• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

Photo

Gail Goodrich's No. 25 was retired along with other Bruin greats at a halftime ceremony during Sa

Forty years after giving UCLA its first national championship, Gail Goodrich was finally on the receiving end. At halftime during the Bruins’ 81-79 win over Michigan on Saturday, Goodrich’s jersey number, 25, was retired in a ceremony featuring teammates from his 1964-5 national championship teams, coach John Wooden and several former Bruins whose numbers have also been retired. Goodrich, a left-handed sharp-shooting guard, already had his high school and professional jerseys retired and did not seem to mind that the program he catapulted to the top of the nation was the last to honor him in this fashion. “The award belongs to the giver,” Goodrich said. “You’re not entitled to an award. The award in my heart is that I was part of the 1964-5 teams.” During his brief speech, Goodrich talked about how special he felt to be a part of those two national championship teams and how teamwork enabled them to reach that pinnacle of success. “Playing here at UCLA was the most enjoyable days I had playing,” Goodrich said. “I couldn’t wait to get to the gym.” Ed O’Bannon (1992-95), Bill Walton (1972-4), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1967-9) and Walt Hazzard (1962-4), four of the now seven men’s players who have had their jerseys retired, were on hand for the ceremony. The current batch of Bruins did their part in honoring Goodrich by wearing UCLA uniforms from the early 1960s, with “Bruins” emblazoned in gold on the front and players’ names absent on the back. “It’s nice in honoring one of the Bruin greats, especially another valley boy like Jordan (Farmar),” UCLA coach Ben Howland said with a smile at the end. As a senior, Goodrich led the Bruins in scoring and also set a then-NCAA Championship game record with 42 points in the Bruins’ win over top-ranked Michigan.

BEATEN DOWN LOW: During the crucial three-minute stretch at the end of the game, the Bruins' swarming defense shut down the Wolverines. But in Howland’s eyes, that didn’t excuse their play in the first 37 minutes of the game. “We were really inept defensively, whether we were in man or zone,” Howland said. For the greater part of the game, the Bruins struggled to keep the post players in check as the Wolverines’ three starting front-court players combined for 51 points. Michigan also picked up seven more offensive rebounds, largely due to the fact that UCLA went into a zone defense with a smaller lineup. “We came to double the post and that takes away weak side rebounding,” Howland said. “When we went one-on-one, they hurt us.” Foul trouble in the front-court throughout the game left the Bruins undersized on the defensive end. Four minutes into the second half, Michael Fey, Ryan Hollins and Lorenzo Mata all had three fouls. As a result, senior Dijon Thompson, a natural wing, was thrust into the No. 4 spot for significant periods during the game and will continue to learn the position as a starter in the future. “I’ve been getting on the bigs early in the season,” Thompson said of his teammates’ defensive efforts. “But you’ve really got to play hard down there. I have to tip my hat to Fey, Hollins and (Matt) McKinney for playing that position.”

SHOCKWAVES: As reports surfaced Saturday afternoon that Rick Majerus was resigning from USC before even coaching a game, Howland, a longtime friend of his, reacted just as shocked as the rest of the basketball community. “You’re kidding me, right?” said Howland, who was unaware of Majerus’ intended resignation until a reporter asked him about it after the game. “That’s stunning. I hope and pray it’s not over health issues, because that was always the biggest concern. I’m sorry to hear that for his sake.” Majerus, who led Utah to the national championship game in 1998, has not yet officially announced his resignation or the reasons for it. He is expected to meet with USC athletic director Mike Garrett on Monday to formalize his decision. After signing a five-year contract with the Trojans last Wednesday, Majerus was scheduled to assume full coaching responsibilities at the end of this season on April 1. He had recommended Howland for the head coaching position at Pittsburgh in 1999.