Crgreen,
Two quick questions:
1 Why do UCLA fans dislike Lavin to the extent they do?
2. Has the dislike for Lavin among the UCLA fans lessened or intensified since Lavin arrived at StJ's?
I am sorry if you have answered this question before but I a relatively new poster.
Thanks.
Answer to #2 - Those that hated his guts still hate his guts. Those that were more on the fence are more out in the open about their neutrality now.
Answer to #1.....Why do they hate him? Black is White, Up is Down, yes is No. And 6 straight NCAA tourneys, 6 straight 21 or more win seasons, 6 straight top 25 finishes, 5 sweet 16 or better performances in 6 years, Signing 7 McDonalds All AMericans out of high school, and 13 players sent to the NBA (and 5 more to the NBDL) all translate to a guy who can't coach, a coach who doen't know how to recruit, and a coach who can't develop players. Because this was UCLA! Given it's "natural advantages" ANY coach should have been able to do that, as a minimum.
Interesting thing is, In the 8 years since (Ben Howland - and I'm a HUGE Howland fan), there've been no 6 straight 21 win streaks. There've been no 6 straight top 25 finishes. there've been THREE Sweet 16s of better, not 5. And with 1 extra year, "only" 11 players to the NBA (but that includes 3 of Steve lavin's players)...and in the 25 years PRIOR, there were no 6 straight top 25 finishes. And there were only 3 Sweet 16 or beyond finishes in that ENTIRE QUARTER CENTURY.
Let me repeat that for those that missed it. In the QUARTER CENTURY before Steve Lavin took over, UCLA had been to the Sweet 16 or beyond only 3 times. In his first 6 years, Steve got them their 5 timems 25yrs/3 times vs. 6yrs/5 times. And during that 6th year/5th time, the Athletic Director was caught offering his job to Rick Pitino. Cut his legs off at the knees. The most public unfired "LAME DUCK" in college hoops history. Can't fathom how he was able to secure a committment from Trevor Ariza after that!
I posted on Redmen (and I THINK here) when Steve first got hired. I had watched as various factions chipped away at Steves reputation. Little anecdotes. Jokes. Partial truths. Straight out lies accepted as fact. All repeated and regurgitated ad nauseum until sentiment had been swayed and Up was Down. I felt in a way personally responsible. I'd seen all those posts. Reconized them for what they are, but generally kept my mouth shut. No boat rocking, or stirring up hornets nests. In a small way, I contributed to it happening. In that first post over here, I told these boards. I will not tolerate any lies, half truths, inuendo, etc. I will attack any such crap. And I'll do it with Facts, Stats, comparisons, quotes and all other evidence available. NOT just opinion or anecdote.
Understand, Steve was a young inexperienced coach, learning on the job. And accomplishing more than seasoned coaches - heck HALL OF FAME coaches - had been able to do at UCLA since Wooden retired. But he also made mistakes. He was still a bit immature - a single, good-looking guy with slicked back hair and a great job in one of the media capitals of the world. That bred a lot of resentment. He caught hell for taking a day off and going to a Dodger game. The mods of one Bruin board told the world how lazy he was as a coach. They praised ANOTHER Harrick assistant's work ethic - Lorenzo Romar and assistant Cam Dollar up at Washingting - as the way REAL coaches do it. They DID tone that down a bit when the NCAA came down on Washington for improper recruiting
. He was harrangued for the assitant coaches he had - he'd hired only his buddies with no real credentials as his assistants, when he obviously needed experienced coaches. Completly ignoring the fact HE didn't hire the assitants - they were part of the deal when he accepted the interim head coaching job. Jim Saia and Michael Holton were Jim Harricks assistants. And Steve Spencer was Harrick's DOBO. He was promoted by the ATHLETIC DIRECTOR to 3rd assistant. And that staff took the team that first year to the Elite 8. Do you fire your staff members after than??? Also - Steve Spencer left - to be Head Coach at Golden West College. Michael Holton left - to be head coach at Portland University. Jim Saia stayed, but after Lavin left, he's since been head coach at 3 schools, including USC. And when Spencer left, which "buddy" did Steve hire to replace him? Actually, he wasn't a buddy. Steve robbed Howlands staff at Pitt for 7 year assistant Pat Sandle. After Lavin left, Pat went back to Pitt, with Jamie Dixon. He's still there. Espn voted him one fo the top 15 assistant coaches in college hoops in a poll last season.
Stories get told. After the tide had turned against Steve at UCLA, they got accepted as fact, no matter how ludicrous. There was the game he was overheard turning to Jim Saia as the national anthem was about to be played and askd about the opponent "do they play man or zone?". Jim told me it was a little joke between them. It was reported as gospel fact - Steve was so lazy he didn't even bother to find out what defense the opponents played. There was the time he went to see a recruit at a tournament in the Northwest. And while waiting for that players game, he was seen working out on an exer-cycle, not watching the action. Again, he was being a lazy jerk. Again, in talking to Jim Saia, I was told Steve was zeroing in on ONE recruit - putting his all out rush on the kid. And he'd told the kid he was making this 1,000 mile trip JUST to watch him play - "I'm here JUST to see you" - so he showed himself conspicuously NOT watching other players.
Which leads to another story that lead to his downfall as it was accpeted as fact. It was reported that he'd made a deal with Cedric Bozeman and his family that he would recruit no other PG's till Ced's junior year - PG was to be Ced's spot only (transfer combo guard Brian Morrison would be the backup, and he'd graduate after Ced's Jr Year. This was accepted as gospel truth. It's still accpeted as truth by many to this day "Lavin left the program high and dry by refusing to recruit any PGs while Ced was there".
But the same people who cling to that complete BS are the same people who revel in telling the Exer-Cycle story to show how incompetent Steve was.
But....The exercycle story occured the summer after Ced Bozeman's freshman year. And the Kid Steve Lavin was there to watch (and would later follow to South America when the kid played on the US under18 team) - was Aaron Brooks. A 5 star Point Guard (UCLA ended up in his final two, but he chose Oregon and Ernie Kent -interestingly, guess who was the coach of that US under 18 team Steve followed to Central America to watch? Yep - Ernie Kent.
But that's how ridiculous it is. Up is down, Black is White. He didn't recruit any pgs. Remind them the funny exercise bike was ABOUT recruiting a PG, and you get the message board equivalent of a blank stare.
One last story of how (and again, this is only my opinion) I feel this crap got started and festered. In his first recruiting class, Steve signed McDonalds AA's Baron Davis and Schea Cotton, Plus Earl Watson, Billy Knight (hed be a 15 pt scorer for the Bruins), Rico Hines (he'd be team captain), and a post named Travis Reed - he'd eventually transfer, be all conference at Long Beach State, and have a GREAT 10 year Euro career). The next season, Steve signed 3 of the top 5 players in the country in 6'11 Dan Gadzuric, 6'10 Jerome Moiso, and 6'7 Jaron Rush. He also signed a top 20 player in SG Ray Young. And filled out the class with a 6'7 kid named Matt Barnes. Gadz, Rush and Young were all McD AA's. (Moiso was a 5th year prep).
Now all that is to tell you this. The following year, UCLA had no scholarships. Until Baron Davis declared for the draft. Steve put on his full court press for the best unsigned player available. And landed 6'7 McDonalds All America Jason Kapono.
Not a bad first 3 years recruiting, no? But. That year Kapono was signed, Arizona brought in a GREAT class - 3 McDonalds all americans. and a sleeper from Los Angeles.
The story got around (from the mods at one of the Bruin boards) that Steve Lavin had never even bothered to go see this kid play. A kid who "would've signed with UCLA in a heartbeat". Never saw him play ball. Couldn't be less interested. So Gilbert Arenas ended up an Arizona Wildcat.
That story left Lavin twisting in the windd for almos two years on the Bruin boards - really raising the level of enmity for the Coach. Especially as Gil exploded on the scene, and was even better as a soph.
But that 2nd year, one of the mods who told that story was posting on another UCLA board. And he got asked a question by one of those who hadn't drunk the kool-aid yet. "I'm hearing Arenas may not be academically eligible, and that's why he's declaring for the draft. Supposedly UCLA admissions wouldn't clear him 2 years ago". And this mod responded (after two years of Lavins rep twising ing the wind) - I guess so as not to appear to have been "out of the know" - "It was well knpwn Arenas never had the grades for UCLA".
So Steve hadn't bothered to go see a kid he KNEW he couldn't get into school. And at a time he had Baron Davis, Earl Watson, Ray Young, Billy Knight and Rico Hines (plus soph transfer Moose Bailey, who'd STARTED at PG for Penn State as a frosh) , all under classmen, manning his two guard spots. For whom he didn't have a scholarship till three months AFTER the kid comitted to Arizona.
And again - Steve's reputation was fluttering in the breeze for almost 2 years, cause nobody spoke up about what was "Well Known"....
Up is Down, White is Black.....to this day you can go to a Bruin board and be informed over and over that Steve Lavin Destoryed UCLA basketball, left it in shambles with the cupboard absolutely bare for Howland to come in and salvage.
Yet 3 seasons later, that "shambles" was playing in the national championship game. Two of the starters in that game were Steve Lavin players - Cedric Bozeman and Ryan Hollins - with a third, 7' Mike Fey backing up the 7' Hollins. The empty cupboard Steve had left included Future NBA player Ced Bozeman, who'd lead the Pac 10 in assistst the next year. Dijon Thompson, who'd be all-pac 10 and play in the NBA. Ryan Hollins, who'd be West Regional MVP in the Dance, and be a starting Center in the NBA. It included the "parting gift" - Trevor Ariza, signed sealed and delivered by Steve. It included TJ Cummings, who would be a 15pt 6 reb guy in the NBDL. It included Mike Fey, who'd be a 15pt 6 rbound player in the NBDL. It included Brian Morrison, who'd play 2 years in the NBDL. That was the "empty cupboard" left behind. 4 future NBA players, and 3 Multi-year NBDL players.... Gotta tell you - I'd take MY chances starting a season with that roster...
Anyway, didn't intend to re-write War and Peace. Sorry for being so very long winded. But it's a subject I feel very strongly about, because over in Bruinland, Up is still down, Black is still white for quite a few folks...And y'all are going to be flooded with facts and figures and stats and links up the wazzu if any of that kind of crap starts appearning over here!
