According to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times, Lonzo Ball of the Los Angeles Lakers is endorsing former Phoenix Suns head coach Earl Watson for the UCLA job. Ball told Ganguli:
“I'd like to see Earl Watson get the job.”
Watson was fired by the Suns just three games into the 2017-18 season. Ball told Ganguli that he prefers Watson for the job because he's a UCLA alum and has NBA coaching experience. It's notable that Ball spoke highly of his former coach Steve Alford, but he still spoke highly of Earl Watson.
Alford was recently let go by UCLA, a highly coveted gig. Alford was Ball's coach when the point guard played his one college season at UCLA. Despite Alford's ousting, he had some excellent seasons as the head coach of the Bruins. During the 2016-17 season, Alford's Bruins went 31-5 and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Lonzo Ball averaged 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game during his freshman season.
Murray Bartow has assumed the role of interim head coach, but the school would love to bring in a big-time head coach to bring the program back to prominence.
There are a number of coaches who will be linked to UCLA's head coaching job, including Watson, recently fired Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg, and even exiled legend Rick Pitino. It will be interesting to see what direction UCLA goes in during the search for a new head coach.
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