No more tossing and turning, wondering if he would be UCLA's basketball coach for longer than this bumpy season.
Lavin got the job permanently Tuesday, along with a four-year contract through the 2001 season. Terms were not disclosed.
"I'm thrilled," he said at a campus news conference held in the same room where the 32-year-old was named interim coach after Jim Harrick was fired on Nov. 6.
"You just don't imagine that your first job is gto be the Yankees of college basketball," Lavin said.
That kind of reverence for UCLA's 11 NCAA championships, along with a strong sense of discipline, made Lavin the choice of athletic director Peter Dalis and Chancellor Charles Young.
"The time is right for Steve," Dalis said. "He brings a stability and integrity to the program.
"What Lavin has done since I've been at this table three months ago is unbelievable.''
The season started with a 1st-round preseason NIT loss to Tulsa.
It got worse with a 96-83 loss to No. 1 Kansas, in which the Bruins were booed by their own fans for trailing by 28 points, and then reached its lowest point in a 48-point loss to Stanford.
Since then, Lavin guided the 24th-ranked Bruins (13-7) to a first-place tie with Southern California in the Pac-10 conference.
In the process, he hasn't been afraid to keep starters out of practice, as he did with forward J.R. Henderson last month.
"We weren't used to that type of discipline, but I think that the best way to coach is holding the players accountable for their actions," forward Charles O'Bannon said.
"This is his program."
O'Bannon said he and point guard Cameron Dollar endorsed Lavin's permanent hiring, although they will graduate this spring.
Speculation swirled after Harrick's firing that if Lavin wasn't hired permanently, underclassmen Toby Bailey, Henderd Jelani McCoy might leave for the NBA.
"All the underclassmen told me they're returning," Lavin said. "It's satisfying to know those players are coming back. We'll have better rebounding ... we'll have a heck of a season next year."
The greatest effect of retaining Lavin will be on recruiting. The Bruins' only signee last fall was guard Earl Watson of Kansas City, Mo.
Baron Davis, considered the top point guard prospect in the nation, decided to wait until spring after Harrick was fired for repeatedly lying about an expense report.
Now Davis, a senior at Santa Monica Crossroads High, may follow up on his oral commitment and sign a letter of intent.
"It kicks our recruiting efforts into high gear," Lavin said.
"That's where the biggest difference will be felt. People now realize there's a new era of UCLA basketball."
Lavin said he expects to sign five or six players, but NCAA rules prevent him from discussing prospects.
Although things are looking up for the Bruins, they've endured one of the most volatile seasons in Westwood in years.
They're back in the rankings this week for the first time in two months, but they have no significant non-conference victories.