COLLEGE BASKETBALL / GENE WOJCIECHOWSKI : Bockrath Still Feels Heat From His Fire

His cone of silence now firmly in place, California Athletic Director Bob Bockrath has decided that no comment is the best comment when dealing with the controversy surrounding the recent dismissal of Coach Lou Campanelli.

Rather than personally address the National Assn. of Basketball Coaches’ unprecedented condemnation of the firing, Bockrath on Tuesday chose to hide behind a prepared statement that said, in essence, nothing. He did, however, note that many of the local and national media were “supportive of the decision” to press the button on Campanelli’s ejector seat.

The NABC wasn’t so thrilled. In a rare show of force, the coaches’ group chided Bockrath for dismissing Campanelli without first detailing the problems and offering the coach a chance to correct them. In this instance, Bockrath considered Campanelli’s verbal treatment of Cal players abusive, unnecessary and ample grounds for termination.

“What the (NABC board of directors) is concerned with is that coaches be provided due process as all other employees of a university would be provided,” the NABC response read.

Even NCAA Executive Director Dick Schultz, speaking at the annual Football Forum in Kansas City earlier this week, took time to question the timing and message of such midseason firings.

“I’m really concerned when I see this happen,” said Schultz, adding that he supported the NABC criticism of Bockrath’s handling of the dismissal. “I think that this needs to be a major topic of discussion for the Presidents Commission.”

So much for Bockrath’s hopes that the whole thing would simply go away.

CAMPANELLI--PART II

In an interview with the New York Times, Bockrath confirmed what others had said all along: that it was only a matter of time until a reason, however suspect, was found to can Campanelli.

Asked why Campanelli wasn’t provided a chance to modify his behavior toward the Cal players, Bockrath said: “He wouldn’t have changed. If you’d have heard him go off on these guys, you wouldn’t have told him to lighten up, either. You’d have just wanted to put a cork in the dike.”

Or, in Bockrath’s case, a pink slip in Campanelli’s hand.

Of course, no one--except Bockrath, who apparently can read minds--will ever know if Campanelli would have corrected the problem. Granted, Campanelli is stubborn to a fault and, say those who know him best, not exactly the great compromiser. But suppose your boss gave you your choice between unemployment or changing your ways, what would you do?

Exactly. Maybe Campanelli would have done the same.

CAMPANELLI--PART III

Forget any NABC talk about blacklisting interim Cal Coach Todd Bozeman, who was rumored to have undermined Campanelli’s position at Berkeley. According to the NABC board of directors, Bozeman was a loyal assistant to Campanelli and had nothing to do with Bockrath’s decision to change coaches.

As for a supposed NABC edict that would ask no member to apply for the Cal vacancy, forget that, too.

“That’s not going to happen,” said Iowa State Coach Johnny Orr, president of the NABC. “There’s too many guys who need jobs.”

Orr estimated that Bockrath will receive “300-400” resumes for Campanelli’s position and the accompanying assistant openings.

At the moment, the list of possible candidates to succeed Campanelli could include just about anyone. Marquette’s Kevin O’Neill . . . North Carolina Charlotte’s Jeff Mullins . . . Utah’s Rick Majerus . . . Duke assistant Mike Brey . . . Washington State’s Kelvin Sampson . . . Xavier’s Pete Gillen . . . Fresno State’s Gary Colson . . . Tulane’s Perry Clark . . . Bozeman--who knows?

Whoever gets the job will inherit a team burdened with high expectations and a roster that features three freshmen, including heralded guard Jason Kidd, and five sophomores.

Orr has a theory about those expectations. Call it, “The Curse of the Fab Five.”

“It’s like, some of you writers and fans, sometimes the expectations for teams are too great,” he said. “Look at that Jason Kidd. They built him up in high school . . . with (ESPN commentator Dick) Vitale on television saying, ‘He’s the greatest, the greatest.’ Just like Michigan. But (the Wolverines haven’t) won the Big Ten championship yet and they’re not going to win it this year. They could stay four years and not win the Big Ten. Yet, they’re the greatest.

“They’re good, I’m not saying they’re not good. But they’ve played two years and they don’t have any Big Ten rings, any Big Ten titles.”

And this from Utah’s Majerus: “This recruiting rating has gotten so bad, it’s going to be prenatal. It’s going to get to the point where someone says, ‘This kid’s got a good gene pool, this kid’s got a good strain . . . let’s look at him.’ I think Campanelli was a victim of all that.”

All things considered, Majerus, whose Utah team is 19-3 and ranked 12th in the Associated Press poll, isn’t likely to end up at Cal. Something about the fit.

“If they got rid of Campanelli, geez, I’m pretty hard on players,” he said. “If they were down on Campanelli, imagine how they’d feel about me. I’m very demanding in a lot of ways. I don’t think I’d last a day or two.”

Majerus doesn’t run a total dictatorship at Utah. Players are encouraged to offer suggestions on most anything--curfew, movie choices, meals, practice regimen, how to defend the pick-and-roll play . . . you name it. But it is Majerus who has the final say, which is as it should be.

Majerus, who doesn’t offer opinions lightly, said Bockrath might have been “intimidated” by Cal’s players. He wondered why Campanelli’s methods, if they were so awful, weren’t questioned in previous seasons, especially in winning seasons.

And he acknowledged that although some coaches make substantial amounts of money and, in some cases, consider themselves bigger than life, there remains a significant difference between the demands placed on those in the college game as opposed to the demands placed on professional baseball managers and NBA and NFL coaches. To wit: graduation rates, off-court behavior, NCAA rules.

“We are now expected to be treated like pro coaches,” he said. “But you’ve got to be a part of the university community. The tail can’t wag the dog.”

Asked what he would prefer, money or security, Majerus’ answered: “I would much rather make a lot less money and have tenure.”

*

It was Monday and Louisville Coach Denny Crum, fresh from a convincing upset of Nevada Las Vegas on the Rebels’ home court, was basking in the glow of a season salvaged. The Cardinals (14-6) were ranked No. 22 and had registered the kind of victory that attracts an invitation from the NCAA tournament selection committee.

“I think this team is getting better each week,” Crum said. “I guess a lot will depend on how strong we finish. We only have one more road game and that’s at Houston.”

So what happens? Western Kentucky comes to town and springs its own surprise on Louisville, beating the Cardinals on Tuesday night, 78-77. With the victory, Western Kentucky (17-4) strengthened its own claim to an NCAA bid and slightly loosened the one Louisville might have had.

Crum has seen his team lose three two-point games on the road--at Tulane, Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech--and now this, the Tuesday night flop at Freedom Hall when the Cardinals watched in horror as Derwin Webb missed a game-winning dunk with less than a minute to play.

Still in Louisville’s favor is its schedule. Crum, who has never been afraid to play tough nonconference teams, is through with the most difficult part of the season. Not counting a remaining regular-season game against No. 18 Tulane at Louisville, the Cardinals could win four of their next five. Better yet, the Metro Conference tournament is in Louisville.

*

Last week it was Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski lobbying for six, maybe seven Atlantic Coast Conference teams to make the NCAA tournament. This week Iowa State’s Orr took his turn, saying that seven of the Big Eight teams ought to receive bids.

“I think we’ve got the most balanced league in America,” he said.

Balance, though, doesn’t necessarily mean excellence. Kansas is an NCAA tournament lock. So are Oklahoma, Kansas State, Nebraska and Oklahoma State. After that, Iowa State and Missouri will fight for the sixth and, barring some unforeseen development, last bid given to the Big Eight this season.

One other Big Eight quote of note:

After last Saturday’s Kansas victory over Missouri, Jayhawk guard Rex Walters popped off about Tiger Coach Norm Stewart, saying to the Kansas City Star: “I think Coach Stewart spends a lot of time worrying about us and the refs. If he spent that much effort on his team they’d be a heck of a team.”

*

Don’t be surprised if Notre Dame and the Big East one day--the sooner, the better--discuss the possibility of a basketball-only arrangement that would allow the Irish to join the conference.

Notre Dame, hampered by a brutal schedule and a thin roster, is finding it harder and harder to compete on a national level. A move to the Big East would provide the Irish with recruiting credibility, TV exposure and a more realistic schedule.

Majerus predicted at season’s start that Michigan wouldn’t win the Big Ten title, nor would it return to the Final Four. His reasoning: lack of team chemistry. Point guard Jalen Rose is a shooting guard in disguise. . . . Majerus also is frustrated by his inability to arrange a home-and-home series with UCLA or USC. “I’d kill to get UCLA, but they won’t play us,” he said. “I write them a letter every year. I’d love to play either one of them. Of course, I wish I’d married Cindy Crawford, instead of her marrying Richard Gere.”

Forget the victories over Cal State Northridge and Stanford. The real test of the “new” Cal team begins tonight as the Golden Bears face USC. Five of the next six games feature UCLA, Washington State, Arizona, Arizona State and Oregon State. Win those and it will be, “Lou, who?”

Top 10

As selected by staff writer Gene Wojciechowski

No. Team Record 1. Indiana 23-2 2. Kentucky 19-2 3. North Carolina 21-3 4. Michigan 20-4 5. Florida State 20-6 6. Kansas 20-4 7. Arizona 17-2 8. Duke 19-4 9. Cincinnati 20-2 10. Vanderbilt 20-4

Waiting list: Wake Forest (17-4), Utah (19-3), Tulane (18-4), Purdue (15-5), Nevada Las Vegas (16-3).