WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES


What a difference a year makes.

Last June, the San Diego Padres were already all but officially eliminated from the National West Division race. The cities NFL franchise was beginning a new era with the departure of Charger great Junior Seau.

But despite the shortcomings of the pro teams, the community was still buzzing over the University of San Diego men’s basketball program. The Toreros were coming off their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1987.

After coming close in seasons past, the summer of 2003 couldn’t move along fast enough for Holland and company. Ninth-year coach Brad Holland was the toast of the town and everyone was anxious for the upcoming season and the opportunity to defend their West Coast Conference championship.

But 2003-04 would prove to be a disaster, rather than an encore.

“We knew there would be a little drop off,” said Brad Holland, “but we felt as though we could be a .500 team in the WCC and then battle for another league championship in 2005-06. I still thought we would be a factor in the league race (last season), despite the fact that we had some important holes to fill.”

Of the 65 teams in the 2003 NCAA tournament, nobody depended more on their seniors then USD. Jason Blair, Matt Delzell and Jason Keep combined for 83% of the scoring and 85% of the rebounding for the Toreros. It was a point emphasized during CBS’ broadcast of the San Diego-Stanford first-round tilt. And it was further emphasized during the struggles of the following season.

Holland knew, following a 74-70 win over Nevada in the season-opener, that his team had a chance to have a special season. One week later the Toreros would walk out of Pauley Pavilion with a win over UCLA and the march to madness had begun. USD won four of its first five, but they would win just four all season, in 2003-04.

“It was one thing after another,” said Holland. “We had injury upon injury and were never able to have a full compliment of players. This past season was the toughest of my career. It was a season to forget.”

But making excuses is not the Brad Holland way.

By his own admission, Holland has been very fortunate. Keeping things in perspective is what has helped Holland to deal with the disappointment of this past season, but it’s also what has brought him success.

Holland grew up listening to Dick Enberg give the play-by-play for UCLA Bruin games and Chick Hearn call the action for his Los Angeles Lakers. One day playing for the Lakers was a dream, but one that seemed somewhat unlikely. However he quickly realized that wearing a UCLA uniform was a definite reality. From the time he was a high school freshman, Holland was highly sought after by Coach John Wooden.

“Being recruited by UCLA motivated me to be a good player,” said Holland. “I saw it as a great opportunity, but I didn’t take it for granted. I wanted make sure I was deserving of a scholarship.”

Coach Wooden rarely went out on the road to see prospective recruits play, leaving that task to his assistants. But the Wizard of Westwood was on hand to see Holland play in the State Championship game. In the final game of his high school career, Holland hit the game-winning shot, as his future mentor looked on. Holland, who was rated among the top five high school seniors in America, was the last player the legendary coach would ever recruit.

“You can’t have a better mentor,” says Holland. “There is no question that most everything I do on the court is a direct result of coach Wooden, but I learned from him more about life than basketball.”

According to Holland, perhaps the most important thing he learned was humility. Holland has never put much emphasis on yesterday. Never impressed with what he had done. Holland has always been focused on the next challenge.

On many an occasion with his son, Kyle, present someone has said, “Do you know just how good of a player your dad was?” Later a curious son would ask his dad, “why didn’t you tell me that, Dad?”

If you pull up a chair and want to talk x’s and o’s or the San Diego Chargers first round selection, Holland will engage you for hours. But if you want to know about his outstanding collegiate career or his NBA championship ring, you would learn more by talking to those who played with him.

And if he does indulge, it will most often come in the form of a light-hearted joke.

“In the sixth game of the 1980 NBA finals, Magic [Johnson] and I combined for 50 points,” laughs Holland. “Of course Magic had 42 of those points.”

Recruited by his boyhood idol and the opportunity to win have Chick Hearn call those eight points are the stuff that kids dream about. But for Holland they are a reality.

“I actually prepared myself mentally that I would not be drafted by the Lakers,” says Holland. I thought perhaps Philadelphia or San Antonio might draft me, which would have been great. To have played for UCLA, the Lakers and to be doing what I am doing now is a lot more than I could have hoped for.”

For Holland, last season will ultimately prove to be nothing more than a bump in the road. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Holland will undoubtedly use the shortcomings of this past season as motivation to return the Toreros to the top of the WCC standings. After all, he has had to overcome more than once in his collegiate coaching career.

At first glance it might appear that Holland has done a pretty good job, but a closer look reveals that his accomplishments are better described as remarkable.

When Holland arrived in San Diego, the basketball program had fallen on hard times. Pepperdine was the class of the league and the Gonzaga program was on the rise, while USD was playing their home games in a facility that didn’t even measure up to most high school gyms.

But prior to last season, USD has had only one losing season under Holland, averaging fifteen wins per season in ten years (including last season’s 4-26 record). And in 2000 the doors swung open on the state-of-the-art Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Not bad, but also not surprising to his mentor.

“When recruiting Brad it was readily apparent that he was much more than an outstanding basketball player,” said John Wooden. “Of more importance, he is an extremely polite, courteous and modest young man. I had no doubt that he would become a fine teacher and coach. Any parent should be proud to have their child under his supervision.”

Holland isn’t the easiest person in the world to know. A low-key individual, Holland prefers to keep to himself. And if you ask him what he is most thankful for, without hesitation he will tell you his three children and his wife, Leslie, his high school sweetheart, who has been with him every step of the way.

Gonzaga may currently be the class of the WCC, but you can count on Holland and the Toreros being back challenging very soon.