Ben Howland
Ben Howland
Benjamin Clark Howlandis an American college basketball coach for the Mississippi State Bulldogs and former player. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Northern Arizona University from 1994 to 1999, the University of Pittsburgh from 1999 to 2003, and the University of California, Los Angelesfrom 2003 to 2013. Howland became the first men's coach in modern college basketball history to be fired shortly after winning an outright power-conference title. He is one of the few NCAA Division I...
ProfessionCoach
Date of Birth28 May 1957
CityLebanon, OR
The formula we're using is not new. It has been set. Our team embodies the spirit of what (Wooden) is all about, which is teamwork, which is unselfish play, which is team defense, which is giving yourself up for your teammates. As we continue to win, all of that gets recognized.
You want to be playing your best basketball at the end of the season. But not only are we playing good, we're getting better. This is truly a team.
These guys are playing like they're on a mission.
This is a great win for us with all the adversity.
The last time I checked, we were one of two schools ... that had played against five top 50 teams in the country. The RPI that they're using for the NCAA tournament is largely based on strength of schedule and we were fourth out of 330 teams, so we've absolutely been tested.
The last seven, eight games, Ryan is playing the best basketball of his career.
I'd much rather win by 20. Are you kidding me?
In competitive athletics, you have to deal with the next set of circumstances. There's always adversity; we have had a lot more than our fair share. But you just have to fight through it. That's just the way it is.
I'm just a caretaker of this program. This will always be John R. Wooden first and foremost.