Lavin Is Punished for His Outburst

Irate about what he considered biased officiating, UCLA Coach Steve Lavin lost his cool during Saturday’s game at Oregon State. He turned to the crowd and gestured wildly for a response from Lou Campanelli, who oversees Pacific 10 Conference officials and was observing from the second deck.

Lavin got a response Monday--but not the one he wanted.

The conference reprimanded him and put him on probation for the remainder of the season for his outburst.

Suspending Lavin for Thursday’s game against California was given serious consideration.

“We walked very close to that line,” Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen said.

At the instruction of UCLA Athletic Director Peter Dalis, Lavin flew to the Bay Area on Monday for a face-to-face meeting with Hansen and Campanelli.

“I’m not going to discuss what was said in the meeting,” Hansen said. “But I think he understands that he made a bad mistake and he regrets the fact that he lost control.”

Lavin, who called off practice Monday, could not be reached for comment.

The school released a statement in which he said, “I am very sorry for my actions. . . . I set a poor example for my players, and my actions did not reflect well on the Pac-10 Conference, the university, and our basketball program.”

Dalis also issued a statement but could not be reached for further comment: “Steve has personally expressed to me his regret over this matter. Steve knows that a coach’s sideline conduct is important to the university and to college basketball, and he recognizes that his conduct on Saturday was inappropriate.”

Being put on probation is never a good thing, particularly for Lavin, who has a clause in his contract that bars him from doing anything to “bring himself into public disrepute, contempt, scandal, or ridicule, or otherwise [tend] to shock, insult, or offend the people of this nation or any class or group thereof. . . .”

If Lavin is determined to have violated the clause, the school can fire him “with cause” and is not required to pay his $765,000 buyout.

Last week, Dalis said he has seen Lavin change his demeanor this season. “He seems more animated this year than I’ve ever seen him before,” Dalis said.

“Probably more angry than I’ve ever seen him. He’s starting to turn into one of those old-time coaches that athletic directors always complain about, guys that kind of go nuts on the sideline.”

Although Lavin didn’t criticize the officiating after the Oregon State game--an overtime victory by UCLA--his sideline antics directed at referee Craig Grismore were impossible to ignore.

He stormed the sideline and yelled, “You’re the worst official in the country!” then turned to Campanelli, pointed in Grismore’s direction and dragged his finger across his throat.

“I didn’t know who [Lavin] was looking at,” Bruin point guard Earl Watson said after the game.

“I thought maybe Coach was going to get into it with somebody. I thought it was fans throwing stuff or something.

“I had no idea.”

As he was leaving the game at the end of regulation, Campanelli said the officials called “one hell of a basketball game.”

Lavin did not receive a technical foul, but he got one two nights earlier at Oregon when he disagreed with a call and was restrained by assistant coach Michael Holton.

Two years ago, Lavin was ejected from a game at Washington after receiving two technical fouls. Players and coaches restrained him from going after official Terry Christman. That resulted in a private reprimand of Lavin by the conference.

One of the reasons the Pac-10 took public action this time, Hansen said, is to send a message to Lavin and the rest of the coaches in the conference that such behavior won’t be tolerated. Hansen said similar outbursts by Lavin--or other coaches--will result in “strong” sanctions.

“We think this has been a good year for our officials and our teams,” Hansen said. “There’s been much better basketball and much more artistic basketball. Players aren’t pushing and shoving, blocking and tackling like we saw in the Final Four last year.

“If there’s a continuation of criticism, that creates problems.”