Friday, February 21, 1997
M. HOOPS:
Lavin plays host to Krzyzewski and sixth-ranked Blue DevilsBy
Emmanuelle Ejercito
Daily Bruin Staff
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has been a friend and a mentor
of UCLA head coach Steve Lavin for years.
But for 40 minutes this weekend, all good tidings will be set
aside. The two coaches will duel on the sidelines of Pauley
Pavilion on Sunday, when sixth-ranked Duke pays a visit to No. 17
UCLA.
Lavin has known Krzyzewski since Lavin’s college days, when the
Duke coach was one of only a handful of head coaches who responded
to Lavin’s advice-seeking letters.
"It made a very strong impression on me that he always would
take the time, that he would write a hand-written letter back to
me," Lavin said. "He is everything that is good about college
basketball. He is someone I really, really respect."
That respect was one of the reasons why Lavin interviewed for an
assistant coaching position under Krzyzewski two years ago.
Although he remained at UCLA, Lavin continued to seek the advice of
"Coach K."
He just won’t be expecting to receive any on Sunday.
The good news for the Bruins (16-7) is that they will be getting
a breather from the tight Pac-10 race. The bad news is that they
are forced to face a Blue Devil team that has currently found
themselves on a hot streak.
While the game has no bearing on the outcome of the conference
championship, the cross-country, intersectional matchup provides
UCLA with an opportunity to strenghthen their case for a good seed
in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bruins have done well in conference play and are on a
four-game winning streak of their own, but UCLA is just 5-4 against
nonconference teams and 0-2 against nationally ranked nonconference
opponents, with losses to Kansas and Louisville.
"To me Sunday’s game is a fun game," Lavin said. "I don’t mean
fun in that we are just going to come in here and play around-the-
world or horse.
"We’re coming out and we’re continuing to build for March and
this is a great opportunity for us to help us prepare for the NCAA
Tournament. But I mean fun in the sense that it is a great
opportunity to play on national television with Dick Vitale jumping
around."
But facing the Devils may turn out to be anything but fun. Duke
(22-5) is riding a seven-game roll, including three wins against
nationally ranked teams  most recently an 84-77 victory over
No. 8 Clemson last Tuesday.
"Duke probably doesn’t have the lottery-level names of the
past," Lavin said. "What they do have are seven players that are
quick. They have a team that can shoot the ball very well and they
are playing great defense and so that’s a dangerous
combination."
Trajan Langdon leads the Devils with 14.8 points per game. The
shooting guard ranks sixth in the nation in three-point shooting
percentage, connecting on 49.4 percent of his long-range shots.
"(Langdon’s) a player that everyone talks about his shooting and
all his offensive skills," Duke assistant coach Tommy Amaker said.
"But he is our top defender on the perimeter and we put him on the
best offensive player on the other team. He has an unbelievable
responsibility on our team."
Perhaps the biggest surprise for Duke is point guard Steve
Wojciechowski. Wojciechowski hands out 5.6 assists per game and
owns an assist-turnover ratio of 3:1.
Duke Sports Info
Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski