School's Out for Davis

By DAVID WHARTON

May 13, 1999 12 AM PT

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

The decision may have been tough, fraught with doubts and second thoughts, but in the end Baron Davis did precisely as expected, announcing Wednesday that he will declare himself eligible for the NBA draft.

The UCLA sophomore will forgo his final two college seasons--becoming only the fourth Bruin to leave early for the pros--in anticipation of being a lottery pick next month.

“The NBA is there . . . it’s calling,” Davis said. “It’s just something I’ve dreamed about all my life.”

In pursuing one dream, Davis forsakes another.

The 6-foot-2 point guard leaves UCLA with an average of 13.6 points and five assists over two seasons. He ranks 10th on the Bruins’ all-time list with 145 steals.

But his teams never won a national championship, never even reached a Final Four, losing to Kentucky in the Sweet 16 in 1998 and stumbling through a first-round upset to Detroit Mercy in March.

“That was the biggest thought,” Davis said. “That’s the part that kills me.”

As far back as 1997, when Davis was one of the nation’s hottest recruits, basketball experts expected him to make only a brief stopover in the college ranks. What his UCLA career lacked in longevity, it compensated for with drama.

First came controversy when, days after Davis committed from Crossroads High, his sister Lissa was found to have bought a Chevy Blazer from the son of then-coach Jim Harrick. Though the NCAA cleared UCLA of wrongdoing--Lissa had bought the car for fair market value--the basketball program remained in turmoil after Harrick was fired.

Then, as Davis responded with the kind of season that landed him on the freshman All-American team, his career hit another bump when he landed awkwardly from a dunk and injured his knee against Michigan in the 1998 NCAA tournament.

Ultimately, the injury made him better. Forced to hone his jump shot and play in control, Davis ranked fifth in scoring (17.3), first in steals (2.7) and fourth in assists (5.0) in Pacific 10 Conference games last season.

Those numbers made him a candidate for the NBA, if not a nervous breakdown.

“It was so hard to come up with a quick decision,” Davis said. “I didn’t want to change my mind or have any second thoughts.”

The team didn’t see much of him this spring. Davis stopped by workouts to say hello but never gave an indication which way he was leaning.

“He kept it really secret,” guard Rico Hines said. “We knew he had a lot of things on in his mind and we never pressured him.”

Coach Steve Lavin helped by calling NBA executives such as Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, trying to get a feel for Davis’ standing in the draft. They predicted anywhere from second to sixth.

Still, the sophomore wavered.

“It’s not about money,” Davis insisted. “Money can’t buy the experience I’ve had here, all the laughs, all the crying.

“I made [the decision] two days ago, but I was still going back and forth.”

On Wednesday, Davis arrived at a crowded news conference dressed in a double-breasted suit, green like cash, with a diamond stud in each ear--appropriate attire for a young man who should be a millionaire by summer.

“If you’re a lottery pick, the money is too good to pass up,” said Bruin forward Sean Farnham, who stood at the back of the room. “Baron’s one of those players who come along every so often but few and far between.”

His departure leaves UCLA with large shoes to fill. Earl Watson and Ryan Bailey return as capable, if less spectacular, ballhandlers. Lavin hopes the team can shift more offensive emphasis onto frontcourt players Dan Gadzuric and Jerome Moiso.

“We’ll still play uptempo and wear people down with our defense,” Lavin said. “But we’re going to evolve into being more inside-oriented.”

Davis figures he too must evolve.

“I kind of want to get thrown into the fire,” he said. “I know that going up against guys like Stephon [Marbury] and Allen Iverson and Jason Kidd night in and night out is going to do nothing but make me better.”

As a boy, he imagined himself playing for the Lakers or Knicks. Speculation puts him among less-auspicious company, wearing red, white and blue at the Staples Center.

“I’d love playing for the Clippers,” Davis said, gesturing to friends and family at the news conference. “We’d all get tickets. We’d all be at the game.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

BARON MAKES A PRO MOVE

After Baron Davis said he was leaving, reporters were all over Coach Steve Lavin, background, asking what it meant for UCLA basketball.

****

DAVIS AT UCLA

Games: 59

FG%: 287-571, .503

FT%: 169-268, .631

3PT%: 59-174, .339

Rebounds per game: 3.8

Assists per game: 5.1

Points per game: 13.6