Jet-setting Lavin enjoying time on ESPN

Friday, Jan. 30, 2004 | 9:42 a.m.

Pam Ward has the delivery, insight and knowledge that should propel her to the upper echelon of the industry, and we're looking forward to her inclusion in the CBS fold for Final Four weekend some day.

Somehow, without power forward Kevin Bookout banging under the offensive glass, Oklahoma has remained in the national rankings. But four against ranked foes loom, which could zap the Sooners.

The Scoop -- The Devils must play the nation's second-highest scoring team (87.2 points) on its own court. But the Heels had better be warned, because Duke plays some tight defense.

Prediction (3-3) -- Duke 74, UNC 72.

Night recently eased into morning in Bristol, Conn., and Steve Lavin again found himself in the 24-hour ESPN cafeteria with Vince, the joint's chef. Lavin ordered a turkey melt.

Nobody else was around.

"Vince watches everything on a little TV by his grill, and he gives you feedback, his take on your work," Lavin said. "Naturally, he's upbeat. He's no dummy. That helps with his tip."

Between breaking down game tape and honing his broadcast style, keeping an eye on live action and slipping into the studio for some updates or to offer analysis, the former UCLA coach took intermittent breaks Thursday night to talk about his new career.

Lavin, 39, spends Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the ESPN headquarters in Bristol to provide studio analyses, and he stays in a nearby Residence Inn.

Fridays, he travels to a venue where he will work courtside at a Saturday game. Mostly, those have been in the Big Ten Conference. This Saturday, he will be the color commentator for Marquette's game at Louisville.

After Saturday games, he zips home to Los Angeles and his Santa Monica apartment. He's renting his seven-figure spread in Marina del Rey. Monday nights, it's back on the red eye to the East Coast.

Lavin has been enjoying his regular Cuban Punch cigar more than ever.

"It's been refreshing to step back and look at the game of basketball, and the world, through a wider-angle lens," he said. "I wouldn't trade my last 15 years in coaching for anything, but it's been a nice change of pace stepping off the hamster wheel."

Sacked by UCLA after last season's 10-19 debacle, after going to five Sweet 16s in the previous six years, Lavin spent quality time with his family in the San Francisco Bay Area. He visited Alcatraz and the refurbished San Francisco Zoo.

He attended all three regular season games between the New York Yankees and Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago. He also watched playoff games at Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park in Boston and Pac Bell Park in San Francisco.

Then he parlayed his experience, affable nature and smooth delivery into a multi-year deal with ESPN.

Lavin's new vocation even allowed him to relax in Cancun, one of his favorite get-away spots, over the holidays.

He called the last 15 years of his life "a blur."

At ESPN, the challenges arrive daily. At halftime of Thursday's Maryland-Wake Forest game, Lavin looked at the wrong camera when it became his turn to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the Duke Blue Devils.

He briefly smiled when he realized his mistake after a second of looking at the wrong camera.

"The studio is a little more challenging," Lavin said. "I'll break down areas I didn't hit the way I wanted. People say, 'You did a great job.' But as a coach, I know what I intended to say and the information I wanted to get across in a seamless way.

"When I don't do that, it's frustrating."

Timing is critical. No awkward gaps.

In the field, being a part of a three-man team has its own challenges.

"You don't want to step on anyone's toes," Lavin said. "You try to develop that chemistry. Then there's the game you're watching, plus the monitor for replays. And a producer is talking into your ear, counting down seconds to a commercial break.

"Or, they're getting a graphic ready to show on the screen, so there's always a need to talk with someone in the truck. And you're trying to be insightful, colorful and concise. At this point, I'm more comfortable at the games."

After meeting with Iowa coach Steve Alford, Missouri coach Quin Snyder and Indiana coach Mike Davis at different times this season, Lavin said he came away with similar thoughts and feelings.

"Young coaches, all on the hot seat," Lavin said. "I'd go outside and think, 'Geez, that was me the last seven years.' Now I'm on the other side of the fence, so that part is valuable."

In an ESPN corridor recently, a colleague told Lavin that he seemed to be in great spirits and that he was enjoying himself in his new job.

"I guess they think that, if you were fired by UCLA, that you'd be downtrodden or bitter," Lavin said. "I told him, 'You've got to understand ...' that would be narrow and small-minded and petty. I'm taken aback by that."

Lavin is grateful for the time he has spent coaching at Purdue and UCLA, and he has pinched himself about landing at ESPN. He doesn't rule out a return to the sideline some day, if the situation is right.

"This is a pretty good deal," Lavin said. "If it's 'Let's Make A Deal' and Bob Barker is standing behind Curtain No. 6, and he reviews your life after college and says 'This can be your life for the next 16 years,' I think I probably would have gone for that."