BEING LIKE STEVE; BRUIN COACH TAKES MESSAGE TO CLASS.Byline: Stacy Brown Daily News Staff Writer Saugus High basketball player Jerome Edwards met a hero Tuesday when UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX Bruin coach Steve Lavin Steve Lavin (born September 4,1964), a San Francisco, California native is a former college basketball coach and current ABC and ESPN TV analyst. As UCLA head basketball coach from 1996-2003, Lavin compiled a record of 145-78. spoke to his Sports and the American Culture class. ``I was very excited,'' said the lanky 16-year-old. Lavin, invited to discuss collegiate sports and education, spoke to 40 freshmen and sophomores as part of Saugus teacher and baseball coach Bill Bolde's motivational course. ``I realize, by what coach Lavin said, I have to work my butt off if I want to succeed,'' said Edwards who added that his lifelong dream is to play for the prestigious Westwood campus. Bolde - a huge sports fan, evident by the excessive sports memorabilia The term sports memorabilia usually refers to anything that can be directly connected to a sports event or personality. These items are generally gathered by fans of the particular sport, athlete or team that the item signifies or by collectors who find value in the rarity that drapes drape v. draped, drap·ing, drapes v.tr. 1. To cover, dress, or hang with or as if with cloth in loose folds: draped the coffin with a flag; a robe that draped her figure. his small classroom - said he wrote to Lavin asking him to speak to the class. ``If our society places such a priority on sports and sports figures, I thought let's see what we can learn from sports,'' said Bolde, who has attracted former Lakers star Magic Johnson, Dodgers third baseman Todd Zeile and former L.A. Rams running back Eric Dickerson to the campus. The 32-year-old Lavin spoke of ``Bruin attitude'' and the leadership skills students should strive to master. ``You must be willing to put in hard work and be the one who stands up and bounces back after a fall,'' Lavin said. ``That's what I call having a Bruin attitude.'' The coach spoke of the Bruins' rocky start, which culminated with the university's worst defeat in its history, a 48-point loss in December to Stanford University. ``We knew we had to take things day by day, our goal was to win the championship,'' he said. Although the Bruins did not win the NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association title, Lavin said the season was still gratifying grat·i·fy tr.v. grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing, grat·i·fies 1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father. See Synonyms at please. 2. . ``I broke down after we lost in the regional final because I was so proud of the team and at the same time sad because I knew guys like (star players) Charles O'Bannon, Cameron Dollar and Bob Meyers were not coming back and they were great leaders,'' he said. Lavin said he was dyslexic dys·lex·ic or dys·lec·tic adj. Of or relating to dyslexia. n. A person affected by dyslexia. as a child and his father told him that he would have to work a lot harder than others if he wanted to succeed. ``This is the message I bring to you, hard work pays off. My father said to me if you're not as bright as others, you just have to work harder and he was right,'' he said. The coach, who took over the Bruins head position after Jim Harrick was fired two weeks before the season began, spoke of what he called the ``TCTC TCTC The Cooper Temple Clause (band) TCTC Too Close to Call TCTC Twin Cities Tandem Club (Minnesota) TCTC Tri-County Telephone Company (New Richmond, Indiana) Syndrome.'' ``That's the too-cool-to-care syndrome, which is contrary to Bruin attitude,'' he said noting that he considers himself the ``coolbuster.'' Lavin said his job is to teach the attitude of resiliency. ``You have to pick yourself up when you fall.'' Cherie Hodge, a 10th-grader in the class, said Lavin's message was an inspirational one. ``I can apply the leadership point to myself, I thought the point was very interesting,'' she said. Lavin said he is looking forward to the upcoming season and expects the team to be in heavy competition with Pac-10 rivals Stanford and defending champion Arizona. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (color in SAC edition only) UCLA Head Basketball Coach Steve Lavin talks to Bill Bolde's Sports and the American Culture class Tuesday at Saugus High School Saugus High School may refer to:
Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News |
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