Butler: Harrick-Bashing Is Affecting Team : UCLA: While their coach is on a recruiting trip, the Bruin players and assistants hold a meeting to discuss problem.

Mitchell Butler, UCLA’s senior captain, said Tuesday that recent criticism leveled against Coach Jim Harrick by Bruin fans and boosters has become a distraction to the players.

“(It’s) to the point where it’s on (our) minds,” said Butler, a 6-foot-5 swingman. “It shouldn’t be. (But) you can’t help but hear (it) everywhere you go.”

After losing to California, 104-82, Sunday at Pauley Pavilion, Butler said the players knew they would hear about it. And they did.

Even with the Super Bowl in Pasadena only six days away, it seemed all hard-core Southland sports fans wanted to discuss was Harrick’s status.

Harrick, in his fifth season at UCLA, was in Alaska on a recruiting trip Monday. So, his assistants called a team meeting during which the players discussed the situation.

“For us, it is something that really shouldn’t be going on, but since it is, we have to treat it as part of our business,” Butler said. “(Harrick) just needs a little bit of support right now, and he is going to get that from us.”

During the meeting, the team, which is 12-5 overall and 3-3 in the Pacific 10 Conference, discussed its rebounding problems and lack of execution, as well as Thursday’s game against USC at the Sports Arena.

“We talked about keeping things positive,” said Steve Lavin, an assistant coach.

That has been difficult lately. Butler said the team’s performance has partially been a result of the commotion surrounding its coach.

“We are taken out of our focus, which probably happened with the Cal game,” he said.

Butler said the players have listened to the radio talk shows and read the news reports, adding: “Those kinds of things get in your mind and throw your whole focus off.”

Rodney Zimmerman, a 6-9 reserve center who played well last week against Cal and Stanford, said none of it bothers him, except the hounding of Harrick.

“If they boo us, they boo us,” Zimmerman said. “We’re the ones who are doing it, not him. We’re the ones not rebounding. Coach Harrick is not 6-10 and not blocking out on the boards. It upsets me sometimes to see the crowd and hear the alumni.”