Jim Les doesn't do retirement plans, and he doesn't do five-year career plans. As his wife often reminds him, he is not a patient person.

He's someone who rides in the fast lane – and since this is Davis, we should be talking bicycles here – with head down, pedaling furiously, while navigating the shortest distance between destinations.

The Aggies men's basketball program, largely irrelevant and invisible for the past several years, has never seen the likes of Jim Les. He has stormed into town like a Midwestern dynamo, kicking up dust as he settles into the job.

"This reminds me of when I started coaching at Bradley (2002)," the new Aggies coach said the other day. "They took me on a tour of the campus and said, 'Look, it's just like when you played here.' I thought, 'I played there 20 years ago. I don't want 20 years ago.'

"Here at Davis, we need to raise some money, change the weight room, get the eye candy the 17-year-olds want to see, and we'll be fine. Looking at our talent and what our school has to offer academically, this is not going to be a long-term project."

Les, 48, who was released after compiling a 154-140 record in nine seasons at Bradley in Peoria, Ill., is an ongoing basketball experiment, his career a commingling of unusual, unconventional experiences.

He starred at Bradley, earned a degree in finance and was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 1986. He played four seasons for the Kings, three additional years for three other NBA teams and spent time in the 6-foot-4 and Under League before signing a professional contract overseas.

When a foot injury ended his career in 1999, Les returned to Sacramento and was hired by a local stockbroking firm. He also became one of Sonny Allen's assistants with the Monarchs. For three seasons (1999-2001), he scrambled from his downtown office to Arco Arena, running into the locker room with a gym bag full of sweats and sneakers, then hurriedly changing back into business attire after games and practices.

Occasionally, Les, the runner-up in the NBA's Long Distance Shootout in 1992, scrimmaged against Ticha Penicheiro, Yolanda Griffith and Ruthie Bolton.

"When Sonny hired me, I told him, 'But I don't know anything about women's basketball,' " Les said. "He said, 'You know, it's basketball. Give it a try.'

"Well, it turned out to be an incredible experience. That's when I decided 'I want to do this (coach).' Three years later, the Bradley job opens. But being with the Monarchs totally accelerated my development as a coach."

NBA ties paying off

Citing the influence of Allen and his former NBA coaches – Jerry Sloan, Dick Motta, Lenny Wilkens and Dick Versace, who recruited him to Bradley – Les preaches a basic but aggressive style that emphasizes ball pressure and the deflections and turnovers that generate an uptempo offense.

The immediate goal is to improve the team's athleticism and make the Northern California prep scene a major priority while expanding the program's reach.

Les' presence and his NBA contacts already have proved beneficial: Freshman Tyrell Corbin, the son of former Kings teammate Tyrone Corbin, led the Aggies to a victory Tuesday over UC Santa Cruz. Corey Hawkins, the son of former NBA sharpshooter Hersey Hawkins, transferred to UC Davis from Arizona State; he'll be eligible next season. Les' own son, Tyler, is in his sophomore season as a combination guard.

Additionally, the Aggies, who host Stanford at 7 tonight in one of those one-sided matchups that less-established programs rely on to help with finances, has received commitments from Sacramento High School standout Darius Graham and all-state Utah forward Tyler Ott.

Les envisions the UCD program – and he isn't shy about wanting to contend for Big West Conference titles and NCAA Tournament bids – as a reflection of his playing career. He couldn't run very fast and certainly couldn't jump very high, but he exploited his ambidexterity to become a superb ballhandler and, with hours of practice and video work, became a proficient enough shooter to earn a scholarship and an NBA paycheck.

"Jim will find a way to succeed," said Versace, his former coach at Bradley. "When he was in high school, I passed on recruiting him because he wouldn't shoot the ball. He went on to Cleveland State and averaged something like 21 points. When there was a coaching change, he wanted to transfer, and this time I went after him. But I remember him telling me, 'I want to come to Bradley, but don't ever tell me I can't do something.' I said, 'OK, my mistake. Welcome to the family.' "

Making his pitch

In a recent conversation at a downtown Davis coffee shop, Les – who is funny and smart and unfailingly accessible – lays out his plans for the Aggies right there on the table. With his hands occasionally moving through a full head of hair that is completely gray and slicked back, a la Pat Riley, he delivers a message that is focused, forceful and unlikely to be misinterpreted.

Recruit. Raise funds. Monitor academics.

He doesn't want to hear what the athletic department can't offer, which for the foreseeable future, is abundant cash flow. He can deal with that. He dealt with similar issues at Bradley, yet he guided his team to the NCAA Sweet 16 and the National Invitation Tournament – and influenced construction of a state-of-the-art arena. Mindful of the sharp tuition increases and the depressed economy in California, he lists fundraising up there in importance with academics and the teaching of X's and O's.

What he wants to hear is local corporations responding favorably after listening to his persistent, relentless pitch. It goes something like this: UCD's lofty academic standards, coupled with the beautiful campus, downtown college atmosphere and aggressive leadership of Chancellor Linda Katehi, will enable him to recruit high achievers and build a quality competitive program. He will move quickly, he vows, but without cutting corners.

"You hear all the crap about college athletics, and I think we've sent a bad win-at-all-cost message," Les said. "We've got a chance to send a really good message because our goal is to bring the athletics up to the standards of our academics.

"But the first thing we've got to do is change the perception of who we are and what UC Davis basketball is all about. We are not a club team. We're a Division I program in a great basketball league and at a great school. We need to make our mark and help grow the brand that is UC Davis. We can do that."

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