Thursday, March 12, 1998
All or nothing
REVIEW: The Bruins have undergone more ups and downs than a
roller coaster – will they live up to the best or worst
expectations?
By Brent Boyd
Daily Bruin Staff
This year’s ever-changing version of Bruin basketball has gone
through more ups and downs, more twists and turns and more comings
and goings than any team has a right to expect or endure.
In a span of less than six months, these Bruins have seen two
key contributors suspended in a shroud of public secrecy, both of
whom eventually came back – only to see one take over a crucial
role, while the other resigned just 15 games after his return.
They have seen their best-behaved player benched for a game
against their cross-town rivals and a potential star recruit forced
out of school for academic reasons, and have aimlessly drifted
through two of the worst losses in school history.
They have also seen, however, signs of greatness – albeit
inconsistent and sporadic ones. They have reflected on the ending
of the careers of three Bruin mainstays, yet at the same time seen
the emergence of two budding superstars.
They have disappointed plenty, surprised some and perplexed
virtually everyone on their way to a lukewarm 22-8 season and a
meeting with Miami in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday
in Atlanta.
"If someone would have said that with all the things that have
happened, you’d be 22-8 and in the top 20, I would have said no
chance," UCLA head coach Steve Lavin said. "That’s what’s been so
surprising, and it really says a lot about our team in terms of
their character and and their ability to persevere."
They are a team that has fallen tremendously short of its lofty
preseason expectations. But with all that’s transpired, one begins
to wonder if the squad under-achieved, over-achieved or neither …
or both.
They are a team that has proven that it can play with the
nation’s elite when it wants to, yet they have also proven to be
very vulnerable.
And they are a team that had such an amorphous roster that its
team picture wasn’t taken until the eve of the regular-season
finale.
"This season was full of ups and downs," senior forward J.R.
Henderson said. "It was kind of crazy at the beginning. The season
kept going up and down, up and down, up and down, and we never had
a chance to define ourselves as a team."
Yet, there have been many defining moments for the Bruins – some
incredibly frustrating, others just plain amazing.
It has been a season defined by senior forward Kris Johnson,
who, upon taking the blame for the departure of friend and junior
center Jelani McCoy , was on the verge of tears in front of a group
of reporters after a practice.
It has been a season defined by Baron Davis, who actually came
to tears after his errant threepoint shot sealed UCLA’s 91-87 loss
to Arizona last Saturday.
And it was a season defined by Toby Bailey, who, in frustration,
slammed the ball off the backboard in Washington’s Edmundson
Pavilion two weeks ago as the final buzzer sounded, ending UCLA’s
amazing comeback attempt and leaving a bittersweet taste in their
mouths once again.
But it was also a season defined by such unforgettable images as
the amazing off-the-backboard alley-oop from Earl Watson to Baron
Davis against Oregon State.
Then there was the three-pointer at the buzzer by Johnson to
defeat Washington State in Pullman.
And who could ever forget the biggest smile anybody has seen on
J.R. Henderson’s face over the past four years when he was
announced for the final time at Pauley Pavilion last Saturday?
Up, down. Up, down. There is no middle ground for the Bruins.
They are a team that went 9-1 in its first 10 games, 7-3 in the
following 10, and 5-5 to conclude the season. In the process, they
were ranked as high as No. 6 – only a month and a half ago – but
have proceeded to fall 13 spots since.
However, it was in the final three games of the season that the
Bruins played their best. Leave it to this team to play its best
three games of the season and lose two of them.
On March 1 against Washington, UCLA lolly-gagged through the
first half and trailed by 16 at halftime. But the Bruins turned up
the offensive and defensive intensity to come all the way back,
only to lose by one.
Then last week, they handled a good Arizona State squad, 102-94,
before losing to second-ranked Arizona in what was perhaps the
Bruins’ best effort of the season.
"As a team, we just grew strong as the season progressed,"
Johnson said. "It’s like that every year."
The story of the Bruin season began way back in the summer.
Having just endured one of the most tumultuous seasons ever, the
Bruins were looking toward the future – and perhaps, a national
title.
At least that’s what the pros said.
Over the summer, various Bruins would take on NBA players such
as Jalen Rose and Chris Mills in pick-up games in the Men’s Gym –
and win almost almost every time.
"We were beating them, and every time after we played they would
be like, ‘You guys better make the finals and if you don’t we are
going to beat you guys up,’" Bailey said. "Or they say, ‘You guys
better not do the same this year.’"
The expectations couldn’t have been higher. With Bailey,
Henderson, Johnson and McCoy returning, combined with blue-chip
recruits Davis, Watson and Schea Cotton, UCLA knew there was nobody
more talented.
Then came Hell Week.
The last week of September is not one the Bruins will soon
forget – after all, it may have cost them their season.
On Sept. 25, Cotton – who was ranked as one of the best forward
prospects in the nation – was ruled ruled academically
ineligible.
Then, four days later, McCoy and Johnson were inexplicably and
indefinitely suspended.
In a span of five days, the Bruins metamorphosed from an
extremely deep team to one with no bench strength or continuity
whatsoever.
"We would have had a chance right from the get-go to get
chemistry going and having everybody on the same page," Henderson
said. "But we never really got a chance to do that."
Though Johnson would be re-instated before the season began, he
would miss the first four games, leaving the Bruins with three
freshman starters along with Henderson and Bailey.
And it didn’t help that that the first contest was against
currently top-ranked North Carolina in Alaska.
In the opening-round game of the Great Alaska Shootout, the Tar
Heels dominated from start to finish and handed the Bruins their
second worst loss in school history, 109-68.
The size disadvantage became truly evident, as UNC outrebounded
the Bruins 45-28 and shot 63 percent from the field, while UCLA
made only 40 percent of its shots.
The following Monday – coincidentally or not – the
6-foot-10-inch McCoy was re-instated to the practice squad, though
he would not play in a game until a month later.
The Bruins would not lose a game until January. Among the
victories in the ensuing nine-game winning streak was their only
win of the season against a ranked team (New Mexico), which also
was the last game Johnson would not play.
In that span were victories over tourney-bound Northern Arizona,
St. Louis, UNLV and – in McCoy’s first game back – Illinois.
Everything was just fine for a while. The Bruins were winning –
at one point they were 17-3 – and continuity had re-surfaced.
Then came Hell Week, Part II, only this time it lasted
longer.
A loss at Oregon was followed by a loss to Stanford at home, a
game in which the Bruins had every opportunity to win but
didn’t.
Then came the big news.
McCoy was gone. He resigned, citing "intense media pressure" and
a desire to let his teammates have less distractions.
Two days later, as if things weren’t bad enough, Bailey was
kicked out of practice and benched for the Bruins’ upcoming game
against USC. Bailey: the player who had found a way to avoid all
the suspensions, punishments and problems over the years.
One had to wonder if things would ever get better for the
Bruins.
It didn’t. At least not immediately.
Over the next three games, the Bruins barely beat two of the
Pac-10’s worst clubs – USC in overtime and WSU at the buzzer – and
got drilled at Duke by 36 points.
The following game at Washington, UCLA played its worst 20
minutes of the season and trailed by 16 at halftime. Yet that was
the game where they turned it around.
They made an amazing comeback only to fall one-point short, then
won their game against ASU and played solidly against Arizona.
And that’s where they stand today.
Are they the team that went 9-1 to start the season? Or are they
the team that got beat by Duke and North Carolina by a combined 77
points?
Are they the team that for so many games, just did not look as
though they put forth their full effort – and the scoreboard
revealed it? Or are they the team that everyone has seen for the
last week – a team that can compete with anybody?
At some point over the next three weeks, the Bruins will
discover where they stand in the national picture. And the Bruins
are confident that they are at the top of the spectrum.
"I still have a funny feeling that we are going to surprise a
lot of people in the tournament," Johnson said. "People don’t know
it yet, I don’t think we know it yet, but when the tournament comes
we’ll be ready."
If not, it will be a very quick end to a very long
season.GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin
Kris Johnson and his teammates have endured many ups and downs
this season.