire an appropriate coach.
After the NCAA tournament is over there will be great coaches who would want to come to UCLA. How
did we not offer the job to Shaka Smart? Greg Marshall?
Please do the right thing for our basketball program and fire Alford now.
Elaine Rosso Severa

ekrogerrn@
Class of 1981
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Vu Duong
UCLA BBALL All No Tournament team
Friday, March 18, 2016 4:06:52 AM
Dear Sirs.
I am sure that you are watching the tournament and have noticed how weak the PAC 12 has done. This is another
scathing truth of how bad Coach Alford has done with the UCLA team. What else are you going to think when we
lose what could have been some depth on our team for next year when they transfer because Coach Alfords
leadership and NEPOTISM is beyond acceptance? Do you think Bob Myers regretted firing Mark Jackson and
hired Steve Kerr? Please dream of a higher ceiling for UCLA! If changes arent made, this will reflect on both of
your legacies. To think that your reputations are not linked to the failures of Coach Alford as a leader is naive. Its
not about the Wins and Losses, its about the fact that UCLA is allowing him to stay with his lack of poor leadership
and resultant culture. Wins and Losses can be excused but to smudge the UCLA Athletic history is another. Even if
Coach Alford went to the Final Four next year, the manner in which he has led the team can not be forgiven. Its not
about if you win but how you win as well.
Rather than donating to my beloved University, I will redirect my resources to more banners and ads exposing these
truths. I have the money to do so until changes are made. It pains me to do so but you are leaving alumnus with few
options. You wanted a public response, so you will get a public response.
Vu Duong MD
Class of 1997
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Andrew Ansoorian
Leadership Reflection
Friday, March 18, 2016 6:11:11 AM
Ask yourself, what will your replacement(s) think about your leadership decisions during this
crisis?
Ten years from now will you wish you handled things differently?
If your best friend was going through a similar situation at work what suggestions would you
give him or her?
What does your choice in communication strategy say about your leadership character?
"See the genius in every student and teach to set that genius free" Adapted from Michelangelo
Andrew Ansoorian, SPHR
Executive Director of Human Resources
Harrisonburg City Public Schools
Cell #
aansoorian@harrisonburg.k12.va.us
Careers@HCPS
Check us out on LinkedIn....HCPSonLinkedIn
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
LoDuca, Paul
Block, Gene
I read Dan Guerrero"s online plea last night
Friday, March 18, 2016 8:40:38 AM
Chancellor Block:
Through an intermediary, Dan Guerrero floated two proposals for the readers of Bruin
Report Online to review.
One option was to relieve Alford now, but this was offered with the understanding that the
AD is not prepared to make a new basketball coaching hire and as such the AD shouldnt
be held responsible if the new hire isnt the right one. The second option was to give Alford
another year and put in place a professional search group to find the right coach it was
also mentioned that even then he might not get it the new hire right but the odds would be
better.
I sat back in my chair after reading this and felt completely disheartened. Why is
everything that this AD does framed with built in excuses? Why does he find it so hard to
lead? How could the AD not have a short list of coaches in his back pocket for either of
the two revenue generating sports at UCLA (basketball and football)? How could the AD
not realize, as early as Alfords first year here, that he was not the solution and that a
replacement would be needed sooner than later?
How is keeping the most divisive coach in UCLA history even an option? How is blatant
nepotism tolerated at one of the finest academic institutions in the world? How is
mediocrity tolerated and rewarded by being allowed to continue?
Here, Ill save you twelve months and millions of dollars in professional search fees:
1. Reach out to Bryce Drew, currently the coach at Valparaiso University, to verify his
interest
2. Vet Drew from here to eternity (Im sure hes clean but do your due diligence)
3. Fire Steve Alford
4. Hire Bryce Drew
The crime isnt in acknowledging the mistake its in when you ignore it and dont take steps
to correct it.
I urge you to ask Dan Guerrero to lead.
Thank you
Paul LoDuca
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Mike
Dan Guerrero trying to destroy UCLA
Friday, March 18, 2016 9:20:55 AM
----------------------------------------The AD is currently encountering something he hasn't yet in his tenure at UCLA. Maybe 50-0 compares, I don't
know, but he is up against relentless, overwhelming, unified opposition to his position. There isn't going to be a
quitting of the storm absent firing Alford. All of these attempts to stem the tide only prolong and intensity the
storm.
Doc Barry talk about the nuclear option. That's pretty much what he's doing by prolonging this.
Steve Alford at UCLA is untenable in practice, and unacceptable to the fans and donors who buy the tickets and
make the donations and go to the games and buy UCLA merchandise and do the 8-clap.
It's entirely up to Guerrreo when this ends. It's entirely up to Guerrreo if this turns into a war with his one fan-base.
It's entirely up to Guerrero if the fan-base pivots (as it is already starting to) and comes after him.
There is no option #2.
Fire Alford and then work prudently with the fan-base to find an acceptable successor.
That's it.
Sent from my iPhone
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Jeffrey Hoover
Guerrero, Dan
Friday, March 18, 2016 9:23:09 AM
Dear Sir,
UCLA Fan,
Jeffrey Hoover
Sent from my iPhone
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Kim Luk
Please have a meeting with players
Friday, March 18, 2016 9:43:47 AM
Please have a meeting with players to find out their feelings toward Alford.
Kim Luk
1976
Sent from my iPad
From:
Subject:
Date:
Mark LaBarbera
doc
Friday, March 18, 2016 10:03:11 AM
I've shared an item with you.

Please find the shared document checklist for your reference.
List.pdf
2015 Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043 USA
-Director of Athletics
Valparaiso University
(219) 464-6894 Office
www.valpoathletics.com
@Valpoathletics
@ValpoAD
Valpo Crusaders: Champions in Competition, Classroom, and Community
The information contained in this communication is confidential and is intended only for the use by the addressee(s). Unauthorized review, use,
disclosure or copying of this communication, or any part thereof, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify
us immediately by email and destroy this communication and all copies thereof, including all attachments.
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Raber, Steve
Guerrero, Dan
Block, Gene
Coach Alford
Friday, March 18, 2016 10:12:06 AM
Dear Mr. Guerrero,
As I sit watching the NCAA basketball tournament, it brings home just how hopeless our situation is
with Coach Alford. Leaders lead. You have an opportunity to show true leadership and change the
direction of our basketball program. There is no case to be made that the program will be better off
with another year of Alford. In fact, another year will only dig the hole deeper. Imagine what the
environment will be next season do we really want to endure that?
Please make a decisive move and make it now. You might be amazed at the support you will garner.
Sincerely,
Stave Raber
Class of 1982
Varsity Club
Bruin18 Founder
STEPHEN D. RABER | WILLIAMS & CONNOLLY LLP

725 TWELFTH STREET N.W. | WASHINGTON, D.C. 20005
T 202.434.5538 | F 202.434.5029 | sraber@wc.com
This message and any attachments are intended only for the addressee and may contain information that is
privileged and confidential. If you have received this message in error, please do not read, use, copy, distribute, or
disclose the contents of the message and any attachments. Instead, please delete the message and any
attachments and notify the sender immediately. Thank you.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Jeff Brown
Guerrero, Dan
Men"s Basketball
Friday, March 18, 2016 10:27:16 AM
Hi Dan - this is my 5th email to you on this subject. I am sure you get lots of emails and
cannot craft unique responses to each as you need to manage things. That said, I get hundreds
of emails a day too, and I respond.
With respect to Coach Alford - you know my view at this point.
After reading up on stats, expert opinion (in particular on defense), stories about Ali, Lavine, recruits, etc., I
personally am convinced now that CSA has been favoring his son. If due to family relationship, that is by
definition nepotism. I believe it is due to the family relationship, but it could be that he honestly believes Bryce is
the best player on the team, better PG option than Kyle, better than Zach, better than Holiday, etc.
As such, I could care less what happens next year, in my view, CSA has violated the trust and fiduciary obligation
he owes to UCLA - he needs to go as soon as possible and that will never change (for me). [And I also now think
he is mediocre coach that is a bad fit - note, I was more than willing to give him a chance when hired though he
was not on my personal list after Howland was fired.]
Regards,
Jeff
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
John Galloway
Chancellor Gene D. Block; Block, Gene
Changes Needed in Athletic Department
Friday, March 18, 2016 11:02:03 AM
Dear Chancellor Block:
Im writing to you again to please consider accelerating a change in leadership in the UCLA
Athletic Department. The poor management is evident, and recent mis-steps involving
basketball coach Steve Alford, his own poor performance, and Dan Guerreros terribly
crafted buy-out clause for Alford, has caused great dissent around the UCLA community.
National press has not been kind to the school, further damaging its leadership
reputation. A letter and email campaign continues, and many fans and supporter are now
receiving canned email responses. This is yet another indication of indignation and
dismissal of how UCLA supporters and donors to the school feel about this growing
problem.
The school is risking losing further monetary support as well. Many have backed-out of
donations and/or their season seats. Lastly, I want to remind to that my wife (class of 1989)
and I and our family has purchased season seats for UCLA football since 1992.
Regards,
John G. Galloway
Director Information Technology Services
Verbum Dei High School
11100 S. Central Ave.
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 564-6651 ext. 6800
www.verbumdei.us
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Dan LaFrance
Re: Steve Alford
Friday, March 18, 2016 11:08:15 AM
Gentlemen - I am writing to follow up my email regarding the increasingly untenable situation involving Steve
Alford. As UCLA students, alumni and fans sit at home watching the NCAA tournament, many cannot help but be
dismayed at the seeming willingness of the UCLA athletic department and administration to allow Alford to
continue to coach despite the embarrassment and negative press he has brought the program almost from day 1.
No one expected the utter lack of fundamentals and intensity that Alford's teams have shown. No one expected him
to show obvious favoritism to his son, who stands to leave UCLA as the player with the most minutes played in
program history. No one expected to have our 4th losing season in 14 years. No one expected us to get blown out
by USC 3 times this year. No one expected the fan base to abandon the program in droves, leaving so many empty
seats that pivotal conference games looked like pre-season exhibitions.
Please don't waste another day. Move Coach Alford along. The UCLA community deserves better.
Regards,
Dan LaFrance
Class of 1993
Sent from my iPad
> On Mar 17, 2016, at 2:46 PM, Daniel LaFrance <danieljlafrance@
> wrote:
>
> Gentlemen - I am following up my email to you the other day to ask you again to remove Steve Alford as
basketball coach. He was a mistake hire from day 1 and has shown no respect for UCLA and its tradition as the
storied program that coach Wooden built. Now we are hearing that one of our top players, Prince Ali, is
transferring. Players leaving, fans abandoning the program, and a coach sits atop the program laughing all the way
to the bank. Sirs - I implore you to make a change now and demonstrate to the fanbase that mediocrity, nepotism
and poor effort will not be the new normal in the UCLA program. The time has come to make the decision and
move Steve Alford along.
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Dan LaFrance
> Class of 1993
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Matthew
Guerrero, Dan
Coach Alford must go
Friday, March 18, 2016 11:10:21 AM
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

The Pac 12's poor performance in the tournament thus far shows just how badly UCLA
basketball has fallen. Providence was able to beat USC in one try, whereas UCLA was blown
out by the Trojans three times this season.
I can't believe I'm writing this, but the UCLA men's basketball lost to USC three times, and the
last of the three was the worst. When UCLA should have been fired up to fire out against
their crosstown rivals, they instead rolled over, showing no leadership or grit.
That is on the head coach, and no one else.
Coach Alford's tenure has steadily trended downwards, culminating in this fiasco of a season.
He must be let go immediately so that a robustsearch for his replacement can be
undertaken without delay.
Putting off the inevitable will only cause worse consequences for the program and for the
image of the athletic department. Please do the right thing and terminate Coach Alford's
employment.
Sincerely,
Matt Henderson
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Michael Vasquez
Guerrero, Dan
Restore UCLA hoops PLEASE let Alford go
Friday, March 18, 2016 11:38:17 AM
Dear Mr. Guerrero:
I am sure at this point you are not reading any emails. However, I have decided
to take a few minutes of my time and send you one.
I am a lifelong UCLA basketball fan and I am writing to you to express my
disappointment with the current status of the UCLA Basketball program. The
direction of the program under Coach Steve Alford is going in the wrong
direction and its absolutely embarrassing.
After the last few games its been pretty evident that the players quit, it is a sign
that Steve Alford is no longer the correct person to be in charge of UCLA
Basketball and that a move to make a change must be made immediately. As a
result of the nepotism that has plagued our program,we now have two transfers
in Ali and Bolden.
Until such a move is made, I have made the harsh decision to refuse to watch or
support UCLA Basketball in any way. I cant believe that the day would come
where I had zero passion for the basketball program. Since I was a young boy I
watched every UCLA basketball game, look forward to go to Pauley and watch
games, I knew the teams schedule and start times by heart. Since Coach Steve
Alford has become the leader of this program, Ive found myself to be so
detached that there were days I didnt even know the team was playing or even
on TV. I can no longer bare to watch the lackluster, unmotivated, and selfish
style of basketball that Coach Alford has implemented at UCLA. It is outright
humiliating!
I love UCLA and always will. Unfortunately my passion of UCLA basketball has
dissipated and vanished. Please do all you can do to fire Steve Alford so we
can, once again, feel pride in our rich basketball program and history.
Sincerely,
Mike Vasquez
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Attachments:
Travis Fuller
Another Banner Flies Over Westwood
Friday, March 18, 2016 11:41:22 AM
Fire Alford.jpg-large
"March Madness Is Not Firing Alford"

Best,
Travis Fuller
Class of 2012
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Michael Zank
Emily Zank
Only solution is to Fire Alford immediately.
Friday, March 18, 2016 11:50:04 AM
Mr. Guerrero The only solution is to Fire Alford immediately. Anything else is a half-measure, such as
keeping Alford but kicking his son (and his agent's son) off the staff. I was disappointed to
hear leaks and rumors that anyone in the Athletic Department thought this was an approach
worthy of consideration.
Jonah Bolden will be the next playerto go, I am told. Even with a great recruiting class
coming in next year, there won't be enough talented guys to fill out the roster. The players
have given you their vote of no confidence with their play down the stretch, now they are
voting with their transfer papers.
Fire him now, and have three to four weeks to identify and vet candidates while the tourney is
ongoing. There are people around you that can help, please let them. There is enough time,
and enough money.
For the sakeof your reputation, and legacy, please get this done ASAP.
-Michael Zank
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
R. Brink
Guerrero, Dan
Please Read This Article About Our Basketball Coach
Friday, March 18, 2016 11:51:52 AM
Posted on Bruin Report Online recently:
During the team film session immediately after the Cal game late in the season,
CSA began ripping on Ali both offensively and defensively for bad shots, lack of
effort, and lack of help D possession after possession. My source said it was bad.
This lead to a emotional confrontation between CSA and Ali later in the film
session during an all-to-often defensive series for Bryce where CSA did not say a
word.
Prince Ali flat out called Bryce and CSA out in front of the entire team for what is
going on and had to be removed from the film session by an assistant coach. At the
next practice a supposed shoving match between Ali and Bryce occurred where Ali
was then removed from practice (these details were a bit gray so I do not know
exactly what happened). Bryce was allowed to stay. From that point on Ali was
benched and was actually encouraged by CSA sometime after the Oregon game to
start looking elsewhere.
Source also told me Bryce is so rarely criticized in film study vs. everyone else it
makes numerous players angry.
Take it FWIW... this source is extremely close to a player on the team.
This information should be investigated by the powers that be at UCLA, and if true should be
grounds for the immediate dismissal of Alford.
Regards,
Roy Donald Brink
Engineering class of 68
Executive MBA class of 98
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Jon Cohen
Block, Gene
Guerrero, Dan
Another Coach Alford email
Friday, March 18, 2016 12:06:43 PM
Dan,
Based on the negative feedback you received from the community after Coach Alford's hiring,
how are you continuing to ignore the continued criticisms?
Fans have had it - the blatant nepotism, poor coaching, lack of energy, poor relationship with
fans, it's a toxic situation. Mind you there are planes flying over campus as we speak and
petitions with 1,000+ signatures asking for a change.
Pleas stop hiding behind your desk, get out in front of things and take a position.
I'm sorry that fans did not negotiate a $10M buyout - that is all on you and some form of
incompetency.
Go Bruins. Enjoy the tournament.
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
michael j. mccaffrey
Guerrero, Dan
Steve Alford needs to be fired. NOW
Friday, March 18, 2016 12:08:22 PM
Mr. Guerrero,
In my five decades as a UCLA fan, and a proud graduate, I have never been as angry
or appalled at the Athletic Department as I am now.
Steve Alford has proven to be a failure and poor fit to lead UCLA Basketball. I am not
going to recite all the various reasons here, as I know you have received many
passionate emails out lining Mr. Alford's failures.
Success may not be linear, to quote you, but the utter failure of UCLA Basketball to
live up to its reputation, tradition and integrity is obvious to any knowledgeable
follower of UCLA Basketball.
Please be clearly aware, that I (and my family of 3 generations of UCLA graduates)
will not watch or attend another UCLA Basketball game as long as Mr. Alford is
coach. Nor will we contribute to the WAF or purchase and UCLA gear or products. If
Mr. Alford is not removed as coach, I will cancel my season Football tickets when
they are due for payment July 1st.
This is your legacy Dan. You are in danger of being remembered as the man who
alienated the UCLA fan base and destroyed UCLA Basketball.
Mick McBryde - Class of '81
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Mike
Guerrero, Dan
Bryce Drew
Friday, March 18, 2016 12:12:38 PM
It's time to restore UCLA Basketball by getting rid of Alford and bringing in an up and coming Bryce Drew who can
actually coach.
Mike Mendoza
Sent from my iPhone
> On Mar 16, 2016, at 11:01 PM, Mike <mikemen2425@
> wrote:
>
> Dear Mr. Guerrero,
> The reports that are coming out to the extent of how Steve Alford handled the team is flat out unacceptable and
this man should be removed from his position at once. It is obvious that there has been no one there to protect the
players and the schools best interests and prevent this man from his own agenda which has directly pushed this
great program to an all time low. The answer is not to give him new assistants but to remove him at once. We will
see transfers from this team due to his poor leadership and lack of accountability and fairness. This wonderful
institution and storied program doesn't need a new splashy hire but a solid up and coming coach that can actually
coach the game rather that just being a name but a fraud underneath like Alford. Please act now so we can get
things back moving in the right direction. All the recruits will stay on, they all chose the school and not the coach.
>
> Best regards,
> Mike Mendoza
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Mar 14, 2016, at 1:45 PM, Mike <mikemen2425@
> wrote:
>>
>> Hello Mr. Guerrero,
>> As a South Bay native (Carson High Graduate) I felt great pride when you came on as AD of my beloved UCLA
Bruins. I think overall you have done an excellent job through tough times to get things done within the
Administration and have the sports programs in a great position, all except basketball. I do feel that Steve Alford
doesn't understand the importance and honor it is to be the Head Basketball Coach at UCLA. He has used this
platform to showcase his son and with doing this there is no accountability and stability in the program. Steve
Alford doesn't understand the importance that UCLA basketball is to many people beyond, donors, students and
alumni. Please this is the time to act and restore our great tradition by removing Steve Alford and replacing him
with someone that will understand the value of the position and remove the nepotism factor plaguing this storied
program.
>>
>> Sincerely
>> Mike Mendoza
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Michael Mccaffrey
Guerrero, Dan
Fire Steve Alford. Now!
Friday, March 18, 2016 12:13:54 PM
Mr. Guerrero,
In my fifty years as a UCLA fan, and a proud Alum, I have never been as angry or
appalled at the Athletic Department as I am now.
Steve Alford is a failure as a coach and poor fit to lead UCLA Basketball. I know you
have received many passionate emails out lining Mr. Alfords failures.
Success may not be linear, to quote you, but the utter failure of UCLA Basketball to
live up to its reputation, tradition and integrity is obvious to any knowledgeable
follower of UCLA Basketball.
This is your legacy Dan. You are in danger of being remembered as the man who
alienated the UCLA fan base and destroyed UCLA Basketball.
Please be clearly aware, that I (and my family of 3 generations of UCLA graduates)

will not watch or attend another UCLA Basketball game as long as Mr. Alford is
coach. Nor will we contribute to the WAF or purchase and UCLA gear or products. If
Mr. Alford is not removed as coach, I will cancel my season Football tickets when
they are due for payment July 1st.
Mike McCaffrey - Class of '54
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Trevor Fuller
Guerrero, Dan
Option One: Dismiss Steve Alford ASAP
Friday, March 18, 2016 12:19:18 PM
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

I'm given two options from a respected donor, ostensibly the options given to him by the
Athletc's Department: "Option one: I can choose to terminate Alford's contract asap. The
school, and whales, can and will absolutely have the necessary money. But little research has
been done by the Athletics Department at this time to skillfully replace our present coach.
That potentially is a crapshoot. We might get lucky and get a replacement at this late hour like
Valparaiso Drew--a win / win / win. Or we might crash and burn with a replacement that is
available - at this time - compounding a terrible error - with a differentterrible error - and
destroy us for another 2 or 3 years. That coach would certainly want significant assurances to
even considerUCLA in it's present situation. So a crapshoot.
Option two: I can choose to negotiate a different buyout with the provision that Coach Alford
can stay one more year (period) and coach Bryce in his senior year. That will have this effect.
Coach Alford may buy into this. He is miserable with the present situation but not
10,000,000$ miserable with the present situation. And it gives him an opportunity to put out
his own feelers about his landing spot after this year. It allows a professional--really
professional--committee to ascertain and focus for our next coach--numbers 1 to 10--with a
committee of the most cherished names of Ucla alumni--i.e. Thus Edney - Eddie O - Bob
Myers of Golden State accomplishment - / the best advisory group that money can buy / etc.,
etc., and whatever thoughts the best and the brightest of those on this board (BRO) would
offer. Granted, still a crapshoot."
My answer: If both are crapshoots, option two is a waste of time. Why keep a coach an extra
year longer to do further damage to the program when our odds of finding a satisfactory
replacement do not increase? And if we learned anything from three years ago, when it was a
given Howland would be replaced and you had more than enough time to run an effective and
measured coaching search, it's that the odds of finding a satisfactory replacement will without
a doubt remain the same regardless of which option we choose. It would be stupid and silly
and pusillanimous to choose option two then. If an AD chose option two, it would be an
admission that said AD hadn't been doing his job throughout the year by preparing to dismiss
the head of the program (Steve Alford) and cultivating a tentative list of qualified
replacements after effectively monitoring the slow implosion of the team on the court and the
increasing disfavor developing among the fan base. I imagine that said AD must have been
hoping that any anger over the team's performance this year would quickly evaporate during
the off-season and with the approach of football. If so, that would have been a deeply
contemptuous and shameful position for said AD to have taken.
With both Prince Ali and Jonah Bolden likely transferring if Steve Alford is not dismissed,
option two becomes even more ridiculous, and essentially ensures next year's season will be
another disappointment to add to already almost eight years' worth of the same. If a person
truly loved and cared about UCLA as he claimed, why in the name of all that is holy would he
choose option two? Disregarding issues of economics, the outcome at the end of both is
exactly the same; the result of option two just happens to occur a year later than the result of
option one. So we'd just be delaying the inevitable as like a frightened child if we chose
option two.
Truthfully speaking, there are not two options, there is only one. Certain people are just afraid
to acknowledge it at the moment.
So with all that said, I plead with you once again: Please dismiss Steve Alford from his post as
head coach of UCLA men's basketball ASAP. Waiting another year would be an insult to the
people comprising the organization you claim to represent.
Sincerely,
Trevor Fuller
UCLA Class of 2012
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Attachments:
Frank Hsu
Guerrero, Dan
The UCLA Standard
Friday, March 18, 2016 12:49:36 PM
image.png
Hi Dan,
I wrote to you a few years ago with regards to the importance of keeping Mora as the football coach. Today, an
illustration is needed to exemplify what has gone so terribly wrong with the UCLA football program.
The Alford regime is an abject failure. Poor discipline, consistent effort, and above
allrampantnepotism. I urge you to end the Alford regime so UCLA can have a shot at
restoring it's ONCE proud history.
-Frank Hsu
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
ishpiro@
Guerrero, Dan
Basketball
Friday, March 18, 2016 1:09:23 PM
Hi Dan,
Hope you are well.
I realize there is a great deal of tumult within the basketball program that you must deal with.
In 2002 we spoke about what we saw on the court, not about wins and losses.
I have complete faith in you to make the right decision for our University.
I wish you and your family a wonderful Easter Holiday.
Best,
Irwin
PS It is a pleasure to watch a Gregg Marshall team play.
SentfrommyBlackBerry10smartphone.
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Jaime Goldfarb
Block, Gene
UCLA Finished 10th in a Conference That...
Friday, March 18, 2016 1:16:10 PM
.. has managed to win a single game in the tournament. Do we need any further evidence as to the pathetic state of
our basketball program under Coach Alford?
Regards. Jaime Goldfarb
CEO
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Tony Rodriguez
When is Alford officially going to be fired
Friday, March 18, 2016 1:19:32 PM
Dear Sirs,
Here is my daily email. Please end the nepotism and overall bad coaching. Steve Alford is destroying the UCLA
brand. I'm tired of seeing players play for other teams that wanted to be Bruins and Alford passed on. Please end
this immediately.
These will not stop nor the protest we have planned throughout the year.
Sent from my iPhone
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
mrtibbs44
Guerrero, Dan
UCLA BASKETBALL
Friday, March 18, 2016 1:41:09 PM
Mr. Guerrero, please recognize that the UCLA fan base is completely sapped by what is going
on with the program. Your legacy will be securing UCLA into mediocrity if you allow Steve
Alford to maintain stewardship of this once great program. Show some real leadership and
recognize the mistake in hiring Alford by firing him now. Btw, have you talked to the players
about the nepotism issue? It is real and it is likely that multiple players will transfer if Alford
stays.
Do the right thing, please for the sake of the program.
Very truly
Fredrick James
Sent from my Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 6.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Christian Mejia
Guerrero, Dan
What are we waiting for???
Friday, March 18, 2016 1:42:37 PM
Fire Alford!!!!!
Sent from my iPhone
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Floyd R
Block, Gene
Guerrero, Dan
Re: A reasonable request
Friday, March 18, 2016 2:04:41 PM
UCLA is a public university, please do what the mass majority wants done and fire Alford
now. Dan, you should go as well, but at least save yourself for now and do what is right listen to the public. You're embarrassing us all.
On Wed, Mar 9, 2016 at 11:40 PM, Floyd Russ <floydruss@
> wrote:
FIRE ALFORD!
He's ruined the program due to the favoritism he gives his son. This is embarrassing to all
Ucla alumni and basketball fans in the entire world.
Please step up and do what is necessary!
Do it this week so we can get a great new coach and have a huge season next year with great
recruits.
Sent on the go. Please excuse any iPhone typos.
-Floyd Russ
www.floydruss.com/
This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If the
reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended
recipient, you are hereby notified that any use dissemination, forwarding, printing or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Jay Chung
Why do you insist on giving UCLA fans the finger?
Friday, March 18, 2016 2:06:36 PM
From:
To:
Date:
James Krug
Guerrero, Dan
Friday, March 18, 2016 2:50:15 PM
Dear Dan,
I know you understand the frustration of UCLA basketball fans with the current state of the program.
I read your response where you said that progress is not always a straight line but realistically, as I
am sure you already know, under Steve Alford we have been unranked in the Top 25 80% of the
time. It also would not be reasonable to say that he inherited a troubled program his first year he
had 4 NBA first round picks on his team and last year 2 NBA first round picks. 28 wins to 22 wins to
15 wins. Sadly this is a straight line a straight line down.
Also, I found out that in addition to having Cory on the payroll he hired his AGENTS son? Really???
At a state run institution? That is really shameful and should not be tolerated. You know the calls of
nepotism, right or wrong, but when he does this how can one come to any other conclusion other
than he is using his job to further his own self interests.
I hate to write these emails but the situation really requires it. I hope you see fit to insure that our
program regains its rightful place in the national conversation rather than a mere afterthought of
how far we have fallen.
I can tell you that if you made a move this year people would have a great deal of respect and
admiration for you that you took decisive action to solve a problem that was no ones fault.
I would welcome your thoughts.
Best,
James
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Trevor Fuller
Guerrero, Dan
Block, Gene
Fwd: RE: Option One: Dismiss Steve Alford ASAP
Friday, March 18, 2016 3:16:06 PM
---------- Forwarded message ---------From: "Rebholz, Joshua" <jrebholz@athletics.ucla.edu>

Date: Mar 18, 2016 4:40 PM
Subject: RE: Option One: Dismiss Steve Alford ASAP
To: "Trevor Fuller" <louiemarigold@
>
Cc:
Trevor,
Thank you for your feedback. I mentioned this to another supporter who referenced this today; I can
tell you unequivocally that Dan Guerrero has not floated any proposals for the readers of Bruin
Report Online to review. We appreciate your feedback and thank you again for your support of
UCLA Athletics.
Go Bruins!
JR
From: Trevor Fuller [mailto:louiemarigold@

Sent: Friday, March 18, 2016 12:19 PM
To: Guerrero, Dan
Cc: Rebholz, Joshua; Block, Gene
Subject: Option One: Dismiss Steve Alford ASAP
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

I'm given two options from a respected donor, ostensibly the options given to him by the
Athletc's Department: "Option one: I can choose to terminate Alford's contract asap. The
school, and whales, can and will absolutely have the necessary money. But little research has
been done by the Athletics Department at this time to skillfully replace our present coach.
That potentially is a crapshoot. We might get lucky and get a replacement at this late hour like
Valparaiso Drew--a win / win / win. Or we might crash and burn with a replacement that is
available - at this time - compounding a terrible error - with a differentterrible error - and
destroy us for another 2 or 3 years. That coach would certainly want significant assurances to
even considerUCLA in it's present situation. So a crapshoot.
Option two: I can choose to negotiate a different buyout with the provision that Coach Alford
can stay one more year (period) and coach Bryce in his senior year. That will have this effect.
Coach Alford may buy into this. He is miserable with the present situation but not
10,000,000$ miserable with the present situation. And it gives him an opportunity to put out
his own feelers about his landing spot after this year. It allows a professional--really
professional--committee to ascertain and focus for our next coach--numbers 1 to 10--with a
committee of the most cherished names of Ucla alumni--i.e. Thus Edney - Eddie O - Bob
Myers of Golden State accomplishment - / the best advisory group that money can buy / etc.,
etc., and whatever thoughts the best and the brightest of those on this board (BRO) would
offer. Granted, still a crapshoot."
My answer: If both are crapshoots, option two is a waste of time. Why keep a coach an extra
year longer to do further damage to the program when our odds of finding a satisfactory
replacement do not increase? And if we learned anything from three years ago, when it was a
given Howland would be replaced and you had more than enough time to run an effective and
measured coaching search, it's that the odds of finding a satisfactory replacement will without
a doubt remain the same regardless of which option we choose. It would be stupid and silly
and pusillanimous to choose option two then. If an AD chose option two, it would be an
admission that said AD hadn't been doing his job throughout the year by preparing to dismiss
the head of the program (Steve Alford) and cultivating a tentative list of qualified
replacements after effectively monitoring the slow implosion of the team on the court and the
increasing disfavor developing among the fan base. I imagine that said AD must have been
hoping that any anger over the team's performance this year would quickly evaporate during
the off-season and with the approach of football. If so, that would have been a deeply
contemptuous and shameful position for said AD to have taken.
With both Prince Ali and Jonah Bolden likely transferring if Steve Alford is not dismissed,
option two becomes even more ridiculous, and essentially ensures next year's season will be
another disappointment to add to already almost eight years' worth of the same. If a person
truly loved and cared about UCLA as he claimed, why in the name of all that is holy would he
choose option two? Disregarding issues of economics, the outcome at the end of both is
exactly the same; the result of option two just happens to occur a year later than the result of
option one. So we'd just be delaying the inevitable as like a frightened child if we chose
option two.
Truthfully speaking, there are not two options, there is only one. Certain people are just afraid
to acknowledge it at the moment.
So with all that said, I plead with you once again: Please dismiss Steve Alford from his post as
head coach of UCLA men's basketball ASAP. Waiting another year would be an insult to the
people comprising the organization you claim to represent.
Sincerely,
Trevor Fuller
UCLA Class of 2012
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Steve Kehela
Guerrero, Dan
FIRE ALFORD
Friday, March 18, 2016 3:23:12 PM
Great job on the ridiculous buyout, Dan.
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Josh Yang
Re: Call for change -- UCLA basketball program & Coach Steve Alford
Friday, March 18, 2016 3:34:48 PM
Dear Mr. Guerrero, Mr. Rebholz, and Chancellor Block,

I'm sure you're all very busy, but I wanted to follow up on my email from 8 days ago.
In addition to my reflections and concerns from the below email, I recently read this Op Ed on
the state of UCLA basketball. I respect David Woods a great deal as a basketball analyst and
was deeply saddened to hear his birds-eye level perspective, and unfortunately I agree with it.
I'm also seeing reports of fans investing financially in flying banners over campus (this, and
this), now covered by CBS SportsandLA Timesamong others.
I know this is a difficult decision and process to execute for you, but I hope you'll come to the
right conclusion and action. We need a new coach in Westwood, and I'm looking forward to
the revival of UCLA basketball.
#gobruins!
Josh Yang
UCLA Class of 2007, B.S. Electrical Engineering
On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 8:08 PM, Josh Yang <joshhyang@
Dear Mr. Guerrero, Mr. Rebholz, and Chancellor Block,
> wrote:
I hope this email finds you well. I'm writing you from a place of frustration and sadness
over the state of UCLA basketball, a feeling even more intense than what we fans felt in
Coach Howland's tougher years and Coach Lavin's long tenure. I'm specifically requesting
that we take immediate action in hiring a new basketball coach to replace Steve Alford.
As an intro, I bleed Blue and Gold. When my father immigrated to the US from Taiwan in
the 70s, he got into a PhD program at UCLA but didn't have the time/money to finish the
degree while also raising my older brother, so he dropped out. Growing up, though, he
instilled in my two brothers and I a deep respect and awe of UCLA, and in particular UCLA
basketball. Years later - all three of us hold degrees from UCLA and UCLA Medical
School. We're a Bruin family. The opportunities that UCLA has afforded us will never be
forgotten -- since graduating from the HSSEAS in 2007 w/ a B.S. in Electrical Engineering,
I worked in management consulting then was fortunate to get my MBA at Harvard Business
School, and now lead product management for the Twitter Moments product. I don't say all
of this to boast -- but rather say this out of a deep awe & respect for the opportunities that
UCLA started for me. When people ask me if I'm a "Harvard man", I say "No way, I'm a
UCLA guy through and through."
UCLA basketball has been the most important sports team in my life since I was 9, right
after the '95 Missouri game. My older brother explained to me who Ed O'Bannon was, and
showed me replays of Tyus Edney's shot. My favorite on the team was Toby Bailey, and
the first full UCLA basketball game I watched was the championship win over Arkansas &
Corliss Williamson. Toby Bailey and Ed O's heroics, Cameron Dollar stepping up in Tyus'
absence ... I still get chills. When I matriculated at UCLA in 2003, it was a dark time for
the program (Howland's first year), but I was at every game and feel incredibly lucky to
have gone to school from 2003-2007, as we got a dose of real coaching, real passion,
fundamental basketball, a commitment to defense, etc. I was a member of the Den, I
designed and manufactured "Cameroon Crazies" t-shirts, and I saved up to fly to Atlanta
and San Antonio for the Final Fours (I sadly had finals during Indianapolis). It's been
harder to stay strong as a UCLA fan since, but I've done so and flown to LA several times
while living in Boston and San Francisco to attend games at Pauley.
I won't dive too deep into the issues that I and many other fans have with Steve Alford.
They're well documented in the media and in passionate posts like this. My overall
concern is that the results (W/L) are frustrating but the main concern is the "how" -our issue is with Coach Alford's leadership, apparent nepotism, lack of teaching, low
expectations, etc. Coach Howland, for all of his struggles, used to say that at UCLA we
don't play for Final Fours -- we play for banners. I don't believe Alford's public stance /
expectations to be that, or anywhere near it. And because the results aren't the main
concern, I'm afraid that good seasons here and there will mask the underlying issues. This
seemed to happen in the Lavin era, and for a few years in the Howland era, and I'm
concerned that a great season next year (with the talent coming in, it's inevitable) will
prolong a broad misunderstanding of Alford's underlying issues. In many ways, I felt this
in Alford's first season where he had an ultra talented team and went 28-9. The underlying
issues, though, have reared their head in the ensuing two years where the team has
consistently underperformed despite a solid talent base.
I bleed Blue and Gold, and I'm part of a whole generation of young professional, die-hard
UCLA fans. We're working hard to build careers so that in the near future we can be
lifelong supporters of UCLA basketball and carry through the legacy of older generations of
Wooden Athletic Fund donors. Many of them were lucky enough to be UCLA fans in the
John Wooden days, and the vast majority of them relished in the 1995 champsionship (and
certainly Howland's Final Fours) -- they carry sweet memories and a reverent awe of the
legacy of UCLA basketball even through to today, which keeps them committed and loyal
as UCLA basketball supporters. I hope that you'll consider building those memories for my
generation; building trust and a bridge between us and UCLA athletic leadership.
So I know that you'll thoughtfully consider all of the pleas coming in about Steve Alford.
Some are unprofessional, and I hope you'll ignore those. But some pleas are reasonable,
rationale, and fair -- and I hope you'll digest them, empathize with the problem we're
stating, and turn it to action. You have the chance to usher in a revival and resurgence of
UCLA basketball that's long-lasting and not geared toward individual season results. You
have the chance to solidify and win over the entire generation after the 1995 championship
team (anyone age 17 to 45), and show an adept understanding of the core issues underlying
UCLA basketball and the ability to take swift action. You have the chance to preach that
our expectations are on banners, not conference titles. I hope you'll make the right decision
and start a process to find a replacement for Steve Alford.
I have the deepest respect for UCLA and our legacy, and want to thank you for reading this
far.
#gobruins!
Josh Yang
UCLA Class of 2007, B.S. Electrical Engineering
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Travis Fuller
Fire Steve Alford
Friday, March 18, 2016 3:49:06 PM
Dear Mr. Guerrero and Mr. Rebholz,

I recently read a report that the UCLA Athletic Department is seeking additional temporizing
measures to retain Mr. Alford for an additional year. These include:
1.) Mandating alterations to Mr. Alford's staff.
2.) Defraying his exorbitant buyout.
3.) Ensuring Mr. Alford remains coach for an additional year, all the while engineering a more
amenable framework for his removal.
This plan seems deeply illogical. Moreover, it further exemplifies the disdain and aloofness
the Athletic Department has consistently shown the UCLA fanbase.
If it has already been determined by the Athletic Department that Mr. Alford's position is
untenable, then how does elongating the process of his removal make sense? I've heard
rationales that include adequately preparing a search committee to prepare for Alford's
removal next year. I've also heard that it may be to dilute his buyout.
Regarding the first point, an Athletic Director should always be prepared to conduct an
impromptu coaching search. What if Mr. Alford had been poached by the NBA? Or another
college program? The suggestion, or implication, that we are unprepared to do so further
confirms the hypothesis that our Athletic Director lacks the fitness for his current role.
The luxurious buyout that has been afforded Mr. Alford is, indeed, egregious. However, it
should not be used as an excuse to further jeopardize the viability of UCLA's basketball
program, manifest through continuing devotion to Mr. Alford. He has already shipwrecked
the program. Another season will result only in further deterioration. UCLA basketball's
legacy is priceless and should be treated as such.
I confess to not understanding the motivation to retain Mr. Alford. He began his tenure at
UCLA defending his actions at the University of Iowa, where he steadfastly supported a
player accused of rape. The player in question was Iowa's most talented player. He eventually
pled guilty to a lesser charge in order to avoid imprisonment. Nevertheless, several years
later, he was later imprisoned for third degree burglary and assault in an unrelated incident.
Mr. Alford's defense was that he complied with the actions dictated to him by the Iowa
administration, which was later proved false. He acted of his own volition.
Discounting his seeming lack of integrity, his record at Iowa was mediocre. Granted, he
invigorated the New Mexico program afterward; but he has yet to prove his mettle as a highmajor coach.
His tenure at UCLA has been unremarkable. The team has posted progressively worse records
in each year of his tenure. Recruiting has been unsatisfactory due to imprudent strategies and
the lingering suspicion of nepotism. The promise of next year is quickly dissipating as rumors
abound of player discontent and possible transfers. Fans, moreover, are resolving to withhold
their support from the program.
The future, indeed, seems bleak. With objective eyes, I don't see how the situation can be
appraised any differently.
Please do the right thing for UCLA Men's Basketball.
Fire Steve Alford. Now. This week. Restore UCLA Hoops.
Respectfully,
Travis Fuller
UCLA Class of 2012
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Nirav Gandhi
Guerrero, Dan
coach Alford
Friday, March 18, 2016 3:52:10 PM
Mr Guerrero,
I have sent several emails to you over the last 1-2 weeks. I have yet to get a response from
you. I am once again asking that you, as the Athletic Director of UCLA, make sure that
Coach Steve Alford is no longer our head basketball coach. Due to his coaching and
nepotism, he has made UCLA basketball irrelevant. I attended one basketball game this year.
I watched only a handful of the other games. This is directly related to the fact that Coach
Alford has done a horrific job of coaching our once proud program, and, on top of that, has
continued to play his son more minutes on average than almost every player in the history of
our program (despite his horrendous defense). Now that we are hearing about players wanting
to transfer out, how can you allow this to continue?
I have been a WAF donor for the last several years, but I will absolutely not continue to
donate to UCLA athletics while Coach Alford is our basketball coach.
Please, Mr Guerrero, do the right thing and allow our once proud program to become relevant
again. I, as well as thousands of Bruins fans, implore you to do what is necessary to move our
program forward.
Thank you.
Nirav Gandhi, MD
class of 1995
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Mike M
Guerrero, Dan
In Support of Coach Alford
Friday, March 18, 2016 6:45:01 PM
Mr. Guerrero,
I want to thank you for your continued support of Coach Alford and his basketball program at UCLA. I
believe he is an excellent coach and an even better person. He runs the program the right way, playing
by the rules, and making certain that they have the right atmosphere to be able to succeed both as
athletes and as students. These are fine young men that he has recruited and even though they
struggled this season, I believe your confidence in their coach will pay off big time next season. Alford is
one of only five coaches that made it to at least the Sweet 16 the last two tournaments, Izzo Pitino
Calipari Miller Alford, that is some pretty good company. I look forward to a great season next year,
and I will be very surprised if this team is not competing for a conference championship. many of these
petition signers have never supported the program under Alford. I am so glad that you refused to allow a
personal dislike of a coach to be the determining factor in your support of Coach Alford and these
wonderful players!
My sincere thanks,
Mike M
A UCLA from Indiana
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Mike
Dan Guerrero is a scumbag
Friday, March 18, 2016 7:01:04 PM
Who is cheating UCLA...he's a disgusting bureaucrat who I would love to spit in his face if I saw him but gets inside
his foxhole. He's a piece of human refuse who is the biggest disgrace in UCLA history. He's a scumbag pure and
simple.
Sent from my iPhone
From:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Date:
Trevor Fuller
Guerrero, Dan
Please Dismiss Steve Alford From His Post
Friday, March 18, 2016 9:51:13 PM
Dear Mr. Guerrero,

Keeping Steve Alford as head coach of UCLA men's basketball next year is a terrible decision
and will result in nothing meaningful for next year's team or beyond. He will have to be
dismissed at some point. Why wait? The program gains nothing from it. Steve Alford's first
year was a disappointment, his second year was a disappointment, this year was worse than a
disappointment, it was an embarrassment. And yet the Athletic Department wants to continue
down this path. It defies logic.
Prince Ali will most likely transfer; Jonah Bolden will most likely transfer. Even if they don't,
even if they are somehow convinced to stay, the issues that made them want to transfer in the
first place will remain. Keeping them will accomplish nothing, because Steve will continue to
favor his son over the team and the program. Why is this acceptable? Changing assistants will
have no effect on the rampant nepotism plaguing the program except to provide Steve Alford
another person to ignore.
You claim to care about UCLA, but your actions prove otherwise. A person who truly cared
about UCLA would not keep Steve Alford as head coach of UCLA men's basketball.
So, please, dismiss Steve Alford from his post as head coach of UCLA men's basketball.
Sincerely,
Trevor Fuller
UCLA Class of 2012
Evidence: UCLA has never finished 10th in the Pacific Conference (which is where we
finished in 15-16). And the 15-16 season was a historically bad one for the PAC 12 (only 2 of
our teams advanced beyond the first round of the tournament).
I've been a UCLA fan since I was born. I've been an alum since I graduated in 2012. Your
temporization has unequivocally disenfranchised me from supporting the university.
I loved attending football games. I no longer will. I loved attending basketball games. The 0708 UCLA Men's Basketball team provided me with some of my best memories. I, however,
will no longer consent to attending a game at Pauley.
Mr. Guerrero, you've managed to destroy UCLA Basketball, and by extension, my joy for
UCLA Football. I've always supported you...until your particular intransigence in regards to
this issue.
Until you fire Mr. Alford, you'll be hearing from me daily. I also resolve to save as much
money as I can to continue supporting efforts to degrade your (and Mr. Alford's) reputation.
I've copied my family on this email. We've always been Bruin supporters. I don't believe you
deserve our support any longer.
I will similarly contact the friends I made as a student at UCLA to further derogate your
already fractured support base.
Respectfully,
Travis Fuller,
Class of 2012
From:
To:
Subject:
Date:
Kenji Kumara
Guerrero, Dan
Most accurate perception of UCLA basketball to date - main issue is we hired the wrong man
Friday, March 18, 2016 11:05:44 PM
UCLA Basketball: The Current Perception of a Once Great Program
byMike Regalado8h ago
The UCLA Basketball teamhas hit a low, and it is not just because they finished
the year 15-17. With the Athletic Department choosing to retain Head Coach
Steve Alford, fans and alumni have become very unhappy leading to an overall
awkward perception of the program.
You know the narrative. It is all we have been writing about for the last
week (well, the last year really). The UCLA Basketball team is in an
abysmal state and things look like they are getting worse.
Not so much from a team stand point, which one cannot argue is at alow,
but from a fanatical standpoint as supporters of this once great program
have had enough of the stale output from thisSteve Alford-led team.
The UCLA Basketball team finished the season 15-17, 6-12, their worst
sinceSteve Lavins final season in 2003. It was topped with a 95-71 loss
toUSCin the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament, which happened to
be the third time the Bruins lost to the Trojans this season.
Because of this, the UCLA Basketball program, as well as the UCLA Athletic
Department has been taking a lot of heat. Even before the season was
over,fans were calling for the firing of Alford, but things were
definitielykicked up a notch after the loss to USC.
A Different Bruin Revolution
Though it seemed as ifalumni and donors would have their way with
forcing change to UCLA Basketball, the Athletic Department had
unofficially let it be known thatAlford would remain with UCLA.
That did not sit well with UCLA fans.
Last Monday, a plane flew over the campus of UCLA pulling a banner that
stated, UCLA DESERVES BETTER FIRE ALFORD. Today, another plane
flew over Westwood with a new banner, MARCH MADNESS IS NOT
FIRING ALFORD. With this, the UCLA fan base was torn.
It was an embarrassment because it has gotten to the point where fans
are so upset with the actions of the head basketball coach and the AD
that they had to rent a plane to fly a banner calling for the termination of
a coach that is systematically driving their storied program into the
ground.The majority had applauded the efforts of the personthat hired
the plane, while others said it was an embarrassment for a fan to do
that.Sure it was an embarrassment, but not in the way the pro-Alford,
Pro-UCLA Athletic Department supporters realize.
This could be taken as opinion, but statistics and yearly records back this
up. In three years, Alford has coached UCLA to 28-9, 22-14 and 15-17
records.
Part of the downfall, as observed by many, has to do with the fact that
Alford does not teach fundamentals within his teams, there is an obvious
lack of defensive aptitude, players are heavily lacking development, there
is very little motivation with this team and there is an obvious reality that
AlfordIsaac showing favoritism to his son, starting point guardBryce
Alford.
Bruin Report Online Lays It Out
David WoodsofBruin Report Onlinehad written a brilliant piece,The

State of UCLA Basketball Program, where he addressed several of
these issues. We highly recommend reading the article as it perfectly
encapsulates where Bruin hoops is at this moment. Here are a few key
quotes from his article:
On Defense: UCLA showed a stunning lack of effort on defense this
yearkeeping your hands up in a zone defense is something you can
teach a group of third graders.
Practices: Alfords practices are lackadaisical affairs from what weve
heard, and from what weve seen. Theres little attention to detail and
little time spent on specific tactics for a given opponent.
Recruiting: After three years of recruiting,of 13 players UCLA signed,
fourof those still on the rosterare probably not capable ofplaying for a
very good UCLA team, one has already transferred, at least one of the
remainders is likely to transfer before next season, and two have moved
on for the NBA.
Sowhat has that led to (specifically in the locker room)?And from what
we understand, the players recognize this issue as wellThere will be film
sessions where the defensive issues of certain players will be dissected ad
nauseum, but rarely is there any mention of Bryces defensive
issues.One of the most eye opening segmentsof the article focuses on
the favoritism towards Bryce Alford, which Woods admits that he has
avoided until now. This year [Bryce] played a greater percentage of
minutes for UCLA than any Pac-12 player is playing for any Pac-12 team.
All of these problems are whatBruin fans, for the most part, have
witnessed develop in the last three years. This is why Bruin fans post
petitions. This is why alumni will stopsupporting the program. This is why
planes are being flown over Westwood with banners claiming that UCLA
deserves better.
It is because this once storied program has fallen from grace, and
notsolelybecause of the misdirections ofthe head coach, but the athletic
department as well, specifically the man in charge,Dan Guerrero.
Despite fans and alumni threatening to stop supporting the program,
Guerrero seems to lack the perception of what UCLA Basketball has
become. Unfortunately, this is not the first time. Guerrero has had trouble
firing coaches at the appropriate time and terminating thema year too
late, which has only weakened those programs.
We saw this withKarl Dorrell,Rick Neuheisel,Steve
LavinandBenHowland. All had awkward exits from UCLA.
The unfortunate part is that because UCLA fans demand change, outsiders
see the Bruin fanbase as spoiled or unreasonable for having these
feelings. That is not the case.
Perceived As Unreasonable
As Go Joe Bruin writer,Nathan Eberhardtso eloquently pointed out in

his article,Are UCLA Fans Unreasonable?:
The logic behind this narrative that UCLA fans are
unrealistically demanding is essentially an argument that
UCLA simply doesnt belong in that five-team list
(NorthCarolina,Duke,KentuckyandKansas). IfUCLA
isnt actually the equal of the other four blue-blood
programs,thenBruin fans are delusional for having the
same level of expectations.
But how can UCLA not be on this list? The basketball program has the
most national championships of any NCAA DIvision I school. The problem
is, UCLAhas only had one championship sinceJohn Woodenleft the
school 41 years ago. Their last championship was in 1995, 21 years ago.
But the problem with that, as Eberhardt continues, is Yes theother four
blue-bloods have split nine titles among them in the last 20 years, but
Bruinsfans argument is that UCLAs lack of comparable success is a
function of poor decision-making and squandered opportunities. Thats the
whole reason theyre upset in the first place.
It is not that UCLA fans are unreasonable, they are upsetthat the culture
of a once great basketball program has evaporated into thin air and it is
all due to leadership (or lack thereof).
And this is unfortunate
froma national perspective
as college basketball critics
who really do not have any
proper insight to the fall of
the basketball program are
calling out Bruin fans for
being unreasonable, as
didJeff
EisenbergandDoug
Gottlieb.
THE UNFORTUANTE THING IS THAT

WITH UCLA, IF THE ATHLETIC
DEPARTMENT WAS TO MAKE
CHANGES RIGHT NOW, IT WOULD
STILL TAKE 2-4 YEARS FOR A NEW
COACH TO PUT THE BRUINS BACK
ON TRACK AS ONE OF THE
NATIONS ELITE.
But then there are those critics that understand the plight of the unsettled
Bruin fan.
National sports radio hostJim Romerecentlyhad some choice words
for UCLA and Steve Alford, specifically in response to the banner that
was flown over Westwood (listen to hour 3at the 33 minute mark). It is
a low point, but it might not even be the lowest point of this season.
Giving Time Is Wasting Time
Even with all this negative attention, it does not look like the appropriate
actions will be taken to immediately right the wrongs within the UCLA
Basketball program. The belief is that a coach should be given four years
to try and turn around the program and make it his own. But that just
seems to be the UCLA way.
In 2009, Kentucky firedBilly Gillespieafter two years because they saw
their program was not going in the direction it needed to. In
2015,SteveSarkisianwas fired from the USC Football program after
one and a half seasons due to an array of problems on and off the field.
The point is, when there are clear deficiencies, those programs adjusted to
improve for the future. Not at UCLA. There seems to be a need to prove
a point and elongate a bad decision.

Dan Guerrero's Emails On Steve Alford - Part 3

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Dan Guerrero's Emails On Steve Alford - Part 3

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From:

Dear Mr. Guerrero (and Mr. Rebholz and Dean Block),

Dear Mr. Guerrero:

FREE Animations for your email

Jackass! From Happy Gilmore.

The Linzmeier Group

1901 Main Street | 7th Floor | Irvine, CA 92614

CA Insurance Lic # OK44700

Important Notice to Recipients:

Make a change. Dont let this happen again. Fire Alford

Dear Chancellor Block:

Loren A. Deters, Esq.

Hello Mr. Guerrero,

Thank you for your time,

STEVEN CHEW, CFA

LOS ANGELES CAPITAL

From: Steven Chew

Hello Mr. Guerrero,

STEVEN CHEW, CFA

LOS ANGELES CAPITAL

George Elkins Mortgage Banking Company

26180 Enterprise Way, No. 300

Chancellor Block, Mr. Guerrero, Mr. Rebholz:

can help.Others can help. Call and let's talk.

Terry & Karen

CAN ALFORD'S SORRY ASS!!!

Dear Mr. Guerrero,

Dear Mr. Guerrero,

Dear Mr. Guerrero,

Dear Mr. Guerrero,

I hope youll give me the courtesy of a response.

Scott Revlin, MA, BCBA

Connect with STAR of CA:

Scott Drew - Baylor

All it takes is leadership. I urge you to ask Dan Guerrero to lead.

The Linzmeier Group

1901 Main Street | 7th Floor | Irvine, CA 92614

CA Insurance Lic # OK44700

From: LoDuca, Paul (Wealth Mgmt MS)

The Linzmeier Group

1901 Main Street | 7th Floor | Irvine, CA 92614

CA Insurance Lic # OK44700

Important Notice to Recipients:

Editorial Director, Publisher

From: Carrie White <carrie.white@glasshousepress.com>

Editorial Director, Publisher

Sent from my Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 6.

Dear UCLA administration,

from Jim Rome show today:

UCLA deserves better!

Dear Mr. Guerrero:

19. Week 19: Not Ranked

Preseason: Not Ranked

Preseason: Not Ranked

18. Week 18: Not Ranked

On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 6:49 PM, Ryan Wells <ryandrea1@

Dear Mr. Guerrero,

Scott Revlin, MA, BCBA

Connect with STAR of CA:

Mr. Guerrero and Rebholz,

Sent from my iPhone

WAKE THE FUCK UP.