It’s More Recess Than Rebuilding

OK, so there’s this young basketball coach, single, with jelled-up, swept-back dark hair. Has a tan and all that youthful stuff. And he has three assistants, two of whom are also single.

And they have this team, see, a real young basketball team that might start all sophomores and freshmen when one of the kids--a sophomore--gets back from a knee injury. The team has one senior and one junior, and the junior isn’t expected to play much.

So, obviously, this coach is going to start, well, aging--fast. His smooth face will suddenly start looking like a road map. Spiky invaders will sprout from his scalp. . . .

“I hope he does get some gray hairs,” Baron Davis says, smiling. “That’d be sweet.”

Steve Lavin, the coach of this UCLA basketball team, the guy who gets to deal with the excitement and frustration these talented young players will generate, may not agree with that last part. But he does know one thing.

“We’re going to make that movie,” he says. “Three coaches and a baby.”

Without stopping at one baby.

The Bruins of 1998-99 will have a grand total of one player with more than 35 games’ experience--senior Brandon Loyd--when they open the season tonight at 7:30 against Santa Clara at Pauley Pavilion. Apparently, they all got permission to stay out after dark. Even on a school night.

Lavin has purposely refrained from calling this a rebuilding season, which may be fair because that term stirs thoughts of a team that will lurch along while waiting for some talent to arrive. UCLA that is not.

Yet the doubts that exist are obvious and well founded. It’s not only that the Bruins are young. Duke is young, but also ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll because it has five players who averaged at least 15 minutes during the 32-4 campaign of 1997-98.

UCLA?

Two.

Even that might be generous, considering Davis is still working his way back from the torn knee ligament suffered in the second round of last spring’s NCAA tournament, was kept out of every scrimmage and exhibition game at the start of this, his sophomore year, and will play with time restrictions when he does return.

That lessens his potential impact in the early going. That also leaves Earl Watson as the lone Bruin who will start tonight after having played a prominent role last season.

Lavin must replace 70% of the scoring, 67% of his rebounding and three of his five 50% shooters from the team that went 24-9 and reached the Sweet 16.

He must temporarily replace the starting point guard, Davis, which isn’t terribly serious because Watson can play the point.

But then he must replace Watson at shooting guard, which may be a problem.

He must replace the entire front court.

And he must do it while playing a schedule that includes the Pacific 10 Conference minefield and a nonconference slate that has preseason No. 13 Oklahoma State, No. 20 Syracuse and, probably, No. 6 Maryland in the second round of the Puerto Rico Shootout next week, a tournament that also has No. 4 Kentucky and No. 17 Xavier of Ohio.

At the very least, disregarding the potential matchups in San Juan, the Bruins will have eight games against five opponents currently in the top 20.

“I can already sense it’s a team that enjoys challenges,” Lavin said. “They like the fact that people are going to underestimate us.”

They don’t underestimate UCLA much. The Bruins opened at No. 12.

“All I’ve told our team is, I don’t want our youth to be a cop-out if we have any failure,” Lavin said.

On the other hand, UCLA did see this transition season coming, so it also scheduled Delaware State, Cal State Northridge, American and Loyola Marymount in a six-game stretch in December.

It also helps that the two most prominent returnees are in the backcourt. Davis and Watson--in a perfect Bruin world, the starters at the point and the wing, respectively--can control the tempo that way and offer stability.

“That’s where you want to start, there’s absolutely no question,” Washington Coach Bob Bender said. “When I was an assistant at Duke, we were always fortunate that when we were going to have a young team, we had a very experienced point guard. I think that’s where you’re going to able to handle a lot of the inconsistencies.”

With Watson at the point until Davis’ return, however, there’s a hole at the other guard spot. Rico Hines would have been a strong candidate to fill it, but he has been out about two weeks because of a sprained knee. Loyd, the three-point weapon, could get the start. He averaged 7.5 minutes as a junior. Maybe Ryan Bailey, who sat out last season as a transfer from Penn State.

The challenge is even greater up front. JaRon Rush is already a gifted player. Jerome Moiso is already fluid in the mold of fellow European big men who can shoot and dribble. Dan Gadzuric will provide a hulking presence and become a factor inside.

But they are still freshmen, even with their booster seats. Gadzuric, for instance, is hardly a typical freshman, since he is turning 21 in February. Moiso has extensive international experience. And Rush has the athleticism to play above the rim.

Matt Barnes is the most versatile of the freshmen, capable of playing both guard spots, both forward spots and maybe even some center if the Bruins go small. He, in fact, epitomizes one of UCLA’s strengths, several players who can play multiple positions.

That positive allows for numerous matchup possibilities and the opportunity to more easily fill a hole. In case, say, they start looking like a young team in the midst of a transition season.

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UCLA Facts

* 1997-98 record: 24-9 overall, 12-6 in Pac-10

* Finish: Third in Pac-10, lost in the third round of the NCAA tournament to Kentucky.

* Coach: Steve Lavin (two seasons, 48-17).

* Who’s new: Ryan Bailey, Matt Barnes, Dan Gadzuric, Jerome Moiso, JaRon Rush, Ray Young.

* Who’s gone: Toby Bailey, J.R. Henderson, Kris Johnson, Jelani McCoy.

* Projected starters: Guards--Baron Davis (11.7 points, 5.0 assists, 2.4 steals, 52.9%) and Earl Watson (5.8 points, 3.2 assists, 1.9 steals, 39.2%); forwards--JaRon Rush (freshman) and Jerome Moiso (freshman); center--Dan Gadzuric (freshman).

* Key to the season: Whether UCLA’s youth shows through primarily in wardrobe, music and enthusiasm and not a barrage of mistakes into what will be a tough enough conference run anyway. The Bruins will also need to get consistent perimeter play--of the six returning guards, only one, Davis, shot better than 45% and two, Watson and Hines, were below 40%.

* Outlook: Encouraging, obviously. But that’s not to be confused with grand success for this season. It’s a team that should be in the 20-win range and aiming more toward future seasons, when the freshmen will be experienced and the point guard will be sound. A big help now is that the versatility of the lineup should allow the Bruins to match up with most anyone, at least in size if not yet skill level.