Saving Best for Last Is His Trademark

Just because Steve Lavin is used to midseason mediocrity followed by NCAA excellence doesn’t mean the UCLA coach enjoys it.

“UCLA basketball and USC football are unique,” Lavin said Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion. “You lose one and the Bruins are in ruins. Lose two of three or four of six and it’s time for a coaching change.

“We’re only as good as our players. That’s why I get a kick out of coaches being [called] geniuses.”

But while Lavin compared himself to both a human dartboard and a human pinata, the Bruin players have no idea how Lavin continues to pull rabbits out of his March Madness hat.

“He probably has something underneath all that gel [in his hair],” senior guard Rico Hines said. “He’s got a lot of stuff in there so maybe he does have a rabbit.”

Said senior forward Matt Barnes: “I have no idea. Something about the tournament ... he brings the best out of us.

“We put ourselves in a position to be criticized. Now that we’re winning, it’s in one ear and out the other.”

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Paul Gutierrez

Crises and Triumphs of Steve Lavin as coach of the UCLA Bruins:

THIS SEASON

Low point: UCLA was hapless in a loss to California in the first round of the Pacific 10 Conference tournament, capping a two-month stretch of mediocre play.

High point: A 105-101 double-overtime upset of No. 1-seeded Cincinnati followed a 22-point victory over Mississippi, vaulting the Bruins into a Sweet 16 game against Missouri on Thursday in San Jose.

2000-01

Low point: UCLA started slowly, losing to Cal State Northridge and Georgia Tech, and was 4-4 after a loss to North Carolina. The team had just begun to build momentum, winning three in a row in early January, when Athletic Director Pete Dalis mentioned during a news conference that he had spoken to Rick Pitino about replacing Lavin.

High point: After the Dalis faux pas, the Bruins went 13-3 until losing at Washington in the regular-season finale, then beat Hofstra and Utah State in the NCAA tournament to advance to the Sweet 16 where they lost to eventual-champion Duke.

1999-2000

Low point: UCLA was 4-8 in the Pacific 10 Conference after getting swept at Arizona State and Arizona, prompting critics to label the team as the worst in school history.

High point: The Bruins promptly won eight in a row, including a one-point overtime victory at Stanford with the winning basket coming from JaRon Rush in his return from an NCAA suspension. The streak continued into the NCAA tournament, where UCLA beat Ball State and crushed Maryland by 35 points to reach the Sweet 16.

1998-1999

Low point: Lavin’s youngest team featured sophomores Baron Davis and Earl Watson along with freshmen Jerome Moiso, Dan Gadzuric and Rush. Losses at Cal and Stanford in February ended any visions of a Pac-10 title.

High point: The Bruins bounced back to beat USC and Syracuse, starting a five-game winning streak. However, the regular season ended with a loss to Arizona and a first-round NCAA elimination by Detroit Mercy.

1997-1998

Low point: With Kris Johnson and Jelani McCoy suspended for breaking team rules and freshmen guards Davis and Watson in the starting lineup, the Bruins lost their opener to North Carolina by 41 points in Anchorage, Alaska. UCLA also stumbled into the NCAA tournament, having lost to Arizona, Washington and Duke in the last two weeks of the regular season without McCoy, who left the team.

High point: UCLA stormed Atlanta, the site of the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, beating Miami and upsetting No. 12-ranked Michigan.

1996-1997

Low point: Lavin was an interim coach and UCLA got ambushed at Stanford in what was called the Maples Massacre, a 48-point loss that remains the worst in school history.

High point: The Bruins beat Stanford at Pauley Pavilion, Lavin’s interim tag was removed and UCLA reeled off 11 more wins in a row, including a thrilling third-round NCAA tournament game against Iowa State in which Cameron Dollar drove the length of the court to score the winning basket in overtime.

Steve Henson