What a year UCLA sports has had. Four NCAA Championships. Both
major sports having horrible, but memorable years. Joy. Depression.
Laughter. Winning. Losing. This year had it all. It marked the
beginning of the Ben Howland and Karl Dorrell eras. It marked the
end of the Gary Adams and Tom Fitzgerald eras. This year had Bruin
athletes showcasing their greatness on a national spotlight, while
at least one made Sportscenter’s “Not Top Ten
List.” Here’s to all the good things that happened this
year repeating themselves in the future. And here’s to all of
the bad things disappearing forever. Without further ado,
here’s my third annual year in review ““ the best,
worst, funniest and most interesting memories of the year.
The other football game you should be
forgetting Being down 40-2 against USC in the third
quarter is the lasting memory most fans will have when they think
back to the 2003 UCLA football season. But in the grand scheme of
things, that game was irrelevant. The loss to Stanford was far
worse. All hope was slaughtered. People forget that the team
started out 6-2 and was tossing around the words “Rose
Bowl.” But then came the annual, devastating loss to
Stanford. It’s almost become a rite of passage. A win over
the conference doormat Cardinal would have set up a game against
Washington State the following week for first place in the Pac-10.
But, as usual, the offense forgot how to score, the Bruins lost
21-14, and the tailspin ensued. Losing a game you’re supposed
to win leaves a bitter aftertaste. With a win against Stanford, the
game against USC could have meant more than just the rivalry. But
it didn’t because the worst loss of the season came three
weeks before in Palo Alto.
Softball goalie Women’s soccer player
Arianna Criscione’s blunder in the semifinals of the College
Cup overshadowed what had been one of the most unusual stories of
the fall. Criscione started the year as the backup, but because of
injuries, became the only goalie on the roster. Coach Jill Ellis
had to ask softball coach Sue Enquist to allow her catcher, Emily
Zaplatosch, to join the team as Criscione’s backup. How often
in sports do you see something like this? Zaplatosch actually
played in a match too, and did quite well. Had Enquist not been
generous enough to allow Zaplatosch to play soccer, Ellis said she
would’ve considered placing an advertisement in the Daily
Bruin, looking for another goalkeeper. That would’ve looked
weird next to the daily Valley Ball ads.
Well that lasted a long time Remember when
Fitzgerald was a first-year coach who returned UCLA men’s
soccer to prominence by winning an NCAA Championship? It was only a
little over a year ago. Now he’s gone, coaching Division II
Tampa. He had done just fine in his two years at UCLA, with the
Bruins ranked No. 1 in the country for most of 2003. But the man
left the prestige of a Division I powerhouse and moved home to be
closer to his family. You have to respect the man for putting his
family first. It’s just unusual in today’s sports
society to see someone go from the best in the country to a much
lower-level job.
Howland can coach, but he’s no miracle
worker It’s baffling how a team could start 9-3 and
still almost miss the Pac-10 Tournament. But that’s exactly
what the men’s basketball team did. On their way from 9-3 to
11-17, the Bruins filled the highlight reel with, well, lowlights:
“¢bull; The 16-point loss to lowly St. John’s. CBS must have
loved showing that game on national television. Imagine how they
should’ve advertised it. “Two former basketball
powerhouses. Two teams fighting for the right not to suck that
much.” “¢bull; Dijon Thompson missing the first of two
potential game-tying free throws against USC, then doing the
unthinkable by making the second one ““ a free throw he
correctly was trying to miss. Flat out depressing. “¢bull; UCLA
blew a seven-point lead against last-place Arizona State with 1:05
to play, missing three of four free throws in the last minute. Ugh.
“¢bull; The biggest travesty had to be on the last day of the
season when Bruin fans were forced to root for USC just so UCLA
could get into the Pac-10 Tournament. You long-time readers of my
columns know I’m not the biggest UCLA fan. But I can’t
stand USC. And to have to root for them against an underdog like
Oregon State was painful. Trojans win! Let’s celebrate!
That’s wrong on so many levels.
The best basketball team on campus It was good
to see a tournament-quality basketball team in Pauley this year.
The UCLA women’s basketball team finally finished its
rebuilding process and broke through to the NCAA Tournament for the
first time in four years. The Bruins were given a horrible draw by
having to play eventual Final Four team Minnesota in the first
round. But in front of a national television audience, the Bruins
gave the Golden Gophers their greatest challenge before playing
eventual champion Connecticut. Say what you want about how watching
men’s basketball is more exciting, but I’ll watch UCLA
women’s basketball over the men’s team of the past two
years any day. Kathy Olivier’s team hustles, plays up-tempo,
and is good enough to match up against the nation’s best.
A tribute to a legend Gary Adams will never
coach another UCLA baseball game. How sad. Adams represents
everything that’s right with college sports. He cares about
his players’ well-being, on and off the field. He refuses to
over-use his players (pitching Casey Janssen only once at
regionals), and has even shown up to classes on campus just to make
sure his players are in attendance. Some are quick to point out
that Adams has never won a World Series in his 30-year career at
UCLA. But there are more important things than going all-out to
win, like being a teacher to your players. On top of all that,
Adams may be the nicest man ever. He will be missed.
Why Sue Enquist is God and I’m an idiot
When the UCLA softball coach sent little-used freshmen Kristen
Dedmon into the NCAA Championship game as a pinch-hitter, I
immediately questioned her decision to insert a player who had hit
below .200 all year long. But of course, Dedmon came through with
the game-winning hit. Enquist always seems to make the right move,
even when it looks foolish. It’s one of the reasons why
Enquist is the most successful softball coach in the country.
My favorite UCLA athlete Tobias Clemens was my
favorite player to watch in my time here. It’s unfortunate
that he’s a senior and UCLA fans will never get to see the
tennis star on Bruin courts again. Besides being a standout player,
Clemens wasn’t afraid to show some emotion and speak his
mind. He played his best tennis when it mattered the most and
he’s not afraid of being politically incorrect. He’s
called USC “pricks,” practically guaranteed a victory,
and admitted he played a horrible match. Here’s hoping
Clemens tries to go pro and makes it successfully. The ATP could
use a player like Clemens.
The two most dominant UCLA teams Gymnastics is
establishing itself as a dynasty. Three national championships in
the last four years. Wow. Women’s golf lost only one
tournament all-year long and finished third in that one. Charlotte
Mayorkas and the rest of the UCLA team looked like it was playing
an easier sport than the rest of the field. Very impressive. Both
of them.
The Bruin Den What will be interesting to see
is how successful the Bruin Den becomes. This was the first year of
the new official student support group. Despite the corny name, the
group really did make some strides this year and made Pauley loud
even when the basketball team wasn’t that good. The Bruin
Den, impressively enough, even made appearances to non-football and
basketball sporting events. Here’s hoping the Bruin Den
continues to grow. As much as I have bashed them, the Bruin Den is
a great idea and I hope the best for its future.
My dream As for my one dream for the future,
it’s to see UCLA beat USC in football. Hey, it could
happen.
E-mail Gilbert at gquinonez@media.ucla.edu