Bruins unite as family to fill void left by McCoy

Friday, February 20, 1998

Bruins unite as family to fill void left by McCoy

COLUMN Victory over USC proves that UCLA can rise to the
occasion

I know that the following paragraphs are going to shock many of
you. I am prepared to receive several responses, and, if I am
lucky, many of you will write to Viewpoint explaining how I have
become some crazed Bruin with no spirit or pride in our basketball
team.

However, I have to say what I have to say and deal with the
ramifications later.

We should not have beat USC in basketball Wednesday night at the
Los Angeles Sports Arena. Wait a minute. Don’t get upset at me.
Please listen to what I have to say.

The Bruins played well the entire game, but they played their
best during crucial times. When Baron Davis fouled out just minutes
before the game ended, and with the loss of Jelani McCoy, the
Bruins were not supposed to win.

But, with tenacity, determination and a strong will to survive,
the Bruins were able to fill in the gaps left by Davis and McCoy by
playing like a family.

Ironically, the loss of Jelani McCoy is probably the best thing
that has happened to the basketball team since the freshman duo of
Earl Watson and Davis.

I am not saying that McCoy hampered the team or that he was not
a great contributor. Obviously, he was an excellent inside player
who stepped up whenever the team needed leadership, not to mention
a hell of an athlete.

However, McCoy’s absence gave the Bruins the much needed
determination to focus and pull together at a time when they needed
to most.

This was evident in the USC game. The Bruins had to deal with
the fact of aman phenom guard (Davis) well before the end of
regulation, yet the Bruins still managed to come away with the
win.

Many critics have already predicted that McCoy’s loss is going
to hurt the Bruins’ chances throughout the rest of the season. In
fact, several sports writers and newspapers are already predicting
that because of this major loss, the team is going to get
slaughtered against Duke.

I beg to differ. If the Bruins look at the way they beat USC and
fundamentally realize how they overcame all obstacles and stuck
together to pull off one of their most impressive wins ever, then
they definitely have what it takes to beat Duke.

Perhaps the best way to understand my rationale is to think of a
child leaving home for the first time. When he leaves, he takes one
of the biggest steps in his life toward gaining his own
independence. The parents have given him the tools to survive. Now,
all he has to do is apply the skills and learn to live and think
for himself. Similarly, the Bruins have lost someone who they care
a great deal about.

Considering this, the Bruins have two choices. They could either
continue to lament the loss of McCoy, or they can accept the loss
as a positive stepping stone toward bringing unity, love and
stability back to the team. By choosing the latter option, the
Bruins will regain those attributes that are required for becoming
champions.

What the Bruins did against USC was great. Most, if not all, of
us felt as though we were going to wipe out the Trojans, partly
because they suck, and partly because we have handed them a beating
for seven consecutive times.

But, the Trojans played with dignity. They did not want to lose
against the Bruins (which was wishful thinking), and they
demonstrated this by sticking together and not giving up.

This was a challenge to our team. But the Bruins accepted the
challenge and demanded the respect that has made UCLA one of the
top basketball programs in the nation.

Yes, Jelani McCoy’s loss is a significant loss to our basketball
program, in the same way a child is a significant loss to a family
when he leaves his parents’ home.

No matter what, they will both survive, because Jelani still has
love and respect from his teammates and family members, just as the
child who leaves home will always have his parents.

As the No. 12 Bruins prepare to travel to North Carolina to face
the Blue Devils, they already know that they have their hands full.
No one needs to tell them that they will be playing against the No.
2-ranked team in the nation. They already know this.

But what the Bruins need to do is meditate on how they pulled
together against USC Wednesday night and realize that they are a
winning team, not because they won by having more points but
because they have taken that first step toward rehabilitating
themselves and gaining the independence that will make this team
the stuff legends are made of.

If the Bruins can keep their heads about them and stay focused
with the same tenacity and determination that they displayed
against USC, then Duke will definitely have their hands full – and
possibly deal with the reality of losing to a team that has become
a real family.

Stan Johnson is the sports editor of the Daily Bruin who
empathizes with Jelani McCoy. He can be reached at
[email protected] for questions, comments or criticisms. He
is also a die-hard basketball fan and is happy that Steffi Graf is
back on the WTA(tennis) tour.