Reconstruction

For four years, you were a faithful Bruin.

You went to each home game, standing for all 40 minutes and
eagerly participating in every 8-clap.

You watched every road game on television, even those early
Saturday morning East Coast games.

And now, looking back, you likely feel an enigmatic blend of
pride and embarrassment over the team’s performance.

Such is the legacy of the last four years of the Steve Lavin
era, which undoubtedly will be seen, a generation from now, as some
of the most interesting years in UCLA basketball history.

“It’s because everything UCLA does is
magnified,” Lavin said. “The highs are magnified, but
the lows are, too.”

And there are plenty of highs and lows to talk about.

Only five other graduating classes in the nation (Duke, Arizona,
Kentucky, Kansas and Maryland) can claim that their school went to
the Sweet 16 three of the past four years.

And no school in college basketball history had ever beaten the
No. 1 ranked team in the country for four years in a row,
UCLA’s current streak.

“It is rare, and it has never happened in the history of
basketball,” Lavin said. “To do something in the
history of sports that has never been done before is definitely a
positive thing.”

But is it really? Don McLean, who played at UCLA from 1989-92
and is the school’s all-time leading scorer, certainly
doesn’t think so.

“Knocking off a No. 1 team always means you aren’t
No. 1,” he said.

McLean certainly isn’t alone in his negative view of the
past four years.

Seniors graduating this year have seen losses to Colorado State,
Cal State University-Northridge, Ball State, San Diego and Northern
Arizona, just to name a few. Such losses emphasize the lack of
consistency at UCLA, a unique characteristic among most major
programs.

Many people consider the true benchmark of a great team to be
conference titles, and in the past four years, the Bruins
didn’t bring home any.

“I think so much is put on the NCAA tournament, and it
seemed that many people thought everything was made okay just by
getting to the Sweet 16, even though the regular seasons frankly
weren’t that good,” McLean said. “In the end, if
you talk about Steve Lavin, it caught up to him in sense he
couldn’t keep getting away with just getting to the Sweet 16.
He won zero conference championships.”

Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden agrees with McLean’s take
that too much emphasis is placed solely on NCAA tournament success
in judging a season.

According to Wooden, it used to be that winning your conference
was a vital goal.

“In the last four years, how many times did UCLA win the
conference?” Wooden said. “In the old days, you used to
have to win your conference just to get into the NCAA tournament.
Now, you can finish fourth, fifth or sixth and still get
in.”

Regardless of how you remember the Lavin era, one thing is
certain: It’s over. Lavin walked off the court after March
14, and has been decidedly less visible since.

“It’s over now,” said Chris Roberts, who does
radio play-by-play of all UCLA games for Fox Sports 1150. “I
hate to make it sound so final, but now it’s Ben
Howland’s turn.”

Howland’s hiring, which happened on April 2, has brought
lots of buzz and optimism to the program.

“I’m very, very excited,” Roberts said.
“I am very impressed with (Howland’s) knowledge of the
game. And with his track record, he should be a big plus for
UCLA.”

McLean echoes Roberts’ excitement for the upcoming era. He
predicts a new, more consistent style of basketball for UCLA under
Howland.

“I think Lavin and Howland are polar opposites in terms of
coaching,” McLean said. “Lavin ran a loose program,
loose practices that didn’t have a lot of intensity. Howland
will be the exact opposite, and that will translate into
games.”

When the Bruins take the court next year, fans will notice one
difference immediately ““ the size of the players.

Howland is a big believer in using physical strength on the
court, so he is trying to add bulk to the lanky frames of the
current players.

“I’ve seen some real positive steps in the weight
room,” Howland said. “T.J. Cummings has already put on
six or seven pounds, and Dijon Thompson’s body is also much
bigger. And this is just the beginning.”

The beginning of a new chapter that will be written in the most
storied program in college basketball. As the Lavin era slowly
fades away, fans hope a national championship is just around the
corner.

“I really hope it is,” Wooden said. “I’m
not going to predict anything, but we have a fine coach, and UCLA
will always get fine material.”