Brian Thompson Thompson isn’t a
UCLA hoops coach, so he asks that you please don’t hang him
after reading this. Let him know what you think at [email protected].
Unless you’re Tom Hanks in “Cast Away” or one
of those sexy singles on “Temptation Island,” you
probably know that Steve Lavin, our beleaguered men’s
basketball coach, didn’t exactly have the easiest of times
this past week. Let’s take a quick look at what he’s
had to endure: Lavin led UCLA to two victories last week. One of
them was against a nationally ranked opponent who just happens to
be UCLA’s arch enemy. The other is a former national champion
from a highly respected conference. Those two wins continue a
stretch that has seen UCLA win seven of its last eight games. Yet
all anyone wants to talk about is Lavin’s job security. Lavin
finally found some consistent scoring with his 1-4 offense. Players
such as Dan Gadzuric, Matt Barnes and Jason Kapono are starting to
find shots within the scope of the offense. Most notably, Lavin has
instituted a stifling defensive press that frustrates and tires
opposing teams. Yet everyone thinks that he can’t coach.
Lavin won his 100th game as head coach last Saturday against
Villanova. He has won 100 games while only losing 42, a .704
winning percentage. Lavin reached the century mark faster than any
coach in modern UCLA history with the exception of Jim Harrick.
Yep, he got to 100 faster than even John R. Wooden himself. Yet
detractors are quick to point out only what he hasn’t won;
namely, an NCAA Championship. Of course, these shots taken at Lavin
aren’t new. People have been out for his head ever since he
started patrolling the sidelines at Pauley. But when a certain
low-profile athletic director makes it very public that he’s
had two conversations with a certain high-profile, recently
available, big-time coach, the Lavin-haters of the world are going
to make some noise. Oh yeah, in case you haven’t heard, Rick
Pitino’s name has surfaced as the possible next head coach of
the UCLA basketball team. For some Bruin fans, this is the best
thing to happen to the program since the 1995 championship. Pitino
stepped down as coach and president of the NBA’s Boston
Celtics last week. In his three and a half years in the pros, he
led the Celtics to a dismal 102-146 and no playoff appearances. He
unceremoniously jumped ship with six and a half years still to go
on his 10-year contract. So let me get this straight ““ Bruin
fans are clamoring to replace a coach who has averaged 23 wins a
year and has reached the Sweet 16 three times for a coach who just
walked out on his last job because he couldn’t do anything to
help them win? Sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Seriously. By
all accounts, Steve Lavin is a great guy. It’s hard to say a
bad thing about Lavin the person. And as a coach, he has put up
impressive numbers under challenging and often unsupportive
circumstances. He’s had to put up with the Harrick fiasco,
the Jelani McCoy and Kris Johnson suspensions, Baron Davis’s
injury and the JaRon Rush problems, just to name a few. But ever
since Lavin took the job, the cards have been stacked against him.
He’s a proud man who will never quit. But is this the ideal
working environment for him? He’s been rumored to be halfway
out the door on more than one occasion. Many of the Bruin faithful
have been on his case for years. And now, it appears that Athletic
Director Peter Dalis and the administration are as well. Regardless
of what Dalis said, he probably wouldn’t have made those
calls to Pitino if he was truly happy with Lavin as his coach. Like
Dick Vitale said last week when Dalis claimed he was just updating
his list of candidates, “My feeling is, making a list sounds
like Santa Claus is coming to town! Checking out who is naughty or
nice? Once you make the decision to change coaches, that’s
when you inquire about availability.” Let’s face it.
This is UCLA, and as long as those 11 banners are hanging in
Pauley, people will want more. The fans have been out to hang Bruin
coaches ever since Wooden retired. And Pitino will be out to prove
that he can give the people what they want. He’ll want to
prove that what happened with the Celtics was a fluke. He turned
Boston U and Providence into tournament teams. His resume at
Kentucky is astonishing. And at UCLA, he could take this program to
a higher level.
The Pitino factor Prestige:
Just think about having Rick Pitino on the Bruin bench at Pauley.
UCLA would become the mecca of college basketball once again. Last
week Dalis cited attendance as one of his concerns. At Kentucky,
Pitino’s Wildcats averaged 23,791 a game at home in Rupp
Arena. The attendance during Pitino’s tenure was higher than
that of any other Kentucky coach ever. Just think of the buzz
around Los Angeles with Pitino around. The Bruins would be the
hottest ticket in town, and opponents would fear coming to Pauley
once again. Recruiting: Granted, Lavin has done a
very good job in this area. But Pitino will be able to draw on a
broader level and get student-athletes from across the nation to
come to UCLA. Besides, it would be a lot nicer having him recruit
for us as opposed to against us, as would be the case if he were at
UNLV (another school where he’s rumored for the head coach
position). Winning: In seven years with the
Wildcats, Pitino amassed a 184-45 record. Overall as a college
coach, he has a 352-124 record (.739 winning percentage). Winning
is nice, but this is UCLA, and we’ll only settle for one
thing … Tournament Success: In the six years
Kentucky was eligible, Pitino not only made the tournament each of
those years, but led the Wildcats to three Final Fours and two
Elite Eights. Oh, and there’s also that NCAA National
Championship he won in 1996 that we can’t forget about. Be
sure about this much: UCLA is very much in the running if it is
willing to make a change. Despite embarrassing Lavin and putting
Pitino in a bad position last week, Dalis can still get him. On
Monday, Pitino told UNLV, the only school publicly courting him,
that he’d wait until after the season to make a decision. The
Rebels are under NCAA probation and have few scholarships
available. That definitely swings things in UCLA’s favor.
It’s up to Dalis to make him an offer he can’t refuse.
Coaching is a cutthroat profession. Does Steve Lavin deserve to be
fired? Probably not. But Pitino is too good to pass up. And Lavin
deserves better than the treatment he’s received here. Lavin
may go on to be a very successful coach someday, but with the way
things have gone so far under his watch, UCLA may not be the best
place for him.