Ben Howland deliberate it like this. After all he did.
So it ought to come as no shock that earlier than his 10-year run as UCLA’s basketball coach led to 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, realizing the total 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 previous pal — this system he guided to back-to-back-to-back Last Fours from 2006-08. Howland likes to go away many hours earlier than tipoff, arranging his schedule in order that he can go to pals or slot in a health care provider’s appointment.
He not too long ago 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, you know? Sixty-eight now seems young,” Howland mentioned between bites of a Tuscan rooster sandwich contained in the Luskin Heart on the campus that when served as his basketball residence. “But there’s always something. You’ve got to make sure you’re on top of your colon and your prostate, and that’s one of the reasons I come to UCLA for all my doctor appointments.”
The previous coach stays near a number of retired docs he’s identified 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 college’s endoscopy unit.
Maybe no person on the college can put a smile on his face like the present basketball coach. Mick Cronin and Howland have identified each other because the former helped run Sonny Vaccaro’s ABCD Camp within the Nineteen Nineties, occurring to forge a friendship rooted in mutual respect.
UCLA coach Ben Howland celebrates after a basket by Malcolm Lee in opposition to Michigan State within the 2011 NCAA event.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Occasions)
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 can be troublesome however worthwhile.
“Coaching’s changed and I can still appreciate Mick because he comes from the old school and what he’s doing is no different than what [Bob] Huggins and [Rick] Pitino did as he’s working for them and watching these guys, who are both Hall of Famers, two of the greatest coaches ever,” Howland mentioned.
“And because you’re demanding — I mean, I think my players always knew at the end of the day that I loved them and was trying to get the most out of them, I’m trying to push them to be their very best, but as long as they know that you really love them and care about them and you want what’s best for them most of all, then they respect that and I think he does that.”
A daily at UCLA practices and video games, Howland typically comes alone and different instances brings his spouse, Kim, and a few mixture of youngsters Meredith and Adam and grandsons Benjamin, Elijah, Asher and Abraham.
“I really enjoy it,” Howland mentioned of coming to video games at Pauley Pavilion. “I mean, I’m a fan too. I was yelling like crazy during that Wisconsin win. I’m telling you, I was so pumped up; that was such a great win, really, really exciting because they were good and you knew how important that game was. The same thing with the Michigan State win, that was an incredible 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 a fantastic 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 led to 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 Occasions)
Howland mentioned he agreed with those that imagine the college ought to honor its Last 4 groups with a banner inside Pauley Pavilion alongside people who acknowledge nationwide championships.
“I mean, in this day and age, it’s incredibly difficult to, No. 1, get to the Final Four,” Howland mentioned, “and we can’t be arrogant to where we don’t recognize that.”
Possibly the sport that will get talked about most in any dialog with Howland is the comeback from 17 factors down in opposition to Gonzaga within the Candy 16 of the 2006 NCAA event. Within the ultimate seconds, together with his crew trailing by just one, Howland might be seen in entrance of the UCLA bench mimicking the protection he wished 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 unfastened. 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 bounce ball, giving the Bruins possession on the best way to an eventual 73-71 triumph.
“That’s incredible — I’ve never seen that,” Howland mentioned of Mbah a Moute’s heroic protection. “The best thing about it was the whole idea that you never stop, you keep fighting the entire time until the clock is at 0:00.”
“It was a real blessing to be here,” Howland mentioned, “and I wanted to leave taking the high road, doing it the right way.”
By that time, a story had emerged that Howland had modified his methods, forgoing the kind of grinders corresponding to Mbah a Moute and Lorenzo Mata-Actual who had fueled his early success in favor of extra prolific scorers. Howland disagreed, stating that he left alternative 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 in opposition to Washington in December 2010.
(Katie Falkenberg / For the Occasions)
But the recruiting challenges in rural Starkville, Miss., made profitable far tougher than it was in Westwood.
“Kids aren’t growing up saying, ‘I always wanted to be a Mississippi State Bulldog’ like they do a Bruin,” Howland mentioned.
The Bulldogs went to 1 NCAA event in Howland’s seven seasons, shedding within the first spherical, although they had been on the bubble throughout a COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 season that ended after that they had 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 return residence 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 mentioned he misses the relationships together with his gamers and assistants, to not point out the practices and video games. However previous pals abound. He not too long ago went to a Dodgers recreation with Mata-Actual, and several 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 hired Kenny as our academic coordinator,” Howland mentioned. “Now he’s [athletic director] Martin Jarmond’s right-hand guy, along with Chris.”
The present UCLA gamers may as nicely be Howland’s given his glowing reward. Think about his takes:
On switch level guard Donovan Dent: “Boy, to have him coming in here as the point guard next season, it’s such a critical element.”
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 huge man Xavier Booker: “I watched him in our game here [against Michigan State]; I was like, who’s that guy? I liked the way he moved, I liked his athleticism. He just needs minutes. I think Mick will get a lot out of him to help his team.”
On returning ahead Eric Dailey Jr.: “He had big games in big games. He’s just got to consistently bring that, but he’s only a junior.”
Howland acknowledged being “heartbroken” that heart Aday Mara transferred to Michigan on the cusp of an enormous season after two years of improvement underneath Cronin.
“They had done such a great job of bringing him along,” Howland mentioned, “and he was finally going to really have the kind of year that he’s capable of this year. I think he’ll be heartbroken that he’s not here come this next season.”
One man who will be counted on to be there at huge video games for the foreseeable future is a face acquainted to a technology of UCLA followers, clapping wildly, his coronary heart full, a Bruin till the top.
