Notes on a Scorecard - March 21, 1994

Considering that Gordie Howe hasn’t scored a goal since 1980, it was a pretty good bet that Wayne Gretzky eventually would catch him. . . .

But leave it to the Great One to add the surprise element to the inevitable, the 801st goal of his career coming when it seemed that the Kings would lose to San Jose and perhaps blow all hope of reaching the playoffs. . . .

Gretzky tied Howe and the Kings tied the Sharks with 49 seconds left Sunday. With 12 games left, Gretzky undoubtedly will pass Howe. And, who knows, the Kings might even pass the Sharks. They have a favorable schedule, experience and No. 99 on their side. . . . *

Jim Harrick isn’t making this business of trying to be the voice of reason any easier for me. . . .

He did a lousy job of preparing UCLA for the NCAA tournament. . . .

It wasn’t so much that the Bruins lost to Tulsa--a dangerous 12th-seeded team playing in its home state and an upset winner over Oklahoma State on Sunday--but how. . . .

The Bruins trailed by 29 points not long after removing their warm-ups, and the game wasn’t nearly as close as the 112-102 score indicated. . . .

A team that began the season 14-0 and was voted No. 1 in the nation in late January split its last 14 games and might not be ranked in the top 25 if there were a poll this week. . . .

As the schedule got tougher, the Bruins got weaker. Their opponents made adjustments. They didn’t. . . .

The rap against Harrick-coached teams is that they don’t improve. . . .

Their intensity level seems to drop. . . .

I mean, you don’t often find the words inspired and Bruins in the same sentence. It was as though they were playing Oregon again Friday. . . .

They rarely win games they shouldn’t and often lose games they shouldn’t. . . .

But, no, I don’t agree with the radio talk-show callers who think Harrick should be strung by a rope--or even fired. . . .

The UCLA athletic department is in no financial position to buy out the last three years of a contract it extended last March. . . .

Besides, too many changes and mistakes have been made at UCLA since John Wooden retired after the 1975 season. . . .

Would Harrick’s successor be any better than most of his predecessors? . . .

Former assistant Denny Crum would still be coaching in Westwood if he had been signed after Wooden. But Gene Bartow was picked, to be followed by Gary Cunningham, Larry Brown, Larry Farmer, Walt Hazzard and Harrick. . . .

Harrick has improved as a recruiter, and his class that includes 6-foot-11 center omm’A Givens, 6-9 J.R. Henderson, 6-4 Kris Johnson and 6-4 Toby Bailey is rated among the best in the nation. . . .

Only starting guard Shon Tarver and backup center Rodney Zimmerman probably will be missing from a team that was well-stocked with potential NBA players, but finished 21-7 and was eliminated in the first round of the tournament. . . .

Harrick says his record speaks for itself. . . .

Now it is his job to raise it from the whisper of the 1993-94 season. . . .

*

Thumbs-up to the one local men’s coach who did have his players ready for the postseason: Tom Asbury of Pepperdine. The undermanned Waves won the West Coast Conference tournament and then took Michigan into overtime. . . .

USC, which was on a roll, should have been able to handle Fresno State in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament. . . .

North Carolina underachieved, not a first for Dean Smith. . . .

Biggest flop opening day of the tournament was Jason Kidd, who was four for 17 from the floor, had a below-par seven assists and didn’t do much at crunch time during California’s loss to Wisconsin Green Bay. But the Bears could wind up a winner if Kidd decides to stay in school another year after the disappointment. . . .

Marquette? I thought the Warriors quit playing basketball when Al McGuire retired from coaching. . . .

Say what you want about Bob Knight, but perhaps no other coach could have gotten Indiana past the second round. . . .

Soul Of The Matter became a Kentucky Derby candidate by winning the $200,000 San Felipe Stakes Sunday at Santa Anita, but the reputation of neither Brocco nor Valiant Nature was tarnished on a tiring, muddy track. . . .

The NFL should outdo the NCAA by not only adopting the two-point conversion, but outlawing the one-point conversion.