COLLEGE BASKETBALL: 1994-95 PREVIEW : UCLA : March Should Lead Directly to Final Four

It has four returning starters, three senior leaders, a player-of-the-year candidate and four talented freshmen, but who knows if any of that will matter to UCLA in March?

Not 20 victories, not soaring rankings--all that really matters, as UCLA learned so painfully again last season, is who advances in the NCAA tournament--and who doesn’t.

Last year, Tulsa moved past UCLA into the second round, and the Bruins, for the second time in four years, returned home without a tournament victory and with calls for Coach Jim Harrick’s head.

This year, with more talent and two irreplaceable seniors, the Tulsa loss looms large for Harrick, who has brought consistency, six consecutive 20-victory seasons and a broadened recruiting base--but no Final Four pennants--to Pauley Pavilion.

With fifth-year senior Ed O’Bannon making a push for the postseason individual awards, Tyus Edney at point guard for one last run and a front line as talented and deep as UCLA has had in years, if it doesn’t happen this season, then when?

“I do believe that we are bigger and stronger, more physical than we’ve ever been since I’ve been here,” Harrick said. “I feel very good about our program. I’d like to go to the Final Four, no question, I’d like to win a national championship. And we’re going to work hard and do everything we can.

“But, if you don’t, then you’ve just got to look at the men (and) say, ‘Hey, I’ve done my best.’ ”

The Bruin players, who say they plan on echoing the 1991-92 team, which followed a first-round exit with a trip to the final eight, emphasize that Harrick’s job shouldn’t be in jeopardy, no matter what happens this year.

Said sophomore swingman Charles O’Bannon: “If we make it to the first round again and lose, I think he’ll still have a job. But that’s not on any of our minds. It’s winning. And it’s not up to Coach Harrick.”

The Bruins begin the season Saturday against Cal State Northridge in everybody’s top 10 and at No. 6 in the Associated Press poll.

Last season’s team bolted from the gate, winning its first 14 games, then staggered in the turn and down the homestretch, losing six of its last 13 regular-season games, one a devastating one-point defeat by Oregon on the final day of the season that cost UCLA the Pacific 10 Conference title.

This season, the Bruins say, they have learned from that experience. So how do you prepare a team for a tournament four months away?

“I think there is a way we can prepare, and it’s by playing consistent,” Charles O’Bannon said. “That was our problem last year. We were very consistent early last year, and as the season progressed, our consistency kind of faltered.”

Said Edney, “I think, for one, we learned if you’re No. 1 or No. 2, teams come at us to knock us off. I think we learned we have to recover from our losses, can’t dwell on them. We have to just keep playing, so by the time the tournament comes around we’re ready for it.”

Mostly, the Bruins stumbled when the opposition took away their deadly fast break, and forced them into a half-court offense. This year, with Shon Tarver, the team’s best outside shooter, having graduated, the Bruins will search even harder for someone who can free up the middle for Ed O’Bannon by making long-range shots.

The first person to get the chance might be freshman guard Toby Bailey, who has been impressive in practice and has been working out with the first team. Guards Kevin Dempsey, Marquis Burns and Cameron Dollar also will get looks alongside Edney, and Harrick has altered the offense to a 1-2-2 set that gives Edney more room to maneuver on top.

The frontcourt is more settled.

Along with the O’Bannon brothers, senior center George Zidek also returns from last year’s starters, who will be bolstered by three freshmen--forward J.R. Henderson, who might eventually work his way into the starting five as a ballhandling swing man; center omm’A Givens, who will spell Zidek; and forward Kris Johnson, a soft-handed inside player who is the son of former UCLA star Marques Johnson.

The Bruins’ nonconference schedule includes Kentucky on Dec. 3 at the Pond of Anaheim in the John Wooden Classic, a trip to Louisiana State later in the month, home games against North Carolina State, Notre Dame and Duke and a March pre-tournament trip to Louisville.

So, is this UCLA’s best shot at the Final Four since the last time it went, in 1980, under Larry Brown?

“I did think we’d get to a Final Four before now,” Edney said. “Every team we’ve had was capable of doing it. But this year, especially since it’s my senior year, Ed’s and George’s, we’ve got to do everything we can.”

UCLA Facts and Figures

1994-95 ROSTER

No Player Pos Hgt Wgt Yr 4 *Marquis Burns G 6-4 188 Jr 5 *Cameron Dollar G 6-1 173 So 11 *Tyus Edney G 5-10 152 Sr 12 Toby Bailey G 6-5 185 Fr 13 *Charles O’Bannon F 6-6 1/2 205 So 24 *Bob Myers F 6-6 210 So 25 *George Zidek C 7-0 250 Sr 30 *Kevin Dempsey F 6-6 210 Jr 31 *Ed O’Bannon F 6-8 217 Sr 35 *Ike Nwankwo C 6-11 234 So 50 omm’A Givens C-F 6-10 235 Fr 52 J.R. Henderson F 6-9 215 Fr 54 Kris Johnson G-F 6-4 220 Fr

No Hometown (High School) 4 Los Angeles (Reseda) 5 Atlanta (St. John’s Prospect, Md.) 11 Long Beach (Poly) 12 Los Angeles (Loyola) 13 Lakewood (Artesia) 24 Alamo (Monte Vista) 25 Prague, Czech Republic 30 San Jose (Santa Teresa) 31 Lakewood (Artesia) 35 Houston (Cypress Creek) 50 Aberdeen, Wash. (Aberdeen) 52 Bakersfield (East Bakersfield) 54 Los Angeles (Crenshaw)

*Lettermen returning (9)

Coach: Jim Harrick.

Assistants: Mark Gottfried, Lorenzo Romar, Steve Lavin.

1993-94 STATISTICS

Player G FGM-FGA Pct. FTM-FTA Pct. Reb Ast Pts Ed O’Bannon 28 191-395 .484 111-149 .745 8.8 2.1 18.2 Tyus Edney 28 137-294 .466 132-161 .820 3.4 5.8 15.4 Shon Tarver 27 150-312 .481 64-101 .634 5.0 2.3 14.4 Charles O’Bannon 28 132-257 .514 44-68 .647 6.8 1.6 11.6 George Zidek 28 120-232 .517 71-93 .763 7.0 0.5 11.1 Kevin Dempsey 26 47-114 .412 11-18 .611 1.6 1.3 4.6 Cameron Dollar 28 36-77 .468 33-56 .589 1.5 2.7 3.9 R. Zimmerman 22 33-57 .579 12-28 .429 4.0 0.2 3.5 Marquis Burns 28 32-71 .451 9-16 .563 1.9 0.7 2.9 Ike Nwankwo 19 21-43 .488 2-6 .333 1.6 0.4 2.3 David Boyle 13 4-16 .250 1-3 .333 0.7 0.4 0.8 Bob Myers 9 2-8 .250 0-0 .000 1.2 0.3 0.4 Tom Walden 7 0-2 .000 0-0 .000 0.4 0.3 0.0 UCLA Totals 28 905-1878 .482 490-699 .701 43.9 17.7 86.1 Opponents 28 747-1776 .421 490-753 .651 36.2 15.6 76.5

Three-point goals: Burns 9-20; Edney 24-64; C. O’Bannon 18-47, Dempsey 14-40; Tarver, 24-70; E. O’Bannon 16-56; Dollar 4-14; Boyle 1-7; Myers 0-1, Zidek 0-2. UCLA 110-321, 34.3%; Opponents 159-556, 28.6%.

1994-95 SCHEDULE

Date Opponent Time Nov. 26 CS Northridge 2:00 Dec. 3 *Kentucky TBA Dec. 10 CS Fullerton 5:00 Dec. 17 at Louisiana State 6:30 Dec. 22 George Mason 7:30 Dec. 28 North Carolina State 7:30 Jan. 5 at Oregon 7:05 Jan. 7 at Oregon State 1:00 Jan. 12 Washington 7:30 Jan. 14 Washington State 1:00 Jan. 19 at Arizona 6:30 Jan. 21 at Arizona State 1:00 Jan. 26 Stanford 7:30 Jan. 28 California 3:00 Feb. 2 at USC 6:30 Feb. 5 Notre Dame 12:45 Feb. 9 at Washington 7:00 Feb. 11 at Washington State 3:00 Feb. 16 Arizona State 9:00 Feb. 19 Arizona 12:45 Feb. 21 at Stanford 8:00 Feb. 23 at California 9:00 Feb. 26 Duke 12:45 Mar. 1 USC 8:00 Mar. 5 at Louisville 12:45 Mar. 9 Oregon State 7:30 Mar. 11 Oregon 7:30

All Times are p.m. and PST

*John Wooden Classic at Pond of Anaheim.

1993-94 RESULTS

W-L, Rec. Opponent Score W, 1-0 *Loyola Marymount 115-77 W, 2-0 *Nevada Las Vegas 108-83 W, 3-0 *Tennessee State 80-66 W, 4-0 *Long Beach State 93-51 W, 5-0 *Louisiana State 100-80 W, 6-0 Houston 93-72 W, 7-0 North Carolina State 81-75 W, 8-0 *Oregon 89-73 W, 9-0 *Oregon State 104-71 W, 10-0 Washington State 81-79 W, 11-0 Washington 82-62 W, 12-0 *Arizona 74-66 W, 13-0 *Arizona State 98-81 W, 14-0 Stanford 69-65 L, 14-1 California 85-70 W, 15-1 *USC 101-72 L, 15-2 Notre Dame 79-63 W, 16-2 *Washington 79-76 W, 17-2 *Washington State 76-66 W, 18-2 Arizona State 76-70 L, 18-3 Arizona 98-74 L, 18-4 *California 92-88 W, 19-4 *Stanford 103-88 L, 19-5 USC 85-79 W, 20-5 *Louisville 75-72 W, 21-5 Oregon State 78-67 L, 21-6 Oregon 80-79 NCAA Tournament L, 21-7 Tulsa 112-102

*Home: 14-1. Away: 7-5. Neutral: 0-1

Conference: 13-5 (tie second place)