Home Season Opens for Banner-Waving UCLA

Another banner will be hung from the rafters in Pauley Pavilion tonight.

The one proclaiming UCLA as champion of the 1985 National Invitation Tournament will take its place among the 10 National Collegiate Athletic Assn. banners collected in an era that seems long ago. Walt Hazzard, now the Bruin coach, was the point guard who helped to win that first banner for UCLA in 1964.

In a ceremony that will precede the Bruins’ home opener against St. Mary’s, the team will commemorate the NIT title it won in New York last spring. Hazzard said: “We have to try to pump ourselves up.”

The Bruins are coming off a 107-70 defeat last Sunday at North Carolina, the worst loss ever for the Bruins.

“This weekend, we’re looking forward to playing in Pauley Pavilion against two tough opponents,” Hazzard said. “This team needs a victory. We need some success. . . . We’re a young team and we’re inexperienced, and we don’t have a lot of size. . . . Until we get that first win, we’ll have a little doubt. The confidence will come when we get our first victory.”

St. Mary’s, which finished third in the West Coast Athletic Conference last season, will go into the game tonight with a 3-0 record, having beaten Cal State Stanislaus, St. Mary’s of Minnesota and Sonoma State. Hazzard said that he is not assuming that St. Mary’s will give his team its much-needed taste of victory. “I don’t think we have an easy game on the schedule,” Hazzard said. “They’re all tough.”

Temple, the team coming in to face UCLA Saturday night, has played just one game, against Drexel. Temple won, 64-51. Last season, Temple was 25-6 and won the Atlantic 10 Conference title, then advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament before losing to Georgetown.

Temple is coached by John Chaney, who was one of Hazzard’s teachers at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia.

“We used to play one-on-one every day, and he would beat me up every day,” Hazzard said. “He should have had an outstanding NBA career, but that was too many years ago. He played in the Eastern League and he played with the Globetrotters for a while. He’s a fine man and a great coach.

“Part of the nasty side of my personality came from him. You have to watch out for him. When he greets an old student, he gives you a big hug and then tries to take a bite out of you.

“He’s a good friend until we get on the basketball court Saturday night.”

Kelvin Butler will keep the starting forward position that he won from Craig Jackson just before the opener at North Carolina. Hazzard said: “Craig Jackson has been struggling since Oct. 15. We’re still expecting him to be a fine player. He has the skills. Right now, Kelvin is clearly outplaying him.

Center Jack Haley has been struggling, too. Hazzard said: “Starting off against a center like (North Carolina’s Brad) Daugherty was difficult. He can progress in the areas where we need him. He can improve on the boards and he can improve his defense. We’re not concerned about him scoring a lot of points. We just want him to relax and gain some confidence. He’s a fine athlete and a hard worker. He just needs a couple of successful experiences.”

Bruin Notes Both of UCLA’s games this weekend will be broadcast live, starting at 7:30 p.m., on KMPC (710). . . . St. Mary’s has not beaten UCLA since the 1958-59 season. UCLA Coach Walt Hazzard on St. Mary’s: “They look like a good, balanced team. They’re about our size. But any time UCLA walks onto the floor, the opponent is going to be up to play its best game. Ask Dean Smith. It goes way back. That’s why he rubbed it in the way he did.” . . . Hazzard on the perception that East Coast basketball is better than West Coast basketball: “That’s the result of a publicity campaign by guys like Billy Packer and Dick Vitale. What does Dick Vitale know? He’s the guy who traded away the rights to Sidney Moncrief.” . . . Hazzard on the quickness of freshman guard Pooh Richardson: “The others are still learning to play with Pooh, and he’s still learning the system. But he’s a player. He’s hitting some players in the head with his passes now, but that happened about 24 years ago with another player from Philadelphia.” Could he possibly mean Walt Hazzard?