Pressure’s on UCLA to make the right choice

LAS VEGAS >> One by one, the UCLA players exited T-Mobile Arena, walked slowly down a ramp and boarded the team bus. One hour after a forgettable season ended in listless fashion, the door closed, the engine roared and the bus rumbled away into the cool Nevada night.

Now, it’s time for the Bruins to back up the truck.

One of the most storied programs in college basketball must make every effort to hire the coach most likely to return UCLA to its proper place on the sport’s pantheon.

Whatever it takes, whatever the wait, whatever the cost, UCLA must hire Tony Bennett. If he says no, then the Bruins should come back with another million. And another. Bennett, coach of the second-ranked Virginia Cavaliers, would pay for himself in two years — three, tops.

This isn’t just an important hire for the Bruins. It’s momentous for the conference, too.

Bennett in Westwood is the hire the entire Pac12 needs but nobody else in the Pac-12 would want. The next six weeks, in fact, will help frame the state of basketball in the western third of the country for years to come.

The top programs in the Pac-12 are at parallel crossroads:

UCLA, with its search for a head coach. Arizona, with the uncertainty swirling around its head coach.

The Wildcats and Bruins own eight of the conference’s last 10 Final Four berths — and all of its national championships over the past half century. They are the Pac-12’s flag-bearers, its primary points of resonance for college basketball writ large. And both should have their futures shaped by the end of April.

Arizona’s situation is more complicated, and the outcome less clear, because of coach Sean Miller’s connection to the Federal corruption case. What did he say on the wiretap? Did he discuss payments to players? And what’s the threshold for dismissal?

The trial for which Miller reportedly will be subpoenaed is scheduled to begin April 22. But what if there’s a settlement, Miller never takes the stand and the contents of the wiretap never become public?

And what of the NCAA component — the likelihood that Arizona will be investigated and Miller sanctioned for transgressions committed by his staff under Bylaw 11.1.1.1. (Former assistant Book Richardson has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.)

Either way, the federal corruption cloud choking the program for 18 months should disperse by the end of April, bringing clarity to Arizona’s future one way or another.

For the Bruins, it’s a matter of hiring the right coach.

That’s easier typed than done, of course. But one candidate stands atop the pyramid. Bennett makes $4.15 million per year at Virginia, according to the USA Today salary database. How does that translate in Westwood dollars?

UCLA paid $12 million to make Jim Mora go away and $23 million to make Chip Kelly appear. It collects approximately $11 million per year in cash from Under Armour. Benefactors Casey Wasserman and Mo Ostin have written checks for tens of millions for facilities in recent years. Fundraising is thriving. The balance sheet is clean.

Money cannot be the reason Bennett says no.

If $5 million per year isn’t enough, then offer $5.5 million. Or $6 million. Or $7 million.

Keep going until it’s clear he can’t be bought … and then take one more shot.

This isn’t just another hire for the Bruins and athletic director Dan Guerrero. This is a moment in time for a school whose pride and joy has been adrift for years, save for one surge (2017) under Steve Alford.

Reclaiming the lost national relevance and fan engagement gets more difficult by the year — a cascading effect that reflects the challenges faced by schools everywhere in both major sports.

The Bruins have to get this right.

“This next guy — priority No. 1, in my opinion — needs to get the fan base excited about UCLA basketball,” former Bruins star Don MacLean. “And then, hopefully, the wins will follow and having the building full every night will help in recruiting and help you win games. That, to me, is the most important thing.”

The concerns about Bennett’s playing style, that it won’t be viewed as attractive by fans or recruits? Hogwash.

Virginia’s adjusted offensive efficiency is No. 2 in the country (per Pomeroy ratings), and Bennett would surely push the pace if he had the requisite talent. I seem to recall Ben Howland’s critics chirping about his grinding style ... before the back-toback-to-back Final Fours.

“Everyone has always said the style of play at UCLA matters,’’ MacLean said. “I guess a little bit. But if you’re winning big, if you’re going 33-4 every year, I don’t think anybody would be complaining about the 62-58 score.”

Bennett has thrived in a far tougher conference — four ACC regular-season titles in the past six years — with a fraction of the talent he would have at UCLA in a far weaker conference.

Clean sheet with NCAA rules? Check. Understanding of the academic component? Check. (UCLA is 19th in the latest U.S. News Rankings. Virginia is 25th.)

The humility required to lead a program that has already accomplished everything possible in the sport? Check.

The potential to recharge a blue blood seamlessly? Check.

The hiring process, MacLean said, must be about “what’s your game plan for resuscitating the program.”

Tony Bennett doesn’t require a game plan. He is the game plan.

UCLA needs him, and the Pac-12 needs UCLA to hire him.