UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero erased any doubts surrounding Ben Howland’s job status by confirming Tuesday that Howland will return for his 10th season as men’s basketball coach.
In a statement, Guerrero said his season-ending review of the program resulted in keeping Howland on as coach, though Guerrero did hint at some changes.
“Ben understands full well that the management and oversight of the program needs improvement,” Guerrero said. “He has assured me that, going forward, both the character and performance among our student-athletes will reflect the university’s values and the basketball program’s storied tradition. I believe that his overall record and performance proves he is more than capable of delivering on these assurances.”
At his season-ending press conference, Howland read a prepared statement that called the recently completed season “the most challenging of my 31 years as a college basketball coach.”
The troubles started for UCLA in the summer, when senior guard Jerime Anderson was arrested on suspicion of stealing a laptop. When the season started, it took all of one game for off-court turmoil to hurt the team again. Junior forward Reeves Nelson, the team’s top returning player who was featured on a Sports Illustrated cover in the preseason, was suspended after UCLA’s season opened with a loss to Loyola Marymount. Nelson was eventually dismissed by Howland.
A recent expose into the struggles of the team since its last Final Four appearance was what put Howland’s status in question. Guerrero would not make any assurances as to Howland’s status in a teleconference shortly after the story was published in Sports Illustrated.
After his statement, Howland said the only pressure he felt came from within.
“The pressure that I feel most comes from me, myself,” Howland said. “I always put more pressure on myself than from anywhere else. That’s how it’s always been for me as a coach. So I always feel the pressure, the need for us to be successful.”
UCLA finished the season 19-14 after not getting an invitation to the National Invitational Tournament. Howland’s career record at UCLA is 205-96.