Thursday, March 12, 1998
From head to toe, Bruins have superstitions covered
SUPERSTITIONS: With tournament starting Friday the 13th, players
take no chances
By Emmanuelle Ejercito
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The Bruins play their first-round tournament game against Miami
on Friday. But it’s no ordinary Friday – it’s Friday the 13th. And
in a tournament where an unlucky bounce of the ball can end a
team’s season, you’d better believe that the No. 19 UCLA men’s
basketball team will leave nothing up to chance.
When the Bruins travel to Atlanta, aside from their jerseys and
warm-up suits, they will also bring their repertoire of
superstitions.
Ever notice how Kris Johnson is always the last to join the
mid-court huddle before the game and right before he does, he
always makes a lay-up?
"Yeah that’s one of my superstitions; I’ve always done that,"
Johnson said. "I always make the last basket."
Or how about Rico Hines and the towels on his head?
"Kris did it a lot his freshman year, and they won a national
championship," Hines said. "Since I am so superstitious, I figured
if I did it we might win another national championship."
But don’t look for Hines to have the two towels on – the one on
his head and the one around his neck – after he comes off the
bench. Hines will only wear the towels at the start of the game and
at the start of the second half.
Some of the team’s superstitions, though, aren’t as easily
observed. For example, Hines puts a penny in each of his shoes, a
habit he acquired in the eighth grade. Oh, and the pennies have to
be heads up.
"The pennies are my go-to, it’s my lucky charm," Hines said.
"(But) with tails, you are not supposed to mess with it."
And Hines would never consider playing a game without a penny in
his shoes.
"(If I didn’t have a penny), I don’t know," Hines said. "I’d
probably break my leg or die or something."
After going into an offensive slump after the Feb. 12 Stanford
match-up, Toby Bailey has turned things around in the last four
conference games. Since the Washington State game, Bailey has been
averaging 23.8 points and has made 35 of his 61 shots. While one
could attribute the turnaround to a renewed focus, the real answer
is on his left arm – the arm band similar to the one he wore last
year.
"I didn’t wear it my senior year; I just wanted a new start,"
Bailey said. "But I had to go back, I had to go back. The whole
year I haven’t had it – the first game was Washington State."
Note to the Beanie Boys: The next time you pass Bailey an arm
band, make sure it’s white.
"They passed me a blue one (at last year’s Duke game) and I
played alright, but it wasn’t the same," Bailey said. "It has to be
white."
Bailey also doesn’t wear the same shoes as the team. While the
rest of the Bruins wear the Allen Iverson shoes, Bailey doesn’t,
especially after slipping in the last moments of the three-point
Stanford loss to turn the ball over.
Does the senior have any other superstitions?
"Oh yeah, I’ve got a lot of superstitions," Bailey said. "But I
can’t tell you though – it’s bad luck."
Some players listen to the same song before each game. Earl
Watson, who writes high school teammates’ names on his shoes and
always sits at the back of the bus for good luck, chooses his song
at the start of each season and sticks with it for the entire year.
Meanwhile, Johnson listens to Mary J. Blige’s "I Can Love You."
However, not all superstitions are permanent. During last
season’s 12-game winning streak at the end of the year, Johnson
always wore a pair of Hawaiian boxers.
"I don’t have those anymore," Johnson said. "I threw them away
when we lost to Minnesota (in the Elite Eight)."
So as long as the Bruins don’t open up any umbrellas in the
Georgia Dome, avoid black cats and don’t walk under any ladders,
they should be able to overcome any Friday the 13th influence and
beat the Hurricanes … knock on wood.