Competitive Fire Burning For Howland
October 01, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Those who know him best say MSU’s head coach is as driven as ever.
STARKVILLE – Nearly four full decades have passed since Ben Howland's coaching career began. To be exact, as Mississippi State's leader stepped on the court for the start of practice on Wednesday, he was beginning his 38th season.
A lot has changed since Howland first got his feet wet as a graduate assistant at Gonzaga back in 1982. One thing remains, however. Howland's competitive fire is very much intact. Just ask MSU assistant coach Ernie Zeigler, a man whose ties to Howland date back 20 years.
"The burning desire to be successful for him has not changed," Zeigler said. "The only difference in Coach Howland is that he has less hair…That fire and desire is still there. He wants to get the most out of this group and to enhance Mississippi State men's basketball more than ever."
Externally, Howland is frequently calm. He's measured. Don't ever let that fool you though. Behind it all sits the spirit of a winner. Howland is a man that has already used his mentality to win plenty in years gone by, but he's certainly not resting on those past laurels.
Yes, he led UCLA to three straight Final Four appearances from 2006-08, including an NCAA Runner-Up finish in 2006. He's the only coach in the history of NCAA basketball to appear in the Final Four and win at least 30 games in three straight seasons.
And yes, Howland oversaw incredible turnarounds at both Pittsburgh and Northern Arizona, leading Pitt to its first-ever BIG EAST championship, as well to the Sweet 16 in back-to-back years. He coached Northern Arizona to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
At State, Howland has built the Bulldogs back into a consistent NCAA Tournament contender. MSU has racked up 86 victories over the last four seasons, a total that is fourth-best in all the Southeastern Conference. State has been to the postseason in each of the last three fully-completed seasons.
Overall, Howland has accumulated 15 career postseason appearances, 14 seasons of 20 or more wins, 11 NCAA Tournament bids, eight regular season conference championships and five NCAA Sweet 16 trips.
Don't forget he's also coached 26 different players to the NBA, including some of the game's biggest names in recent years such as Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love. At MSU, Howland has helped Quinndary Weatherspoon, Reggie Perry and Robert Woodard II all hear their names called in the NBA Draft, not to mention multiple others that have had the chance to realize their professional dreams in other leagues.
As impressive as all of that is, it's in the past. You won't find Howland satisfied just to sit on his resume now.
"His motor is always running," State assistant coach George Brooks said of Howland after working with Howland for going on seven years now.
MSU assistant Korey McCray, a man that has been by Howland's side for much of the last decade first starting back in 2012 at UCLA, says you can see Howland's commitment to be the best by his attention to detail.
"Every little word, every little part of the game, every little detail is all-important to him," McCray said. "A Coach might say, 'Screen', but he breaks it down into the angles you need to take, where you need to stand, how to make contact, and every part of it. Every detail matters to Coach. That's the one main thing I've learned under him is that every detail is really, really important."
McCray indicates Howland's meticulousness might be best seen during film review.
"He doesn't just show up to practice then leave right after," McCray said. "He looks at tons and tons of film. When you look at film with Coach Howland, you can't just look at one game straight through for a couple of hours. He's always stopping and rewinding, being super tedious, and getting every detail. He's really a hard worker and he truly cares about these guys improving."
It's not just on the court where Howland cares for his players. Sure, he wants them to get better at their individual games and help MSU rack up victories, but there is so much more to Howland.
Zeigler describes Howland as a gentleman, and a spiritual, Christian-oriented man.
"He's all about trying to do the right things while helping people," Zeigler said of Howland.
The caring aspect of Howland's personality crops up often. Zeigler brings up a recent interaction Howland had with a player's father as an example. A long, heartfelt message was sent by the dad, thanking Howland for how he'd handled a situation with his son.
"No matter what the adversity is, when these kids get in the trenches, they know their head coach loves them," Zeigler said. "That connection he has with them on a daily basis is key. He makes sure they know how important they are, and how much of an impact they have on our program."
Adds Brooks: "The first thing Coach prioritizes are those kids. He is there for them on and off the court and is constantly mentoring them to set a good example. He is very encouraging, positive, and understanding with those guys. Coach knows we're going to go through trials and tribulations during the season, and so he really wants to be there as a positive influence. That's also something he totally demands out of his staff. He wants us to be demanding of the kids, but in a nurturing way that is full of love and compassion."
It's inarguable Howland's methods work. His unquenched thirst for winning, coupled with his care for those who make up his program, have made him one of college basketball's most decorated and accomplished coaches.
But again, Howland is far from done. He's got more winning on his agenda.
"It's definitely our goal to get back in the NCAA Tournament," Howland said of MSU's ambitions in the season ahead. "That's the mantra that we're all working for, but our team has to continue to evolve and continue to grow and has to continue to improve."
Howland won't be satisfied with anything less. He never has, and almost assuredly never will.
