Third time should be the hardest

For the first time in 62 years, the UCLA men’s basketball team is in danger of having… For the first time in 62 years, the UCLA men’s basketball team is in danger of having back-to-back losing seasons.

That might not seem too relevant to the world of Pitt sports, but remember the guy who took over the Bruins’ program this year? It’s former Pitt head coach Ben Howland.

But don’t worry about Howland. While he would have liked to see this year’s team finish with a winning record, he knew what he was getting himself into.

“We’re in a rebuilding mode and that’s something I knew coming into this job,” he said Tuesday from his office in sunny California. “It wouldn’t have been available if it weren’t.”

On the surface, there is the obvious reason why this year has been hard. UCLA is just 11-14 heading into a conference matchup with Oregon State tonight — that’s three more losses than Howland’s team had in his final two years at Pitt combined.

Before the season began, things started horribly for Howland. In June, his father, Bob, passed away after spending nearly a month in a coma after falling off a ladder and hitting his head. That alone would turn any season sour.

On the court, Howland found that the players recruited by former coach Steve Lavin are not the type of players that fit into Howland’s system. The lack of intensity that his current players have on defense — something uncharacteristic for a team coached by Howland — is obvious.

Although he says that everyone will have a chance to contribute next year, it’s likely that only freshman Trevor Ariza will remain a starter beyond this season. But Howland knows that this first year will be a good learning experience.

“Jaron Brown, Chad Johnson and Brandin Knight were all part of that first year,” he said about his first team at Pitt, which finished 13-19. “I’m proud of how Pitt is doing … I’m not surprised.”

Howland’s lack of astonishment at Pitt’s success this year is because he knew what kind of coach the team was getting when Jamie Dixon was named as his successor.

Dixon spent eight years as Howland’s assistant at Northern Arizona and Pitt and, had Pitt not hired Dixon, Howland would have tried to convince him to come to UCLA.

“Selfishly, it would have been the best thing for me, but he’s more than paid his dues,” Howland said. “I’m excited they’re being coached by Jamie. They wouldn’t have that continuity if it weren’t for his hiring.”

When naming Dixon’s players and why he’s so proud of them, it’s clear that Howland would have liked another opportunity to step on the court with them. And not being able to coach players that he helped recruit — like Chris Taft — has been tough.

“I’m missing out on [coaching] a great group of kids,” he said, “but like I said before, this is the only job I would have left Pitt for.”

And for the third time in his coaching career, Howland faces the daunting task of rebuilding a program that has fallen on hard times. Except rebuilding at UCLA will be a lot different than it was at Northern Arizona or Pitt.

UCLA is to college basketball like Notre Dame is to college football — legendary. No other school can come close to the success that the Bruins had under coach John Wooden. But that’s part of what Howland is counting on when it comes time to recruit

“That’s the reason why the program is so easy to sell; it’s second to none,” he said. “Every year the program is going to get better.”

No matter how much he improves the program, there is no way to accomplish what Wooden was able to do. Howland even admits so himself, but then what will he need to do to be considered a success?

Jim Harrick won a national title in 1995, but was pushed out the door. His replacement, Lavin, led his team to at least the Sweet 16 in five of the six years he was head coach and was still fired.

Howland led Pitt that far in the last two NCAA Tournaments and was considered a miracle worker for it. If he makes it only that far at UCLA, he’ll be just another coach.

But when looking for someone to turn around such a storied program, there aren’t many better choices than Howland.