I had wanted to post this awhile back, but with the Ice Miller Report and the Tyler Zeller saga, there has been a lot of news surrounding the Hoosiers the past couple of weeks.
At Big 10 Media Day, Michael and I were grabbing some lunch at the hotel where they had set up a complementary lunch for the media-types. After grabbing some food, we were looking for a table when Michael saw Gene Keady and Steve Lavin eating at a table.
We sat down and had a wonderful conversation with the two. Lavin is genuinely a nice guy and a great story teller. He asked us about covering the newest rounds of sanctions and then speculated on the type of reception Kelvin Sampson will receive this season on the road. Lavin then proceeded to tell stories about particularly funny student cheers he had heard on the road.
When Lavin was coaching at UCLA, he had two players busted for smoking marijuana. When the players came back from suspension, the Bruins had an away game at Stanford. Lavin said the Stanford student section had made a giant joint which it passed around during the whole game. He said it was so funny that even the players who were suspended got a laugh out of it.
You can tell talking to Lavin that he has a passion for calling games. He said it is similar to coaching in that you are on the court, wrapped up in the atmosphere. I am surprised that he has not gotten back into coaching as he had a successful run at UCLA, with 5 consecutive appearances in the Sweet 16 from 1997-2002.
This really had nothing to do with IU basketball, but it was a neat experience for Michael and me, so I wanted to share it with you. I certainly will not forget that lunch anytime soon.
