Wooden Winner Doesn’t Show Up : College basketball: Indiana’s Cheaney cites academic commitments for missing ceremony, where the center of attention is Webber.

In case you missed it--and winner Calbert Cheaney of Indiana did--Wednesday’s presentation of the 17th John R. Wooden Award had its share of memorable moments, both awkward and poignant.

Where else could you find Wooden reduced to idle podium chatter as officials from the Los Angeles Athletic Club frantically tried to contact Cheaney by phone? At one point, the former UCLA coach somehow found himself entangled in an impromptu discussion of Indiana basketball and the movie, “Hoosiers.” None of it had a thing to do with Cheaney, but desperate times called for desperate actions.

“I’m just trying to kill a little time,” Wooden said.

He did, but it didn’t matter. Cheaney returned home late from an afternoon exam and just missed the call from LAAC officials. Those attending the ceremony had to settle for a makeshift videotape, filmed days earlier, by the way, of Cheaney thanking all those concerned for the award. It was better than nothing, but not much.

That’s the kind of week it was for Wooden Award chairman Duke Llewellyn. Finalists Cheaney, Kentucky’s Jamal Mashburn and Duke’s Bobby Hurley canceled their reservations at the last moment because of academic commitments. Worse yet, those same players finished 1-2-3 in the balloting, with Cheaney collecting 4,799 points, Mashburn 4,306 and Hurley 3,933.

Duke sent assistant coach Pete Gaudet to Los Angeles and also made Hurley available by phone. Kentucky did likewise with Mashburn, but no Wildcat coach made the trip. Indiana wasn’t represented.

Had the Hoosiers made the effort, they could have seen the two remaining finalists, Memphis State’s Anfernee Hardaway, who finished fourth in the balloting, and Mr. Headline himself, Michigan’s who finished fifth.

Webber’s appearance produced the most attention. He and Wolverine Coach Steve Fisher arrived shortly after the start of the ceremony and were immediately seated at the same table as Hall of Famer Bill Walton, who recently characterized the current Michigan team as “underachievers.” Greetings were exchanged, but a lovefest, it wasn’t.

Webber, of course, has been the centerpiece of conversation ever since North Carolina defeated Michigan, 77-71, in Monday night’s NCAA championship game. It was Webber, unaware that the Wolverines were out of timeouts, who called for one anyway with 11 seconds to play, prompting a technical foul and all but guaranteeing the Tar Heels a national championship.

Devastated by the error, Webber said he considered canceling his trip to Los Angeles, but decided otherwise, “just because I have great respect for Coach Wooden.”

The feeling is mutual. Wooden made a special effort to commend Fisher and his team for the way they conducted themselves after the heartbreaking loss to North Carolina.

Even Walton, who was called up to the podium to join Wooden’s filibuster, graciously acknowledged Michigan’s 31-5 season, the job done by Fisher and the play of Webber. He also complimented Fisher and Webber for doing what Cheaney, Mashburn and Hurley didn’t do--that is, show up.

If Webber cared for Walton’s praise, he didn’t show it. He didn’t applaud when Walton was introduced, nor did he seem interested in talking with the former UCLA star.

Had he chatted with Walton?

“No,” he said.

Did he intend to?

“No,” he said, this time smiling.

Webber, who was making his first trip to Los Angeles, has yet to view a replay of the infamous timeout. In fact, he said he will never watch the loss to North Carolina nor Michigan’s 1992 NCAA championship loss to Duke “until we win something.”

Added Webber: “I’ve been in a state of denial. I’ve been putting (the loss) out of my mind hoping to wake up and it will be the day before the game.”

These have been a hard few days for Webber. Shortly after Monday night’s defeat, he and the Michigan team ventured out to New Orleans’ famed Bourbon Street. A North Carolina fan saw him and immediately motioned for a timeout. The same sort of thing happened even when the Wolverines arrived back at Detroit.

Asked what he thought of the gestures, Webber said he didn’t hold a grudge.

“I was just thinking, ‘I called the timeout,’ ” he said. “But I was in no way mad at the people who were doing that.”

Detroit Piston star Isiah Thomas has since phoned Webber to offer his support. And Fisher has done his best to emphasize that without Webber, the Wolverines would never have advanced to the championship game.

“I’m sure he thinks he lost the game, but it couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Fisher, who added that it was the coach’s responsibility to make sure everyone understood how many Michigan timeouts remained.

Still, Webber remains concerned that his name and career will forever be linked to one mistake, that there will always be an asterisk attached to his basketball legacy. Fisher assured him during the flight to Los Angeles that in years to come, Webber’s timeout will become a footnote rather than a starting point.

“I hope he’s right,” Webber said. “I hope one day I have an asterisk that says: ‘He won a national championship.’ ”