Bruins Back in the Valley Again

Shame on you, Lavin bashers! He coached the Bruins to a win at Stanford! So what if he also coached them to losses against lowly Washington, Cal and almost got swept by USC?

He coached the Bruins to the NCAA tournament! So what if they are arguably the most talented team in the nation and had to squeak in as a sixth seed? He took the Bruins to the Sweet 16! So what if they got beat by almost 30 points and looked dazed and uncoached throughout?

Give Lavin a break. He’s young, handsome and looks good on TV. Shouldn’t that be enough?

JEFF KIRSCHENBAUM

Pasadena

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Get used to it, UCLA fans. Steve Lavin believes getting to the Sweet 16 is a great accomplishment, instead of it being expected, as it should be.

He had the team unprepared and made no in-game adjustments. Where was a low-post offense against a smaller team? Where were the defensive changes? Where was the soul in this team? This will happen time and time again under Lavin. It’s not good enough. Bring in the new coach, please!

TONY SIRACUSA

Pasadena

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Your own Houston Mitchell said it best in his game summary: “When the Bruins had to rely on fundamentals and coaching, they came up short.” Anyone who has watched them play can see that they are a “talented,” “athletic” team. In other words, they are sadly under-coached.

ART ALENIK

Laguna Beach

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Was it Steve Lavin’s game plan or did Jerome Moiso and Dan Gadzuric decide on their own to stand at the free-throw line against Iowa State and let guards drive around them all night? When will Lavin figure out it’s time to call a timeout and instruct his players there’s something wrong? When will Pete Dalis figure out it’s time to hire a coach?

DAVE STAUFFER

Cerritos

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Note to Jerome Moiso: A short string of outstanding games against physically less-gifted players does not an NBA career make.

TONY BARNARD

San Pedro

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Talk about misleading! When John Wooden went 3-8 in his first 11 NCAA tournament games he was not playing against a field of 64 that included fourth-place finishers in weak leagues. When the NCAA expanded the field to include teams with no chance to win (clearly for economic reasons), they created the biggest example of dilution of talent in all of sports.

Don’t even try to compare Steve Lavin to Wooden . . . unless you want to start giving points for slick hair and a total ability to believe what someone reads in the press.

RICHARD VAN WAGENEN

Newport Beach

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What do the UCLA basketball bandwagon and a roller-coaster ride at Magic Mountain have in common?

Everyone steps on and off about every five minutes.

JAMES R. EWING

Los Angeles