11: UCLA
Two fired-up seniors should keep the Bruins from going up
in flames
Last month when fire trucks pulled up beside Pauley Pavilion, the
scene
couldn't have raised many eyebrows. When, after all, is
that place not the scene of some crisis? As it turned out,
this particular emergency was easily handled: While being
retarred in
preparation for the rains of El Niño, Pauley's roof had
caught fire, filling the gym with smoke and forcing the
basketball team to do its conditioning drills elsewhere.
It's the Bruins' other preseason conflagrations that may
not be so easily
extinguished.
What was thought by many observers to be a potential Final
Four team is missing three important players: In September
top recruit Schea Cotton was denied admission because the
NCAA disallowed his College
Board score, and then senior forward Kris Johnson and
6'10" junior center Jelani McCoy were suspended
indefinitely for breaking team rules
(reportedly, they tested positive for marijuana). "With
Jelani and Kris, we would have dominated
people on the boards," says coach Steve Lavin, who now
has three seniors, one junior and nine
underclassmen—including two walk-ons—on his team.
"We're
suddenly a very small, young team that has to
hustle."
Whether Johnson and
McCoy will be
reinstated will depend on their fulfilling certain criteria the
athletic department won't divulge. "I'm proceeding on
the premise that they won't be back," says
Lavin.
Fortunately for the Bruins, the two senior stars who remain
aren't likely to let them down. Toby Bailey and J.R.
Henderson have seen it all in their careers: They won a
national title as freshmen, lost to Princeton in the first
round of the
NCAA tournament as sophomores and then went through a humbling season of
turmoil and redemption last year, starting with coach Jim
Harrick's firing and ending with a loss to Minnesota in the
Midwest Regional final. "I don't think these latest
things will distract
us," says Henderson. "With all the stuff we've been
through, I don't think we can be distracted
anymore."
Nevertheless, as long as McCoy and Johnson are in exile,
UCLA's look and outlook will be significantly altered. The
6'8" Henderson will have to play out of position at
center. "He is going to be critical to our
success," says Lavin. "He'll probably touch the
ball on
95 percent of our
possessions."
After averaging 14.1 points per game last season, Bailey
will also carry a heavier load. "This summer I worked
harder than I ever have," he says. "For the first
time since my freshman year, I was actually nervous before
the first day of
practice."
Joining Bailey with the freshmen jitters are six freshmen,
including Baron Davis, an L.A.-area point guard who was
last year's Gatorade national player of the year, and Earl
Watson, a versatile guard from Kansas City, Kans.
"Baron is a natural leader,"
says Lavin. "He's like Joe Montana. He raises the level
of everyone's
play."
|
Last Year | 24-8 |
|
Returning Starters | 2 |
| Points Per Game '96-97 | 79.9 |
| PPG By All Returning Players | 31.6 | And if everyone, including Johnson and
McCoy, does play, the Bruins are capable of repeating last
year's triumph over adversity.
—Kelli Anderson
Next: Mississippi
|
