One and done, that’s no fun.
But congratulations, Bruins, ’twas was a good run.
After deluding myself into thinking that UCLA really did have a
great shot at beating Texas Tech in the first round of the NCAA
Tournament, reality hit me pretty hard on Thursday night.
The Bruins were simply outclassed and outmuscled by a better
basketball team.
What else is there to say?
I guess you could say that the team has to get in the weight
room because it was readily apparent that the strength of Texas
Tech, and its guards in particular, was too much for the Bruins to
handle. But that’s already been said.
You could say that the freshmen have to rededicate themselves to
becoming better basketball players because Thursday made it clear
that they are not where they want to be. But that would be
restating the obvious.
You could say that Thursday’s loss doesn’t matter
because, in the grand scheme of things, this team didn’t have
the ability to make any noise in the NCAA Tournament anyway. But I
don’t think that’s necessarily true.
Instead, I think you just have to congratulate this team on a
job well done. You have to consider the team’s entire body of
work, rather than criticize its performance in one lousy game. Now
that the Bruins’ season has officially ended, we can look
back on what a success it truly was.
In Year 2 of the After Lavin Era, hereafter known as the Howland
Era, the Bruins went 18-11, made the NCAA Tournament, and exceeded
almost everyone’s expectations. This from a team that
finished an incredibly disheartening 11-17 last season, losers of
14 of its last 16.
This from a team that started three freshmen almost the entire
year. A team with only one true point guard. A team with two big
men who are still relatively inept.
To win 18 games while playing in a conference as tough as the
Pac-10 seems nothing short of spectacular when considered in that
context.
During the season, we forget the context because it’s such
a natural thing to do. We want the Bruins to win every single game,
so we make excuses and assign blame when they don’t.
That’s a part of being a fan.
Also part of being a fan is taking a step back and considering
the context of an entire season when all is said and done.
So that’s what we’re doing now.
Looking back at the first column I wrote this basketball season,
Howland told me he would be “ecstatic” if UCLA were
able to make the NCAA Tournament. He said it was a reasonable goal,
but that the team would have to improve in a lot of areas to make
it a reality.
Coming from the guy who undoubtedly knows this team best, I
think that speaks volumes for what this team was able to
accomplish.
Without Cedric Bozeman, Jordan Farmar was forced to play 34.4
minutes a game this season at the toughest position on the
court.
The team lacked depth at the other guard spots, and two more
freshmen, Arron Afflalo and Josh Shipp, played over 30 minutes a
game.
And though each big man showed flashes of adequacy, the lack of
a true post presence severely limited the team’s options.
The point is, this team accomplished more than it probably
should have, considering the circumstances.
Sure, Farmar and Afflalo said at the beginning of the season
that they wanted to go deep into the tournament and make an
impression in late March. But come on, let’s be
realistic.
And the realistic view, of course, says that we should be
ecstatic. Year 2 of the Howland Era has the Bruins ahead of
schedule, and the future looks very bright. As long as no one grows
complacent, it’s realistic to see this team winning more and
more games each season.
And by no means was this season a waste. There were some truly
great moments, none better than the victory over Washington at
home.
There were more wins than losses, more smiles than frowns, and
confirmation of the belief that this program is headed where Bruin
fans want.
While a first-round exit is disappointing, we can’t dwell
on it. Instead, we must consider context. And with that, this team
deserves one thing.
Congratulations.
Regan is a basketball columnist for the 2004-2005 season.
E-mail him at dregan@media.ucla.edu.