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Friday, December 8, 2000
UH guards take A quarter-century of college basketball has passed since John Wooden last coached a game in Pauley Pavilion, but his legacy lives on.
mixed feelings
to Pauley
Los Angeles natives Ricky
Terrell and Mike McIntyre share
views of UCLA historyBy Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinIt's not true the 90-year-old nailed up the first peach basket, but the former UCLA head coach did author the mystical "Pyramid of Success" that spoke to a generation not always on the same page with authority.
The proof is in the numbers. Wooden won nearly 81 percent of his games, captured 19 conference titles and 10 national championships, including seven straight, and oh, by the way, he went unbeaten four times for good measure.
Tradition runs so deep on the Bruins' court, Wooden may be hard-pressed to name the All-Americans he developed through the years. But having Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton as your centers is a good place to start.
University of Hawaii head coach Riley Wallace isn't sure what he will be thinking the moment he walks into Pauley to prepare for tomorrow's nonconference game with the Bruins. There will be a hint of awe in the air, he knows that. For him, the only other joint he'd like to play is Madison Square Garden.
But for now, Pauley will do.
"It's UCLA," Wallace said. "The mystique is still there. They still sign six high school All-Americans who everybody wanted. UCLA will always be UCLA, as long as the man is still alive and walking in that arena.
"Our guys know who John Wooden is, oh yeah. Everybody has respect because everywhere you go, the man is a legend. You know what he did may never be done again. And he did it with class. That made it all very special."
How special it will be for two Hawaii players with Los Angeles ties will come in varying degrees. Guards Ricky Terrell and Mike McIntyre respect the history of how the Bruins played back in the day. But retired jerseys and faded banners won't be a distraction.
Growing up in Los Angeles and attending Santa Monica (Calif.) Junior College, Terrell is familiar with the Bruins. But he won't be blinded by the light. He believes this class of Bruins is beatable.
"I know a lot of people dream about playing at UCLA as youngsters growing up, but I like to be different," Terrell said. "I didn't really want to play there. I know some about the history. I only followed it because I lived there, but I wanted to go someplace else.
"I felt some other teams were bigger than UCLA. They once were big-time. But now, they aren't. I think USC (Southern California) is coming up now. I think SC is stronger. But for UCLA, it's their history that holds them up for the little reputation they have left."
Terrell is more excited for the opportunity to play in front of family and friends. This will be a rare chance for them to see the junior college transfer and they plan to make the most of the evening.
"I miss home," Terrell said. "Can't wait to smell the smog."
The return home holds a similar meaning for McIntyre. The junior point guard played his high school ball at Long Beach Poly, a school known to turn out a talented football player or two. He not only has respect for what UCLA accomplished during his parents' generation, he also has played in Pauley twice before.
"I think anybody who plays against UCLA respects the tradition of the players back then," McIntyre said. "And they still get the great players every year.
"They're capable of being good every year. Growing up, I really respected their program. I've known a lot of people to come out of the program and who were associated with it. I know a lot of the people on the team now and on the previous teams, too. The O'Bannon brothers. Guys like that."
Current UCLA star Jason Kapono, the Bruins' leading scorer at 18.2 points a game, played on a national AAU team with McIntyre. Seeing his friend again and playing UCLA in Pauley have McIntyre excited about the trip home.
"I'm really looking forward to it," McIntyre said. "Going into the Pauley as I know it, and beat UCLA, well, that's very huge. It would give us a name and get us ready for our own league. I've played in there twice before as a sophomore and senior in high school in the Martin Luther King tournament.
"We won both games up there. I think in my senior year I had 25 in there. I'm pretty comfortable in there, but there weren't 10,000 college kids yelling at you. It will be different. But I'm pretty sure we'll be ready for the UCLA mystique."
http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
