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About This Page: This is a discussion on Basketball within the LetsGoKings.com forums, at Los Angeles Kings Hockey Fan Forum. Originally Posted by LA Times
UCLA Coach Ben Howland, who has led the Bruins to consecutive Final Four appearances, agreed to a new seven-year contract that will carry through the
UCLA Coach Ben Howland, who has led the Bruins to consecutive Final Four appearances, agreed to a new seven-year contract that will carry through the 2013-2014 season. According to a statement today from Athletic Director Dan Guerrero, Howland's base salary will be $1.5 million in 2007-2008 and rise until it hits $2 million in 2013-2014. There also is an incentive package that could be worth as much as $235,000 every year.
Material makes a great coach, not the coach itself. Look at Phil Jackson. Perfect example.
GO BRUINS!
In college though I think a head coach can make much more of an impact. Especially when you bring recruiting into the equation...
__________________ "11:19 -- You're not gonna believe this, but J.D. Drew took a called third strike to end the inning.
(Note: Dodgers, Braves and Cardinals fans everywhere are nodding and saying, "Yup ... been there, done that.")
Gotta love how Howland has helped bring UCLA back into the elite after the debacle that was Lavin as a coach. Looking forward to this year, hopefully Love and another year of maturity for Collison will bring the school a well deserved championship.
Material makes a great coach, not the coach itself. Look at Phil Jackson. Perfect example.
GO BRUINS!
Obviously you can't turn crap into gold. However, many coaches have had material and NOT turned them into winners. You have to look at both sides of that coin. Lavin brought in a ton of money recruits (in the first half of his tenure) and consistently underperformed, whereas Howland took a team half-built with Lavin retreads and turned them into a national finalist.
It's a chicken and egg argument but it's pretty safe to say that both are very important and complementary. To say that coaching isn't part of the equation is to ignore the fact that a coach can turn the light switch on--just look at Howland with Cedric Bozeman and Ryan Hollins.
Also, as ASU mentioned, a coach in college is much more involved in the success of a program because of two things: (1) recruiting and (2) college kids are much more responsive to mentoring than professional athletes. In the pros it's a different ballgame.
Last edited by Joe Hoya; October 4th, 2007 at 10:07 AM.
I was looking at a top 50 high school prospects list the other day and saw that UCLA is acquiring a very polished PG (can't recall his name), supposedly one of the best, if not the best in the country.
I was looking at a top 50 high school prospects list the other day and saw that UCLA is acquiring a very polished PG (can't recall his name), supposedly one of the best, if not the best in the country.
Guards Jrue Holiday, Jerime Anderson, and Malcolm Lee are all studs coming in 2008, along with a solid post guy in Drew Gordon.
This is very good news for UCLA. I'm not sure there's another coach I'd rather have right now for this program.
Meanwhile, across the street...
Quote:
USC men's basketball coach Floyd told Mayo didn't punch Hackett
BY SCOTT WOLF, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 10/15/2007 10:24:39 PM PDT
USC coach Tim Floyd said he met with guards O.J. Mayo and Daniel Hackett over the weekend after multiple sources told the Daily News Mayo punched Hackett during a pickup game last month.
"I brought O.J. into my office and asked him about it and I also spoke to Daniel," Floyd said. "They said it wasn't true."
Hackett said Mayo accidentally threw an elbow after a rebound. Hackett broke his jaw during the incident, and it will be wired shut for at least four more weeks.
Although the incident occurred Sept. 28, Floyd has been out of town for several weeks and did not speak to Mayo about it until Sunday. Several sources, including a member of the basketball team, said Mayo punched Hackett during the game. No coaches were present.
"Yeah, he punched him," a player said. "They changed the story for the media."
Hackett and Mayo denied any punches were thrown.
"No, I didn't punch him," Mayo said.
Said Hackett: "It was a hard elbow."
It would not be the first time Hackett has drawn the ire of a teammate. Hackett got into an altercation with guard Dwight Lewis during practice last season, and had a couple altercations with teammates during pickup games last fall.
USC is nearly the antithesis of how I'd want a college basketball program run by a head coach. Recruit a bunch of questionable characters with questionable recruiting tactics...
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by adgy, followed by others...
Frickin' Wolvie!
Last edited by Wolvie; October 16th, 2007 at 06:31 PM.
WESTWOOD, Calif. -- Impressions from UCLA's practice Tuesday:
• Luc Richard Mbah a Moute may be the most improved offensive producer for the Bruins:
Mbah a Moute had no problem hitting the mid-range jumper and the 3-point shot in practice. So, Mbah a Moute, as well as Josh Shipp may help offset the loss of Arron Afflalo.
Mbah a Moute had a jump shot before, but he just wasn't confident shooting the ball. Mbah a Moute said an injury to his shoulder when he first arrived at UCLA was the contributing factor to his poor 3-point shooting (5 of 38 for 13.2 percent as a freshman). He shot 10 of 30 on 3s as a sophomore.
As a result, Mbah a Moute was pretty much limited to playing power forward, or the "4" as a coach would say, and not on the wing. He was a driver, and teams played off him with good reason.
"I had bad habits as a freshman after hurting my shoulder,'' Mbah a Moute said. "I had to take time and work on my mechanics from the bottom up and did a good job with coaches this spring and summer to help me be more comfortable taking shots.''
Point guard Darren Collison said he and the rest of his teammates were aware that Mbah a Moute could shoot, but the junior needed confidence and reps.
"I don't think teams will play off of him as much this season,'' Collison said.
"That will really change his game,'' said teammate and Cameroonian countryman Alfred Aboya. "In the past, nobody guarded him because everyone knew he was a driver. This will open up the game for everybody else.''
UCLA coach Ben Howland said Mbah a Moute "worked his [butt] off" in the offseason to make his shot right.
"He's going to be a huge shooter for us,'' Howland said. "There's no question he's an NBA player. He's one of the few guys in the country -- I can't even name another one -- who can truly guard a point to a 5 in college basketball. Tell me who else can do that?"
Mbah a Moute's overall game has improved tremendously and so has his confidence after he helped lead Cameroon to the silver medal at the African Cup in August in Angola. He wasn't even planning on playing with the team until he got a phone call in August from friends on the team that they wanted him to play. Even though he had just gotten back from a June trip to Cameroon to see his family for the first time in four years, he didn't hesitate to jump back on a plane to head to Africa.
"I was really excited about doing this,'' Mbah a Moute said.
Mbah a Moute said he is committed to playing with the Cameroon national team next spring in an Olympic qualifier in Spain.
• Shipp is still in the post-rehab mode from his hip surgery:
Shipp had surgery on his hip again last April for the second time in as many years to "clean up" some cartilage and shave down a bone. He said he wasn't able to play for months and is only recently back doing fullcourt workouts.
"My hips feel good, but my legs are sore,'' Shipp said of being out of condition. "I'm just getting back into shape. I feel fine but it is going to take time.''
Shipp may have been the player who worked up the most sweat in Tuesday's practice. He was trying hard to be in the right spots, curl and hit the 3-pointers he'll need to make as Afflalo's replacement.
Having Mbah a Moute at a natural small forward moves Shipp to "the 2, which is my natural position. We'll definitely be bigger and quicker.''
• Aboya will be hard to move out of the post:
Aboya pounding away on Kevin Love in the post in practice. Aboya, a 6-foot-8, 233-pound junior, is a rock inside and will certainly be the banger the Bruins need in more of a specialist role now that Love can be a scorer in the post.
"I'm stronger and I'm wiser,'' Aboya said. "I shoot the ball better.''
• Russell Westbrook may be the sleeper on the squad:
Collison will be the jet point guard and is the unquestioned playmaker. But Westbrook has been a pleasant surprise so far, especially with his perimeter skills. He'll rotate with Michael Roll and Shipp as one of the primary guards.
"A lot of people will sleep on him and a lot of people don't know his name, but he's improved a ton over the summer,'' Love said. "He's going to jump out on a lot of people's notepads and may not be on the stat sheet, but he'll play 'D' and get a lot of offensive boards.''
That's not bad for a 6-3 guard who is a role player.
• Love will be a national leader in rebounds:
Every time I looked he was grabbing a rebound. He corralled eight to lead the team in practice. Every day he is grabbing more and more. He also was on the floor for loose balls, and there were a few occasions when he did fall down like a tree crashing in the forest. He was always quick to get up. Love was relentless with his work ethic and gives the Bruins the presence they've been lacking in the post the past two trips to the Final Four (more on Love next week).
But already, there is a buzz about Love's return to Oregon on Jan. 24. Assistant coaches Scott Duncan, a former Ducks' assistant, and Scott Garson, say that the Oregon-UCLA ticket in Eugene will be the toughest ticket to get in the Pac-10 season. Love will be making his return to his home state where he starred for Lake Oswego High, but he spurned the hometown Ducks and his father's alma mater and opted for UCLA instead.
UCLA locks up Howland for seven years 
