The Harrick Years

1988-89

Overall record: 21 wins, 10 losses, .677 Pct.

Pac-10 record: 13 wins, 5 losses, .722 Pct.

* Pac-10 finish: third (tied)

* NCAA finish: second round

* Comment: Harrick reportedly had received one of his highest recommendations for the UCLA job from North Carolina’s Dean Smith. Maybe this is why: The Tar Heels beat the Bruins, 104-78, during regular season at Chapel Hill, then for good measure bounced them out of the NCAA tournament in the second round, 88-81.

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1989-90

* Overall record: 22 wins, 11 losses, .667 Pct.

* Pac-10 record: 11 wins, 7 losses, .611 Pct.

* Pac-10 finish: fourth

* NCAA finish: round of 16

* Comment: The season’s highlight came when freshman Tracy Murray made both ends of a one-and-one with nine seconds left to give UCLA a 71-70 victory over No. 2-seeded Kansas in a second-round NCAA game in the East Regional. The Bruins couldn’t get close enough for any last-second heroics in the next round, however, and fell to Duke, 90-81.

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1990-91

* Overall record: 23 wins, 9 losses, .719 Pct.

* Pac-10 record: 11 wins, 7 losses, .611 Pct.

* Pac-10 finish: second

* NCAA finish: first round

* Comment: The No. 4-seeded Bruins were so elated over the express-lane-to-the-Final-Four draw they received in the East Regional that they fell asleep at the wheel against No. 13 Penn State and made an early exit, 74-69. It was the first of three first-round NCAA detours Harrick-coached teams would take.

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1991-92

* Overall record: 28 wins, 5 losses, .848 Pct.

* Pac-10 record: 16 wins, 2 losses, .889 Pct.

* Pac-10 finish: first

* NCAA finish: round of eight.

* Comment: Feeling his oats, Harrick said at midseason that if he beats the likes of Bobby Knight and Indiana--which UCLA did to open the season, 87-72--then he should be paid accordingly. You have to figure that Harrick’s comment made its way back to Bloomington, because in the rematch between the teams in the West Regional final, it was the Bruins who paid dearly, losing to the Hoosiers, 106-79.

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1992-93

* Overall record: 22 wins, 11 losses, .677 Pct.

* Pac-10 record: 11 wins, 7 losses, .611 Pct.

* Pac-10 finish: third (tied)

* NCAA finish: second round

* Comment: UCLA gave Michigan’s heavily favored Fab Five all it could handle before falling, 86-84, in overtime in an NCAA second-round game. The loss almost wasn’t as hard to take as the criticism Harrick got for not knowing the shot-clock violation rule in the final-second sequence that produced the game’s decisive basket for Michigan.

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1993-94

* Overall record: 21 wins, 7 losses, .750 Pct.

* Pac-10 record: 13 wins, 5 losses, .722 Pct.

* Pac-10 finish: second (tied)

* NCAA finish: first round

* Comment: Ed O’Bannon said beforehand he didn’t have a clue where Tulsa was and the Bruins were clueless on defense, getting another first-round return ticket home after a 112-102 loss to the Golden Hurricane.

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1994-95

* Overall record: 31 wins, 2 losses, .939 Pct.

* Pac-10 record: 16 wins, 2 losses, .889 Pct.

* Pac-10 finish: first

* NCAA finish: national champion

* Comment: A return to glory for the Bruins as they won their first national championship since John Wooden’s final season in 1974-75. Tyus Edney kept the dream alive with his coast-to-coast dash in the final 4.9 seconds to the basket that beat Missouri in the second round.

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1995-96

* Overall record: 23 wins, 8 losses, .742 Pct.

* Pac-10 record: 16 wins, 2 losses, .889 Pct.

* Pac-10 finish: first

* NCAA finish: first round

* Comment: The Bruins are swept out the NCAA back door in the first round by undermanned Princeton and retiring coach Pete Carril, 43-41.

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EIGHT SEASONS AT UCLA

*Overall record: 191 wins, 63 losses, .752 Pct.

* Pac-10 record: 107 wins, 37 losses, .743 Pct.

* Conference championships: three

* NCAA appearances: eight (13 wins, 7 losses).

* Comment: Becomes third Division I coach with 20-plus victories in each of his first eight seasons at a school.