THE STORY

* WHAT HAPPENED?

Jim Harrick was fired as UCLA basketball coach after eight seasons for what the school said were NCAA rules violations and ethical misconduct surrounding a dinner for three recruits.

* WHY?

On Oct. 11, five UCLA players attended a recruiting dinner at a local restaurant with three recruits. Under NCAA rules, only three UCLA players are allowed to attend a dinner with three recruits. On Oct. 15, the school says Harrick filed an expense report for the outing that “misrepresented who attended the dinner,” then later lied about it.

* NOW WHAT?

Harrick’s attorney, Robert Tanenbaum, formally demanded a hearing “to clear [Harrick’s] spotless reputation from the cloud of innuendo and insinuation,” but UCLA officials are unlikely to grant one.

* WHO WILL COACH?

Steve Lavin, an assistant under Harrick, has been named interim coach. The Bruins open the season Nov. 20 at Pauley Pavilion against Tulsa.

* MAIN STORY: A1

* THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

It came down to Peter Dalis not trusting his basketball coach, so something had to be done. C6

* THE REPLACEMENT

Steve Lavin used to be in charge of coffee. Now he’s in charge of the team. C6

* HARRICK’S RECORD: C6

* PLAYER REACTION

They expected a slap on the wrist, at the worst. What they got is a new coach. C7

* NATIONAL REACTION

Coaches are a pretty tight-knit group. They think there must be more to the story. C7

* JOHN WOODEN

At 86, the Wizard of Westwood has a new apprentice in interim Coach Steve Lavin. C7

* THE SEARCH

Romar might not be on the list, but Stanford’s Montgomery probably will be. C7