UCLA officially fired men's basketball coach Ben Howland, the school announced Sunday evening.

The 10 th-year Bruins head coach leaves Westwood as the second-winningest head coach in program history after John Wooden, compiling a 233-107 record. He is also one of three coaches to reach three straight Final Fours since the NCAA tournament field expanded to 64.

"I want to thank Ben for all that he has done for UCLA in his 10 seasons in Westwood," athletic director Dan Guerrero said in a statement. "He embraced our tradition and culture and produced some terrific teams and coached a number of wonderful young men. We wish Ben and his family all the best as they move onto a new chapter in their lives."

"I have been blessed with the opportunity to coach at UCLA for 10 years," Howland said in a statement, "and I will always be grateful to Dan Guerrero and Chancellors Block, Abrams and Carnesale for the opportunity to coach and teach our players and work alongside tremendous coaches.

"The UCLA community and fans have been unbelievable to my family and I, and it's been an honor and privilege to represent this great institution. I look forward to what comes next."

The news followed numerous reports that Howland's departure was imminent, with Yahoo! Sports reporting Saturday evening that the 10 th-year Bruins coach had already been notified. The school initially refuted the reports late Saturday night.

Howland is five years removed from three consecutive Final Fours, but his recent track record has been less than exemplary. The Bruins have not advanced past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since their Final Four berth in 2008, and have missed the field entirely twice in the past four years.


An 83-63 NCAA second-round loss to 11 th-seeded Minnesota on Friday ended this season on a down note.

UCLA had won a regular-season Pac-12 title, but soon lost second-leading Jordan Adams to a broken foot in the conference tournament. The injury made the Bruins underdogs in Austin, Texas on despite a No. 6 seed.

UCLA generated preseason talk as a dark-horse Final Four contender, but that hype fizzled almost immediately.

Shabazz Muhammad, the gem of the Bruins' top-ranked recruiting class, was suspended for the first three games of the season, and needed to work his way back into shape. Two former starters transferred out in November.

Although he was named Pac-12 Co-Freshman of the Year, Muhammad was also dogged by controversy along the way. In late January, A Yahoo! Sports columnist questioned his ability to pay for a Gucci backpack - later ruled a gift from his family. He also drew criticism in February for not openly celebrating teammate Larry Drew II's game-winning buzzer beater against Washington.

Widely expected to enter the NBA draft, his season finale was prefaced by a revelation in the Los Angeles Times that he was not 19, as officially listed, but 20 years old. Muhammad denied ever trying to falsify his age.