Commentator, Coach Make Voices Heard

A powerful voice spoke Friday for those fans disgruntled with the storied UCLA basketball program. Hall of Famer Bill Walton, who played on two of John Wooden’s NCAA championship teams, suggested the Bruins should not be happy with any season that includes six to eight conference losses and a victory or two in the NCAA tournament.

“I’m a proud Bruin,” Walton said. “A successful season at UCLA is an undefeated season. It will always be that way. We’re glad that it is.

“We’re happy the expectations are so high. We’re happy there is such pressure. That’s what you want. It’s when people aren’t interested and don’t care that you’re in trouble.”

Walton is the analyst on today’s national telecast of the Wooden Classic. At a crowded news conference Friday--and with UCLA Coach Steve Lavin seated on the dais--Walton twice posed pointed questions that referred to the Bruins’ loss last week to Cal State Northridge.

After the Northridge game, Lavin said upsets are the norm in an era of parity and said one loss should not “dictate the outcome of the entire season.” The Bruins nearly were upset again Wednesday, defeating UC Santa Barbara, 83-77.

When Georgia Tech Coach Paul Hewitt said he had reviewed tape of the Bruins in preparation for today’s game against UCLA, Walton asked, “Would that be the Northridge tape?”

Lavin shrugged, laughed, turned to Hewitt and said, “You can take the Santa Barbara one too.”

Later, Walton asked Wooden to recount his conversation with Lavin after the Northridge game.

“I just said the alumni are expecting a little better effort,” Wooden said with a chuckle. Lavin then joked about Walton playing “straight man” for Wooden.

The unranked Bruins are 2-2 this season.

“We’re obviously a work in progress,” Lavin said. “We’re not playing very well at this point.”

In four seasons under Lavin, the Bruins have advanced to the Sweet 16 three times and to the Elite Eight once. Last season, UCLA went 21-12 overall and 10-8 in the Pacific 10 Conference. Their losses were the most overall in 12 years and the most in conference play in 14 years.

Asked whether he was advocating a coaching change, Walton said, “No.”

Wooden, who coached UCLA to 10 NCAA titles, said he approved of high aspirations, so long as they were properly tempered.

“It’s very difficult with the expectations at UCLA,” Wooden said. “The better you do, the more that’s expected. I don’t see anything wrong with that, but you have to be realistic. . . . You can’t be up there all the time. USC has found that out in football.”

But Wooden bristled when asked about fans who call talk shows and post messages on Web sites to the effect that UCLA basketball is no longer an elite program.

“Some people just want to be heard,” Wooden said. “I think it’s one of the better programs. That’s what it has been. That’s what it will be. I don’t think there’s any reason it shouldn’t be.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

WOODEN CLASSIC

TODAY AT

ARROWHEAD POND OF

ANAHEIM

UCLA vs.

Georgia Tech, noon

USC vs. Utah, 2:30 p.m.

Channel 9

KXTA (1150)

THE LEADER

Brandon Granville, USC’s all-time assists leader, is firmly at the controls of nation’s No. 15-ranked team. D9