UCLA PREVIEW : Bruins Plan to Shoot Their Way Back to Top

A new old era may be under way at UCLA, where these Bruins sniff at losing as a mere reminder of the recent past and the only Hazzard signs in sight are the two curving white lines painted down there on the court of Pauley Pavilion.

This is how the Bruins plan to return to glory: They will shoot themselves there.

If all goes as hoped, it may turn out that their reaching so lofty a destination will be principally traced to what seems an incredible piece of good fortune. For the very first time, a three-point shot will be used throughout Division I basketball this season.

The reaction? Bruins are blistering their paws doing high-fives at the prospect because, coincidentally, they have probably the top long-range gunner in the country, one Reginald Wayne Miller.

Actually, those threes may be a breeze for Reggie Range.

Said Reggie: “I’ll shoot a 30-footer.”

Said Coach Walt Hazzard: “I can’t see from 30 feet.”

Now a senior, Miller doesn’t really have to shoot from anything more than his normal range anyway. The three-point stripe is only 19 feet 9 inches from the basket. In the NBA, the three-point line is 23 feet 9 inches.

Then why so close? Nobody seems to know, but few at UCLA are complaining about it, with the possible mild exception of one.

“I only wish they would have put in a four- point play,” Hazzard said.

Even so, Hazzard pointed out, it will be necessary for Miller to show a little restraint, if that is possible, to resist temptation and not come down with white-line fever. The symptoms are found in the feet.

“Never do I want Reggie, or anyone else on our team, to have to look down and see if his feet are behind the line before he shoots,” Hazzard said.

“Look, I like the line, but it’s certainly not a difficult shot. Even I can make that shot.”

Besides higher scores, Hazzard said that the three-point shot will mean that more teams are going to be forced to play man-to-man defense, which the Bruins like, and that the little guy who would ordinarily get crushed inside now will have a place in the game--shooting jumpshots from the fringe.

“Now, I ask you, how important is power basketball?” Hazzard said.

The Bruins should certainly be asking themselves this question because the answer they come up with might ultimately determine what kind of season they have.

Here is UCLA’s real problem: The Bruins will score a lot of points, but are they going to be able to stop anybody, especially inside, and also get enough rebounds?

They couldn’t last season, at least not consistently, and they suffered for it. UCLA finished 15-14 overall and 9-9 in the Pacific 10 Conference, and it bowed out in the first game of the National Invitation Tournament.

Miller averaged 25.9 points and shot 55.6%, but the Bruins were weak inside, where center Jack Haley had his problems.

This season, though, will be different, Hazzard said. Haley has inside help in the form of three very large freshmen, Miller has his comfortably distanced three-point stripe, Pooh Richardson is presumably a year better and Dave Immel is back from a redshirt season.

That all sounds like a good place to start, but there may be an even better one, and that’s on the bench. THE COACH

The 1964 college Player of the Year insists that he is not the 1986 college Coach of the Year on the spot. You can be sure, though, that there will be a lot of attention paid to the Bruins this season.

Is that so unusual, Hazzard asks?

Hazzard, 46, is starting his third season at UCLA, but for the first time, primarily players he recruited are going to determine the team’s success or failure, and ultimately, his own.

Hazzard, whose two-year record at UCLA is 36-26, is not one to shy away from what this season means to him.

“Being in this job is being in the spotlight anyway,” Hazzard said. “But I’ll never have any fear about my position. I’ll always approach basketball in that I’ll give everything I can to give us a chance to be successful.

“What happens as a result of this is going to happen anyway. So I’ll be satisfied. I’ll know I’ve done all I can. I’ve got a very healthy attitude about this year.”

Those who have spent much time around Hazzard this fall believe his personality is much smoother around the edges than before, when he wore his emotions on the sleeve of his sweat shirt. Those emotions sometimes got the best of him.

Some may remember when Hazzard coached at Compton College and charged into the stands to get at some hecklers. They might also recall when he shot from the lip and complained after a crushing loss to North Carolina, that he wanted to cancel UCLA’s series with the Tar Heels.

That Hazzard is not in evidence these days. Instead, there’s a coach projecting an image of cool strength, of being perfectly together in a casual way, yet one who is firmly in charge. It’s an interesting mix.

When the Pac-10 basketball coaches gathered recently in one room for a media day, nine wore suits and ties. Hazzard wore a blue UCLA sweat shirt, blue jeans and looked as though he was searching for a game of badminton.

Appearances are often deceiving, however. This same coach addressed his own media lunch last week with a line-item agenda of subjects as well as prepared remarks.

Hazzard doesn’t expect to be universally liked. He’ll settle for respect, which he said is all anyone really ought to seek anyway.

So how does this new Hazzard, the calm, cool, collected model, translate into action on the court? It may be best to watch how he handles his players.

“There is such big competition for playing time, my problem now is to develop the proper combinations of players and to figure out a way to keep people happy,” he said.”

And is that possible?

“No,” he said. “Someone will be unhappy, no question about it.”

The difference in this year’s Hazzard team from his other two at UCLA is that there may be more real potential for happiness than ever before. THE FRESHMEN

Their names are Kevin, Trevor and Greg and if they sound as though they would be more comfortable on the polo team, then check out the heights that go with their names:

Kevin Walker, 6-10.

Trevor Wilson, 6-8.

Greg Foster, 6-10.

At last, UCLA has some horses, although they’re more like colts right now. Along with a fourth freshman, 6-6 Stu Meinert, Hazzard has some maneuverability in his front line for the first time.

Wilson may be the most advanced, but Walker may be the quickest into the starting lineup.

Even though he is thin at 218 pounds, Walker looks like a strong forward candidate, although he is a better shooter, especially from the outside, than he is an inside rebounder at this point.

Wilson is another power forward candidate, who spends a lot of time in the weight room, and looks it. He also may be the most advanced of the freshmen in his overall game, which means he can play defense and pass the ball, talents not inherent in your normal freshman.

Foster, a center, just turned 18, which is also the approximate number of fouls he would commit if permitted to play an entire game. Foster, however, has tremendous raw talent and Hazzard hopes to bring him along slowly and give him time to develop.

Foster patterns himself after former Kentucky All-America Kenny Walker, who was a classic run-and-leap forward, which shows that Foster’s game is pretty unusual for a center, but it’s also one that has a great deal of potential.

There is, however, one problem with all this. Hazzard also has five starters from last season, so when are these freshmen going to play?

“I have a tough job,” Hazzard said. “The veterans are going to have to fight to keep their jobs. I know Craig Jackson is not going to give his job away, and neither is Jack Haley. All I know is this: When we come to play, we’ll be ready to run.”

Playing that kind of a game, there may well be playing time enough for all. REGGIE

Last season, as a junior, Miller became the highest scoring forward in UCLA history. At 6-7 inches and 190 pounds, he is reed-thin, but his game doesn’t seem thin.

Hazzard insists that there is more to Miller’s play than drilling jump shots. This season, Miller is planning to show that he can handle the ball better and improve his rebounding and defense.

In short, Miller is supposed to be more a complete player than ever before. Still, it’s his shooting that draws everyone’s attention because once the ball is in his hands, it’s Miller time.

He has scored 30 or more points eight times at UCLA, topped only by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who who did it 14 times as Lew Alcindor. Now that he can fire away from the three-point line, Miller is likely to pop until he drops.

“The line is close,” he said. “No, it’s not just close, it’s very, very, close. I’m sure defenses will play out a lot on me, so much so that I’ll probably get a lot more shots in the twos than in the threes.

“But the three-pointer is the best thing that has ever happened to me in basketball,” he said. “I’ve heard some coaches think they’ll get rid of it, but I think they’ll keep it, although I think they’ll move it back once they see how easy a shot it is.

“The only thing is, for me, I can’t let it get into my mind where I’m shooting from. As soon as you start thinking about whether you’re behind that line, then you’re going to start to miss. And when you brick from that far away, it looks bad. Real bad.”

Last season, though, Miller was good, real good. He scored 750 points, the second-highest total in UCLA history, behind only Abdul-Jabbar, who had 870 in 1967.

Miller’s 41 points at Oregon State last season were the most by a Bruin since Bill Walton scored 44 in the 1973 NCAA championship game against Memphis State.

Not surprisingly, Hazzard said Miller ranks with the best of the shooting stars.

“He’s certainly one of the greatest shooters I’ve ever seen,” he said. “I’ve played with Jerry West and he’s right in that same class. And I think Reggie has more range than some of them, too.”

So with the three-point line this season, Miller’s shooting will stretch from his inner mind to the outer limits and we may actually discover the true dimensions of Reggie Range. THE OTHER VETERANS

Pooh Richardson is the floor leader of the Bruins. He is only a sophomore. His job is to get the ball to everyone else first, then look for his own shots.

Can he handle it?

“It’s a hard job,” Richardson said. “But I’ve at least got a year’s playing experience. From the standpoint of being a point guard, I get enough shots. After all, Reggie is our top scorer, so he’s going to have to shoot a lot.

“I can handle that. Last year, sometimes people didn’t know what to expect from me. I don’t think it’s going to be that way anymore.”

There are those who point to Miller as the key Bruin. Others say it’s Haley and still others say it’s anybody who rebounds, or anybody who doesn’t. It could be, however, that Richardson holds the key to the Bruins’ season.

Richardson thinks so.

“I’m a very key part of the team,” he said. “If I don’t do the things I should be doing, our path is going to be a lot more difficult.”

Actually, there are so many Bruin keys this season, maybe they need a key chain more than a bench.

Haley is one of them. He got pushed around last season, but the son of a former surfing champion is going to go to the board in a much bigger wave this season. After a summer spent developing his upper body with weights, Haley is back for his senior season at 240 pounds. He may need every one of them to keep Foster from taking his job.

Craig Jackson, a 6-8 junior, plays opposite Miller at forward and is being seriously pressed by Walker. Montel Hatcher, a senior guard, missed some practice time with muscle spasms in his back, but Hazzard believes that he is a threat to score from the perimeter and considers him vital to the Bruin attack.

Immel, a 6-4, 198-pound junior, is likely to get a lot of time at both guard positions, where Hazzard is also counting on sophomore Rod Palmer to play up to expectations. Up front, 6-8 sophomore Charles Rochelin has shown he can rebound if he stays out of foul trouble. Rochelin adds some depth, as does 6-8 senior walk-on Isaac Hamilton. THE OUTLOOK

Wherever the Bruins finish, their path does not appear to be an easy one. UCLA will play five games before opening the Pac-10 race and those nonconference opponents look tough--Santa Clara, North Carolina, Pepperdine, St. John’s and Temple.

In fact, UCLA will play both the Nos. 1- and 2-ranked teams, North Carolina and Louisville. Notre Dame is also on the Bruins’ schedule, but the Irish, the Tar Heels and the Cardinals all will have to play in Pauley Pavilion, a break for the Bruins.

But who’s really searching for breaks anymore? Dare we say it? The Bruins are acting as though they’re not scared of playing these people.

No, this new old feeling at UCLA has developed to the extent that the Bruins are actually looking forward to playing North Carolina.

“It’ll give us a good measuring stick of how far we are,” Hazzard said.

Considering the freshmen, this season’s Bruins look to be the kind of team that will improve as the season gets older.

Wait until about the Pac-10 tournament in early March to see how far UCLA has come in the dawning of its new old era.

“We could become a very good team by the end of the season, especially with our young guys,” Hazzard said. “They’ve just got to learn how to play.”

UCLA FACTS & FIGURES

1986-87 ROSTER

Lettermen Returning (8)

No Player Po Hgt Wgt Yr FG% FT% Ast Reb Pts 32 Jack Haley C 6-10 240 Sr .380 .721 0.6 6.3 4.3 12 Montel Hatcher G 6-1 182 Sr .492 .813 1.7 2.4 13.4 52 Craig Jackson F 6-8 212 Jr .507 .474 1.2 5.5 5.6 31 Reggie Miller F 6-7 190 Sr .556 .882 2.4 5.3 25.9 20 Darryl Morris G 6-3 181 Jr .167 .000 0.0 0.3 0.1 21 Rod Palmer G 6-3 192 So .271 .500 0.4 0.7 1.2 24 Pooh Richardson G 6-1 173 So .492 .689 6.2 4.5 10.6 45 Charles Rochelin F 6-7 211 So .486 .500 0.0 1.2 2.9

No Hometown (High School) 32 Seal Beach (Huntington Beach) 12 Venice (Santa Monica) 52 Denver (Montebello) 31 Riverside (Riverside Poly) 20 Carson (Carson) 21 Compton (Dominguez) 24 Philadelphia (Ben Franklin) 45 Toronto (East Commerce)

Other Players Returning (1)

No Player Po Hgt Wgt Yr 1985-86 Status 30 Dave Immel G 6-4 198 Jr Redshirt

No Hometown (High School) 30 Hillsboro, Ore. (Glencoe)

Newcomers (4)

No Player Po Hgt Wgt Yr Hometown (High School) 32 Greg Foster C 6-10 218 Fr Oakland (Skyline) 14 Stu Meinert F 6-6 209 Fr Salem, Ore. (South Salem) 50 Kevin Walker F 6-10 218 Fr Brea (Brea Olinda) 4 Trevor Wilson F 6-8 210 Fr Reseda (Cleveland)

1986-87 SCHEDULE

All Times PST

Date Opponent Site Time Nov. 29 Santa Clara Pauley Pavilion 7:30 Dec. 1 North Carolina Pauley Pavilion 7:00 Dec. 6 Pepperdine Pauley Pavilion 7:30 Dec. 13 St. John’s New York 11:30 am Dec. 15 Temple Philadelphia 4:30 Dec. 19 Washington St. Pullman 7:00 Dec. 21 Washington Seattle 3:00 Dec. 27 CS Long Beach Pauley Pavilion 7:30 Dec. 30 CS Fullerton Pauley Pavilion 7:30 Jan. 2 Stanford Pauley Pavilion 7:30 Jan. 4 California Pauley Pavilion 3:00 Jan. 8 Arizona St. Tempe 6:30 Jan. 11 Arizona Tucson 3:00 Jan. 15 Oregon Pauley Pavilion 7:30 Jan. 18 Oregon St. Pauley Pavilion 3:00 Jan. 24 Notre Dame Pauley Pavilion Noon Jan. 29 Washington Pauley Pavilion 8:00 Feb. 1 Washington St. Pauley Pavilion 3:00 Feb. 5 Stanford Stanford 7:35 Feb. 7 California Berkeley 3:30 Feb. 12 Arizona Pauley Pavilion 7:30 Feb. 14 USC Sports Arena Noon Feb. 16 Arizona St. Pauley Pavilion 7:30 Feb. 19 Oregon St. Corvallis 7:00 Feb. 22 Oregon Eugene 3:00 Feb. 26 USC Pauley Pavilion 8:00 Feb. 28 Louisville Pauley Pavilion 11:30 am Mar 5-8 Pac-10 Tourney Pauley Pavilion TBA

1985-86 RESULTS

Result H/A Record North Carolina 107, UCLA 70 A L, 0-1 UCLA 91, St. Mary’s 62 H W, 1-1 UCLA 75, Temple 59 H W, 2-1 UCLA 84, CS Long Beach 64 H W, 3-1 St. John’s 69, UCLA 65 H L, 3-2 UCLA 85, Loyola 79 H W, 4-2 UCLA 109, Miami (Fla.) 64 H W, 5-2 UCLA 71, Oregon 64 H W, 6-2 Oregon St. 54, UCLA 49 H L, 6-3 Washington 90, UCLA 65 A L, 6-4 UCLA 81, Washington St. 80 (2 OT) A W, 7-4 UCLA 86, Arizona St. 75 H W, 8-4 Notre Dame 74, UCLA 64 A L, 8-5 Stanford 76, UCLA 70 A L, 8-6 California 75, UCLA 67 A L, 8-7 UCLA 66, USC 56 H W, 9-7 Louisville 91, UCLA 72 A L, 9-8 UCLA 94, Washington 89 (OT) H W, 10-8 UCLA 88, Wash. St. 81 H W, 11-8 Arizona 85, UCLA 60 A L, 11-9 Arizona St. 74, UCLA 73 (OT) A L, 11-10 California 76, UCLA 63 H L, 11-11 UCLA 76, California 63 H W, 12-11 USC 79, UCLA 64 A L, 12-12 UCLA 95, Stanford 74 H W, 13-12 UCLA 65, DePaul 63 H W, 14-12 Arizona 88, UCLA 76 H L, 14-13 UCLA 74 Oregon St. 63 H W, 15-13 Oregon 80, UCLA 65 A L, 15-14 Irvine 80, UCLA 74 (NIT) H L, 15-14

Home: 13-4

Away: 2-10

Pac-10 Record: 9-9