For Harrick, Joy Is Fleeting Thing : UCLA: Record home loss to Cal and Bruins’ drop from the top 25 intensify criticism of coach despite previous success.

In what has become a ritual for aficionados of UCLA basketball, the phone lines of Southland sports-talk shows were jammed Monday in the wake of the Bruins’ worst defeat ever in Pauley Pavilion.

The criticism that has been mounting in the last month reached new heights after UCLA’s 104-82 defeat by California on Sunday.

The irritation--as it has been all season--is focused on Coach Jim Harrick, who is 106-40 after four-plus seasons.

Harrick’s teams have won at least 20 games in each of his first four seasons, and last year the Bruins won the Pacific 10 Conference title. UCLA advanced to the final eight in the NCAA tournament before being overpowered by Indiana, 106-79.

Thus, last season’s success was overshadowed by the loss to Bob Knight’s Hoosiers in the minds of Westwood faithful.

Now this: UCLA dropped out of the Associated Press’ top 25 teams Monday for the first time since the final poll of the 1989-90 season.

You bet the sports-talk hosts were busy.

Peter Dalis, UCLA’s athletic director, is aware of the public clamor. But he said those voices will not influence his decision on whether to keep Harrick. The Bruin coach has one year left on a contract worth more than $391,000 per year. The contract has a clause that allows UCLA officials to fire Harrick any time they want.

Dalis, as he does with all coaching positions, said he will review Harrick’s situation after the season.

“We’ll see then if we are where we want to be,” he said.

Dalis’ statement is not a vote of no confidence; it is his management style.

“We did the same thing with Terry Donahue (UCLA football coach) when he was 3-7-1,” Dalis said.

Dalis does not always announce contract extensions because he thinks the whole business is overemphasized. So, one defeat by Indiana or another by Cal is not going to produce a rash decision. Dalis said he will consider the overall picture, not any given season, when he reviews Harrick’s performance.

The Bruins are 12-5, 3-3 in the Pac-10, having lost to Arizona, Oregon State and Cal. They will play USC at the Sports Arena on Thursday night, and for Harrick, that is foreboding. Harrick’s Bruins have struggled against their city rivals in recent years, which only adds fuel to the fans’ ire.

Harrick, who was recruiting out of town Monday, has said the increasing criticism has not added pressure. It is understood that anyone stepping into the UCLA basketball coaching job has to expect criticism.

But he has to know what they are saying.

“You hear it, but you filter it,” Dalis said. “Think of the sources, the kind of people that call in.”

Dalis said it was inevitable that the Bruins would not be as good as last season’s 28-5 team, which was led by Don MacLean and Tracy Murray, each a first-round selection during the NBA draft.

“We couldn’t fill the gap,” Dalis said. “You can’t always reload right away.”

That has been evident in UCLA’s inside play, characterized as “soft.”

After Sunday’s game, Harrick said, “You work hard, work hard and work hard, and if that doesn’t do it, you go out and recruit.”

But recruiting has been another point of contention. Had it not been for NCAA sanctions against Nevada Las Vegas, Ed O’Bannon and Shon Tarver would not be Bruins. They were considered two of the Southland’s top recruits three years ago, and have played instrumental roles this season.

Since then, Southern California’s elite players have gone elsewhere. Many are keeping a watchful eye on Charles O’Bannon, Ed’s brother, who is considering UCLA and Kentucky, among others.

Some believe that Harrick must sign the younger O’Bannon to save his job, but that might be overstating the importance of one recruit as much as any one defeat.

Still, it is more fodder for the fans’ daily tirades that have become as much a part of the Westside scene as nouvelle Southwest cuisine.

“In this town, you had better win,” Dalis said.