Don’t Press It: New Wrinkle Was Norman’s

Dale Robertson of the Houston Chronicle wrote that Guy Lewis, former University of Houston basketball coach, “showed John Wooden the full-court press that helped make Wooden the most successful college coach in history.”

Not so.

UCLA installed the zone press in the 1963-64 season, when the Bruins won their first NCAA basketball championship.

Jerry Norman, an assistant to Wooden at the time, suggested the tactic. Norman said Lewis’ input was zero.

Trivia time: When the Utah Jazz was an expansion team in New Orleans, who was the coach in the inaugural 1974-75 season?

Out of touch: Norm Cash, former Detroit Tiger first baseman, said of his 1,081 strikeouts: “Prorated at 500 at-bats a year, that means that for two years out of the 14 I played, I never touched the ball.”

Wanderlust: Lou Saban, the Larry Brown of football, has another job at another level. He’s the coach of the Milwaukee Mustangs of the Arena Football League.

Saban has coached on the pro level with Buffalo, Denver and Boston, the college level with Miami, Army, Northwestern, Peru (Neb.) State and Central Florida, the semipro level with the Middle Georgia Heat Wave, and returned to coach at the high school level in the 1980s.

Add Saban: According to Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel, when Saban was at Central Florida in 1984 and ‘85, his friends called him by his nickname “Two Point Two.” Why? His average stay at any job was 2.2 years.

Ouch! From David Letterman: “I bought a new Jennifer Capriati racket for $89--but the salesman told me it has a much higher street value.”

Elite factor: Wild Bill Hagy, a longtime Baltimore fan, on Oriole Park at Camden Yards: “I liked our old ballpark better. People would ask if the beer is cold. Today, they say: ‘Is the Chardonnay chilled yet?’ ”

Yes man: Pat Riley, in Marv Albert’s book, “I’d Love to but I Have a Game”:

“I worked as a color analyst with Chick Hearn on the Lakers’ broadcasts for two years. You may remember my unforgettable line I often repeated in those years: ‘That’s right, Chick.’ ”

O-zone: Omar Uresti, a second-year pro golfer on the Nike Tour, birdied nine consecutive holes in a tournament in Shreveport, La., on April 28. The streak is believed to be the longest in a pro tournament.

Trivia answer: There were three coaches--Scotty Robertson (1-14), Elgin Baylor (0-1), and Butch van Breda Kolff (22-44).

Quotebook: Phil Hennigan, former pitcher with the Cleveland Indians: “When I was in the majors, I worked on a nudist ball. It had nothing on it.”