MacLean Sets New Deadline: Noon Monday

Don MacLean has yet to decide whether he’ll attend UCLA or Georgia Tech next fall but promises he’ll know by Monday.

Simi Valley High’s 6-foot, 10-inch center of attention has scheduled a press conference for noon Monday at the school.

MacLean recently trimmed his list of candidates to two, eliminating Kentucky, Nevada Las Vegas and Pitt. He met on Wednesday with UCLA Coach Jim Harrick and spoke via telephone with Georgia Tech Coach Bobby Cremins as recently as Saturday afternoon.

The deadline is self-imposed, according to MacLean, who averaged 31.4 points and 12.3 rebounds in leading the Pioneers to the Southern Section 4-A title.

MacLean previously had scheduled a press conference for last Wednesday, but postponed it when he could not arrive at a decision. The firing of Walt Hazzard as UCLA’s coach and subsequent hiring of Harrick, a longtime friend of MacLean’s, also contributed to the quandary.