Steve Lavin has a whiteboard in his office with the team roster
written on it ““ and undoubtedly he’s had to check it a
few times during the last month to remember who’s still with
the team.
After an off-season in which the men’s basketball team
underwent more facelifts than Cher, much of Lavin’s press
conference at today’s UCLA media day could address the
question of who is going to be on the court when the team opens its
season at home against San Diego on Nov. 26.
Gone are four seniors from last year’s squad and top
recruit Evan Burns, who will likely take his act to San Diego
State, a program with the academic standards of a juvenile
detention center.
Also out of action at the start of the season are sophomores
Ryan Walcott and Andre Patterson. Walcott will miss the first two
games of the 2002 campaign after violating NCAA rules concerning
redshirting while Patterson has been declared academically
ineligible for all of the fall quarter.
With all the defections and suspensions, it’s only a
matter of time before the athletic department installs a revolving
door as the new entrance to Pauley Pavilion.
Nevertheless, the Bruins will have an influx of new talent this
coming season, albeit under the most improbable circumstances.
UCLA will feature a pair of new centers, freshmen Michael Fey
and Ryan Hollins, each of whom took circuitous routes to arrive in
Westwood.
After originally signing with UCLA prior to last season, Fey had
to attend prep school after he was declared academically ineligible
to enroll, and apply again this year.
The 6-foot-10-inch Hollins originally signed with St. Louis
University but asked to be released from his national letter of
intent when former head coach Lorenzo Romar left to take over the
program at Washington. The former star at Pasadena’s John
Muir High School signed a grant-in-aid to attend UCLA and could
play significant minutes this winter.
The other two recruits in UCLA’s 2003 class are heralded
more in other sports than basketball.
Forward Marcedes Lewis is a talented tight end on the Bruin
football team while guard Matt McKinney was one of the
nation’s premier prep volleyball players last season.
Perhaps the most absurd story of the off-season was the saga of
Brian Morrison, who performed the best flip flop in Westwood since
gymnastics season ended last April.
After seeing his playing time at point guard evaporate at North
Carolina last year, Morrison decided to transfer to UCLA, only to
change his mind and enroll at Washington in late Sept. Less than a
week later, Morrison changed his mind again and returned to UCLA
where he will be eligible to play beginning in 2003.
Such a frenetic off-season could spell trouble for most schools,
but the Bruins do have a pair of senior leaders who are capable of
stabilizing the program.
Jason Kapono will be roaming the hardwood again for the Bruins
as will guard Ray Young, who is seemingly back for his 29th season
in the blue and gold.
If the Bruins can find some continuity in practice over the next
couple months, they should have an advantage early in the year
because opposing coaches will not know what to expect from the
players out on the court.
No doubt Steve Lavin will put a positive spin on the events of
the off-season when he addresses the media today. He just has to
make sure the roster that he brings with him is up to date.