George Raveling

I am writing to set the record straight on George Raveling. Leon Chaney's letter of Feb. 23 had the facts all wrong. Raveling holds the best won-lost record in Washington State's history. He took their obscure program to the NCAA playoffs. While Raveling was an assistant at Villanova, the Wildcats made the Final Four. During his tenure as an assistant at Maryland, the Terrapins won the NIT. And he led the Iowa Hawkeyes to the NCAA playoffs two out of four years. Why did Kimble, Gathers and Lewis leave USC?

Oh boy, isn't George Raveling great for not being sympathetic and respectful to the three USC freshmen basketball players? No sir, he wasn't going to back down and personally meet with these rightfully confused and apprehensive young men to discuss a significant change in their lives. He sure did act like a mature adult in sending out the "ultimatum" letters right before final exams. Look at what he accomplished: He dispersed one of the best recruiting classes in the nation, and in USC's history, in the time it takes to write a letter.

USC basketball Coach George Raveling has been moved to intensive care because of internal chest bleeding, a USC University Hospital spokeswoman said Monday. The move was said to be precautionary. Raveling, 57, suffered nine broken ribs, a broken pelvis, a broken collarbone and a slightly collapsed lung when his vehicle was demolished Sept. 25 in a traffic accident in Los Angeles. Raveling was listed in serious but stable condition.

USC's George Raveling was named coach of the year by the National Assn. of Basketball Coaches on Sunday. Raveling, who also was named coach of the year by Basketball Weekly and CBS, guided USC to a school-record 24 victories, including upsets over UCLA, Ohio State and Arizona. Duke's Christian Laettner was named the player of the year by the NABC.

Question: Why did George Raveling have to interview for the head coaching job at the University of Maryland before he decided that it was important for him to keep his commitment to his USC players? Answer: $$$$$$$ If Raveling's players aren't any more committed to the team than he is, it might help to explain their poor record since Raveling became their coach. RON FOGEL Thousand Oaks

What a great week for USC basketball. First, George Raveling delights USC/Jim Healy fans by referring to Stanford and Cal as brain surgeons. Next, the Trojans climb back into the top 25. Finally, USC finds a way to get on the front page, after being relegated to Clipper territory, i.e, Page 2 or worse. ROBERT STOCKLY, Sierra Madre