UCLA Basketball: Was Firing David Grace a Mistake for the Bruins?

Coaches get fired all the time in college basketball. But what happened to David Grace at UCLA was questionable at best.

The offseason is just beginning around College Basketball, and there have already been some interesting moves made by athletic departments across the country. The UCLA Bruins and coach Steve Alford joined that club on Saturday night. Steve Alford has done many things to incite rage in the UCLA fan base since he has been the head coach at the University. He has always been able to keep his job due to the fact that he continually was able to secure top recruiting classes and make the NCAA tournament.

This all may be changing as Alford fired his top assistant and recruiting coordinator David Grace. Alford initially told Grace that he was pressured by the administration at UCLA to fire Grace and go in a different direction. The administration let Grace know that the conversation with Alford never happened and Coach Alford acted alone. Obviously, someone is not being completely honest with Grace.

The fact still remains that this is not a move that is not going to do anything to calm the waters for Alford and his time at UCLA.  Grace was his recruiting coordinator as well as his scouting report coordinator. It could be argued that without Grace, Alford would have been relieved of his duties at UCLA a long time ago.

Grace is directly responsible for most of the high caliber talent to play in Westwood since Alford has been the head coach. He was the primary recruiter for NBA Players Lonzo Ball and Ike Anigbogu, as well as the lead recruiter for players like TJ Leaf and Jaylen Hands. Recruiting has never been a problem for UCLA under Alford as his coaching staff has always seemed to bring in top classes.

More from UCLA Bruins

• UCLA Basketball: Bruins land pair of key international piece for 2023-24
• UCLA Basketball: Breaking down 2023-24 non-conference schedule
• UCLA Basketball: Can Bruins handle loss of key assistant Ivo Simovic?
• UCLA Twitter has nuclear meltdown after Bruins blow 13-point lead in Sweet 16 vs Gonzaga
• Mick Cronin gives most astute basketball observance in Sweet 16 halftime interview

It is no secret that UCLA had a disappointing season this year, but it was not due to lack of talent. Alford could argue that Grace was not a great coach, and this move was strictly made because Alford wanted to have an upgrade in the coaching department. Even if that is true, which this issue goes deeper than just one man, Grace should not have been the casualty. With the parity that exists in College Basketball these days, and with more top recruits going to smaller schools with no tradition. A coach like Grace is an invaluable asset to any program.

The timing of the firing of Grace is centered right around the release of the FBI investigation. Does Alford know something about Grace that no one else does?  If it turns out that UCLA was mentioned in the final findings of the FBI investigation, then the firing of the recruiting coordinator could be justified, until those findings come out. However, Alford is going to be hard-pressed to find anyone who actually supports this move.

Grace is one of the best assistant coaches in all of College Basketball. He will not be on the market long and almost every coach would rearrange their staffs to bring on a coach with the caliber of Grace. What can the program that brings in Grace expect? They can expect an uptick in their recruiting, as well as a great in-game X’s and O’s coach who knows how to matchup against every opponent they are going to play.

The recruiting prowess of Grace is what any coach hopes they can find. Grace has a relationship with a lot of AAU coaches before Grace got into college he was an AAU coach. He has proven he can get the high-class talent to Westwood. One thing that remains to be seen is if Grace can get the high-class talent to power five schools with less tradition. Grace will most likely get a shot on a coaching staff that is trying to kickstart a program or keep a lower program with talent at the top.

Grace who is retired from the United States Air Force is a smart coach who has been virtually everywhere in the Basketball landscape. As mentioned above he was a former AAU coach and has been an assistant at mid-majors, both good and bad. With the UCLA job he also held the same job with Oregon State. His career has been mired by ups and downs, but his recruiting and his basketball knowledge should not be questioned and has been proven, by the fact that he keeps getting jobs of increasing importance, at schools with more and more tradition.

It remains to be seen where Grace ends up, but he has without a doubt already fielded a number of calls from all kinds of coaches.  It should not be ruled out for Grace to also be in the running for a few lower mid-major head coaching jobs. Grace should have his fair share of jobs to pick from and he is going to do a tremendous job wherever he lands. As for Alford and UCLA, this move is going to provide more fuel onto the already burning fire, for UCLA fans.

Next: Way Too Early Pac-12 Rankings for 2018-19

If this move backfires on Alford his days at UCLA should be numbered. It remains to be seen what fallout this has caused with the current recruiting class. The recruits are probably going to wait and see what happens with Grace and where he ends up.