February 22, 2001

By Steve Richardson

Lavin remains at the helm, UCLA continues to improve

Those obituary notices they were putting on the UCLA Bruins and Coach Steve Lavin were a bit premature for a second straight season. UCLA now has won 13 of its last 15 games. A year ago, UCLA won its last six regular-season games to make the NCAA Tournament and salvage the season by making the Sweet 16.

Several weeks ago, UCLA athletic director Peter Dalis was having not-so-secret conversations with Rick Pitino about coaching the Bruins. Oops. Lavin was still the coach. But now that the Bruins (17-6, 10-2) are contending for the Pac-10 title, the Pitino rumors are centering a few hundred miles east of LA at UNLV.

"I think UCLA will always be that circus or carnival atmosphere that comes with a high profile program that has won 11 national championships and is in a media Mecca like Los Angeles," said Lavin, who is 108-44 in his fifth season at the school. "It comes with the territory. It is par for the course. You just keep developing your team to the best of your abilities."

Lavin actually has some pretty good credentials - if he were coaching almost anywhere else. He is one of only four coaches in Division I who have had their teams in the Sweet 16 or beyond at least three of the last four years. The others are Purdue's Gene Keady, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Michigan State's Tom Izzo.

To a degree, Lavin has been a victim of his own recruiting successes, which have made high expectations higher. The 1997 UCLA class was a consensus No. 2-rated group in college basketball. But of those who should be seniors this season, only guard Earl Watson and swingman Billy Knight, are the only major recruits from that class contributing. A couple of players from that class are out with injuries. The 1998 group was ranked No. 1. And juniors, forward Matt Barnes, guard Ray Young and center Dan Gadzuric, are starring. Jerome Moiso, JaRon Rush and Baron Davis, all top recruits from those two classes, have left for pro basketball with eligibility remaining.

There is still enough good talent in Westwood, if it can be harnessed and organized. Earlier this season, UCLA lost a home game to Cal State Northridge. And the Bruins were stumbling after other defeats to Kansas, Georgia Tech and North Carolina. But a victory at Purdue in late December seemed to revive the Bruins. Since then UCLA has lost only road games at Arizona and Cal, although those have been lopsided. The Cal loss, a 92-63 drubbing, was then followed by the stunning 79-73 victory at then No. 1 and previously unbeaten Stanford. UCLA also won at top-ranked Stanford last season.

"The thing that always re-energizes my batteries is the players, and the chance to impact young people and their development, " Lavin said. "The hardship and adversity presents the opportunity to teach and coach. It would be foolish not to capitalized on hardship and adversity. If the kids keep coming back, that, in turn, re-energizes my batteries."

With UCLA pressing more and creating more turnovers, UCLA's inside deficiencies are not as pronounced in a wide open game. Sophomore forward Jason Kapono has thrived in the transition basketball that UCLA's press has created. And of late, Knight has been scoring more, too. "I just think one constant our program kids continue to improve individually and collectively," Lavin said. "That's what has allowed us to make late-season runs, both in the Pac-10 and in the NCAA Tournament."

Bubas honored

Legendary Duke basketball coach Vic Bubas had the concourse of Cameron Indoor Stadium named in his honor on Feb. 4 at half time of the Duke-Florida State basketball game Duke will establish a permanent display honoring Bubas, who led the Blue Devils to three Final Four appearances in 1963, 1965 and 1966.

"I think this is an appropriate recognition of one of the outstanding people in Duke history," said Duke athletic director Joe Alleva. "I'm excited that Coach Bubas' name will be in a place of honor for fans and alumni to recognize his accomplishments well into the future."

At Duke, Bubas had a 213-67 record and won four ACC Championships from 1960-69. The Blue Devils finished among the nation's top 10 six straight seasons. Bubas won 87 percent of this games at Cameron Indoor. The concourse project is part of a $1 million fund-raising campaign, which is chaired by former Duke All-America and 1964 team captain Jeff Mullins. Other memorabilia commemorating the history of Duke basketball will be included in the display.

Tip-ins

St. Joseph's head Phil Martelli notched his 100th career victory at the school when the Hawks won 78-76 at St. Bonaventure on Feb. 10. He is just the fifth coach in the school's history to reach that plateau, joining Bill Ferguson (309, 1929-53), Jack Ramsay (234, 1956-66), Jim Boyle (151, 1982-90), and Jack McKinney (144, 1967-74)....

The Eugene, Oregon, City Library is featuring Ducks' head basketball coach Ernie Kent as one of the city's prominent Black Americans during February's Black History month...

Xavier head coach Skip Prosser has been a coach (assistant or head) at Xavier for 326 of the school's 1,056 wins (30.9%). Of those wins, 146 have come over the last seven years as head coach. While Prosser was an assistant from 1986-93, the Musketeers won 180 games...

South Carolina Coach Eddie Fogler took part in his 1,000th college game against Mississippi on Feb. 17. At that juncture he had a 696-304 career record as a player at North Carolina, as an assistant coach at North Carolina and as a head coach at Wichita State, Vanderbilt and South Carolina...