McCoy Is Out of Team Picture

With the school Sunday cautiously calling it a resignation and the junior center unavailable for comment of any kind, Jelani McCoy finally gave up his battle to remain a member of the UCLA basketball team.

In an appropriately haphazard, attention-getting and incomplete finale to McCoy’s chaotic collegiate career, McCoy surrendered in the mysterious manner:

He resigned. But, only weeks before the NCAA tournament, nobody talking on Sunday could say why or exactly how it happened.

Coach Steve Lavin said that he had been surprised to learn on Saturday night from a “senior administrator” that McCoy, an all-conference player last season, was resigning.

But Lavin, with Joseph Mandel, the school’s vice chancellor for legal affairs sitting nearby, would not say precisely how UCLA learned of McCoy’s decision or whom the administrator was.

Lavin also said that he did not try to speak to McCoy on Saturday night because he said he did not have McCoy’s telephone number.

Several sources close to the situation, however, say that UCLA and Lavin were far from surprised by McCoy’s decision to leave the team or its timing.

Instead, say the sources, it was a carefully constructed end to a long, legalistic give-and-take between McCoy and UCLA. According to the sources:

* McCoy has failed school-imposed drug tests multiple times, and, following the school’s drug-testing policy, was in line to be permanently removed from the team late last month.

McCoy, who started 59 of 63 games in his first two seasons, served a 10-week suspension earlier this season before being reinstated on Dec. 1. His first game back with the team was Dec. 30 against Illinois.

* Before UCLA could implement the second, permanent penalty, McCoy and those close to him questioned the school’s legal right to suspend him, and--with their own lawyer--had at least one meeting with the school’s lawyers to discuss the matter.

That, at least temporarily, caused the school to keep him on the team.

* Because of the recent problems, Lavin has kept McCoy’s playing time down, and, though the coach earlier said McCoy would definitely be a starter soon, McCoy did not start any of his 15 games with the team.

Despite Lavin’s statements that McCoy hadn’t earned a starting spot, McCoy is averaging 7.8 rebounds in Pacific 10 Conference games, more than a rebound per game better than any other Bruin, averaging only 22.4 minutes.

* Lavin and McCoy’s relationship had deteriorated to the point where Lavin, who insists his players recognize him with a nod or hand slap each time he removes them from a game, consistently avoided McCoy when the center came to the sideline after being taken out.

* Late last week, the school made the final decision: McCoy could choose to resign--the word “quit” was avoided--or UCLA’s drug-testing policy would mandate his permanent removal from the team.

Saturday, in UCLA’s 87-84 victory over California, McCoy played only 13 minutes--the fewest he played this season--and was held out the last 12:45 of the game.

Asked afterward by a reporter if he thought about bringing an end to the strange situation, McCoy said he wouldn’t because he wasn’t a quitter.

“That was just I guess his choice,” Lavin said when asked why the word “resign” was used in the press release. “Jelani wanted to resign from the team, so . . . I just know that I was informed that he wanted to resign.”

As he left the locker room that afternoon, McCoy, UCLA’s career field-goal percentage leader, shook many of his teammates’ hands, then lingered in the Pauley Pavilion stands for several minutes before leaving the building.

The UCLA press release suggests--but does not directly say--that McCoy was resigning because of “the intense media scrutiny and pressure that he has endured for many months has exacted a toll on himself and his family.”

Said Lavin: “The press release is pretty clear, though, in terms of why he left the team.”

Lavin acknowledged that he was not sure that McCoy participated in the drafting of the press release or that it conveyed McCoy’s reasoning.

When asked if McCoy was forced into this decision by UCLA, neither Mandel nor Lavin would answer the question.

“I cannot comment about that at all,” Mandel said.

Said Lavin: “All I know is a senior administrator came to me and said Jelani McCoy has resigned. So, now what we need to do is we wish him well, and we have to move forward now as a basketball team.”

Was McCoy given an ultimatum?

“There’s two things: one is I can’t speculate,” Lavin said. “And then the second thing is because of federal and state laws, constitutional laws . . . in respect to Jelani and in respect to Jelani’s people, we don’t want to do anything legally that would be out of bounds . . .

“Just from a legal standpoint, there’s only so much you can say.”

Lavin said that McCoy was welcome to remain at UCLA and work toward his degree, though apparently McCoy’s scholarship will not be renewed after this school year.

But, even before the latest troubles, the 6-foot-10 McCoy was expected to leave for the NBA after this season. Lavin said McCoy should not be damaged much by the controversy of his UCLA departure.

“In terms of Jelani’s upside as a basketball player--because he’s a good person, he’s 6-10, he has tremendous talent--I see him as someone who’s going to have a bright future in basketball,” Lavin said.

“I see him as a guy that could play 10 years at the next level.”

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McCoy’s Career

*--*

Year FG% FT% Reb Pts 1995-96 .676 .435 6.9 10.2 1996-97 .756 .446 6.5 10.9 1997-98 .600 .522 7.1 9.9 Totals .694 .462 6.7 10.4

*--*

- Blocked 102 shots in 1995-96, a Bruin season record.

- 1996-97 field-goal percentage is a Bruin season record.

- Leads Bruin career list in blocked shots (188) and field-goal percentage.