UCLA Relishes a Quiet Start Amid ‘Midnight Madness’

No one should blame Steve Lavin for wanting to ease quietly into the 1998-99 college basketball season.

Lavin took over as coach at UCLA two years ago amid the storm of Jim Harrick’s ouster. Last season began with the suspension of Jelani McCoy and Kris Johnson.

“Two years of ulcers and damage control,” Lavin said at a coaches’ luncheon last week.

This time the Bruins start with a closed-door session Saturday at Pauley Pavilion. Despite lofty preseason expectations, the Bruins will gladly leave the “Midnight Madness” to other Southland teams on this, the first weekend of official practices:

* If the Bruins were to resemble a soap opera, it would be “General Hospital” because everyone will be watching to see how guard Baron Davis recovers from knee surgery.

Otherwise, the gossip centers on a top-ranked recruiting class that features Dan Gadzuric, Jerome Moiso and JaRon Rush. The Bruins finished 24-9 last season, losing to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

* USC welcomes some talented freshmen of its own. Sam Clancy Jr., an All-American from Lakewood, Ohio, and Westchester High alumni David Bluthenthal and Brandon Granville led their teams to state titles last season.

“We’ve made some changes,” Coach Henry Bibby said last week. “We brought in young people with winning attitudes.”

When practice begins Saturday, they will join junior college transfer Quincy Wilder and top returners Elias Ayuso and Adam Spanich on a squad that went 9-19 in 1997-98.

* Pepperdine gets an early start with a public workout at midnight Friday in Firestone Fieldhouse. The Waves come off a 17-10 season but must replace top scorers Gerald Brown and Bryan Hill. The team is counting on front-court transfers David Lalazarian, from Notre Dame, and Nick Sheppard, from Louisiana State, to bolster a lineup that includes Jelani Gardner and Tommie Prince.

* At Long Beach State, the big news is 225-pound guard Ramel “Rock” Lloyd, a transfer from Syracuse. The 49ers celebrate with an open midnight practice Friday at the Pyramid as Lloyd joins top returners D’Cean Bryant and Antrone Lee on a team that went 10-19 last season.

* Cal State Fullerton returns with a team led by junior forward Ike Harmon, an emerging Big West Conference star. The Titans have added Brandon Campbell, a freshman guard from St. Louis, and junior college transfer Mark Murphy. Practice begins with “Midnight Basketball” on Friday at Titan Gym.

* Rico Harris is the biggest name ever to transfer to Cal State Northridge. The highly touted Los Angeles City College forward meets his new teammates at a closed practice Saturday at the Matadome. He joins Big Sky Conference freshman of the year Carl Holmes on a team that finished 12-16 last season.

* Irvine can actually take hope from last season’s 9-18 record, an eight-win improvement over the previous year. Not only that, Coach Pat Douglass has leading scorer Adam Stetson and freshman Jerry Green, an all-state guard from Pomona High. The Anteaters will hold a “Midnight Magic” practice at the Bren Events Center on Friday.

* Loyola Marymount lost four of its five top scorers from a team that went 7-20 last season. But the Lions still have Haywood Eaddy, the small (5 feet 4) guard with big numbers (15 points per game). Eaddy is joined by junior college transfers Rupert McLendon and Ed Wolfe. Practice begins midnight Friday at Gersten Pavilion.