UCLA Coaches Past Advise the New Guy

When Larry Farmer last saw Steve Lavin, before UCLA’s game at Louisville on Jan. 25, Lavin mentioned how proud he was to be coaching the Bruins at the tender age of 32. Farmer laughed.

“I reminded him I was 30 when I became coach, but you age quickly,” Farmer said. “I started at 30, but about two weeks into the job, I felt 40.”

When Farmer left UCLA in 1984 with a 61-23 record after three seasons, he had a receding hairline and a sense of staleness. Without the daily stress of coaching a high-profile team, his hair grew back, he claimed, and his wrinkles smoothed out.

“I always said, when I’m not excited about going to the gym for practice, I’d leave, and I did,” said Farmer, now a commentator for ESPN and CBS. “It’s the greatest job in the world, but when it stops being fun, then it’s time to go.”

Pressure comes with the clipboard for any coach, but few jobs involve as much of it as coaching basketball at UCLA, where John Wooden’s accomplishments stand as a silent challenge to all who follow. And often, the challenge isn’t silent.

As another former Bruin coach, Gene Bartow, once described it, “I didn’t adjust very well to the nut element at UCLA. . . . I’ve never regretted going to UCLA. I’ve never regretted walking away, either.”

Gary Cunningham, who walked away in 1979 after compiling a 50-8 record in two seasons, regarded the pressure as motivational, not oppressive.

“The great thing is, the school is so good academically and has a tremendous athletic heritage, which enables one to attract quality athletes,” said Cunningham, who is in his second year as athletic director at UC Santa Barbara. “There is pressure there that is tremendous to produce winning teams, but in high-level jobs, there’s pressure anywhere.

“There’s no more pressure there than at Indiana, Duke or some other high-profile schools. There is a lot, but people in intercollegiate athletics at this level know that’s there. A lot of the pressure is self-imposed.”

Bartow, who had a 52-9 record but didn’t win an NCAA title, had the unenviable task of directly succeeding Wooden. Bartow left UCLA in 1977 to start the basketball program at Alabama Birmingham.

“The UCLA situation was one that I knew they’d either fire me or have me killed,” he told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune in 1993. “Trying to follow a legend, be it high school or college, it’s a different kind of job. They’re still following Knute Rockne at Notre Dame.”

Farmer, an assistant under Bartow, learned from him not to read the newspapers or pay attention to radio and television sportscasts.

“I could generally tell how things were by the look on my secretary’s face after the weekend,” said Farmer, who turned down a three-year contract extension before leaving. “I would say, ‘Can I send these [newspaper clippings] to my mom?’ And if they were bad, she’d say, ‘Maybe next week.’ ”

Farmer predicted that Lavin, who Tuesday was given a four-year contract, would endure some sleepless nights. However, Farmer believes Lavin is as well-prepared as anyone can be for such a demanding role.

“I think the one thing he has in his favor is when you’re young, you can be a little naive, and in high-pressure situations, that could be good for you,” Farmer said. “When you’re young, you think you’re invincible. I think his enthusiasm will carry him a long way.”

Cunningham, who hasn’t met Lavin but has corresponded with him, said his sleepless nights stemmed not from anxiety but “from when I was excited after a game and couldn’t sleep. I didn’t have a lot of nights when I was stressed out.”

But Cunningham understands that Lavin might be under a more intense microscope.

“One thing that has changed today over when I coached is, there’s a lot more focus [on the program] because there’s a lot more national publicity now than there was before, and talk shows are more prevalent,” he said. “The best advice I could give him is to do the best he can and keep it all in perspective.”

Farmer, who suggested that the ever-growing fraternity of former Bruin coaches contact Lavin with helpful hints, said that above all, he’d urge Lavin to have fun.

“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for him,” Farmer said. “I look back at it and if I could do it again, I would do it 10 times. I loved my team. UCLA was part of my family. Now, I can go back to school with my son and show him where I played.

“I was there 16 total years, and if I’d stayed any longer, I wouldn’t have had great memories. After all the time I spent there, for the experience to be ruined, would have been a shame.

“I still bleed blue and gold, although I probably shouldn’t say that because I’m supposed to be impartial.”