Thursday, October 8, 1998
Race for Wooden Award begins
MBASKETBALL: Coaches gather at L.A. Athletic Club
to discuss upcoming season
By Greg Lewis
Daily Bruin Staff
Every year, the "Wizard of Westwood," John R. Wooden, honors one
college hoopster with basketball’s version of the Heisman
Trophy.
The race for the Wooden Award began Wednesday with the Los
Angeles Athletic Club’s annual College Basketball Tip-off
Luncheon.
All 11 NCAA Division I head coaches from San Diego to Santa
Barbara gave speeches and shared their thoughts on the upcoming
season.
Bruin head coach Steve Lavin spoke first, in order to catch a
plane to Europe later in the day. Lavin talked about each member of
the prized, incoming freshman class.
About his recruits, regarded by many as tops in the nation,
Lavin quipped, "If I don’t win at least three National
Championships with a line-up (with as much talent as) this, I sure
can’t coach." Last year the Bruins finished with a 24-9, but this
year’s team is full of talented new faces.
Lavin, in his third year as head coach of the Bruin squad,
continued by saying that this was by far the most competitive team
he has ever been around. He also expressed a sense of relief that
the team will now have two players in the seven foot height
range.
Seven-foot freshman Jerome Moiso will man the power forward
spot, while 6-foot-11-inch Dan Gadzuric will take over the center
spot in his first year.
Crosstown coach Henry Bibby joked about the Los Angeles area
recruits he "stole" from Coach Lavin and expressed his belief that
the Trojans’ starting point-guard, Kevin Augustine, is one of the
top play makers in the country. The Trojans, like the Bruins, have
an influx of youth this year. Although Southern Cal lacks a true
center, Jarvis Turner will handle the duties this year, and two
junior college transfers, Brian Scalbarine and Quincy Wilder should
provide skill and maturity to help the Trojans be competitive in
the Pacific 10 conference.
Pepperdine coach and former Bruin assistant Lorenzo Romar
invited all basketball fans to come see the re-emergence of his
Wave team. The Waves finished with a 7-20 record last year, but
they are looking for a much more positive season for a relatively
young team with only a year of experience.
Romar sports his own Wooden Award semi-finalist in 6-foot-6
senior guard Jelani Gardner.
The list of 25 finalists was announced in late July and includes
Bruin sophomore guard Baron Davis and many prominent Pac-10
seniors, including center Todd MacCulloch of Washington, guard
Jason Terry of Arizona, center Tim Young and point guard Arthur Lee
of Stanford.
The Wooden Award was first given out in 1977; the first
recipient was UCLA great Marques Johnson. Since then, the only
other Bruin to win the award has been Ed O’Bannon, who received the
honor for his senior year during the National Championship season
of 1995.
University of North Carolina junior Antawn Jamison took home the
hardware last year.
The John R. Wooden Committee conducts a poll of college
basketball experts to determine the pre-season top 25 candidates
for the Wooden All-American Team.
On March 23, the 10-player Wooden Award All-American Team will
be announced.
One member of the team will be selected as the recipient of the
Wooden Award trophy, as the nation’s "Most Outstanding Basketball
Player of the Year."
* * *
In other men’s basketball news, Baron Davis’s knee is about 80
percent healed, and he should be 100 percent by the time Pac-10
season rolls around, according to Lavin.
Preparation for the basketball season officially began on
Monday, as Coach Steve Spencer took over control of conditioning
drills.
The first day of actual practice, according to NCAA regulations,
is Oct. 17.DERRICK KUDO/Daily Bruin
Coach Steve Lavin speaks at the annual College Basketball
Tip-off Luncheon.
DERRICK KUDO/Daily Bruin
Basketball’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy will be presented
March 23.
Comments, feedback, problems?
© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]