Lavin censured for courtside behavior

By Chris Umpierre
Daily Bruin Staff

UCLA Head Coach Steve Lavin was placed on probation for the
remainder of the season by the Pac-10 late Monday for his tirade
toward an official during Saturday’s game against Oregon
State.

On several occasions, Lavin shouted and made gestures toward
Pac-10 Coordinator of Officiating Lou Campanelli, who was sitting
nine rows behind the Bruin bench, regarding calls by referee Craig
Grismore.

A couple of times in the game, Lavin motioned with his thumb,
saying “get him out of here” to Campanelli. On another
occasion, he turned around, faced Campanelli and made a
throat-slashing gesture.

Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen said the conference nearly
suspended Lavin for Thursday’s game against Cal.

“His comments about the officials were prohibited by
conference rules and inappropriate,” Hansen said in a
statement. “The officials worked a fine game.”

The league decided on probation after a meeting with Lavin, who
flew to the bay area to meet with Hansen and Campanelli, Monday
afternoon.

“Basically I wanted to express to them that I’m
sorry for my actions,” Lavin said. “It reflected poorly
on the Pac-10, on our university and on our program.”

The unusual measure of placing Lavin on probation ““
ordinarily the Pac-10 suspends or fines coaches for such behavior
““ means that if the head coach were to get in another similar
incident with officials, he could face a suspension. However,
technical fouls are not part of the equation.

“I asked them “˜What is probation?'”
Lavin said. “I said what if I get a technical foul. They said
“˜No, technical fouls have nothing to do with
it.'”

UCLA Athletic Director Pete Dalis, who just last week said Lavin
is starting to turn into a coach who “goes nuts on the
sideline,” said he almost missed Lavin’s outburst
because rain had damaged the reception on his television.

“Initially I thought he was doing something up in the
crowd like a lot of people thought,” he said. “And then
when the camera focused on Lou (Campanelli), I put two and two
together.”

Naturally, Dalis was concerned with his head coach’s
actions.

“I think (arguing with referees has) become the culture of
college basketball,” he said. “I’m so
old-fashioned, I’d not like to see any of that
happen.”

This is not Lavin’s first encounter with referees. Just
last Thursday against Oregon, he received a technical foul for
arguing a call and had to be physically restrained by assistant
coach Michael Holton.

Two seasons ago in a game at Washington, Lavin was ejected after
committing two technical fouls. He had to be held by players and
coaches from going after official Terry Christman.

“I think this is a good wake-up call,” Lavin said.
“(It) reminds you what’s really important, which is
setting a good example for the young people in our program and
behaving in a manner that a head basketball coach at an institution
like this should.”

Towards the end of his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Lavin
joked about how he’s recently being perceived as a very vocal
coach.

“Before, I was a cheerleader and too positive (and) now
I’m moving into the angry demonstrative salty coach,”
he said. “My first year I was a good defensive coach but a
horrible recruiter. Then I became a great recruiter and a bad
coach.”

“To me, I’m doing the same thing every year,”
Lavin added. “People that are close to me don’t see a
dramatic change.”