Ben Howland Fired!?

[Gabjon]

Link

 

[Orange Rust Belt]

No surprise

 

[edowd26]

Yea not shocking... his program has been a mix between a brothel and a crack house.

 

[jncuse]

Source may be Bill Walton... I have never seen a commentator rip a coach like Walton did this year

 

[Gabjon]

I think this is the job Hop should go after. I also think it would be good for Hop to get some HC experience before JB retires.

 

[jekelish]

I think this is the job Hop should go after. I also think it would be good for Hop to get some HC experience before JB retires.

If he goes to UCLA and has success do you honestly think he'd ever come back here? It's not like going and getting your feet wet at, say, Providence. It's U-C-Freaking-L-A. It's not a stepping stone job.

Also - if Shaka or Stevens jumps to a big program this year, it'll be UCLA. They aren't going to hire an assistant. They are going to want to make a splash.

 

[Gabjon]

Source may be Bill Walton... I have never seen a commentator rip a coach like Walton did this year

Stated on air he wanted him out! Unprofessional no matter who you are or where you went to school.

 

[edowd26]

I think this is the job Hop should go after. I also think it would be good for Hop to get some HC experience before JB retires.

UCLA isn't hiring hop.

 

[orangeinjersey]

Would UCLA really hire a lifelong asst? They may think they are better than that (you know with the whole wooden era thing)

 

[Gabjon]

If he goes to UCLA and has success do you honestly think he'd ever come back here? It's not like going and getting your feet wet at, say, Providence. It's U-C-Freaking-L-A. It's not a stepping stone job.

Roy Williams did with North Carolina and Kansas...his heart will always be here!

 

[jncuse]

UCLA is after a larger fish than hopkins.

 

[Gabjon]

UCLA isn't hiring hop.

A bigger name will cost way more! Bang for your buck it's possible...but not saying it will happen by any means

 

[edowd26]

A bigger name will cost way more! Bang for your buck it's possible...but not saying it will happen by any means

They will spend the money. This is UCLA guys.

 

[Gabjon]

UCLA is after a larger fish than hopkins.

UCLA has a great history, but it is a tough job! All the best California players have been going East to player college ball for some time now.

 

[orangenauburn]

Sean Miller
Shaka Smart


top two for that job

 

[Ghost]

Shaka, Brad Stevens, Jay Wright? A couple of the names in the article.

An early predictions?

 

[longtimefan]

I think this is the job Hop should go after. I also think it would be good for Hop to get some HC experience before JB retires.

I think it's less likely now that Hop goes back to SoCal. UCLA will want to make a big splash, and USC will have to try to keep up with the Joneses. I expect them both to back up the Brinks trucks and buy themselves some big names.

 

[Bill Orange]

Shaka, Brad Stevens, Jay Wright? A couple of the names in the article.

An early predictions?

Jamie Dixon.

 

[longtimefan]

Jamie Dixon.

Interesting. Maybe he hasn't signed the Pitt contract yet?

 

[edowd26]

Jamie Dixon.

Two Pitt coaches in a row? Be insane of them.

 

[Orangemen]

I get firing Howland. He seems to have burned a lot of bridges there, and started taking short cuts to get back to the heady days of 3 Final Fours in a row.

That being said, this is a tough job to take. Sure, you'll get paid, so that probably makes the whole thing worth while, but by the time you leave you will be fired, and you will be portrayed as a failure.

Unless UCLA can find their next Sam Gilbert, that program will never meet the expectations of the alumni.

Honestly, there is literally one man who can meet the UCLA expectations- Calipari. UCLA should throw everything that they have at him, no one else is even in the same ballpark of what he could accomplish there. They'd never get him, obviously, but he truly is their only hope.

 

[jekelish]

UCLA has a great history, but it is a tough job! All the best California players have been going East to player college ball for some time now.

Exactly. It's a tough job, so you really think they'd give it to an unproven assistant? The fact that it has the history and is a tough job is exactly why they'll throw a ton of money at a big name.

 

[Gabjon]

If I were UCLA I would hire an ex-player with strong NBA ties (ala Kevin Ollie at ) but if I were Hop I would have my agent making phone calls at worse he could use the buzz to get more money out of SU or USC.

 

[Gabjon]

Exactly. It's a tough job, so you really think they'd give it to an unproven assistant? The fact that it has the history and is a tough job is exactly why they'll throw a ton of money at a big name.

I didn't say that I thought he could get the job and I said he should go after it.

 

[Orangemen]

If I were UCLA I would hire an ex-player with strong NBA ties (ala Kevin Ollie at ) but if I were Hop I would have my agent making phone calls at worse he could use the buzz to get more money out of SU or USC.

Assistant coaches don't use UCLA for leverage, his agent would be laughed out of the room.