SoCalHoops College Report

UCSB Players Revolt, Boycott Practice--(December 16,1997)

According to the Santa Barbara News-Press, the UCSB men's basketball players boycotted practice Monday, in a show of their dissatisfaction with longtime coach Jerry Pimm. The action was officially confirmed by school officials Monday night.

According to the News-Press, all 12 scholarship players unanimously decided on the action during a team meeting held earlier in the day. The players then aired their grievances with Pimm later that night. KEYT-TV, meanwhile, reported that the players held a secret ballot during their meeting and unanimously voted to ask for Pimm's resignation. The meeting with the coach, the station reported, was to tell him of their vote.

UCSB athletic director Gary Cunningham confirmed the players' boycott of practice, but he denied that they are holding out for Pimm's resignation. Cunningham said he met to discuss the situation with Pimm Monday evening also.

The News-Press tried to reach Pimm, but he wouldn't answer his home phone Monday night. "They had a meeting just to talk about everything,'' Cunningham told the News-Press. "They just decided not to practice. Jerry met with them, too. I don't know the outcome of that meeting, but they are planning to go to practice tomorrow, from everything that I know," Cunningham said.

"They just decided, the coach and players, that they needed to talk a lot of things out. They asked to meet with Jerry, and they met for a long time. Everyone expressed himself and was able to get everything out on the table," said Cunningham. "It was apparently a very good exchange between the players and Jerry. They felt good about it, that they were able to get their frustrations out on the table. They'll meet again tomorrow and, from what I understand, go to practice."

Two of the Gauchos contacted by the News-Press, who wanted to remain unidentified, told the paper that all 12 players have decided not to make any comment about the situation. The paper purported to quote one of the players: "After talking with all the guys, we've decided to keep it a matter within the team. We don't have any comment. We're not saying anything."

The boycott/mutiny comes only two days after an 88-73 home loss to Santa Clara in which the Gauchos trailed 21-2 after the first seven minutes and by 30 points, 64-34, with 13 minutes remaining.

You'd think that UCSB, which has suffered through four straight losing seasons, would be used to it by now. But these players are not, and they don't like the direction the team is taking. UCSB is 2-4 this year and 0-4 against NCAA Division 1 competition. Pimm came to UCSB after nine successful seasons as the head coach at the University of Utah, leading the Utes to five NCAA Tournaments which included one Sweet 16 finish during his last season in 1982-83.

Santa Barbara was a program in shambles before he arrived. They had endured seven straight losing seasons, and then had three more until they turned it around with a 16-13 record in 1986-87, and then had their best season under Pimm the next year, in Brian Shaw's senior season, 1987-88. That year, the Gauchos went 22-8 and received a berth in the NCAA Division 1 Tourney for the first time ever, but they lost in the first round to Maryland. Under Pimm they again went to the Dance in 1990, winning their first-round game against Houston before losing to Michigan State. Three of Pimm's Gaucho teams also received NIT bids - in 1989, 1992 and 1993. His record in 15 seasons as UCSB's coach is 217-187. Overall, he's gone 390-273 in 24 years as a head coach.

So it's not like he doesn't know how to coach.

But these guys are gonna boycott. Who knows, maybe it'll work and they can get back to playing fundamentally sound basketball again.

And there is, after all, some good news in all of this.

At least they didn't choke him or threaten to kill him.

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