Lavin cleared by Pac-10
The Pacific-10 Conference has cleared Bruin head coach Steve
Lavin of allegations brought upon by e-mails sent to the UCLA
athletic department.
This March, Bruin athletic director Peter Dalis received an
e-mail from an individual identifying himself as “Dave
Gibson.” In the e-mail, Gibson listed a number of alleged
NCAA infractions committed by Lavin.
Gibson threatened to send the allegations to the NCAA, Pac-10
and media outlets unless Lavin was fired by April 2. A few days
later, Dalis received a second e-mail from Gibson, asking him to
look into the allegations himself. This time, Gibson said the
charges would not be sent anywhere else.
Dalis forwarded Gibson’s message to Dan Coonan, then
Pac-10 Assistant Commissioner/Governance and Enforcement on April
5, and asked the conference to conduct an investigation.
Last Friday, the Pac-10 announced its investigation
“failed to yield any credible evidence of violations on the
part of UCLA in relation to the allegations presented in the
e-mail.”
Dalis and UCLA, meanwhile, issued an apology to Alan Elliott,
who ran a Web site that was highly critical of Lavin and frequently
sent e-mails to the UCLA athletic department and various newsrooms
calling for Lavin’s dismissal. Dalis accused Elliot, who
conducted these activities under the alias “Earl
Jones,” of being “Dave Gibson.”
Bruins atop polls
Various magazines and Internet publications have UCLA among the
top 10 teams in the country. Here is how the Bruins are ranked:
ESPN.com: No. 7
Sporting News: No. 6
Lindy’s: No. 4
FoxSports.com: No. 7
Basketball News: No. 5
Athlon: No. 7
Bruin bits
For the first time in school history, UCLA’s practices
will be closed to the media for the entire season. Barring the
press, Lavin said, would create “optimum teaching
conditions.” The team held its first fall practice on
Saturday … Sophomore forward T.J. Cummings, who arrived at UCLA
weighing 205 pounds last year, is currently tipping the scales in
the low-220 range after a summer of lifting and plenty of eating.
Redshirt freshman forward Josiah Johnson, on the other hand, has
lost around 20 pounds, according to Lavin … Over the summer,
Lavin asked senior Ray Young if he would consider redshirting.
Young considered, then refused. “It was just an
option,” Young said. “It’s no big deal”…
John Wooden turned 91 years old on Sunday … UCLA will open its
regular season on Nov. 19 at the Maui Invitational against Houston.
If the Bruins win, they will face the winner of the Kansas-Ball
State contest. Defending NCAA champion Duke is on the other side of
the bracket. Six of the tournament’s games will be shown on
ESPN and ESPN2.
Compiled by Dylan Hernandez, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.