Apparently the Joker (aka Howland’s predecessor posing as a “UCLA basketball coach) is feeling good these days about his current gig at WWL:
Call it job security, something Steve Lavin ran short of toward the end of his tenure as UCLA basketball coach. This fall, Lavin starts his sixth year as an analyst for ABC/ESPN telecasts and he couldn't be happier -- not only because he's signed through 2012. It's just a great gig, said Lavin, 43.
While not ruling out a return to college coaching, Lavin said he has enjoyed developing a second career in broadcasting, working alongside Brent Musberger, whom he considers a friend and mentor.
Lavin, who was 145-78 in seven years with the Bruins, has grown into his analyst role and recently moderated an NCAA educational video on amateurism and eligibility issues that is geared for high school athletes who want to play on the collegiate level.
With the top high schoolers in the country innow for the Reebok Summer Championships and the Adidas Super 64, Lavin says it's a good message to be heard. Las Vegas
In the meantime, Lavin said Baron Davis, whom he coached in Westwood, will be a hit back in his hometown.
"Because of Baron's age and his NBA experience, I believe he's now mature enough to handle the challenges that come with returning to his hometown as a celebrity. No doubt he has a lot of friends who will want to be along for the ride. I'll hit him up for some tickets."
Uhm … I guess Lavin must have missed this from last November:
"As reported by Bay Area blogger Geoff Lepper of the Contra Costa Times, former UCLA point guard Baron Davis looked into the rafters at Pauley Pavilion last Friday during the Golden State Warriors' morning shoot-around and said, "We should have a banner up there: the only team to make the tournament without a coach." . . .Somewhere, surely, Steve Lavin's ears were burning."
Just like he was clueless as a “fake head coach” UCLA, he remains clueless as an “analyst” on WWL. Guess we shouldn’t be all that surprise that this joker as found “job security” in a network that holds out Duke Vitale and Digger Phelps as college basketball “pundits.”
It's a good thing that he is settling right in and enjoying the "job security" in his current gig in which he can play his schtick by rolling out tired and stupid cliches that have nothing to do with basketball because he knows no college athletic director with a brain will hire him to destroy their program.
GO BRUINS.