And CR, given the noise already out there re: Howland, do you think he will survive at UCLA?
Well, it's tough to tell . He seems to be in "Lavin in 2002" hell. 2002 was thinking you were in "get to the final four or you're gone" level, then finding you've been stabbed in the back when it was revealed the AD had called and offered the job to Rick Pitino - DURING the season. Steve could only get his sblindsided team to the Sweet 16. 2003 was Lame Duck, Done deal starting the season, and everyone knew it.
The difference is, Howland has better talent - and the main drag ON the court just quit the team. He's got a pg who's ALREADY won an NCAA title running the team. He has McDonalds All Americans at EVERY position, and an extra one off the bench - and his leading scorer ISN'T one of them. It will really depend if the team pulls for him or not. It's amazing to watch the trolls come out on the boards for a two day feeding frenzy like when Smith quit --- "coach is stupid", "coach is incometent", "coach as lost control", "nobody wants to play for him", "he can't recruit anymore, no one will even consider him", "more transfers to come", "team has quit on him" ---- and then have the team post a 20 pt blowout win, have it announced Rysheed is in town for an official, Clark is announcing between OK St, Baylor & UCLA - and the boards are suddenly a ghost town
He's 5-2, coming off a 19-11 season. He's the only guy coaching D-1 who's taken his team to 3 final fours in the last 6 seasons. Kentucky has only 2 in the last decade. Duke only has two in the last Decade. Florida has two in the last Decade. Uconn HAS had 3 in the last 8 years, but their coach is gone. Calipari, would have three, but the NCAA has vacated Memphis' 2008 season and NCAA tourney appearance for use of an inlegible player - Derrick Rose. Ironically, it was Memphis in 2008 who knocked off UCLA in the final four, and likely prevented Ben and the Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Darren Collison, Luc Mbah a Moute Bruins from winning the title - which would have silenced ALL this BS for at least a couple more years
Personally I think he's got a young team, he's doing very much what WE'RE doing - still breaking in players, seeing who fits, who plays well with who, what offense will work, what defense will work. He's integrating 4 freshmen, and the main cog that didn't fit with the team that IS developing, Josh Smith, has been excised. And they've still got up to THIRTY THREE more games to play this year. I think the bandwagon will be pretty full in Bruinland come March. And most of the @ssholes of today will be taking bows for how their "constructive criticism" turned the team around....