St. John's Lavin, a new man, returns to UCLA

The timing of Steve Lavin's return to UCLA couldn't be better - not because St. John's (13-8) is coming off an upset of defending national champion Duke followed by a win over Big East rival Rutgers.

The timing for the Red Storm's nationally televised game against the Bruins (15-7) Saturday afternoon from Pauley Pavilion is good because Lavin had seven years as a broadcaster with ESPN to gain some perspective before returning to the coaching ranks this season.

Lavin was a 32-year-old assistant who suddenly was thrust into prominence as the replacement in 1996 for Jim Harrick, who was fired for recruiting violations two seasons after winning UCLA's first NCAA title after the John Wooden era. Lavin lasted seven seasons, winning at least 20 games and making the NCAA tourney in each of the first six seasons - including an Elite Eight and four Sweet 16 appearances - before his ouster after one losing season.

Distancing himself from UCLA and from some of the criticism that wounded him, Lavin said, "was really important. I wasn't going to come back for a second tour of duty on the sidelines as a coach unless I felt fully regenerated at the height of my powers and truly had an appetite to coach again.

"You have to be ready to battle. It wasn't really until this last year-and-a-half that I knew I'd had a good run in broadcasting and really enjoyed it, but the appetite and desire was at a point where I wanted to come back if it was the right fit."

In Los Angeles, it almost seemed to Lavin as if he were viewed as being an unworthy successor to the Wooden legacy. "There is that impression, at times, that people expect you to apologize or feel guilty for having good opportunities and for having a degree of success," Lavin said.

During his seven years at ESPN, Lavin studied the methods of others, matured and to thought deeply about what he'd do with a second chance. Slipping back into the coaching role on the sidelines has been relatively easy for Lavin.

Where he's grown, Lavin said, "is the management aspect of a program - hiring coaches, the demands with media, boosters and donors, the natural crisis management that comes up for every team in the country. Those are the things where age and experience elevate your decision-making."

The difference now is that Lavin understands more about what it takes to be successful, and he's at a place starved for success, not spoiled by it.