Jonah Bolden Left UCLA Because Alford Didn’t Use His Skillset

Add Jonah Bolden’s name to the list of former UCLA Basketball players who have left because they didn’t feel like they were being used to the best of their abilities.

In an interview with Fox Sports Australia, Bolden opened up about his decision for leaving Westwood. Bolden told Fox:

For me, I was just looking back at the season, and, personally, I felt like I could’ve done more, if I had been given the opportunity. I felt like I should’ve played more; I would’ve done a lot more in [the three] position. I did what I could’ve done, for what I was given.

Bolden’s father Bruce expanded on what Jonah said. He told Fox:

He felt that he wasn’t able to give the impact that he went over there with, not playing in the position that he was recruited. Last season, he played the four spot. His roommate, GG (Gyorgy Goloman) was injured, so he filled that role.

Jonah thought that, with GG back healthy, he’d be able to slide back down to the three-spot. Unfortunately, over the past month, he was still in that big-man role, and didn’t know why. He thought it was going to be the same as previous years.

He wanted to go to the three-spot, and he got the impression that it wasn’t going to happen, and he felt that would ruin his chances of really showing his three skillset. He didn’t think anything was going to change, so he told me that he was ready to move on.

Jonah dismissed the speculation that he would be academically ineligible, saying "academics weren’t the case at all."

So, there you have it.

Jonah Bolden joins Zach Lavine and others as another Bruin basketball player who has left the program because Steve Alford wouldn’t give him the opportunity to develop his skillset.

Why is Steve Alford still coaching at UCLA?

Go Bruins.