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Tuesday, April 1, 1997

TOURNAMENT:

Even without Final Four slot, Bruins are still the success story of the yearBy Crissy Cruz

wish I could have been there. I wish I could have been in that locker room, that I could've been with the team as they cried and hugged each other, that I could've heard Cameron's words of wisdom. I wish I could have hugged them and comforted them (because after all, they are the best looking basketball team in the country), that I could have showed them how much they accomplished, how much they achieved, how important they had become to their fans. Because even though they lost, even though their dreams of returning to Westwood were cut short, they became something so important that Saturday afternoon in San Antonio. They became what I believe to be one of the strongest emotional links that the student body feels for UCLA.

And how could they not? Who didn't feel like crying when they saw Steve Lavin's face drowning with tears? Who didn't feel loss when Charles, Cameron and Bob walked across the floor before their last game at Pauley Pavilion? Who didn't get fired up about the words against USC, and who wasn't there to back the team up ­ to show Los Angeles and the world who really owns this town?

The truth is that we all became a part of Steve Lavin's team. When they were angered with frustration, we were equally angered; when they rejoiced at victory, we were there with them, admiring them, smiling and cheering with them. We saw their trials and tribulations, and we wanted to help keep them on their feet ... and for what? I don't know what for. But it wasn't just school spirit. I didn't experience the same feelings that I did in Pauley Pavilion as I did in just walking around campus and feeling the so-called Bruin pride. There was more to it than that.

I guess, in a way, because so much emphasis, so much media was put on the Bruin team, that they couldn't help becoming friends to us. We saw them nearly every day, staring at us in the paper, speaking to us on television. And for some reason, we gained possession of them ­ that was our Charles making kissy faces to the camera, and Jelani screaming with enthusiasm at the first game against Charleston Southern, and Cameron going coast to coast to save the game. That was good old Bob, and J.R. and Kris. And that was our fellow Bruin Brandon Loyd, running so hard, and making those threes. We were there with the rest of the team ­ on that bench ­ even if only in spirit.

Who knows ­ maybe it's just because this season is over that I have become so nostalgic and attached. But nonetheless, the fact that the Bruin team has held such an emotional bond to us, the fact that we have watched them with wonder and amazement, cannot be denied. I don't think that there is another team in the nation as loved and as appreciated as ours. And no other deserves it more.

The basketball team has symbolized what being a Bruin is all about. They rose against the odds, they held on, and they came out stronger. They made us laugh, and scream with terror, and yell and jump in enjoyment. And more than that, more than all the entertainment they gave us, they gave life back to Pauley Pavilion ... they gave spirit back to the crowd.

For them, this isn't a championship; I know that and I don't expect it to be. If anything, I offer this as a tribute ­ to the team and to Steve Lavin. UCLA should have hired Lavin at the very beginning because they should have seen what he was creating. And it wasn't talent because the players had that all on their own. It was unity, it was friendship ... and it wasn't just with the players ­ it was with every UCLA basketball fan out there.

Each and every person on that basketball team won my heart long before Minnesota came along ­ and I'm sure every other Bruin heart in Westwood. And even if that isn't anything to them, I'll remain happy knowing that they let me be a part of it all. They showed me what being a Bruin was all about.

So maybe they didn't get to the Final Four.

So what? They still became the most successful team in the nation.

JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin

Toby Bailey and Cameron Dollar played hard, and the Bruins played as a team in the NCAA tournament, giving Bruin fans a sense of pride and spirit.

Even though they lost, even though their dreams ... were cut short, they became ... what I believe to be one of the strongest emotional links that the student body feels for UCLA.

The truth is that we all became a part of Steve Lavin's team. When they were angered with frustration, we were equally angered; when they rejoiced at victory, we were there ...