UCLA basketball interim head coach Murry Bartow has taken on more than he expected this season. Last spring, he came to Westwood as an assistant that specialized in defense. It is no secret the Bruins have not prioritized defense inthe last several seasons, so the expectation was that this offensive-minded squad would add another element to their arsenal. Any little bit helps.
That alone is a lot of work to put on an assistant but then he received an abrupt ‘promotion’ just before conference play as he was named interim head coach after Steve Alford was fired on New Year’s Eve.