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
I think our team embodies the spirit of what Coach is all about, which is teamwork, which is unselfish play, which is a commitment at both ends of the floor to play together, team defense, team offense, giving yourself up for your teammates. As we continue to win, they all get recognized.
This program is where it is right now, as the greatest tradition in all of college basketball, the greatest history in all of college basketball. Eleven national championships. It all starts with Coach Wooden.
Very easily, (Gonzaga coach) Mark Few could be sitting where I am now, no question.
Those kids were connected at birth as far as I'm concerned. I just happened to be the coach that was lucky enough to get them to come.
Coach is always there at the home games, sitting behind the bench. He's the greatest coach in the history of college basketball.
Coach is always there at the home games, sitting behind our bench. What was accomplished by John R. Wooden . . . will never, ever be seen again at the college level. They won 38 straight NCAA (Tournament) games in a row at one point . . .
Coach watches every game. I knew that and embraced it. He's the greatest coach in the history of basketball. What he did in college basketball will never be repeated. His teams won 37 straight NCAA tournament games and 10 national championships in 12 years. You know how everyone wants to be like Mike -- Michael Jordan -- as a player? Every coach wants to be like John. So I don't feel a shadow. I embrace it.
Arizona's an outstanding team. I have the utmost respect for coach (Lute) Olson. He's one of the great coaches of all time.
I really wanted to do this because I want our players to get the tradition and the history. They hear about it. They see it. They read about it. But the best way to feel it is to know the players and the coach himself.
He's the greatest coach in the history of the game. How can you not embrace it? That's what this is all about. The love you see his former players have for him is just incredible.
Herb is a great coach. He's so smart and intelligent. Our league is a great league. It's getting tougher and tougher. Herb just made it tougher.
He's the only player I've ever coached where I threaten him if he goes 100 percent.
He's not telling you how to do anything. He's just there to be supportive and has been for all the coaches who have followed him.
We feel very, very fortunate to move on to the next round.