COLLEGE BASKETBALL ‘89-90 : After Look in Mirror, Bruin Bad Boy Wilson Tries to Change Image

The rhythmic, taunting chant begins almost as soon as Trevor Wilson steps onto the basketball court. It grows louder each time the UCLA forward commits a foul, stares down an opponent, fires off a missive at an official.

Treeeeeh-vor . Treeeeeh-vor .

Wilson views it as a badge of honor, verifying his status as the most vilified player on what may still be the most vilified team in the Pacific 10 Conference.

“I think it’s great,” he said. “It’s a sign of respect because they’re picking you out, keying on you because they think if they can get you off your game, they have a better chance of winning.”

For a long time, it didn’t take much to distract Wilson.

He was a powder keg, waiting to explode, and the slightest provocation threw him into a rage.

His mood swings, in fact, were so pronounced that Coach Jim Harrick, who arrived in Westwood in the spring of 1988, suggested strongly that Wilson meet with a sports psychologist, Dr. William Parham, who works regularly with several UCLA athletes.

Harrick, in fact, made it a weekly requirement for Wilson.

“Trevor had a lot of energy that he sometimes was using in the wrong direction,” Harrick said. “He’s very highly spirited, which I like, but it’s got to be channeled in a proper direction.”

Except for a flare-up at the end of a game against USC, when Trojan Calvin Banks found himself embraced in a headlock by the Bruin forward, Wilson was on his best behavior last season, funneling his efforts into his play, which at times was spectacular.

In earning all-conference recognition for the second consecutive season, he averaged 18.4 points and 8.7 rebounds, scoring a career-high 32 points against Boston University and equaling a career-best by pulling down 15 rebounds against Washington.

Quick, agile and strong--former teammate Pooh Richardson called him Rock because of his chiseled physique--the 6-foot-8, 211-pound Wilson was as tenacious in pursuing excellence as he once was in chasing down officials.

An unsavory image is hard to shake, but Wilson, believing he owed it to himself, gave it a shot.

“After my sophomore year, I just wasn’t happy with my image on the court,” said Wilson, who is expected to provide senior leadership this season for a young but talented Bruin team that is made up primarily of freshmen and sophomores. “And then when Coach Harrick came in, he talked to me about improving it.”

His image, Wilson believed, was that of a villain.

It was cemented in the minds of some during a summer league game at Cal State Los Angeles in 1988, when Wilson raged out of control and refused to leave the gym after being ejected.

When an official called a forfeit, Wilson reportedly followed him outside, where he continued to berate him and, according to a police report of the incident, left two scratches on his car.

It was speculated last season that the incident made Wilson realize that his fuse was short and that he might not be able to control his temper without help.

Wilson, though, said that he suspected long before then that he needed to control his temper.

“It was a gradual realization,” he said. “There were times when I’d pull up and say, ‘ . . . I’ve got to stop doing this.’ (But) a few months later, I’d do it again.

“It’s not like it was an everyday thing, but it happened often enough that it got to the point where I had to make a conscious effort to stop it.”

Of his time with Parham, Wilson said: “It gives you someone to talk to. You can say whatever you want about anybody you want.

“He deals with how to improve you as a player. Part of that is working on your confidence, working on your self-respect.”

The sessions, Wilson said, have helped him to mature.

“I feel good about myself now and, to me, that’s the only thing that really matters,” he said. “If I feel good about myself, I know that I’m doing something right. Beforehand, I knew deep down that what I was doing was wrong.”

Wilson regrets tangling with Banks last season.

“But no one’s perfect,” he said. “And by no means do I consider myself perfect. I do consider last season successful in terms of controlling my emotions.

“That one incident was one too many, but basketball is a game of emotions and sometimes you can’t control them.”

Magic Johnson showed that this month when he fought with Kevin Johnson of the Phoenix Suns, Harrick said.

“I’m not certain that a leader isn’t going to lose his poise every once in a while,” the coach added.

Leadership is among the many attributes Harrick expects this season from Wilson, whose potential is such that Harrick told him last summer: “I’ve never had a guy so gifted who needed to work on so many things.”

Foremost among them is Wilson’s concentration, which tends to lapse, Harrick said, when he’s playing defense.

“When he puts his mind to it, our guys really have a hard time scoring against him in practice,” Harrick said.

Wilson believes that he’ll be a more dangerous scorer this season, but that it might not be reflected in his statistics because the Bruins are deeper and more talented with the addition of a highly regarded group of freshmen.

Wilson’s goals are to provide the Bruins with more assists and steals and to be more aggressive on defense “on a consistent basis.”

Expecting a challenge from freshmen Tracy Murray and Zan Mason, Wilson embarked on the season with a more positive attitude and has been the Bruins’ most diligent worker, Harrick said.

“The hardest worker we’ve had every day, no question,” Harrick said. “He’s been hammered and pushed around and he’s taken the challenge to try to stop Murray from scoring and he’s taken the challenge to fight off Mason, who’s kind of a bulldog.”

And he’s done it without a lot of fuss, his teammates say.

“He’s a lot more mellow,” said Kevin Walker, a senior who has clashed with Wilson in other seasons. “He doesn’t get upset as easily. He doesn’t let little things affect him. He’s basically just going out and playing and not letting anything bother him.

“Before, he’d get upset and you’d lose him for a few minutes before he cooled down.”

Harrick has been a major influence, said sophomore Don MacLean, who has known Wilson for almost 10 years and considers him a close friend.

“Coach Harrick’s not going to put up with Trevor throwing the ball up into the bleachers during practice, or cussing everybody out,” MacLean said. “I think Trevor realized that if he wanted to be part of the team, he’d better shape up or he’d have to ship out.”

Wilson, of course, is aware that one false move could greatly affect his future.

“He knows a lot of money is on the line,” MacLean said. “People are coming to practice--a lot of pro scouts--and I think he realized that he’s got to keep a level head so these guys can see that he’s really mellowed out.”

Wilson believes strongly that he’ll be a first-round NBA draft choice “as long as I keep myself under control mentally and just show my talent and show what I’m capable of doing.”

Game films, he said, have helped him hone his abilities.

“That’s the best way to critique yourself,” he said. “You may think you’re doing something correct, but seeing yourself on film is the only way to (detect flaws).”

Watching film also persuaded Wilson to clean up his act.

“I would look at tapes where I would blow up and (see) how I looked in other people’s eyes, and I didn’t like it,” he said.

Those who watch Wilson this season will like what they see, Harrick said.

“You’ll see a new Trevor Wilson--one who’s really dedicated to making himself a complete player, a shut-down defender, a guy who will play hard all the time and let his play do the talking.”

And will let opposing fans do the taunting and woofing.