Coach Steve Lavin

Steve Lavin underwent nearly seven hours of surgery for prostate cancer in October, knowing that the college basketball season was just around the corner but counting on his energetic ways to carry him to a recovery full enough that he could coach this season. He wanted to be on the court as St. John's tried to build on the momentum it achieved last year when the Red Storm qualified for the NCAA tournament after becoming perhaps the biggest surprise of the Big East Conference season.

Steve Lavin underwent nearly seven hours of surgery for prostate cancer in October, knowing that the college basketball season was just around the corner but counting on his energetic ways to carry him to a recovery full enough that he could coach this season. He wanted to be on the court as St. John's tried to build on the momentum it achieved last year when the Red Storm qualified for the NCAA tournament after becoming perhaps the biggest surprise of the Big East Conference season.

New St. John's Coach Steve Lavin, the former UCLA basketball coach, has wasted little time in using his West Coast connections and recruiting skills. Dwayne Polee Jr., the Los Angeles City Section player of the year from Westchester High, said Thursday he has accepted a scholarship to St. John's and will sign a letter of intent on Friday. "[Lavin] told me the style of play he's going to have, and I feel him and his coaching staff will make me a better player," Polee said.

Steve Lavin was searching for a lunch spot near his TriBeCa loft one frigid morning a few months ago when a St. John's athletics official walking alongside the coach mentioned a few details about his remodeled basketball office. As Lavin had requested, the wall facing an adjacent hallway had been replaced by floor-to-ceiling glass to provide an increased sense of accessibility. There was also something Lavin hadn't asked for: a cross bearing a likeness of Jesus that had been left behind by the previous occupants.

It seems as if most stories on Coach Steve Lavin, the negative ones, find their way to the front page. But when his peers honor him by voting him the Pacific 10 coach of the year, you demean the whole UCLA team, the school, the coach and the readers by putting the story in a little box on page seven. Wake up, and try to be fair. JOHN N. LEVI JR. Los Angeles

As a fan of UCLA's Earl Watson and an unabashed detractor of nearly every Bill Plaschke column ever written concerning UCLA basketball, I feel I must, in all fairness, pass along my highest praise to Plaschke for his outstanding piece on Watson [Nov. 8]. Plaschke's column nearly brought tears to the eyes of this jaded Bruin fan. Plaschke's insights into Watson's on- and off-court growth and development during his tenure in Westwood truly resonated, as did his fair and magnanimous account of Coach Steve Lavin's role in that process.

UCLA's victory over Arizona State on Thursday was the kind of game Coach Steve Lavin has Bruin fans accustomed to. Uninspired, tepid play against a seriously undermatched opponent is a given under Lavin, which is why we have the kind of crowd support at Pauley that we do, and will continue to have until he is gone: tepid and uninspired (not to mention dwindling). What is amazing as UCLA wakes up with a spotless record in the Pac-10 (due to the Pitino flame that continues to burn in true Bruins' hearts, not to mention under Lavin's butt)

Even on his way out the door, Pete Dalis [July 1] has proven himself incapable of speaking without tripping over his tongue. First, he pays not one but two back-handed and ill-advised compliments to his basketball coach and football coach and claims he could have hired better coaches if only he had the money. Ironic, isn't it, that money was no object when Dalis solicited the services of the over-priced Rick Pitino and then lied about this solicitation to his basketball coach and the press, undermining the efforts of Coach Steve Lavin and the entire basketball program in the process.

Juxtapose new UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero's comment, "I want student athletes who, on the playing field, have strong fundamentals, who fire out every night, who never take a night off" with Bob Toledo's, "The athletic director's job is to let the coaches coach and give them the weapons to get the job done." Guerrero views his position as Toledo's boss. Toledo sees Guerrero as his facilitator. My prediction is that basketball Coach Steve Lavin will grow under Guerrero's tutelage and Toledo will be replaced.

UCLA received an oral commitment Sunday from Billy Knight, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Westchester High who said one of his first actions as a Bruin recruit would be to try to persuade Santa Monica Crossroads point guard Baron Davis to join him in Westwood. "I know him real well," Knight said of Davis. "I'm not sure if I can convince him, but we'll see."

New St. John's Coach Steve Lavin, the former UCLA basketball coach, has wasted little time in using his West Coast connections and recruiting skills. Dwayne Polee Jr., the Los Angeles City Section player of the year from Westchester High, is expected to officially announce Friday that he has accepted a scholarship offer from St. John's. St. John's was a late arrival in the competition for Polee's services after hiring Lavin on March 30. Polee, a onetime USC recruit, also considered Georgia and Oregon.

Even on his way out the door, Pete Dalis [July 1] has proven himself incapable of speaking without tripping over his tongue. First, he pays not one but two back-handed and ill-advised compliments to his basketball coach and football coach and claims he could have hired better coaches if only he had the money. Ironic, isn't it, that money was no object when Dalis solicited the services of the over-priced Rick Pitino and then lied about this solicitation to his basketball coach and the press, undermining the efforts of Coach Steve Lavin and the entire basketball program in the process.

Juxtapose new UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero's comment, "I want student athletes who, on the playing field, have strong fundamentals, who fire out every night, who never take a night off" with Bob Toledo's, "The athletic director's job is to let the coaches coach and give them the weapons to get the job done." Guerrero views his position as Toledo's boss. Toledo sees Guerrero as his facilitator. My prediction is that basketball Coach Steve Lavin will grow under Guerrero's tutelage and Toledo will be replaced.

With such trivial distractions as practices and games finally out of the way, let the off-season intrigue begin. A perfectly ordinary UCLA basketball season--up-and-down regular season followed by Sweet 16 appearance--already has given way to conjecture about the job status of Coach Steve Lavin and NBA value of junior forward Jason Kapono.

Dan Gadzuric was so excited he began thinking in Dutch. Billy Knight let out the breath he had been holding for what seemed like hours. It's hard to say how Matt Barnes, Jason Kapono and Rico Hines felt because they bolted shortly after the NCAA tournament pairings were announced. "Some of the guys are still salty and chapped," Coach Steve Lavin said. "They know they need to show fire and competitive spirit to accomplish something now." UCLA (19-11), seeded No.

Of course, UCLA will get its bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament today. The Bruins will probably be seeded between No. 7 and No. 10. They will continue playing games even though all indications are that they have no real interest in doing so. Just saying things will be better doesn't make it so. Of course, the numbers say UCLA deserves its bid. Its RPI, that sacrosanct and mysterious computer ranking the NCAA selection committee counts on...

1. Duke (15-1): ACC scores say Blue Devils are No. 1. 2. North Carolina (17-1): First loss of Guthridge era. 3. Kansas (20-2): Raef who? 4. Arizona (13-3): Made Washington's MacCulloch disappear. 5. Kentucky (15-2): Deep and dangerous. 6. Utah (13-0): Not sure Utes could beat Nos. 1-5. 7. Stanford (14-0): Bruin showdown Saturday. 8. UCLA (12-2): Prove-it game against Stanford. 9. Mississippi (12-1): Ball State mishap only blemish. 10. Purdue (15-3): Best of Big Ten. 11.

So who gets knocked out first? Tonya Harding, Amy Fisher or UCLA? Trick question--UCLA won't open the NCAA tournament until a day or two after Harding and Fisher meet in a March 13 three-round boxing match for Fox. AS EVERYONE knows, Coach Steve Lavin is at his very best with his white shirt pressed to the wall, and if he doesn't get a win in the first round of the Pacific 10 Conference tournament this week, the Bruins can still win...