Bye, bye, Miss American Pie singer's award

MacLean's junior year (1990-91) they lost to Penn State at Syracuse in the first round of the NCAAs. (Cost me a trip to Cooperstown.) He was crying after the game and that made me certain that he was returning for his senior year.

Here is my MacLean recruiting story, a.k.a., best-laid plans ....

He went to Simi Valley High and was a blue chip recruit. He was going to announce his college choice (most likely UCLA) during the lunch hour in the Simi gym. I went to cover that because we were still a PM paper. I could get it in the paper that day. Way before cell phones. I had the story written and filed that he was going to UCLA. Once I got it confirmed, I was going to call in with any specific details and a quote or two.
I got there early to scout out the campus and find where a phone might be. Great, there was a pay phone not far from the gym. I got what I needed and raced outside to call it in ... only to find 10 people lined up to use the phone. I begged the next person in line to let me make a 2-minute phone call and I would pay for all of their calls. I worked. Whew.

 

I remember when Teo Alibegovic elbowed him in the face at Pauley and got ejected because McLean called him a "communist." Teo was (at that time) a Yugo, all socialist.

They had some battles with the Beavers of that era. UCLA's five-star recruits against GP and four guys named Joe.