Lavin’s Punishment Is the Real Crime

I was dismayed to read Steve Lavin’s comments after the UCLA loss to Cal, putting the blame for the loss on the players. The real immaturity is on the part of Mr. Lavin. A coach or manager or supervisor should stand up for his players, workers or staff. If there is failure to perform, the coach should first look to his own efforts, to see if he has done all that could have been done in preparation. Benching players and criticizing them in the press does nothing for anyone’s self-confidence or motivation.

Mr. Lavin needs to learn that motivation must come from within; it cannot be “punished” into anyone, any more than it can be exhorted into one. Punishment is strictly a short-term approach that quickly builds resentment. Will it really improve Dan Gadzuric’s performance to sit on the bench?

Wouldn’t everyone be better off if Mr. Lavin told Dan, and Matt Barnes, and Ray Young, how much he supported them, not to let a bad game throw them off, but to come out and work harder next time? In rewarding certain players for running around on the court, is Mr. Lavin failing to recognize that activity doesn’t mean achievement?

Wouldn’t the players, the coaches, indeed the entire program, be better off if Mr. Lavin dealt with the players in a positive manner?

FRED G. BROOKS

Newport Beach