Ben Howland deliberate it like this. After all he did.
This was a coach so engrossed in particulars that he would grumble in regards to the room temperature at information conferences and name a timeout when his workforce was in the course of a giant run simply in order that he might arrange his protection.
So it ought to come as no shock that earlier than his 10-year run as UCLA’s basketball coach resulted in 2013, Howland had schemed for his dream retirement.
In 2011, he purchased a four-bedroom, ranch-style home in his native Santa Barbara near so many elderly family and friends, figuring out the complete transform job would take years. The Howlands moved in three years in the past, after the coach’s ultimate season at Mississippi State.
The house is now his departure level for frequent journeys to see one other outdated buddy — this system he guided to back-to-back-to-back Last Fours from 2006-08. Howland likes to depart many hours earlier than tipoff, arranging his schedule in order that he can go to mates or slot in a health care provider’s appointment.
He lately realized that he was solely at some point youthful than former Bruins star ahead David Greenwood, who died earlier this month from most cancers.
“It’s sobering, ? Sixty-eight now appears younger,” Howland stated between bites of a Tuscan rooster sandwich contained in the Luskin Heart on the campus that after served as his basketball dwelling. “However there’s all the time one thing. You’ve obtained to be sure you’re on prime of your colon and your prostate, and that’s one of many causes I come to UCLA for all my physician appointments.”
The outdated coach stays near a number of retired medical doctors he’s recognized for a few years, together with Jean B. DeKernion, the previous longtime chair of UCLA’s urology division, and Bennett Roth, the gastroenterologist who established the varsity’s endoscopy unit.
Maybe no one on the college can put a smile on his face like the present basketball coach. Mick Cronin and Howland have recognized each other because the former helped run Sonny Vaccaro’s ABCD Camp within the Nineteen Nineties, happening to forge a friendship rooted in mutual respect.
UCLA coach Ben Howland celebrates after a basket by Malcolm Lee towards Michigan State within the 2011 NCAA event.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Instances)
There’s so many similarities between the coaches, from their demanding practices to their relentless defenses to their wry senses of humor to their lack of hair to their admiration for issues which are tough however worthwhile.
“Teaching’s modified and I can nonetheless recognize Mick as a result of he comes from the old-fashioned and what he’s doing is not any completely different than what [Bob] Huggins and [Rick] Pitino did as he’s working for them and watching these guys, who’re each Corridor of Famers, two of the best coaches ever,” Howland stated.
“And since you’re demanding — I imply, I believe my gamers all the time knew on the finish of the day that I liked them and was attempting to get probably the most out of them, I’m attempting to push them to be their perfect, however so long as they know that you simply actually love them and care about them and also you need what’s finest for them most of all, then they respect that and I believe he does that.”
A daily at UCLA practices and video games, Howland typically comes alone and different occasions brings his spouse, Kim, and a few mixture of youngsters Meredith and Adam and grandsons Benjamin, Elijah, Asher and Abraham.
“I actually get pleasure from it,” Howland stated of coming to video games at Pauley Pavilion. “I imply, I’m a fan too. I used to be yelling like loopy throughout that Wisconsin win. I’m telling you, I used to be so pumped up; that was such an excellent win, actually, actually thrilling as a result of they have been good and also you knew how essential that sport was. The identical factor with the Michigan State win, that was an unimaginable win.”
Throughout his first 12 months of retirement, Howland obtained a standing ovation throughout a timeout when he stepped onto the court docket as an honorary captain. Followers who acknowledge him throughout video games bathe him with appreciation, telling him that he did an excellent job or they actually love him or they treasured his decade-long run at UCLA that was the longest by any Bruins coach since John Picket’s 27-year reign resulted in 1975.
Legendary basketball coach John Picket, proper, sits subsequent to then-UCLA coach Ben Howland throughout a information convention at Honda Heart in December 2006.
(Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Instances)
Howland stated he agreed with those that imagine the varsity ought to honor its Last 4 groups with a banner inside Pauley Pavilion alongside those who acknowledge nationwide championships.
“I imply, at the moment, it’s extremely tough to, No. 1, get to the Last 4,” Howland stated, “and we are able to’t be conceited to the place we don’t acknowledge that.”
Possibly the sport that will get talked about most in any dialog with Howland is the comeback from 17 factors down towards Gonzaga within the Candy 16 of the 2006 NCAA event. Within the ultimate seconds, together with his workforce trailing by just one, Howland may very well be seen in entrance of the UCLA bench mimicking the protection he needed his gamers to use, waving his arms wildly.
Cedric Bozeman and Jordan Farmar complied, trapping J.P. Batista within the backcourt earlier than Bozeman knocked the ball free. Farmar grabbed the ball and threw a lob to teammate Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, whose layup put UCLA forward with 9.2 seconds left. In an much more outstanding show, Mbah a Moute tackled the ball at midcourt to pressure a soar ball, giving the Bruins possession on the best way to an eventual 73-71 triumph.
“That’s unimaginable — I’ve by no means seen that,” Howland stated of Mbah a Moute’s heroic protection. “The most effective factor about it was the entire thought that you simply by no means cease, you retain preventing all the time till the clock is at 0:00.”
The clock ran out on Howland’s time at UCLA after a season by which the Bruins received the Pac-12’s regular-season title however misplaced within the first spherical of the NCAA event. The coach whose admiration for UCLA went again to watching Picket’s first nationwide championship in 1964, held a farewell information convention to convey his gratitude.
“It was an actual blessing to be right here,” Howland stated, “and I needed to depart taking the excessive highway, doing it the fitting approach.”
By that time, a story had emerged that Howland had modified his methods, forgoing the form of grinders resembling Mbah a Moute and Lorenzo Mata-Actual who had fueled his early success in favor of extra prolific scorers. Howland disagreed, declaring that he left substitute Steve Alford with 5 eventual NBA gamers — Zach LaVine, Norman Powell, Kyle Anderson, Travis Put on and Jordan Adams — upon his departure.
UCLA coach Ben Howland prepares to speak to his gamers throughout a timeout towards Washington in December 2010.
(Katie Falkenberg / For the Instances)
Having been supplied a job by a Massive Ten college — he received’t say which one — throughout his second-to-last-year at UCLA, Howland remained a coveted coach. He agreed to go to Mississippi State in 2015, ringing a cowbell at his introductory information convention and attending to know quirky soccer coach Mike Leach. (“He liked the microphone, liked to be on digicam, very humorous,” Howland stated of the late Leach.)
But the recruiting challenges in rural Starkville, Miss., made profitable far tougher than it was in Westwood.
“Children aren’t rising up saying, ‘I all the time needed to be a Mississippi State Bulldog’ like they do a Bruin,” Howland stated.
The Bulldogs went to 1 NCAA event in Howland’s seven seasons, dropping within the first spherical, although they have been on the bubble throughout a COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 season that ended after they’d secured a double bye within the Southeastern Convention event. The college dismissed him in March 2022.
The timing proved fortuitous in that it allowed Howland to come back dwelling and spend two years together with his mom earlier than she handed away. Different household stays close by. Howland’s son, Adam, is a deputy district legal professional primarily based in Santa Barbara and his daughter, Meredith, is a nurse who lives in Valencia. A granddaughter is anticipated to reach in October.
Howland stated he misses the relationships together with his gamers and assistants, to not point out the practices and video games. However outdated mates abound. He lately went to a Dodgers sport with Mata-Actual, and a number of other hyperlinks to his time at UCLA stay on campus. Doug Erickson is the do-everything director of basketball administration, Chris Carlson an affiliate athletic director, Kenny Donaldson a senior affiliate athletic director and Alex Timiraos the director of athletic communications.
“I employed Kenny as our educational coordinator,” Howland stated. “Now he’s [athletic director] Martin Jarmond’s right-hand man, together with Chris.”
The present UCLA gamers may as properly be Howland’s given his glowing reward. Contemplate his takes:
On switch level guard Donovan Dent: “Boy, to have him coming in right here as the purpose guard subsequent season, it’s such a important aspect.”
Donovan Dent is among the many new gamers on coach Mick Cronin’s UCLA roster for the 2025-26 season.
(David Richard / Related Press)
On switch massive man Xavier Booker: “I watched him in our sport right here [against Michigan State]; I used to be like, who’s that man? I appreciated the best way he moved, I appreciated his athleticism. He simply wants minutes. I believe Mick will get so much out of him to assist his workforce.”
On returning ahead Eric Dailey Jr.: “He had massive video games in massive video games. He’s simply obtained to constantly convey that, however he’s solely a junior.”
Howland acknowledged being “heartbroken” that middle Aday Mara transferred to Michigan on the cusp of an enormous season after two years of growth below Cronin.
“That they had achieved such an excellent job of bringing him alongside,” Howland stated, “and he was lastly going to essentially have the form of 12 months that he’s able to this 12 months. I believe he’ll be heartbroken that he’s not right here come this subsequent season.”
One man who will be counted on to be there at massive video games for the foreseeable future is a face acquainted to a era of UCLA followers, clapping wildly, his coronary heart full, a Bruin till the top.
