Matt Howard (basketball)

Matt Howard

Position	Forward
Height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Weight	230 lb (100 kg)
League	Greek League Greek Cup Euroleague
Team	Olympiacos
Born	January 23, 1989 (1989-01-23) (age 22) Connersville, Indiana
Nationality	American
High school	Connersville High School
College	Butler
Draft	Undrafted, 2011
Pro career	2011–present
Career history	Olympiacos (2011-)
Awards	Academic All-American (2nd team: 2009, 1st team: 2010, 2011) Men's Basketball Academic All-America of the Year (2011) Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year (2009) 2-time Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament MVP (2010, 2011) 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans (honorable mention, AP) 2011 Lou Henson Award 2010 & 2011 Elite 88 Award

Matt Howard (born January 23, 1989) is an American professional basketball player, who currently plays with Olympiacos of Piraeus, Greece. Previously, he played college basketball with the Butler Bulldogs. He helped lead the 2009–10 and 2010–11 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball teams to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament.

He is a 3-time Academic All-American and the 2011 Men's Basketball Academic All-America of the Year as well as the 2009 Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year. He was a 2009 All-American honorable mention by the Associated Press. He was the 2010 and 2011 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament MVP as well as a four-time Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament All-Tournament selection. He won the 2011 Lou Henson Award as well as the 2010 & 2011 Elite 88 Awards. He is the Horizon League record-holder for career free throws made and attempted.

High school

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Matt Howard PF	Connersville, Indiana	Connersville High School (IN)	6 ft 7 in (201 cm)	205 lb (93 kg)	Aug 17, 2006
	Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: NA
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 91, 26 (PF), 7 (IN)
Note: In many cases, Scout and Rivals may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, an average of the two was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Butler 2007 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. http://rivals.yahoo.com/basketballrecruiting/basketball/recruiting/commitments/2007/alabama-165. Retrieved 2011-03-26.  "ESPN". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/school/_/id/2086/class/2007. Retrieved 2011-03-26.  "2007 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=730394. Retrieved 2011-03-26.

He led the state of Indiana in rebounding as a high school senior in 2006–07 while playing for Connersville High School. Howard ranked second in the state in blocked shots as a junior.^[1] Howard is regarded as the first top-100 recruit in the history of Butler.^[2][3]

College career

As a freshman, Howard was the Horizon League newcomer of the year.^[3] That year, he was prominent in the 2007–08 Bulldogs's first round victory in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament over South Alabama.^[4] As a junior, he helped the 2009–10 Bulldogs make it to the championship game of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.^[3] In February of the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Howard was hit by an elbow that caused extensive bleeding on his face.^[5][6] In the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, he scored a tipin as time expired to give Butler a 60–58 victory over Old Dominion in their second round game.^[7] Then in the third round, he made the winning free throw with 0.8 seconds left to clinch a 71–70 victory over the number-one seeded Pittsburgh Panthers.^[8] Although Howard made only 5 three point shots in his first three seasons, as a senior he developed an outside shot, making over 40% on over 100 attempts.^[9]

He earned Academic All-American selection in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and was named the 2011 Men's Basketball Academic All-America of the Year as well as the 2009 Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year.^[10] He was a 2009 All-American honorable mention by the Associated Press.^[11] By helping Butler earn consecutive trips to the final four, Howard earned consecutive Elite 88 Awards in 2010 and 2011.^[12] He was also one of ten finalists for the 2011 men's basketball Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.^[13]

During the 2010 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament he earned the MVP Award.^[14] Then, during the 2011 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament he repeated as MVP and became the first person to become a four-time Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament All-Tournament selection.^[15] He won the 2011 Lou Henson Award as the mid-major player of the year.^[16] Howard was the 2007–8 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year.^[17] He was a second team All-Horizon League selection that year and first team selection the following three seasons.^[18] He was a Horizon League All-Defensive Team selection as a sophomore and a senior.^[19] He holds the Horizon League records for most free throws made and attempted (both league only and all games).^[20] He led the Horizon League in field goal percentage as a sophomore with a 55.0 average.^[21]

Professional career

On July 28, 2011, Howard signed with Olympiacos of the Greek League.^[22][23]

Playing style and personality

In a story immediately before the 2011 Final Four, Rick Reilly noted that Howard "looks more like a geeky band-camp RA than a possible NBA first rounder", but added:

“

The Bulldogs wouldn't be anywhere near Houston without Howard. He's the designated floor diver, the insatiable rebounder, the guy who sets the kind of picks that would stop an Amtrak train.... He's the thing you love most in a college basketball player — a guy who just wants to win and doesn't care who gets the credit. A guy who hits class by day and glass by night. A scabbed-knee grinder who finishes every game with his tank on E.[24]

”

He is also known for eccentricities both on and off the court. Howard's teammate Shelvin Mack told Reilly that Howard had six pairs of new shoes in his locker, but refused to wear them, preferring to stay with what Mack described as "ratty old ones". Howard also habitually rode a rusted-out bicycle to Butler's 6:00 am practices, regardless of the weather; during one 2011 ice storm, the handlebars bent under him while he was riding, causing him to fall onto the ice. He would say about this incident, "I fixed it. Just poured some WD-40 in there and bent them back. It's a little risky to ride, I guess, but I can't see buying a new one." He also has a habit of spoonerism with people's names; for example, he routinely calls Mack "Melvin Shack".^[24]

Notes

1. ^ "54 Matt Howard". CBS Interactive. http://butlersports.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/howard_matt00.html. Retrieved 2011-03-24. 
2. ^ Glier, Ray (2008-03-23). "No Matter the Opponent, Stubborn Butler Plays at Its Own Speed. Today 28th of July 2011 he signed for Olympiacos". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/sports/ncaabasketball/23butler.html. Retrieved 2011-03-24. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Evans, Thayer (2010-04-05). "Butler Star Has a Changed Role". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/05/sports/ncaabasketball/05ncaa.html. Retrieved 2011-03-24. 
4. ^ "EAST REGION; First-Half Run Lifts Butler". The New York Times. 2008-03-22. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E0D6153BF931A15750C0A96E9C8B63. Retrieved 2011-03-24. 
5. ^ Smith, Erick (2011-02-08). "Elbow leaves Butler forward Matt Howard bloodied". USAToday. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2011/02/butler-matt-howard-blood-elbow/1. Retrieved 2011-03-24. 
6. ^ Greene, Ryan (2011-02-08). "Butler's Matt Howard suffers this season's bloodiest injury". Yahoo! Sports. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Butler-s-Matt-Howard-suffers-this-season-s-blood?urn=ncaab-318241. Retrieved 2011-03-24. 
7. ^ "Butler advances just before time expires". ESPN. 2011-03-17. http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=310762086. Retrieved 2011-03-24. 
8. ^ "Butler stuns No. 1 Pitt after foul-filled finish". ESPN. 2011-03-19. http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=310780221. Retrieved 2011-03-24. 
9. ^ "Matt Howard #54 F". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=36445. Retrieved 2011-03-24. 
10. ^ "Matt Howard of Butler, Austin Meier of MSOE lead Capital One Academic All-America® Men's Basketball Teams". College Sports Information Directors of America. 2011-02-22. http://cosida.com/news.aspx?id=3101. Retrieved 2011-03-23. 
11. ^ "2009 AP All-America teams". CBS Interactive. 2009-03-30. http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/11569784. Retrieved 2011-03-24. 
12. ^ "Butler Meets VCU In National Semifinals". Butler University. 2011-04-01. http://butlersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/2010-11/releases/040111aaa. Retrieved 2011-04-04. 
13. ^ "Moore Named Lowe's Senior CLASS Finalist: East Chicago native is one of 10 finalists from across the country.". CBS Interactive. 2011-01-26. http://www.purduesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/012611aaa.html. Retrieved 2011-02-03. 
14. ^ "Butler defeats Wright State for Horizon League Title". Horizon League. 2011-03-24. http://www.horizonleague.org/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030910aac.html. 
15. ^ "Butler Snares NCAA Tournament Bid With 59-44 Win Over Milwaukee". Horizon League. 2011-03-09. http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/butler-snares-ncaa-tournament-bid-with-59-44-win-over-milwaukee.html. Retrieved 2011-03-24. 
16. ^ "Butler To Face UConn For National Title". Butler University. 2011-04-03. http://butlersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/2010-11/releases/040311aaa. Retrieved 2011-04-03. 
17. ^ "2010–11 Horizon League All-Sports Record Book". Horizon League. p. 73. http://s3.amazonaws.com/hln/sports/recordbooks/2/recordbook.pdf?1318986979. 
18. ^ "2010–11 Horizon League All-Sports Record Book". Horizon League. p. 84. http://s3.amazonaws.com/hln/sports/recordbooks/2/recordbook.pdf?1318986979. 
19. ^ "2010–11 Horizon League All-Sports Record Book". Horizon League. p. 85. http://s3.amazonaws.com/hln/sports/recordbooks/2/recordbook.pdf?1318986979. 
20. ^ "2010–11 Horizon League All-Sports Record Book". Horizon League. p. 91. http://s3.amazonaws.com/hln/sports/recordbooks/2/recordbook.pdf?1318986979. 
21. ^ "2010–11 Horizon League All-Sports Record Book". Horizon League. p. 93. http://s3.amazonaws.com/hln/sports/recordbooks/2/recordbook.pdf?1318986979. 
22. ^ Brennan, Eamonn (2011-07-28). "Matt Howard takes talents to Greece". ESPN. http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/33373/matt-howard-takes-talents-to-greece. Retrieved 2011-07-29. 
23. ^ "OLYMPIACOS signs rookie forward Howard". Euroleague Basketball. 2011-07-28. http://www.euroleague.net/euroleaguenews/transactions/2011-12-signings/i/86944/5611/olympiacos-signs-howard. Retrieved 2011-07-29. 
24. ^ ^{a b} Reilly, Rick (2011-03-29). "Howard, Butler just keep on winning". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=6266899. Retrieved 2011-03-31. 

External links

• Euroleague.net Profile
• Eurobasket.com Profile
• Howard's College Stats @ ESPN
• Howard's Official Bio from Butler University
• Matt Howard (basketball) on Twitter

Persondata
Name	Howard, Matt
Alternative names
Short description	Professional basketball player
Date of birth	January 23, 1989
Place of birth	Connersville, Indiana
Date of death
Place of death