There was a reason why Lavin was at ESPN for all those years.. If schools thought he was a good Coach , after UCLA, they would have Re-cycled him for their school.
The word was out for a long time in Basketball circles, not just the UCLA fans, that Steve could not win , even if he had Kobe on his Bruin Teams. Sure he took top 5 talent to sweet 16's and elite 8's but, he was expected to win titles not finish decently.
Lavin was a name get, because everyone knew him him from his analyst gig.. At the time, I believe most of us were quite pleased with the hire because he did have Name Recognition.
He did a great job with the Hardy NCAA team until the Gonzaga game when it became apparent he had no answer from the bench on what Mark Few was doing to contain Hardy.
For those who think Keady had any role in recruiting/ Coaching these current players, think again. Other than Jordan, not one of our players would have played for Gene at Purdue. They have none of the skills his team's were famous for, defense, rebounding and SHOOTING. Some may think they have great individual talent but, this is a team game, not one on one basketball. Lavin hasn't accomplished team basketball, at all. Gene must muzzle himself with the Double Makers Mark before the games.. The Keady HOF Coach, would not have allowed his players to often perform so ineffectively as this group does. He would have scoured the cornfields of Indiana to get 5 kids who could shoot a jumper, not leap over the barn.
Only Dinkins and a few other homers can remotely believe this team is well coached in fundamentals..After 3 years wouldn't you expect more?
And, Recruiting has dried up for the future. Other than Jordan. The guys Lavin Coaches against and recruits against all know he can't Coach and don't think they forget to tell that to prime recruits?
Louie won for many years without the best talent because he had a system, a simple one that players without NBA skills could execute and win.. When he did get talent he molded it into his style, even with Mullin and Berry, Jackson.. Yeah, he would often get out coached in a big game but, overall, he won.
And, for those comparing Sampson to Berry and their assists, please stop.. Walter Berry scored in the low post on everyone he played against, Ewing, Pinckney, etc, who cares if the ball never came out when he got it down low. Sampson in no Berry.
For over 3 years we've waited for this team, constructed solely by Lavin himself, to blossom, once they got experience. Well, we're still waiting..The whole is definitely less than the parts.
The yardstick to measure Lavin against this year is the NCAA BID. If it doesn't happen, I'm not sure he's earned a contract renewal yet, with 1 year to go. Maybe his heart isn't in the Game like it was before his illness?. Who's to say? Maybe he, wife want back to Hollywood? This weekend's snow may kindle that thought.
