An Era Is Coming to an End at UCLA : College tennis: Bassett is coaching in his final NCAA men’s tournament after being prodded into retirement by Dalis.

After 27 years as UCLA men’s tennis coach, Glenn Bassett’s career there will end this week, by invitation of Athletic Director Peter Dalis.

Bassett, 65, is coaching his final matches for the Bruins in the NCAA men’s tennis tournament at the University of Georgia. Bassett, who coached the Bruins to seven national championships, will be inducted into the Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the tournament today, then will coach several of his Bruin players in the NCAA individuals tournament, which begins Wednesday.

He has never had a losing season, and his winning percentage--.864 on a 592-92-2 record, including this season--is best among active NCAA Division I coaches.

But Dalis was no longer satisfied with Bassett’s performance.

“I would say since 1984 (when Bassett won his last NCAA championship), we have not had the preeminence in tennis that we had previously, and I did have some concern about our recruiting,” Dalis said Monday.

After granting a two-year extension through 1992, Dalis again extended Bassett’s contract at Bassett’s request. There was a stipulation, however, that Bassett would retire after this season, taking advantage of a university-wide offer that would add five years of service to his retirement program.

Bassett reluctantly agreed.

“I don’t feel like I’m ready to get out, I really don’t,” Bassett said. “But they gave us five years, so it’s pretty tough to turn that down.”

Part of Dalis’ desire for Bassett to retire was his fear that Billy Martin, Bassett’s assistant of 10 years, would leave for another program if Martin was not offered the head coaching position. Martin will take over next season.

“Judy Holland (UCLA senior associate athletic director) has responsibility for the tennis program,” Dalis said. “We had talked about the future of the program . . . and thought Glenn was at the point that it made sense to turn the program over to Billy.”

Even though Bassett plans to continue in coaching--he hopes to find another job, either as head coach or assistant, in a college program--his departure from UCLA will be a watershed for the school. He has been at UCLA as a player, assistant coach and head coach for more than four decades.

“It’s going to be hard,” Bassett said. “Gosh, it’s going to be sad in a way. I’ve been here since 1948 and not too far away from it at any one time, so it will be a big adjustment.”

Bassett has been more than a coach to his players, and even his fellow coaches look on him as a father figure, so his announcement last December that he would be retiring stirred emotions in the college tennis community.

“It makes me want to hug him,” said Allen Fox, Pepperdine’s 15-year veteran coach. “In fact, I have several times. You miss him already.”

Hard work has been central to Bassett’s philosophy for players and himself. Martin said that in his years as Bassett’s assistant, he could recall only two practices and one match that Bassett missed.

“He has dedicated himself so much to the team and to UCLA,” Martin said, “I don’t think he has ever really given himself time off to get a hobby or to find something that he really enjoys doing just because he always thought that would take away from the tennis team.

“So I think he really doesn’t have what most of us would have to fall back on, as far as leisure time (goes). He has given that much of himself to the team.”

As a player, Bassett helped UCLA win the 1950 NCAA championship, which was the Bruins’ first NCAA title in any sport.

He began his coaching career at Santa Monica High, leading the Vikings to five consecutive Southern Section titles and compiling an overall record of 143-2. He also served on and off as a Bruin assistant coach to J.D. Morgan before becoming head coach in 1967, when Morgan became athletic director.

Bassett has coached 46 All-Americans and three NCAA singles champions--Jeff Borowiak in 1970, Jimmy Connors in 1971 and Martin in 1975.

He has an unassuming personality, seeming almost out of place in the Bruins’ home facility, the Los Angles Tennis Center, which was built in 1985. Still, he has a competitive spirit.

“Coach Bassett brings with him . . . just tremendous dedication and hard work,” sophomore player Robert Janecek said. “That commitment and intensity spills onto the team. I don’t think mediocrity is tolerated here.”

Bassett plans each practice. He knows who will be hitting with whom, what drills they will be doing and for how long.

Most college players have private coaches, so many college coaches do little more than make up the schedule and arrange travel.

“Unfortunately, a lot of times in college tennis, it’s like, ‘Here are the balls, guys, go to it,’ ” said Eliot Teltscher, an All-American at UCLA in 1978 before working his way to a top-10 ranking as a professional player.

Connors said he has never been in better condition than when he played for Bassett.

“He is a master at getting his players into shape,” Connors said.

Bassett also earned the admiration of another successful coach.

“If you ask what kind of coach he was, well, look as his record,” said John Wooden, who won 10 NCAA championships as UCLA’s basketball coach. “But what is far more important is what kind of person he was, and Glenn was a fine person.

“He was interested in his players, more than just as tennis players. He was interested in them as people. When they understand that and know it isn’t just a facade, they want to do well for him, as well as for themselves.”

UCLA, 24-3 was seeded second behind USC, 22-2. The Trojans took over the top spot in the final rankings after UCLA had been top-ranked for two months.

The Bruins, making it all the way to the NCAA semifinals before losing to Georgia, 5-4, Monday night, fared better than was expected this season, after losing four proven players who completed their eligibility last season. Perhaps they were trying to give their coach a proper finish to a remarkable career.

“I feel strong and I feel good,” Bassett said. “I haven’t lost my enthusiasm for it.”

One gets the feeling that this is not really the last we will hear about Bassett.