UCLA Basketball: Ben Howland's Know-How Helps the Bruins Come Tourney Time

Ben Howland is one of only three coaches to compete in three consecutive Final Fours.

The other two coaches are Tom Izzo and Mike Krzyzewski. [Ed. note: John Wooden?]

Pretty good company, huh?

Howland is among an elite group of NCAA Division I coaches to take three different teams to the NCAA tournament: Northern Arizona, Pittsburgh and UCLA—an exceptional accomplishment.

He has led a team to the Sweet 16 five times in the last nine years: Pittsburgh in 2002 and 2003 and UCLA in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

When it comes to getting teams ready to play, Howland takes a backseat to no one.

As UCLA (22-9, 13-5 Pac-10) prepares to open the Pac-10 tourney and then move on to the 2010-11 NCAA Tournament, it does so with one of the best coaches, Howland, as its leader.

His extensive experience and great knowledge of the game helped them succeed this season, with the Bruins coming back from a substandard (14-18) 2009-10 season.

Over the course of his career, Howland has demonstrated an ability to turn programs around.

His first head coaching position was at Northern Arizona. In only his fourth season (1998) at NAU, he led the Lumberjacks to their first NCAA tournament appearance.

At Pittsburgh, he took over a losing program, and by his third year (2002), the Panthers were in the NCAA Sweet 16 and Howland was the consensus National Coach of the Year.

At UCLA, in just his second season (2005), he guided the Bruins to a third-place finish (tie) in the Pac-10 and back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002.

You don't build a résumé like this without knowing a thing or two about coaching teams and running programs.

Part of the reason Howland's teams succeed is based on what he prioritizes with his players.

These priorities will help the 2010-11 Bruins as they enter this year's Big Dance.

Lock-Down, Man-to-Man Defense

Above all else, Howland stresses stopping his team's opponents, not just outscoring them. 

"Winning championships is all about defense," Howland said.

"If you look every year at the Final Four, the best teams in the country always play the best defense. Holding teams to under 40 percent from the field is something that is pretty consistent among Final Four teams."

By teaching and expecting defensive performance first, Howland's teams can be in any game against any opponent.

UCLA, on the year, held its opponents to 41.4 percent shooting. 

Strong Frontcourt Play

Howland builds his game plan from the inside out. He has always worked hard to develop his forwards and centers.

He believes that strong frontcourt play helps control the flow and outcomes of most games.

The heart and soul of this UCLA lineup is forwards Reeves Nelson (14.2 PPG and 8.9 RPG) and Tyler Honeycutt (12.4 PPG and 7.4 RPG), along with center Joshua Smith (10.8 PPG and 6.5 RPG). 

Changing and Adapting to his Personnel

Early in this season, Howland saw that Joshua Smith, his talented 300-pound freshman center, was getting into foul trouble.

Smaller players were running him ragged on the perimeter, so Howland simply told Smith to stay back closer to the basket and not chase them around.

Bingo—not nearly the amount of foul trouble for the Bruins' first-year center.

Howland is truly one of the premier college basketball coaches in the country. He develops the talent that he recruits and utilizes it within a strong team-concept.

Howland's overall NCAA record is an outstanding 18-8 (14-5 at UCLA, 4-2 at Pittsburgh and 0-1 at NAU).

UCLA should make it to the championship game of the 2011 Pac-10 tournament; advancing this week should help them have decent momentum for next week.

Considering Howland's tournament experience and coaching expertise, the Bruins already have an advantage when the tournament games begin and the outcomes are on the line.