Tyus Edney

Happy anniversary to perhaps the guttiest little Bruin of them all, pint-sized former point guard Tyus Edney . … On this date 15 years ago, Edney made one of the most unforgettable plays in UCLA basketball history, his length-of-the-court mad dash and buzzer-beating bank shot sinking Missouri and keeping the Bruins on track for their 11th NCAA title. … Edney, 37, and his Brazilian-Italian wife, Ainoa Da Silva , live with their son and two daughters in Las Vegas, where Edney retired last year after playing 14 pro seasons, 10 in Europe.

The crosstown rivalry might have been more compelling off the court than on it Saturday afternoon at Pauley Pavilion. Former UCLA basketball hero Tyus Edney delivered a stirring speech to the women's team before the game. A rowdy Bruins student section taunted USC Coach Michael Cooper about his salty language directed at UCLA last season. There wasn't nearly as much intrigue during a 61-42 UCLA rout in which the 12th-ranked Bruins outplayed their archrivals in every facet. UCLA (13-1 overall, 3-0 Pacific 10 Conference)

Lunch tray in his hands, Tyus Edney cut to the left, then to the right. This time he couldn't find an opening. Every seat inside the UCLA student union was occupied on a rainy day, leaving the former Bruins point guard to make a mad dash for the nearby athletic offices. Edney went unnoticed amid the crush of students, some of whom were still in diapers 15 years ago when the diminutive dynamo made one of the most celebrated shots in NCAA tournament history. Top-seeded UCLA was only 4.8 seconds from an upset loss to Missouri in the second round when Edney raced up the floor, twisted around the outstretched arms of the Tigers' 6-foot-9 Derek Grimm and banked in the winning layup at the buzzer.

Lunch tray in his hands, Tyus Edney cut to the left, then to the right. This time he couldn't find an opening. Every seat inside the UCLA student union was occupied on a rainy day, leaving the former Bruins point guard to make a mad dash for the nearby athletic offices. Edney went unnoticed amid the crush of students, some of whom were still in diapers 15 years ago when the diminutive dynamo made one of the most celebrated shots in NCAA tournament history. Top-seeded UCLA was only 4.8 seconds from an upset loss to Missouri in the second round when Edney raced up the floor, twisted around the outstretched arms of the Tigers' 6-foot-9 Derek Grimm and banked in the winning layup at the buzzer.

His voice is barely more than a whisper, and the most flamboyant act of Tyus Edney's life was a moment of dramatic, frozen silence as the Oakland Coliseum Arena convulsed around him. Loud? Edney does not need to be loud. Although he sprints and dashes amid a world not usually kind to the meek, the fragile and the small, Edney, several inches under 6 feet and 150 pounds after dessert, does not need to be pitied or patronized.

Tyus Edney hones his basketball skills, as so many have before him, in Long Beach Poly High School's old, boxy gym. A banner on one of its pale, nicked walls declares that the school is home to champions and scholars, and Edney fits easily into both categories. The point guard for the defending CIF Southern Section 1-AA Jackrabbits, Edney also has a 3.3 grade-point average in a college-preparatory curriculum. He has signed to play at UCLA.

Tyus Edney scored four points in the final 26 seconds as the Sacramento Kings defeated the Vancouver Grizzlies, 92-88, Monday night at Sacramento. Edney's shot from the baseline with 26 seconds left snapped an 88-88 tie, then he added two free throws with 7.4 seconds left. There were eight lead changes in the final four minutes. * NBA Notes Two sons of former player Danny Ainge were injured in a six-vehicle accident at Mesa, Ariz.

Tyus Edney sat out UCLA's 90-74 exhibition victory over the AAU Lafayette Hustlers at Pauley Pavilion Tuesday night, but he said he isn't going to miss the season opener Saturday against Loyola Marymount. "There's no way I'm not going to play," said Edney, the 5-foot-10 point guard who led the Bruins in assists last season, but who has been troubled by tendinitis in his left knee since the beginning of practice. Edney might be eager, but he isn't ready to play 40 minutes.

Jim Harrick and the UCLA basketball team should be congratulated for outstanding NCAA tournament performances. They played good, exciting basketball and they were soundly coached. As usual, however, Coach Harrick is being demeaned and second-guessed because he didn't win like Coach Wooden. Yes, he kept Ed O'Bannon out for a long time in the first half, as his team was substantially increasing its lead; and yes, he took Tyus Edney out near the end of the first half to avoid risking his third foul.

In Missouri, he is no longer referred to as Tyus Edney. They now call him Beatus Edney. ZACHARY A. CHARLES Burbank Why UCLA will be champions of the NCAA tournament. 1. Tyus Edney's shot at the buzzer gave the Bruins 75 points to 74 for Missouri. 1975 was the last year the Bruins won it all. 2. Edney's No. 11 represents the Bruins' 11th national title. 3. The Bruins have never lost a tournament when they were ranked No. 1 going into the tournament. NATE GLIEBERMAN Beverly Hills It is unbelievable that the NCAA and Indiana University allow the reprehensible behavior of Bob Knight to continue unfettered.

Happy anniversary to perhaps the guttiest little Bruin of them all, pint-sized former point guard Tyus Edney . … On this date 15 years ago, Edney made one of the most unforgettable plays in UCLA basketball history, his length-of-the-court mad dash and buzzer-beating bank shot sinking Missouri and keeping the Bruins on track for their 11th NCAA title. … Edney, 37, and his Brazilian-Italian wife, Ainoa Da Silva , live with their son and two daughters in Las Vegas, where Edney retired last year after playing 14 pro seasons, 10 in Europe.

For Cameron Dollar, there was no time to blink. He and his UCLA teammates, guided by the steady, veteran hand of senior point guard Tyus Edney, had reached the championship game of the 1995 NCAA tournament. Edney's last-second, length-of-the-court dash against Missouri in the second round two weeks earlier had saved the Bruins' season. But less than three minutes into the Monday finale against Arkansas, Edney was headed toward the bench because of a wrist injury suffered in the semifinals.

Scottie Reynolds of Villanova joined Tyus Edney of UCLA in the annals of NCAA tournament last-second dribble-drives toward camera flashes and forever. Reynolds' floater with 0.5 seconds left Saturday lifted Villanova to a 78-76 victory over Pittsburgh in the East Regional final at TD Banknorth Garden. "Oh man," the junior hero said afterward, "there's so many emotions going through my head. It's something you think about as kid."

J.R. Henderson and Charles O'Bannon will be playing against each other this week in the Japanese league playoffs. Toby Bailey calls from the Athens airport, on his way to Poland and another basketball game in a dreary league far away from UCLA. George Zidek has a doctor's appointment near his home in the Czech Republic. His knee is swollen again. Surgery is likely. Tyus Edney is starring at point guard for a team based in Rome. Kris Johnson plays in Lebanon, but that's only a sidelight.

Ten years ago this month, Tyus Edney sprinted from one end of a basketball court to the other, flew in the air and banked in a game-winning shot. His heroics saved a season, inspired a championship and created one of the most electric and enduring memories in NCAA tournament history. Not bad for 4.8 seconds of work.

Half a world away, in a Barcelona hotel room, Tyus Edney will drag himself out of bed tonight and flick on the television set. Chances are none of the channels will carry the NCAA regional semifinal between UCLA and Missouri, which begins around 4 a.m. in Spain. Still, he will check. "I'd like to see it," he said. "It would bring back good memories." Seven years ago--the last time these teams met--he was a senior point guard for the Bruins.

Up, up, up. . . . Nobody can say exactly how high. All anyone can say is the obvious: UCLA's dramatic rush into the Final Four has focused a spotlight on Tyus Edney, Ed O'Bannon and George Zidek, highlighted their strengths, diminished their perceived weaknesses and made them all juicier NBA draft candidates. "The more games we win, the more their values go up in the NBA draft," sophomore guard Cameron Dollar said.

ED O'BANNON New Jersey Nets Games: 45 Field goals: 101-280 (36.1%) Free throws: 46-58 (79.3%) 3-point field goals: 5-43 (11.6%) Points per game: 6.0 (High game: 19) Rebounds: 2.8 Assists: 1.0 Ninth pick in the draft has been a disappointment (take a look at that three-point shooting). His season can be summed up this way: His biggest ovation came when he returned to Los Angeles for a game against the Lakers. But he wasn't in the lineup, he was in street clothes on the bench because of an injury.

The last cut was the deepest, a left-to-right move through the lane that completed Shaheen Holloway's length-of-the-court scramble and gave him room to toss an underhand shot as he neared the basket with 1.9 seconds to play in overtime. The ball banked high off the backboard and through the net to give Seton Hall a 72-71 overtime victory over Oregon Friday in the first round of the NCAA East Regional at HSBC Arena. Two free throws by Frederick Jones put No.

Charles Barkley limped away, but Tyus Edney wasn't as lucky. Barkley strained his right ankle late in the third quarter, and teammate Hakeem Olajuwon was ejected in the fourth, but what was left of the Rockets held off what was left of Sacramento, 99-90, Thursday night in Houston. Edney, the Kings' point guard, scared everyone in the Summit when he was struck in the back of the head by Houston's Othella Harrington's knee with 1:57 to play in the first quarter.