UCLA’s Aaron Holiday steals spotlight in exhibition win

A month ago, UCLA Coach Steve Alford had planned to bring freshman guard Aaron Holiday off the bench. He might be a starter soon, the coaching staff reasoned, but he wasn’t yet ready.

By UCLA’s exhibition game on Friday against Cal State Los Angeles, Holiday’s potential had convinced them otherwise. Holiday was the only freshman in the Bruins’ starting lineup, and he made off with five steals and scored 16 points in a 95-57 victory.

Holiday showed apprehension in the first half at Pauley Pavilion, and he turned the ball over four times total, the most on the team. At halftime, Alford settled him down.

“Let them make the mistake,” Alford told him. “Just be a pest.”

On defense, Alford said of Holiday, “He brings such energy and toughness.”

Holiday stole an inbound pass in the first half and took it the length of the floor for a dunk. He stole another inbound pass in the second half, which led to another fastbreak. (In between, he missed an open breakaway dunk.)

“I want to dictate what they want to do,” Holiday said.

Three returning starters — Bryce Alford, Isaac Hamilton, Tony Parker — joined Holiday in the starting five, along with 7-foot center Thomas Welsh, a reserve last season.

Hamilton scored 20 points, Parker had 14 and Alford added 13. Welsh had eight points and six rebounds.

Welsh and Parker played together sparingly last season. Alford said the starting lineup hasn’t yet solidified —”We’re just messing with it right now,” he said — but the pair gives UCLA a size advantage over most teams in the frontcourt.

“We really couldn’t do that at all last year, just because of no depth,” Alford said. “We have depth now.”

At 6 feet 9, Jonah Bolden adds more height. After sitting out all of last season, Bolden’s impact wasn’t significant, but he still scored 11 points with 11 rebounds.