Monday was deja vu all over again for the UCLA men’s
basketball team.
First there was Jelani McCoy in 1998, who quit the team after a
long suspension and declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft
after his junior season. Then, last year, Baron Davis made a run
for the pros, opting out of his final two years of eligibility to
play with the world’s best.
On Monday, two more Bruins joined the trend as sophomore
forwards JaRon Rush and Jerome Moiso both declared themselves
eligible for this year’s draft.
Some may be concerned by the move, worried that a program whose
players were once known for their longevity, has fallen victim to a
trend sweeping the rest of the country.
I, for one, understand that. The basketball world of today is
not the basketball world of the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s or
even the early ’90s. But the more disturbing trend is that
the quality of players leaving school isn’t higher, or even
the same, but lesser.
There was a time when players left school early because they
became too dominant at the collegiate level. They were unchallenged
by the level of collegiate competition. That went for early entries
such as Allen Iverson of Georgetown and Elton Brand of Duke, both
No. 1 picks who have succeeded in the league.
But neither Moiso nor Rush ever dominated college basketball.
Moiso could dominate games at time, backing down defenders into the
post, spotting up for outside jumpers and swatting away shots
around the rim; but those moments were mere minutes of a career
defined by lackadaisical play. Some said it was just his
personality: a laid-back, carefree guy who could get to this level
by playing at 85 percent of his ability.
But take that to the NBA ““ where players have made a
living off of hard work ““ and they’ll throw it back in
your face.
On the subject of natural talent, we also have Rush, a player
who could jump out of Pauley Pavilion to get a pass if he had to
““ the same player who sparked UCLA to an NCAA tournament
berth when it looked like they were headed to the NIT, hit the
game-winner over Stanford and then helped lead the team to a Sweet
16 appearance in the postseason.
He is also the same player who played in all of nine games last
season after a freshman campaign that was solid but hardly stellar.
He is the same player who was suspended by the NCAA for 24 games
last season for accepting money from an agent and his former youth
basketball coach, and he could have faced further discipline by the
NCAA had he returned to school in light of a federal indictment
that charged he took $17,000 from the coach, not the $6,125
previously reported.
It almost makes you wonder: is the NBA becoming an escape route
for college athletes? Is this where college basketball players go
to get away from it all?
I was one who said last year that Davis, for all his talent,
would eventually be forgotten at UCLA if he left after his
sophomore year. He left and was forgotten, as distant a memory now
as the ’95 national title.
What good came of that choice for Davis? He was the third pick
overall in the draft, far higher than either Moiso or Rush will be
taken, and got to play on a playoff team in the Charlotte Hornets.
For all that talent and money, Davis averaged 18.6 minutes a game,
5.9 points, 3.8 assists and 2.0 rebounds.
Sure, he had a highlight-reel dunk over Kevin Garnett. But
throughout March, he had to answer questions from the media about
whether he would rather be coming off the bench in Charlotte or
starting at UCLA in the tournament. His answer?
Nothing specific, though he noted how nice it would have been to
be back at UCLA.
And McCoy, a player who dominated the Pac-10 in 1996 and
’97? He is coming off the bench in Seattle, contributing now
but only after struggling to find his niche for two full NBA
seasons.
While Moiso and Rush believe they will be first-round selections
““ higher than McCoy and Toby Bailey and J.R. Henderson, both
multiple All-Pac-10 selections ““ that doesn’t guarantee
them any success. It guarantees them a contract, surely, but it
doesn’t mean they’ll hang around the NBA for long.
More than anything, though, these decisions set a dangerous
precedent for UCLA basketball. Fans worry about winning national
championships and filling Pauley Pavilion with banners, but that
isn’t going to happen with a few good freshmen and a head
coach better suited for the sound stages of Hollywood than the
floor of Pauley.
Is it any coincidence that the teams that win national titles
these days, such as Michigan State and Connecticut, have senior
leadership?
Steve Lavin can bring all the glitz and glamour to Westwood that
he wants, but if he and his team establish a tradition of players
taking off after a year or two, none of it will matter. There
won’t be any championships to celebrate and no Bruin
basketball tradition to carry on.
All that will be left is an arena full of fans watching
highlights on the scoreboard, remembering what once was and
watching players who wear the UCLA jersey as a warm-up until they
can put on the NBA logo.