Maybe Lavin Can Take the Heat Off Toledo

It must be college basketball season. The Bruins just lost their home opener to another “easy” Southern California school. With the progression from Pepperdine to Cal State Northridge to San Diego, the Bruins might be forced to start scheduling Mater Dei or Westchester in order to assure themselves of an early season home win.

Come to think of it, UCLA might not beat Mater Dei.

Patrick Mallon

San Luis Obispo

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Steve Lavin was quoted after the overtime loss to San Diego as saying “we made progress.” Obviously Lavin thinks that not getting blown out by 25 points at home to inferior competition is “progress.” Well, I guess he’s right.

And when Dan Guerrero finally does the right thing and shows Lavin the door, progress will really be made.

Gary Polsfuss

San Diego

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Am I the only one tired of institutions starting the basketball season by playing a patsy preseason schedule to gain confidence going into the regular season? Branch West and EA Sports should be ashamed of themselves for playing UCLA. Next year they should challenge themselves with competitive teams such as Pepperdine and Northridge.

Mark Reyerson

Santa Monica

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All anyone needs to know about a Steve Lavin-coached team can be seen in the final moments of regulation and the overtime with San Diego. With the game on the line in regulation, San Diego Coach Brad Holland calls time, sets up a play, the players execute that play and the result is a tying layup. UCLA has the ball with a chance to win with 14 seconds left. No play is run, no basket attacked, instead we get Jason Kapono dribbling to the corner, faking a handoff and shooting a three-pointer.

The Bruins’ talent wins them games and takes them to the tournament and, at times, gets them past the first or second round. But with this coach, UCLA will continue to lose to teams it should blow out, will not play in the Final Four and will not win an NCAA championship.

It appears a new bar has been set at UCLA in football and in basketball. That bar is awfully low.

Dan Walker

Rosemead

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Letting Steve Lavin coach talented athletes is equivalent to allowing 5-year-olds to pilot fighter jets over Baghdad. A jet might just successfully bomb a target on its own.

“But he gets UCLA to the Sweet 16 every year!” you say. Funny, I haven’t heard Florida bragging about being the 15th-ranked team in college football lately.

By the way, were those Santa Ana winds I heard echoing through the empty canyons of Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday night?

Kevin Holten

Manhattan Beach