Lavin might have saved his job with Thursday's 61-48 victory over Hofstra, but the reality is he only received a stay of execution. It hasn't been a pretty history for first-round losers at UCLA, and Lavin rattles off the coaches and their fates as he would names and statistics off a box score. Larry Brown left after a first-round loss. Jim Harrick was dismissed a few months after a first-round loss. I just represent the coach who comes up short of filling the shoes of John Wooden.
Every coach has.
In the second week of January, Bruins Athletic Director Peter Dalis made two calls to Pitino, denied that he had to Lavin and then acknowledged that he had, indeed, talked with Pitino. Nice management style. A stunned Lavin went about doing his best coaching in five years. Our athletic director embraced us. We did a great job moving on together as a family.