The greatest ride in town

  PATIL ARMENIAN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Earl Watson
scrambles to keep the ball in bounds early in the NCAA tournament.
The Bruins kept fans on the edge of their seats this year.

By Chris Umpierre
Daily Bruin Staff Say what you want about Steve Lavin and his UCLA
men’s basketball team but never, never call them boring. A
turbulent season is nothing out of the ordinary for Bruin
basketball, but this past season has to be remembered as one of the
most eventful in school history. From Rico Hines’ pre-season
attack of a teammate to Athletic Director Pete Dalis’
acknowledgement that he spoke to Rick Pitino, and from the 29-point
massacre at Cal to the stunning upset over No. 1 Stanford, the
2000-01 UCLA season had more ups and downs than an elevator, and
more twists and turns than a roller coaster. So it comes to no
surprise that when the season came to an end, a Sweet Sixteen 76-63
defeat to eventual champion Duke, several players expressed relief
that the turmoil they had endured over the past five months was
over. Largely because this year’s team was able to
successfully negotiate obstacles that seemed to be thrown in their
way on a weekly basis, Lavin will forever remember them.
“Even though we came up short in our goal for the national
championship, I’m as proud of this team as any I’ve
coached here at UCLA,” he said. “We came so far from
the early part of the season. What looked like a long year turned
into another Sweet 16 run.”

The WWF comes to Westwood In a sign of things to come for the
thrill-a-minute Bruins, the 2000-01 UCLA team started the season
off with a bang. Angered at Barnes’ aggressiveness in a
summer pick up game, Hines lost his cool. The senior picked up a
stool and whacked his teammate over the head. The two teammates
then got into a scuffle before they were pulled off of each
other.

So where do they play the NIT again? The team began the season
with two solid performances in the Coaches vs. Cancer pre-season
tournament in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Their 99-98
slim loss to then-No. 7 Kansas and their 97-92 victory over
then-No. 12 Kentucky seemed to signal a great season. When they
returned to Westwood for their home opener, a school known more for
an earthquake than basketball named Cal State Northridge stunned
UCLA 78-74 on Nov. 21. Things didn’t get better for the
Bruins over the next four games. They narrowly defeated pitiful UC
Santa Barbara 83-77, were upset 72-67 by lowly Georgia Tech, and
escaped UC Irvine 65-60. The ensuing Dec. 23 loss to North Carolina
put the Bruins’ record at a very disappointing 4-4. For a
team that was ranked No. 17 in the pre-season, UCLA looked to be
going nowhere but the lowly NIT tournament.

The pressing turnaround Two days before Christmas, UCLA was in
dire straits. Their defense had more holes than a slice of swiss
cheese, and several players were playing selfishly trying to show
off for NBA scouts. In the first half of a nationally televised
game against North Carolina in Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins
floundered even more. At halftime the Tar Heels were up by 16
points and threatening to give UCLA its biggest home defeat in
school history. In the locker room at halftime, Lavin pulled out
all stops and told his players to run a full court press with the
long-armed Barnes as its catalyst. The Bruins forced a number of
turnovers but eventually fell to the Tar Heels 80-70. Nevertheless,
they had found an identity. UCLA pressed the rest of the year to
great success, winning 19 of their next 24 games.

Where’s that Rick Pitino number? Just as the team was
hitting its groove Athletic Director Dalis dropped a bombshell on
Jan. 9. He informed the media that he had two discussions with
then-jobless and former Kentucky Head Coach Rick Pitino.
What’s more he failed to mention all of this to Lavin, who
was forced to hear the news from reporters. “Pitino is an
opportunist,” a furious Lavin said that day.
“He’s trying to capitalize on a tremendous
opportunity.” Dalis’ discussion with Pitino (although
Dalis maintains they were not about the UCLA job) fueled
speculation that Lavin, who has been under fire all five years in
Westwood, would soon be fired. The players used the rumors as
motivation and continued to win. Two days after the news UCLA beat
then-No. 18 USC 80-75 in Pauley Pavilion. With Dalis reluctant to
give Lavin a vote of confidence or a guarantee that he would return
next season, the Bruin Head Coach went through what he said
“the most challenging and difficult three weeks of my UCLA
tenure.” In a game at Cal a month later, Berkeley students
rubbed it in by holding up pictures of Pitino with the words
“I got next, Lavin” scribbled below. Lavin’s
father, Cap, said his son came close to resigning. Instead of
resigning Lavin conducted his best coaching in his Westwood career,
spearheading the Bruins to a spectacular 14-4 record in arguably
the nation’s toughest conference.

From horrendous to sensational in two days In a span of two days
in February, UCLA’s roller coaster season made a bee-line to
the concrete floor ““ nearly throwing the Bruins off ““
and then shot straight up. On Feb. 1, Cal humiliated the Bruins
92-63 in Haas Pavilion. It was Berkeley’s biggest win over
UCLA since 1923. Two days later UCLA, spearheaded by a career game
from usual bench warmer Billy Knight, toppled then-No. 1 Stanford
79-73 at the always hostile Maples Pavilion. After the game,
Cardinal guard Ryan Mendez attempted to sum up the Bruin program.
“They’re a tragic team,” he said after the game.
“How can they play like they did against Cal, then come in
here and play like they did today?” While they might be
tragic, they certainly are also resilient. Many coaches and players
would have buckled under the pressure of the obstacles the UCLA
basketball team had to endure in 2000-01. Despite all that
occurred, the Bruins still managed to make the Sweet Sixteen for
the fourth time in the last five years. Despite all the ups and
downs, they finished ranked No. 12 in the USA Today/ESPN poll. But
don’t tell that to Kapono, who wasn’t in a mood to be
retrospective after the season’s last defeat.
“It’s hard to look back and find something
positive,” he said. “We had a decent year. We could
have gone further, but we didn’t so we have to live with
it.”

EVALUATING THE 2000-01 UCLA MEN’S BASKETBALL
TEAM PG Ryan Bailey Sr. Teammate Jason
Flowers refers to him as the "Doug Williams of UCLA basketball."
Like the former Washington Redskin quarterback that filled in for
an injured teammate to lead his team to the Super Bowl, Bailey was
the consummate backup point guard. His experience and ball handling
proved vital all season. F Matt Barnes Jr. The
6-foot-7 forward made arguably the biggest sophomore-to-junior jump
in UCLA history. After averaging a measly six points and three
rebounds a game in his second year, Barnes had a breakout junior
season as he finished averaging 12 points and 7 boards. If he
develops an outside game, he could be Pac-10 Player of the Year
next season. F TJ Cummings Fr. Out of all the UCLA
greats, no one had a better first collegiate game. Playing his
first match against Kansas in New York’s Madison Square Garden,
Cummings scored 24 points. As a freshman his post moves and
automatic baseline jumper were one of the best on the team.
However, as UCLA became a pressing team midway into the year, Lavin
turned to quicker players and Cummings’ minutes significantly
dropped. PG Jason Flowers Sr. Not expected to play
at all at the beginning of the year, Lavin decided to start the
fifth-year walk-on against Purdue to add some energy to a team that
was struggling at 4-4. His hustle and work ethic became contagious
and the Bruins ran off six straight wins. Flowers left the starting
lineup in early February. C Dan Gadzuric Jr.
Durability, because of tendinitis in his knees, was a big question
for the 6-foot-11 center entering the season. Not only did he
answer that question (he averaged 27 minutes per game), but he also
made it clear that he was one of college basketball’s best centers.
Gadzuric’s shining moment came in UCLA’s upset over Arizona.
F Jason Kapono So. The sweet shooting forward made
an excellent decision to return to school after his freshman
campaign. Without question, if Lavin had not kept Kapono this
season, the Bruins wouldn’t have made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Also
by returning he increased his NBA stock according to several pro
scouts, who love his improved athleticism and rebounding. While
it’s almost a certainty that Kapono will put his name into the NBA
draft, there are still parts of his game that need work. G
Billy Knight Jr. And to think this guard nearly
transferred to Long Beach State last season. After starting the
year on the pine, Knight was the hero of UCLA’s stunning upset over
No. 1 Stanford at Palo Alto (he scored 22 points). After his
outburst against the Cardinal, the junior started every game and
with increased confidence produced. As squads chose to double-team
Barnes and Gadzuric in the paint, Knight nailed shots with
impressive precision from the outside. PG Earl Watson
Sr. To say this gritty point guard was the heart and soul
of the 2000-01 Bruins is an understatement. The team’s leader on
and off the court, Watson refused to let the Bruins lose and often
willed his team to victories. For instance, with his Bruins
teetering against Hofstra in the tournament’s first round, the
point guard pounded his chest and shouted, "Heart, heart, heart."
Playing with a new sense of urgency, his team went on to defeat the
Pride. Watson will certainly be missed. G Ray Young
Jr. After two disappointing seasons at UCLA, this was
supposed to be this former McDonald’s high school All-American’s
breakout year. The only thing that was broke was his spot in the
starting lineup which Young lost to a hot-shooting Knight. The
shooting guard struggled with his confidence all season. But no one
works harder than Young in practice, he usually stays 40 minutes
after practice working on his shot and conditioning. Original by
ADAM BROWN/Daily Bruin Web adaptation by MONICA KWONG/Daily Bruin
Senior Staff