When UCLA Basketball Went Away – An Oral History of 2008

Shockwaves

HOWLAND: We agreed that the discussions in those meetings would stay confidential, and I want to honor that. I’ll just say that we had some disagreements – primarily about the impact on current players and on what this would do to UCLA’s ability to continue to attract both donors and players for other programs – notably, but not exclusively, football. In the end, though, we wanted it to be a consensus decision. As in, we would not go forward with cutting the program without the full support of all eleven members.

GUERRERO: It took us six weeks, marathon sessions each Sunday afternoon and late into the evening. That was just to come to the decision. Another two weeks to craft a plan of how and when to make this announcement. We ultimately decided that the risk of leaks was too great for us to tell key donors and stakeholders in person ahead of time. Ross and Casey, though, were amazing in organizing a campaign to touch base and speak personally with folks right after the news broke.

ROSS BJORK (UCLA Senior Associate Athletic Director – External Relations, 2005-2010): The key thing was to let people know that we were still committed to athletics more broadly. This was not the first step in UCLA, the most decorated and titled athletic program in Division I history, winding down their athletics program. Nor was this a result of a battle between academics and athletics. UCLA has always made it clear that it considers athletics to be an integral part of a well-rounded education and a net-plus for the university, for the student-athlete, and for the campus life experience. This had not changed; basketball being cut was about basketball and nothing else.

The second part of this was spinning the rationale behind the decision in a way that emphasized, first, walking away at the top of our game (despite the loss on Saturday), second, honoring the legacy of Coach Wooden, and third, allowing us to pivot to support the women’s game. UCLA has a proud tradition of being a pioneer for equity in the sports program, thanks to Kenny Washington, Jackie Robinson, and Arthur Ashe. We saw this as an opportunity take a similar role for women’s sports.

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We obviously knew that people would draw their own conclusions about the program and comparisons with the Kansases and Kentuckies and Dukes and North Carolinas. But we just wanted to get another message out there, an alternative way of shaping what was admittedly a shocking and drastic announcement.

WALTON: …drawn from the nomadic herding peoples of the Altaic and steppe regions. This hearty and proud stock roam the empty inner wastes of Asia, preserving the ways of life known by their ancestors, still drinking the same salt tea, the same yak’s milk mixed with mare’s blood, still floating hither and yon on the undulating sea of the sub-Siberan steppe and perched atop the roof of the world on the Tibetan plateau and neighboring ridges…

BILLY DONOVAN (University of Florida Head Coach, 1996-2015): Yeah, that was stunning, to say the least. I know from experience what a fierce competitor Ben Howland is and how tough he trains his teams to be. It was an honor to say we had to go through the most accomplished program of all time in order to win our titles. I was disgusted to hear Gator fans beating their chest, claiming that we ended UCLA Basketball. Nothing could be further from the truth. The team we met in 2007 was just as strong as in 2006, and looked to be at the top of the sport for a long time.

DIGGER PHELPS (Notre Dame Head Coach, 1971-1991): I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the cracks we left in UCLA’s foundation back in ’74 were the ultimate cause of this giant’s downfall. Remember, they’d won 88 games in a row until they met us; I dare say the blow to their confidence echoes still in Pauley Pavillion. That win vaulted me to where I am now…a grown man who matches his tie to his highlighter in a desperate attempt to get kids to like me. [Sobs.]

DOUG GOTTLIEB (CBS Basketball Analyst, 2012-present): [Grins smugly.]

JAY BILAS (ESPN Basketball Analyst, 1995-present): It’s a shame, really. The college basketball landscape is richer and more grounded in its history when UCLA is playing and is relevant nationally. John Wooden’s teams defined two decades of this sport, and not having that memory represented on the court night in and night out impoverishes the game.

MUEHLHAUSEN: Without a doubt, the media attention and scrutiny wore on Dad more than I think he expected. Until he passed, two years later, I think he second-guessed his role in dropping the team. Not just that, but but he said to me that he felt responsible for putting the program in the position in the first place. He wondered if all the extra stuff – his books and his pyramid and his maxims – if they stifled his successors, limited their options for how they ran the team. That weighed on him, for sure.

Next: The Legacy