UCLA’s basketball got fired tonight. Why? It wasn’t because he didn’t win the Pac-12 regular season title. But one reason he was fired was the fact his own players and Bruins fans never got excited about him running the program outside of when he went to the Final Four.
Howland was not a people person. And in L.A., when you run a marquee program, you need charisma and some style. You can’t treat people like they owe you something.
Pete Carroll wrote the book on how to capture L.A. Howland never tried.
UCLA’s basketball got fired? Was it because it didn’t go in the basket enough? Didn’t bounce properly? Was it just too darn ineffective against the Golden Gophers? We need to know the whole story!
They only had one basketball?
Maybe Scott meant UCLA basketball was cut. Eliminated. Sacrificed for Title IX. Now that would be, as Chuckles would say, a sugary sweet scoop! Thanks Wolf! You da man!
sad tom hanks voice: “WILSON!”
That Basketball got what It Deserved.
wolfman, you are dead on CORRECTO as usual!!!
i would add that while Howland was a great teacher of defense and a great recruiter, MAN he was stubborn as a mule!!! just time for a change.
i do give him credit for adapting somewhat (relenting on man to man defense and letting the offense run) but it was too little too late. i have little doubt he will continue to be very successful at another school.
southern cal hiring him would be a stroke of genius…i would NOT want to have Howland coaching southern cal with an axe to grind!!!
but Bounce Pass would never make such a bold move so no worries!!!
He was CORRECTO about Pete Carroll, wasn’t he?
yes he was. Cheatey DID write the book on capturing LA….but also wrote the book on running a pay for play program as evidence by the Bush case. this has been validated by the NCAA in case you forgot!!! i keep a tabbed copy of the Report on my desk at all times.
Big Ben is as clean as they come!!!
Take it off
Take it in
Take off all the thoughts of what we’ve been
Take a look
Hesitate
Take a picture you could never recreate
Write a song
make a note
for the lump that sits inside your throat
Change the locks, change the scene
Change it all but can’t change what we’ve been
Your trojan’s in my head
It’s ok if it’s gone
The thoughts that you had that it was the one
And oh what is left?
For all those times is that what you get?
Oh regardless
The walls get painted anyway
Oh you’re guarding
The gates, but it all got away
Your trojan’s in my head
Take it off
Take it in
Take off all the thoughts of what we’ve been
Take a look
Hesitate
Take a picture you could never recreate
Write a song
make a note
for the lump that sits inside your throat
Change the locks, change the scene
Change it all but can’t change what we’ve been
You need to slow down on the sauce!….haha!
Is that the desk you used down in the basement….ha ha!
Take it off
Take it in
Take off all the thoughts of what we’ve been
Take a look
Hesitate
Take a picture you could never recreate
Write a song
make a note
for the lump that sits inside your throat
Change the locks, change the scene
Change it all but can’t change what we’ve been
Your trojan’s in my head
It’s ok if it’s gone
The thoughts that you had that it was the one
And oh what is left?
For all those times is that what you get?
Oh regardless
The walls get painted anyway
Oh you’re guarding
The gates, but it all got away
Your trojan’s in my head
Take it off
Take it in
Take off all the thoughts of what we’ve been
Take a look
Hesitate
Take a picture you could never recreate
Write a song
make a note
for the lump that sits inside your throat
Change the locks, change the scene
Change it all but can’t change what we’ve been
SC should hire Ben. Look at Montgomery going from Stanford to Cal. Plus SC could pay him $1 a year while he collects from the bRuins. He’s actually as good as we could expect.
Yeah, he and Kiffin could trade notes on how to act like Mike Garrett!!!!!!!!
He was probably most guilty of focusing on recruiting the “one and done” top HS players rather than guys who would provide WORK ETHIC and stability to the program.
When you have a player making a game winning shot (Drew) and the star doesn’t even offer a high five or seem happy about the win, Howland isn’t the problem.
UCLA did with Ben what USC should have done with Kiffin.
Kiffin is much like Howland, a dryball narcissist
Why does UCLA have higher standards than SC? Howland wins the Pac 12 but doesn’t compete for NCAA championships so he is fired. We keep Kiffin after guiding the preseason #1 to six losses. Pat Haden sickens me.
To all you Scott Wolf bashers, this blog entry is a good example of Scott’s ability to provoke a conversation about a slightly oblique sports topic. I enjoy this aspect of his work, among others.