NEW YORK “”mdash; Send back the champagne. Make the bed. Call the
airline. The honeymoon is over.
Men’s basketball coach Ben Howland made a substantial
first impression in Westwood when he took UCLA off to a fast start,
but the grace period has now expired.
Three weeks ago, the 9-3 Bruin team that looked NCAA
tournament-bound is now a distant memory. The current 9-8 squad
that stands gloomily before us, however, looks familiar. A little
too familiar.
But nothing that resembles a Howland-coached basketball team is
taking to the hardwood right now.
Problem is, this isn’t Ben Howland’s team. This is
Steve Lavin’s team, and Howland is stuck coaching it this
season.
This mismatch was never more evident than in the pathetic
display during and after Saturday’s game against St.
John’s in Madison Square Garden in New York.
Some of the main problem areas that led to last year’s
disastrous 10-19 season have reared their ugly heads.
Remember the days of poor rebounding, lack of interior defense
and no true leadership on the court?
Well, those days are back. What a perfect time to rehash the
dark and troublesome memories of Lavin’s final campaign.
But now it’s the Howland era, a time where defensive
lapses and falling asleep while boxing out are supposed to be
rarities. It’s a time where a team’s play should be
characterized by passion and pride, not lethargy and indifference.
It’s a time of finding ways to scratch out a win, not how to
find yourself down double digits in the first half.
Obviously, these Bruins have not received the memo.
The style of game St. John’s utilized against the Bruins
must have made Howland cringe.
The Red Storm outrebounded UCLA 49-30, outmuscled the Bruins in
the post and led by as many as 10 floorburns by game’s
end.
If only the Bruins knew which way to fall to hit the ground.
You would have thought a UCLA team under Howland would have
understood the significance of earning the victory in
Saturday’s game against St. John’s.
Despite bolstering their tournament hopes, a win would have
ended the Bruins’ four-game losing streak, which has elapsed
for nearly a calendar month. A victory in New York would have also
given the Bruins a much-needed confidence booster against a 4-13
St. John’s team, whose best victory this season came against
lowly Holy Cross.
And yet, with all the added importance, UCLA came out
disinterested, unemotional and in a blank fog.
“He keeps trying to fire us up,” Michael Fey said.
“It’s more just trying to fire us up than yelling at
us.”
But the fire is just not there, and Howland is running out of
matchsticks.
While the Bruins didn’t raise the white flag in the face
of the Red Storm’s onslaught, they didn’t fight back,
which is more telling about the players’ character than it is
about their talent.
And if the game weren’t awful enough, the character
carnage didn’t end when the clock did.
After the drubbing by St. John’s, the Bruins took the
bitter defeat better than expected. About 30 minutes after the Red
Storm reigned triumphant, several Bruins emerged from Madison
Square Garden’s tunnel in an upbeat and joking mood, posing
for pictures.
Well, picture this, Bruins: Your season may have ended Saturday.
It’s nice to know you were smiling.
While Howland admits to being seriously bothered when his teams
lose, that attitude is obviously not reflected by his entire team.
I guess the Bruins are just used to losing, and therefore are tied
to a loser’s fate.
Howland was supposed to make his money this year by improving
the team. Instilling the attitude of a winning club and convincing
his players losing is much more than simply an alternative to
winning, paves the way to becoming a competitive, prideful
basketball team.
Like many of you, I was duped into believing this UCLA team was
special. I even thought them capable of making a splash in the
postseason.
After reconsidering the past month’s events, all that
remains of this season is the hope and promise of the next one,
when Howland will begin coaching his own team.
As for this season? We’ve seen it all too often
before.
Put a cork in it.
E-mail Fast Glass at sglass@media.ucla.edu.