University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Wes Long Returns to UCLA as Men's Basketball Strength Coach
May 7, 2013
LOS ANGELES - Wes Long has returned to UCLA to serve as the men's basketball program's strength and conditioning coach, as announced by head coach Steve Alford. Long spent the last two seasons as Director of Player Development/Strength and Conditioning at the University of Wyoming.
Long served as the strength and conditioning coach for the UCLA men's and women's basketball teams for four seasons (2007-11) prior to his time at the University of Wyoming. In his current capacity, he will solely work with the men's basketball team.
"Wes will be a tremendous asset to our program," Alford said. "He has a strong background both in strength and conditioning and basketball and is very familiar with UCLA. Our team needs to dedicate itself to the weight room, and we are very confident in Wes' abilities to lead us in that direction."
During his four seasons at UCLA, the Bruins advanced to the NCAA Tournament three years. In his first season with the program (2007-08), UCLA earned its third consecutive NCAA Final Four appearance after having won the Pac-10 Conference regular-season and tournament titles.
"I'm thrilled to be back at UCLA and am grateful to Coach Alford for this opportunity," Long said. "Returning to Westwood and being able to work with this program in renovated Pauley Pavilion is extremely special. The offseason is a critical time to develop our players in the weight room, and I'm excited about this team's potential."
Prior to his first stint at UCLA, Long spent four seasons at his alma mater, the University of Texas in Austin. During the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, Long served as the men's basketball assistant video coordinator. Prior to that, he worked as a graduate manager for the strength and conditioning program from 2004-07.
Long is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Texas. He received his bachelor's degree in advertising in 2003 and his master's degree in kinesiology in 2005.
Long and his wife, Kristin, have two children - one son, Chasen (3), and one daughter, Brinley (nine months).