When Darren Collison took the floor Saturday in Berkeley, he tied a school record by playing in his 135th game as a Bruin.
The number is a reflection of the success his teams have enjoyed over the last four seasons, storming through Pac-10 Tournaments and marching deep into NCAA Tournaments.
Yet there isn’t a single piece of evidence in Pauley Pavilion that Collison and his fellow seniors, Josh Shipp and Alfred Aboya, have been part of anything worth celebrating over the last four memorable seasons.
As every recruit and student learns upon arriving in Westwood, UCLA only hangs championship banners.
Final Fours? Conference championships? Not good enough.
Sounds like a great mantra. But is it?
In this climate of athletic parity, almost every program in the country is envious of this UCLA era, marked by blue-chip recruits, potential NBA players and three trips to the pinnacle of college basketball.
If you’re a senior, as of right now, every year you’ve been in college the Bruins have been in the Final Four. That run wasn’t expected when it began three years ago. In the three seasons prior to 2006, UCLA totaled 39 wins.
Daily Bruin columnist Devon McReynolds reflected a common mood last week when she wrote, “I’m just not that into the Academy Awards … like UCLA men’s basketball is just not that into winning games.”
Ouch!
UCLA’s record since 2006? Only 119-24. Heck, the Clippers lose 24 games in a week.
Sure, we try to pride ourselves on Vince Lombardi’s noble idea: “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” But sports are about more than just winning and losing. It’s the journey that counts.
Collison’s teams have had quite a journey: three 30-win seasons, three Pac-10 regular-season crowns, two Pac-10 Tournament championships and three consecutive NCAA Final Fours. And there isn’t one trace of it in their home gym.
After beating California and Stanford on the road, the 2009 Bruins stand 22-7. They close out the regular season at home this week against Oregon State and Oregon.
Because of those legendary John Wooden teams, the expectations surrounding UCLA’s basketball program are mythical ““ unattainable in reality. Simply because there are 11 championship banners decorating Pauley doesn’t mean that fans should act as if it were 1975. It’s not, and never will be.
Under the current rules and economic structure of college basketball and the NBA Draft, there is no way that a team will come close to winning the way UCLA did in the ’60s and ’70s. Forget about it.
And these last three seasons have been nothing to sneeze at. Since 1992, only one other school has reached three straight Final Fours ““ Michigan State, in 1999, 2000 and 2001. How many other programs have made three Final Four during this entire decade?
Kansas and Florida. That’s it.
So to ignore the feats of this era’s basketball teams in order to adhere to the standards of a different time is to do a great disservice to them.
In the last 10 years, college basketball has witnessed only a handful of four-year stars who have been a part of multiple Final Four runs: Michigan State’s Mateen Cleaves, Duke’s Shane Battier and Maryland’s Juan Dixon all led their teams to titles.
When UCLA’s season likely ends with a loss in a few weeks, Collison will join Kansas’ Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison as the only members of that group who never won a championship.
Of those players, Collison happens to be the only one who went to three Final Fours. He, his teammates and fans should be able to look up at the rafters and see some evidence of that.
If you think Final Four appearances are worth celebrating, contact Taylor at btaylor@media.ucla.edu.