Lavin Must Take the Bad With the Good

The good news is that UCLA found in DePaul a ranked team even more out of control and undisciplined than itself. The bad news is that it is still the out-of-control, undisciplined team that it was against Gonzaga. The ugly news is that the Bruins’ backcourt of Watson, Young and Bailey went a combined seven for 28 (one for 10 from three-point range), with nine turnovers against 14 assists.

This follows a performance by Watson and Young against Gonzaga of four for 22 (two for 11 from three-point range), with eight turnovers against six assists. This will not get it done against any quality teams.

While some might say that it is unfair to hold a player’s individual statistics against a coach, I believe that you have to view their performance in the context of how they have been coached. Steve Lavin seems to be more concerned about how much he is liked by his players, rather than how much he is respected by his players.

While it is nice to be liked, it is essential to be respected. With respect comes discipline, and with discipline comes execution. Anyone watching Watson and Young “manage the clock” in the final minutes of the DePaul game knows that there is no discipline on the team.

The problem is that Lavin, a former assistant coach at UCLA, appears to still have that assistant coaching mentality of being a buddy with the players, rather than being the tutor/disciplinarian that the players appear to really need.

FRED G. BROOKS

Santa Ana

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It amazed me to see the outpouring of criticism heaped on Steve Lavin in the Dec. 18 Viewpoint. The season is only four games old, with the Bruins winning three and losing to a good Gonzaga team. You would think they had lost 20 straight and there was no hope in sight. This smacks of the knee-jerk, reactionary, unrealistic responses I observe whenever the USC football team underachieves.

Despite Lavin’s shortcomings, he is a coach who has won 20 games each year, resurrected the recruiting pipeline left barren by Jim Harrick and managed a clean and stable program. And the last time I checked, elite coaches such as Mike Krzyzewski, Rick Majerus and Roy Williams all had gigs already, so no instant savior is forthcoming. Give Lavin (and Bob Toledo) a break and quit whining.

ANDREW OSHRIN

Long Beach