An eye on the court: UCLA v. Stanford
By Kevin Bowman
Jan. 23, 2014 1:41 a.m.
Having dropped two of the past four games, UCLA men’s basketball has found itself in a bit of a rut as of late. Just as the offense has hit a roadblock, so has the shooting of sophomore guard Jordan Adams.
UCLA’s leading scorer and primary offensive option has seen a dip in his field goal percentage, shooting over 40 percent in just two of the last seven games. As a challenging Pac-12 slate approaches, the Bruins are looking for Adams to regain his stroke.
“Jordan is a prolific scorer, great shooter, and we gotta work the offense harder to get him better shots, because … he’s as good at moving without the basketball as I’ve coached, and we gotta get that going again,” said coach Steve Alford.
But even with the shots not falling, Adams’ history of success as a scorer has created more opportunities for his teammates, something UCLA is looking to capitalize more on against Stanford. Redshirt senior forward Travis Wear said that by drawing the attention of the opposing team’s best defender, Adams’ presence gives his teammates open shots.
Facing more challenging defenses, Adams’ scoring numbers have dipped slightly during his slump. But Alford said he envisions Adams adapting to tougher defense and returning to his early season form.
“Last year, Shabazz (Muhammad) probably got the best defender in the backcourt, so it’s all a learning process,” Alford said. “But Jordan gets rebounds, he assists well, he’s guarding better. He does a lot of other things that’s helping us win games.”
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.
