lavin gets extension

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SoCalHoops College Hoops News

Lavin Back For More; Gets Big Time
Contract Extension--(March 31, 1999)

John Wooden is probably wondering what happened. We know Gene Bartow is scratching his head. But never mind all that, this is 1999, and Steve Lavin is gonna party like its. . . well, like he just got a big fat present. UCLA men's basketball coach Steve Lavin received a contract extension Tuesday that will run through the 2005 season, the longest contract UCLA has ever entered into with any basketball coach. Lavin will receive $578,000 a year, a $103,000 raise, and also gets a rollover clause for added job security. The Bruins this year were 22-9 and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Detroit. Lavin is 70-26 overall at UCLA.

"Steve has built an outstanding foundation with his recruiting classes," UCLA athletic director Peter Dalis said in a statement. "We are excited about the direction of the program and are looking forward to many more years with Steve as our head coach."

This is a pretty strong signal to those recruits who may be sitting on the fence about making a decision whether to come to UCLA, such as Carlos Boozer, who will reportedly announce his choice of college this weekend at the Magic Roundball game, and Kareem Rush. Boozer's choices are reportedly down to Duke, UCLA and St. John's, while Kareem Rush is reportedly deciding between Missouri and UCLA. The extension also sends a strong message to any current players who have been rumored to be "upset" about the stability of the program and their roles in it. Recently there have been several published reports (mostly from Jon Wilner in the LA Daily News) that JaRon Rush was considering transferring, which his brother reportedly denied, and it has also been reported that Matt Barnes and Travis Reed have been less than happy with their playing time. Whether there is any truth to these rumors, only time will tell, but those close to the Bruin program deny such reports.