To have fun SLAM’s thirtieth anniversary, we’re spotlighting the 30 most influential males’s school groups from our previous 30 years. Stats, information and chips aren’t the primary issue right here, it’s all about their contribution to the sport’s cultural cloth.
For the subsequent 30 days—Monday by Friday— we’ll be unveiling the total checklist right here. We’ve additionally acquired an unique retro collegiate assortment, out now, that pays homage to every squad’s threads. Store right here.
The ‘99 UCLA males’s basketball group had everybody buzzing. Draped in daring powder blue and gold, the coastal Pac-10 squad embodied an unseen swagger in Westwood. Image this: a deadly Baron Davis and Earl Watson backcourt with Third-Group All-American and Pac-10 All-Freshman Group honors to their identify. A supporting forged of bucket-getters and defensive specialists in Jaron Rush, Jérôme Moïso, Dan Gadzuric and a budding freshman in Matt Barnes.
On the wheel was none aside from Steve Lavin, a younger coach with a fiery ardour for the sport and a knack for getting the perfect out of his gamers. Lavin wasn’t only a coach; he was a motivator, a strategist and a mastermind of the sport. His flashy offensive schemes and modern techniques stored followers on the sting of their seats and opponents guessing. With Lavin calling the photographs, you by no means knew what sort of magic the Bruins would produce subsequent.
Then there was star guard Baron Davis, the hometown child who enacted a spectacle beneath the lights of Pauley Pavilion. Moïso was an ace on protection, whereas Rush cleaned the glass with 7.3 boards a sport, and Ray Younger splashed down spot-ups from past the arc. Between their toughness, versatility, and willingness to place their our bodies on the road, these gamers dominated the court docket each time. Again in March of ‘99, we documented the group’s recapturing of UCLA’s normal traditions. A rebirth was happening in Westwood spearheaded by a youthful roster with solely two upperclassmen to say.
Regardless of falling in need of their eventual private expectations with a gap spherical loss to Detroit Mercy within the tourney, the UCLA Bruins, absorbing LA’s sunny vibes, introduced much more than simply wins to the desk. They echoed the essence of a metropolis that’s vibrant and filled with vitality. Their electrifying performances on the court docket introduced folks collectively from all corners of town, uniting followers of each background beneath one widespread ardour. Whether or not it was college students packing into Pauley Pavilion or households gathering round their TVs at house, the Bruins had a approach of charming audiences and instilling satisfaction throughout the group. The wins and losses didn’t simply measure their impression; it was felt within the hearts and minds of everybody touched by their presence. They have been LA’s personal hometown heroes, inspiring future generations to dream huge and attain for the celebrities.
Photographs through Getty Photos.
