LOS ANGELES -- His mentors told him to flee each night, to get away from the busy campus in West Los Angeles so the job wouldnt tempt him to come back after hours. Yannick Ngakoue Jersey .So Steve Alford moved his family to Calabasas, 20 protracted Los Angeles miles from UCLAs campus, when he docked his boat next to John Woodens Ark and accepted the Bruins post in 2013.The areas pleasant par-5s salved his golf obsession. The distance from the school offered a buffer of comfort when he absorbed a litany of missteps in a ghastly 2015-16 season, just the fourth losing campaign since Wooden retired in 1975.Critics chided Steves son,?Bryce Alford, for his role in the teams struggles. Fans also complained about the recruits Steve Alford couldnt snag and the drama tied to his controversial $10.4 million (now $7.8 million) buyout. Plus, the Bruins lost to rival USC three times last season and failed to make a postseason appearance.So its not surprising that many Bruins backers want Alford out, and they point to his 65-38 record over his first three seasons -- the worst overall winning percentage by a UCLA coach in the post-Wooden era.I gotta get out of the office because youll go stir crazy, Alford told ESPN.com in July. Golf is a release and whatever it is, just getting away.But he cant just blaze up the 405 North to elude the serious questions about his job status and its tie to a UCLA squad stacked with a top-five recruiting class and capable veterans.Is Steve Alfords job on the line this season? If it is, can he save it?If you give a public vote of confidence, people will say its the kiss of the death, athletic director Dan Guerrero said. If you dont -- it is a Catch-22. The bottom line is Steve, in many respects, is still establishing his program. Im certainly not going to publicly proclaim anything. But I expect us to compete. And Steve expects us to compete.Fans do, too. So when the Bruins flopped last season ...One disgruntled supporter flew a UCLA deserves better! Fire Alford! banner over campus in March, the second aerial critique of the week. The banner spoke for a frustrated fan base.More than 1,000 Bruins backers had signed a petition seeking Alfords termination a few days after its creation. And a billboard truck bearing Guerreros image and a Wake up, Dan! Restore UCLA Basketball Now! message also toured Westwood while influential boosters implored the school to make a move.Alford tried to ignore the fray.I dont stay up until 3, 4, 5 in the morning worrying about this or worrying about that, Alford said.His supporters say those skeptics dont speak for the masses.The people that are doing that really have no merit to what theyre saying, said Bryce Alford, the starting point guard last season. Thats not the people that really matter. At the same time, thats hard to see. Im in the barbershop and somebody asked me about [the banner]. Youve gotta understand what voices matter.Steve Alford said he made light of the Fire Alford! banner during an offseason Pauley Pavilion function in which the names of key boosters were etched onto a ribbon board.When it was my time to talk, I said, We appreciate everything you do and the money, but I got all you beat. ... My name is on a ribbon on the back of a plane, Alford joked. So I think it just becomes humorous.Within that perceived humor, we learn everything we need to know about the current chasm between the storied UCLA basketball program and the segment of its fan base thats not laughing with him. Its a breach only victory will repair, critics say.Steve Alford was rolled out really out of left field, said Aaron Michiel, a lawyer who started the petition to fire Alford through restoreuclahoopsnow.com after last season. The athletic department thought Alford would impress the fan base. They couldnt have been more wrong.In 2015-16, the teams pick-and-roll defense slipped. Two years after recording a 74.9 percent clip from the free throw line (No. 23 in the nation), UCLA made just 69.1 percent of its attempts last season, a mark outside the top 200.Over the summer, sophomore Jonah Bolden (4.6 points per game) turned pro and Kobe Paras, a four-star recruit, withdrew from the school and transferred to Creighton because of academic issues. Prince Ali (3.9 PPG) could miss a portion of this season following offseason knee surgery.Yet the influx of young talent, including projected lottery pick Lonzo Ball, whos averaging nearly a triple-double in the first two games, could guide UCLA back to a prominent perch.Alfords critics say the fourth-year coach had talent in the past and still missed the mark. UCLA has produced four first-round picks and a second-round pick during his three-year run, but only one of those picks (Kevon Looney) was an Alford recruit. So why should those critics get excited now?Alford said hes aware of the doubters but not deterred by them.No, Im not going into it with the idea I gotta birdie every hole or I gotta eagle the 18th hole, he said.Backlash and a buyoutAfter a lackluster losing season at one of college basketballs meccas, you could assume Alford -- whose eye-popping, eight-figure buyout becomes a more reasonable $5.2 million after April 30, 2017 -- is embarking upon a make-or-break season.Last season, the Bruins beat Kentucky, Gonzaga and Arizona but missed the postseason after a 15-17 (6-12 Pac-12) season.Alford apologized to fans through a letter and returned the contract extension?that Guerrero proffered after Alford led UCLA to the first of back-to-back Sweet 16s in 2014. He escaped the first round of the 2015 NCAA tournament via a controversial goaltending call in a win over SMU and faced a 14-seed UAB in the second round. Alford said the gesture allowed him to preserve his staff.I didnt want any changes to be made, Alford said. I feel very fortunate to have the staff that I have, and you know how a lot of these things go when you have a bad year and stuff, people on the outside think, you gotta change the O-coordinator, you gotta change the D-coordinator. Well, its the same O-coordinator, the same D-coordinator that went to back-to-back Sweet 16s and got the program started. I didnt want to make staff changes.This backlash did not commence in March, though. Over his first three seasons, Alford gradually lost support from some members of an impatient fan base who expected Guerrero to snatch a bigger name.Alford has cited the schools 90 percent renewal rate for season-ticket holders as a positive sign, but the Bruins dropped from 45th in attendance in 2012-13 (9,549) -- Ben Howlands final season -- to 60th in each of the past two seasons (8,073 in 2015). Most nights last season, Pauley Pavilion fell below two-thirds of its capacity.Fans just gave up on the program, Michiel said. They stepped away from the program.Once UCLA chased and whiffed on Brad Stevens and Gregg Marshall in 2013, the school hired Alford from New Mexico, days after hed agreed to an extension with the Lobos, to reboot a franchise that reached the Final Four in three consecutive seasons from 2006 to 2008. UCLA offered a Teflon contract that guaranteed Alford a $10.4 million payout -- four times his annual $2.6 million salary -- if the Bruins decided to fire him prior to April 30, 2016.Guerrero justified the large buyout as a normal incentive to attract an elite coach.It is much more common if you evaluate contracts around the country, he said. Theres a ton of pressure that comes with coaching at a high level.During Alfords introductory news conference in 2013, a reporter asked him how John Wooden would have handled the case of Pierre Pierce, the former Iowa standout who pleaded guilty to a sexual assault charge in 2002 and later served prison time for a separate domestic violence incident three years later.I did everything that I was supposed to do at the University of Iowa in that situation, Alford said then. I followed everything I was told to do. Alford coached at Iowa from 1999 to 2007.He omitted his support of Pierce and the prayer meeting he arranged between Pierce and the victim. Alford issued a statement of apology after the UCLA presser. But it was a tepid start for a tepid tenure.Michiels postseason petition, which argued another year of Alford would permanently damage UCLA basketball, caught fire.Guerrero emailed a response to Michiel.Like I do with all our coaches, after every season, win or lose, Ill sit down with Coach Alford to review the year that was, Guerrero wrote to Michiel via email. Together, well consider what we must do to improve. And make no mistake, we must improve. We must get better. We all know that we need to be moving forward as a program. And with an impressive recruiting class coming to Westwood [this] year, Coach Alford will have both talent and experience on the floor -- we are moving forward.Alford blamed the teams youth and unexpected NBA departures for some of the programs challenges, but he also admits he has missed on several key recruits in the area.I think what happened this spring was probably a long time coming, Michiel said. Were in the worst 10-year stretch of the UCLA basketball program since John Wooden retired. There is a growing frustration.Hope and doubt surround UCLA basketballThis is not a soap opera, although a few miles from Hollywood, UCLA basketball sometimes resembles a reality show with its added layer of family drama.Alfords critics believe his son stole minutes from better players while his father failed to add NBA-level talent the program craved.Bryce Alford, who has adjusted his role this season as Ball plays point guard, said he wrestles with guilt over the teams challenges. Any son would. Some UCLA fans blame him for the turbulence.During his freshman season, he shared point guard duties with?Kyle Anderson, now a third-year guard with the San Antonio Spurs, while?Zach LaVine, now one of the NBAs most promising combo guards, played off the ball. LaVine, citing concerns about his role with the team, left the program and turned pro after one season. That development didnt help Bryce Alfords image, although he only logged the minutes and played the role his father gave him.Last season, he took nearly 13 shots per game and made 38.5 percent of his attempts, while leading the team with 5.2 assists per game. He finished outside the top 400 in KenPom.coms offensive efficiency ratings and made 40 percent of his shots inside the arc.Hes the easy target but not the only culprit on a 17-loss squad that finished 119th in KenPom.coms adjusted defensive efficiency ratings.But he has caught the most heat.I think people say that because of Bryces last name, Steve Alford said. If his last name was Jones, people would be saying a lot different, [better] things about him. But its good to get him off the ball with what Lonzo brings.Bryce Alford said he does not feel an additional burden because of the scrutiny on his father and Bryces position as the most important senior on the team. But Bryce said he and his father stomached the criticism together last season and hope to celebrate more often this season.?Ive always had pressure ... as a coachs kid. I dont think I feel any pressure, Bryce Alford said. Ive always dealt with it really well.Added Steve Alford: Were a competitive family. ... In mid-January, that was hard. That was hard on us.After two games this season, Bryce leads the team in scoring (25 PPG) and is averaging three fewer minutes than Ball. After the teams Australian exhibition tour in August, Bryce said he enjoyed the lineups that featured himself and Ball on the floor together -- a shift that could help UCLA.Offensively, with a guy like Lonzo, a creator and a pace-driven guy, hopefully itll create a little bit more pace with our offense, Steve Alford said.Alfords hopeful attitude rests on the potential of the incoming crop of elite talent and the veteran standouts who can turn last seasons troubles into a forgotten blemish on the coachs tenure.Ball is a 6-foot-6 point guard prodigy. He leads ESPN.coms No. 5 recruiting class, which features two other top-100 recruits (T.J. Leaf at No. 13; Ike Anigbogu at No. 60). Bryce Alford, Isaac Hamilton and Aaron Holiday?all return.Its a group that cares, said Steve Alford, who suffered just the third losing season of his 25-year coaching career in 2015-16. And the vets are like the coaches. Were upset about what happened.This is college basketball in the one-and-done era. Year-to-year fluctuation is not just accepted, its anticipated. And the Tom Crean Theory of Hot Seat Projections proves one good season can erase any doomsday scenarios. Alfords top-ranked 2017 recruiting class, which includes four top-50 prospects and?LiAngelo Ball?(Lonzos brother), could temper some of the scorn, too.The good thing Im excited about is were coming off a tough year, Alford said. With whats happening in our 2017 class, were almost assured of a top-five class.All involved, including Alford and his players, recognize the significance of this season. Alford and the teams returnees who played in the teams back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances have to prove something this season.After all, Howland landed RecruitingNations No. 1 class in 2012 and won the Pac-12s regular-season championship, but he didnt keep his job.I think theyre championship-driven, Alford said of his team. Theyve gotten these two tastes, a bitter taste and a sweet taste. So theyre hungry.This is a UCLA program with, arguably, more potential than any team in the Pac-12. This is not a talent issue.Its an execution problem for a squad that entered last seasons conference play with legit NCAA tournament aspirations -- before the teams laughable defense and limited depth unhinged the trap door beneath the program.I think we just didnt come together the way we needed to, said Thomas Welsh, whos averaging 8 points per game and 9.5 rebounds so far this season.But Welsh and the other Bruins understand and welcome this seasons spotlight and opportunity.It was a little hard, obviously, watching the school do like that, said Ball, the No. 4 recruit in the 2016 class per ESPN.com. Once again, its just one year. You can turn it around. And the players we have now, I feel we can do that.Dont waste any sanguine thoughts on a group of fans whove heard all of this before, though.Theyre not sold.However, Bryce Alford said his father and the players are determined to fix the issues from last season.A 2-0 start comes on the heels of offseason pickup games -- some bloody -- between young players and veterans, which convinced Bryce that UCLA had regained its edge, something the veteran said the team lost last season.Once you step on the court, you kinda gotta be an a-hole, you gotta be a dude, Bryce Alford said. You have to be out there and do what you do. And you gotta be mean about it. I think last year, we kind of lost that a little bit. Going to back-to-back Sweet 16s, we kind of got the feeling, Oh, its just gonna happen.Fans prefer to wait for results, however, before they hop back onto the bandwagon, uh, TMZ celebrity tour bus rolling through the UCLA campus.Steve Alford said he doesnt fear the naysayers because he knows what went wrong in 2015-16, mistakes he wont make again this season.Mistakes, perhaps, he cant make this season.It all fell apart for the Bruins last season. Yet, Alford seems convinced the talent he has now will revive the program.Now, this is my job and, yeah, its UCLA and championships are expected, Alford said. I get all that. ... I just do as best I can, we work as hard as we can, we prepare our team as best we can and then we roll with it and see what happens.Win or lose, Alford will return to those tidy courses penciled into his Calabasas neighborhood.Perhaps to relax after restoring UCLAs name and its image among the faithful.Or maybe hell wander the fairways and wonder how it all went wrong. Chris Conley Jersey . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. Jawaan Taylor Womens Jersey . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. http:///...llen-jaguars-jersey/ . Detroit and Boston are deadlocked, 1-1, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland could be forgiven if he was caught rationalizing instead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game 2. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Nate Ebner couldnt really have set up more of a dramatic finish for the U.S. team at the Olympics.The New England Patriots safety and special teams player, given special permission to play rugby sevens for the United States in Rio de Janeiro, ran almost half the length of the field with world champion Fijian players in pursuit and scored with a minute to go in the most crucial game of the pool stage.The U.S. team needed to stay within four points of Fiji in the last group-stage game on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals at the expense of 12-time world series champion New Zealand.At the moment Ebner scored, the difference was five points with a conversion to come -- two crucial points that would have cut the difference to three.U.S. captain Maddison Hughes took the conversion attempt, wide on the right sideline, but couldnt angle it between the uprights.Seconds later, the Americans were out of contention with a 24-19 loss, and New Zealand got a backdoor pass into the quarterfinals at the expense of the United States.Honestly, Fiji closed me off so much the way they chase so hard, there were three of them, I had no-one to pass to, so I just put the ball down, said Ebner, explaining why he scored in the corner and wasnt able to touch down closer to the posts and make the kick easier for Hughes. We had a minute left and I was confident for Maddy to kick it from anywhere on the field. Hes done it multiple times.Ebner said the Americans did everything they could against back-to-back world sevens series champions Fiji, and it was more disappointing that a last-minute loss to Argentina on the opening day had cost the team a spot in the playoffs.To just lose to the best team in the world, and a great team in Argentina like that, and to not be able to make the quarters -- its heartbreaking, he said. But were going to finish this out strong. Thats all we can do.Ebner grew up playing rugby but switched to play football in ccollege. Yannick Ngakoue Youth Jersey. The lure of the Olympics drew him back to rugby sevens, and hes not disappointed with the experience.Its been awesome. I wouldnt have done anything differently, he said. I just wish wed had a better day yesterday to put ourselves in a better position.Ultimately we gave everything we had to this -- no regrets at all.Ebner was one of the standouts for the U.S. team which surprised many people with its speed and physical approach to the game.Perry Baker scored in the second half against Fiji, a burst of speed that caught the defense off guard, and Carlin Isles scored three tries in the later classification match against Brazil, a 24-12 win.The Fijians went on to edge New Zealand 12-7 in the quarterfinals and remain on course to win the countrys first ever Olympic medal. Theyll face Japan, the most surprising team at the tournament, in the semifinals.The Japanese players say this Olympics will help them prepare for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. For Ebner, thats too far away to think about.After two more classification matches for ninth-12th matches on Thursday, hell switch gears again from being an Olympian to thinking about his day job.Ill go back to camp and get into the NFL football season, he said. Hopefully Ill be in better shape.He said hed probably have to explain some of the finer points of rugby to his Patriots teammates who were following the Olympics closely, but thought the tournament was a good advertisement for rugby. The U.S. women placed fifth, holding the gold medal-winning Australians to a 12-12 tie in the group stage and having chances to beat silver medalist New Zealand before losing 5-0 in the quarterfinals.Its been exciting to play, he said of the extra exposure the Olympics brought to the game. I can only imagine people who havent seen it, its got to be exciting to watch. 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