Steve Lavin

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Former UCLA Head Coach and Current ESPN College Basketball Analyst Steve Lavin

Steve Lavin (September 4, 1964 – ) is an American basketball coach and TV analyst. The San Francisco, California native was the head coach of the UCLA Bruins men's basketball team from 1996-2003.

Lavin was named the head coach at UCLA in late 1996 shortly after Jim Harrick was fired for a recruiting scandal. At age 32, Lavin became one of the youngest head coaches in America.

Lavin was scrutinzed by UCLA fans right at the beginning of his tenure. Originally intended to be an interim head coach, Lavin managed to win the Pacific 10 Conference Championship and reach the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament in 1997 (his first year) and was subsequently signed to a long-term deal that paid over two million dollars total. The following years would produce six 20 win seasons with 5 Sweet 16 appearances. While these accomplishments would be lauded at most other schools, national championships are the benchmark of success for a UCLA head coach. John Wooden managed to win 10 during his illustrious tenure, which has put enormous pressure on his successors. Moreover, Pac 10 rivals Arizona and Stanford overtook UCLA's dominance, with Arizona winning a national title in 1997 and Stanford becoming an almost perennial number 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Overall, even while winning, most UCLA fans considered Lavin's teams to underachieve. Despite bringing in incredible recruiting classes every year (two classes were the best in the country), Lavin's teams often lacked energy and spirit and would often play their ways out of contention. On top of that, players never seemed to develop, the best example being Jason Kapono who seemed to regress from his freshman to senior year until Lavin. (Baron Davis has publicly criticized Lavin for not helping his players grow). However, the team would make an amazing run at the end of the year and make it back to the Sweet 16 where they would promptly get blown out - an example of the frustrating inconsistency under Lavin would be their demolishing of a good Maryland team in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament in 2001 followed by a weak performance in the Sweet 16 against Iowa State. These results made it impossible for the UCLA administration to fire Lavin, despite his lack of popularity with students. Some apologists for Lavin maintain that he was a successful coach due to his ability to reach the Sweet 16 every year and call UCLA fans' standard of success unreasonable but this view appears to be decidedly in the minority given the quick success and popularity of his successor Ben Howland.

The lackluster 2002-2003 season finally provided the UCLA athletic department the excuse it needed to part ways with their much maligned coach. After compiling a 10-19 record, one of the rare losing campaigns in UCLA men's basketball history, it was announced that Lavin's replacement would be sought after the team had completed its slate of games. Of these final games, the penultimate was undoubtedly the season's highlight. After barely qualifying for the Pac-10 Tournament with its lowest seeding ever, #8, UCLA took Pac-10 and national #1 Arizona to overtime on a last-second three-pointer by senior guard Ray Young. In the extra period, the Bruins pulled the upset and defeated the Wildcats but promptly lost their subsequent game, the last of the season, to Oregon. Lavin's tenure ended with a perfect example of the puzzling inconsistency and underachieving that led to his dismissal.

After being relieved of his duties at UCLA, Lavin signed a multi-year broadcasting deal with ESPN. Lavin makes regular appearances on ESPN College GameNight and also provides color-commentary alongside Brent Musburger at primetime college games around the country.

North Carolina State University reportedly offered Lavin its head men's basketball coaching position for the 2006-2007 season, but ESPN reported on April 26 that Lavin refused the job and would remain with the network.