Athletes - Steve Lavin

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	Athletes - Steve Lavin

Steve Lavin (born September 4, 1964 in San Francisco, California) 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 NCAA Division I history. While Lavin compiled a respectable record during his tenure, he was often criticized for not developing his players and for failing to keep the program as a perennial national championship contender as it had been in the past.

He led the team to the NCAA Tournament in all but his final season, including five Sweet-16s and the 1997 Elite-Eight. After compiling a 10-19 record in the 2002-2003 season, 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.

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 alongside Digger Phelps and also provides color-commentary at various primetime college games around the country. Lavin has proven to be a popular addition to the ESPN panel, so it is unclear if he will make a return to coaching or remain on television.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Steve Lavin ]

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