Ben Howland

College coach infobox
Name = Ben Howland
Sport = Basketball


ImageWidth =
Caption = Howland at Cerritos High School Reunion
DateOfBirth = birth date and age|1957|5|28
Birthplace = Lebanon, Oregon
DateOfDeath =
Deathplace =
College = UCLA
Title = Head coach
Awards = Henry Iba Award (2002)
Naismith College Coach of the Year (2002)
Pac-10 Coach of the Year (2006)
Big East Coach of the Year (2002)
Big Sky Coach of the Year
Championships = Pac-10 Tournament Championship (2006, 2008)
Pac-10 Regular Season Championship (2006, 2007, 2008)
Big East Tournament Championship (2003)
Big East Regular Season Championship (2002, 2003)
Big Sky Tournament Championship (1998)
Big Sky Regular Season Championship (1997, 1998)
CurrentRecord = 126-45 (.737)
OverallRecord = 294-144 (.671)
Player = *
Years = 1976–1978
1978–1980
Team = Santa Barbara CC
Weber State
Position =
Coach = *
CoachYears = 1981–1982
1982–1994
1994–1999
1999–2003
2003–present
CoachTeams = Gonzaga (asst.)
UC Santa Barbara (asst.)
Northern Arizona
Pittsburgh
UCLA
CollegeHOFID =
BBallHOF =

Ben Howland (born May 28, 1957 in Lebanon, Oregon) is an American college head coach of men's basketball.

He has been the head coach of the University of California, Los Angeles since 2003, and recently signed a contract extension through 2015. Aggressive man-to-man defense is the trademark of Ben Howland-coached teams.

Biography

Education

Howland first attended Dos Pueblos High School, Goleta, California for a year then transferred to Cerritos High School, Cerritos, where he earned his diploma. While at Cerritos he was a two-time All-CIF and two-time Suburban League Most Valuable Player in basketball.

After high school Howland played college basketball at Santa Barbara City College and Weber State University, and later played professional basketball in Uruguay. He was known as a defensive specialist.

He earned a degree in physical education at Weber State and a master's degree in administration at Gonzaga University. [ [http://uclabruins.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/howland_ben00.html UCLA] biography.]

Career background

Howland wanted to be a coach since his teenage years living in Santa Barbara. At the age of twenty-four, he became a graduate assistant at Gonzaga University. His childhood friend Jay Hillock, the new head coach, recruited Howland. At Gonzaga, one of Howland's duties was to guard future NBA player John Stockton in practice. [cite news | first=Steve | last=Springer | title=Howland's Gonzaga Connection | url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-ucla22mar22,1,141698.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-sports | work=Los Angeles Times | date=March 23, 2006 | accessdate=2006-03-27 ]

After a year at Gonzaga he got his first paid coaching job at the University of California, Santa Barbara (1982-1994) as an assistant coach to Ed DeLacy. After Jerry Pimm replaced DeLacy in 1983, Howland helped Pimm lead the Gauchos to five post season appearances between 1988 and 1994. Starting in 1992, Howland applied for head coaching jobs at UC Irvine and Loyola Marymount University but was turned down both times.cite news | first=Robyn | last=Norwood | title=UCLA's Ben Howland slipped under radar of local schools | url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/basketball/la-sp-norwood3apr03,1,299393,full.story | work=Los Angeles Times | date=April 3, 2008 | accessdate=2008-04-05]

Howland's first head coaching job was at Northern Arizona University (1994-1999). While at NAU, he was considered for head coaching jobs at UC Irvine again and at UCSB, but again was turned down. He ended up at the University of Pittsburgh instead. At Big East Conference Pitt, Howland rebuilt the program to an NIT bid and back to back NCAA Sweet Sixteen bids. He also took the Panthers to three straight Big East Championship Games, winning the 2003 conference title. In 2001 Howland earned coach-of-the-year awards. Howland's win-loss record at Pitt was 89-40 (.690) with four consecutive post-season bids.

UCLA head coach

Despite the relative success of Steve Lavin in previous years, which included an appearance in the Elite 8 and 5 Sweet 16 appearances, the program fell far short of UCLA tradition and was perceived to be deteriorating under his watch. The program had fallen behind both Stanford and Arizona in performance and in recruiting. The highly touted athletes that Lavin recruited often left early before they could leave their mark (e.g. Baron Davis). Even the success in the tournament belied the fact that UCLA had earned no better than a number 4 seed with the exception of the 1997 season. The 2002-2003 season turned out to be the backbreaker for Lavin as the Bruins stumbled to a 10-19 record and a 6-12 record in the conference. It was the first losing season for UCLA in over five decades. Lavin was dismissed following the season.

UCLA looked to find a coach that could move the Bruins back to the elite ranks of the Pac-10 and the country. Howland's success at the University of Pittsburgh and his southern California roots made him an attractive candidate. In 2003 he accepted the only job he said he would ever contemplate leaving Pitt for: the head coaching duties at UCLA. UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero, who declined to hire Howland at UC Irvine in 1997, felt that Howland's Big East style of basketball, characterized by a slow down offense and lock-down man on man defense, would vault the program to the top of the Pac-10. However, Howland came into a program at the bottom of the Pac-10 with a roster not suited to his style. In his first season the club finished 11-17 and 7-11 in the conference. Howland remedied this disappointment in his recruiting efforts. Howland produced a top tier recruiting class from athletes in southern California that fit his Big East style. Behind Lavin hold-over Dijon Thompson and Howland recruits Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo UCLA produced a winning season for the first time in three years and returned to the tournament. Despite losing in the first round the foundation had been set for future success.

Starting the 2005-2006 season with the majority of the roster made over in Howland's image and with the Lavin hold-overs buying into the system (i.e. Ryan Hollins and Cedric Bozeman) the Bruins produced an excellent campaign. They finished the regular season 24-6, winning the Pac-10 conference title. They then roared through the Pac-10 tournament, winning each game by double digits en route to only the second Pac-10 tournament championship in school history. The momentum continued into the NCAA tournament as the second-seeded Bruins staged a memorable late-game comeback to defeat Gonzaga in the Sweet Sixteen. They then upset top-seeded Memphis to reach the school's first Final Four in 11 years. The run ended against Florida in the championship game whose imposing frontline proved to be a matchup problem for the Bruins.

At the end of the 2005-2006 season, he and UCLA football coach Karl Dorrell received pay bonuses after coaching successful seasons.

Howland continued his success at UCLA the following year. The Bruins finished undefeated at home for the first time in 22 years, winning the Pac-10 conference title. However they lost in their first Pac-10 tournament game and were seeded second in the NCAA Tournament West Region. UCLA turned a tight opening into a blowout over Howland's alma mater Weber State in the first round. After a close second-round win over Indiana, Howland led the Bruins to a win over his former team, Pitt, coached by his former assistant, Jamie Dixon, in the Sweet Sixteen. The Bruins then again upset the top seed in the West Region, Kansas, in a classic matchup of two storied basketball programs and reached the second of UCLA's first consecutive Final Fours since the John Wooden era, only to lose again to Florida in the national semifinal.

Howland is among a handful of NCAA Division I coaches to take three different teams to the NCAA tournament: Northern Arizona, Pittsburgh and UCLA.

Playing career

* 1972-73: Dos Pueblos High School, Goleta, California
* 1973-76: Cerritos High School, Cerritos, Calif.
* 1976-78: Santa Barbara City College, led the Vaqueros to Calif. State finals in 1978.
* 1978-80: Weber State, named WSU's defensive MVP on two occasions; led Wildcats to two Big Sky Championships and two NCAA Tournament Appearances.
* 1980: Played professionally in Uruguay, South America.

Awards

* 1997: Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year.
* 2001-02::Big East Coach of the Year.:National Coach of the Year: AP, Naismith, USBWA, "ESPN Magazine," and "The Sporting News.":USBWA District Coach of the Year.:"Basketball America" Big East Coach of the Year.:"Basketball Times" Big East Coach of the Year.:"Pittsburgh Tribune-Review" City of Champions Award.
* 2003: Dapper Dan Award, honoring Pittsburgh's Sportsman of the Year.
* 2004: Howland's 1997-98 Northern Arizona club inducted into the Northern Arizona University Athletic Hall of Fame.
* 2005-06: :PAC-10 Conference Coach of the Year.:Collegehoops.net Coach of the Year.

Head coaching record

CBB Yearly Record Start
type=coach
conference=
postseason=
poll=noCBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Northern Arizona
startyear=1994
conference=Big Sky Conference
endyear=1999|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1994–1995
name = Northern Arizona
overall = 9-17
conference = 4-10
confstanding = 7th
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1995–1996
name = Northern Arizona
overall = 7-19
conference = 3-11
confstanding = 7th
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 1996–1997
name = Northern Arizona
overall = 21-7
conference = 13-1
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NIT 1st Round
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 1997–1998
name = Northern Arizona
overall = 21-8
conference = 12-2
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NCAA 1st Round
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1998–1999
name = Northern Arizona
overall = 21-8
conference = 12-4
confstanding = 2nd
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Northern Arizona
overall = 79-59
confrecord = 44-28CBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Pittsburgh
startyear=1999
conference=Big East Conference
endyear=2003|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 1999–2000
name = Pittsburgh
overall = 13-15
conference = 5-11
confstanding = 11th
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2000–2001
name = Pittsburgh
overall = 19-14
conference = 7-9
confstanding = 5th (West)
postseason = NIT 2nd Round
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 2001–2002
name = Pittsburgh
overall = 29-6
conference = 13-3
confstanding = 1st (West)
postseason = NCAA Sweet 16
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference tournament
season = 2002–2003
name = Pittsburgh
overall = 28-5
conference = 13-3
confstanding = T-1st (West)
postseason = NCAA Sweet 16
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Pittsburgh
overall = 89-40
confrecord = 38-26CBB Yearly Record Subhead
name=UCLA
startyear=2003
conference=Pacific Ten Conference
endyear=|CBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2003–2004
name = UCLA
overall = 11-17
conference = 7-11
confstanding = T-7th
postseason =
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
season = 2004–2005
name = UCLA
overall = 18-11
conference = 11-7
confstanding = T-3rd
postseason = NCAA 1st Round
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference tournament
season = 2005–2006
name = UCLA
overall = 32-7
conference = 14-4
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NCAA Runner-Up
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
season = 2006–2007
name = UCLA
overall = 30-6
conference = 15-3
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NCAA Final Four
ranking = no
ranking2 = noCBB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference tournament
season = 2007-2008
name = UCLA
overall =35-4
conference = 16-2
confstanding = 1st
postseason = NCAA Final FourCBB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = UCLA
overall = 126-45
confrecord = 63-27CBB Yearly Record End
overall = 294-144
poll = no
polltype =

References

*.

Footnotes

External links

* [http://uclabruins.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/ucla-m-baskbl-body.html UCLA Basketball Official Site] .
* [http://www.postgazette.com/pg/05143/508880.stm Q&A with Howland] , by Chico Harlan, "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette."