UCLA coach Ben Howland was a target in a Sports Illustrated story published Wednesday in which players and staff members from recent UCLA basketball teams said Howland failed to control an influx of talented-but-disruptive players. CHRIS O'MEARA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY SCOTT M. REID / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Published: Feb. 29, 2012 Updated: 6:45 p.m.
LOS ANGELES – While UCLA chancellor Gene Block said on Wednesday he is confident in the direction of the university's sports program under Dan Guerrero, the Bruin athletic director would not commit to UCLA basketball coach Ben Howland beyond the current season.
Guerrero said a review of Howland's job status and the direction of the basketball program will take place after the season. Guerrero acknowledged a need for culture change within the UCLA basketball program.
The teleconference and one by Howland later Wednesday were in response to a Sports Illustrated report published Wednesday in which players and staff members from recent UCLA basketball teams said Howland's failure to control an influx of talented-but-disruptive players undermined discipline and morale within the program.
Howland guided UCLA to three consecutive Final Fours between 2006 and 2008. But the Bruins haven't been past the second round of the NCAA tournament since then and, after being picked to win the Pac-12 this season, are facing the likelihood of missing the NCAA tournament for the second time in three seasons. UCLA's underachieving season, critics charge, is in large part the result of a lack of discipline in the program under Howland.
UCLA point guard Jerime Anderson was arrested over the summer for stealing a computer on campus. Sports Illustrated season preview issue cover boy Reeves Nelson remained on the squad despite a series of rules violations and incidents of disruptive behavior, including a heated verbal confrontation with Howland after showing up late for a team meeting in November. Nelson was finally dismissed from the team in December after laughing and joking through the second half of a home loss to Texas. Sophomore center Joshua Smith has been a major disappointment having struggled to regain the form and fitness level he displayed as a freshman when he was described by Pac-12 rival coaches as the conference's top NBA prospect.
"At this point in time, we're assessing all the issues that have come into play," Guerrero said. "Ben's got to coach his team this week, and obviously in the post-season, and we'll address this entire matter at the end of the year."
Howland's contract runs through 2017-18 season and pays him an annual base salary of $300,000. He also receives an annual talent fee $1.8 million for this season. The talent fee increases to $1.9 million next season and then $2 million for the remainder of the contract. The contract also has the potential for $185,000 in annual performance bonuses.
Under the terms of the contract, Howland's buyout includes the base salary for the remaining years of the contract the remainder of the talent fee for that season and one additional year in talent fee.
The Howland controversy is the latest in a series of recent blows to a Bruins athletic program that has had a mixed record in 10 years under Guerrero, a former UCLA second baseman.
Although UCLA has won 21 NCAA titles in Olympic sports during Guerrero's reign, the Bruin football program has not played in a BCS bowl game during his tenure and has a 41-45 record in conference play.
Guerrero was forced to fire his first two football head coach hires, Karl Dorrell, after five seasons, and Rick Neuheisel, after four. Dorrell and Neuheisel, both former Bruin players, were a combined 56-56 at their alma mater. Guerrero passed up Mike Riley to hire Dorrell. Riley, with fewer resources and a signifincantly smaller talent base, went on two twice lead Oregon State to within a game of the Rose Bowl.
At least eight Bruin football players have been suspended for failing university drug tests during the past two seasons. Under UCLA's drug policy athletes cannot be suspended until a third positive test.
Guerrero has also been criticized for failing to retain Bruin women's basketball coach Nikki Caldwell, a rising star in the sport, who was hired away from Westwood by LSU last spring. The UCLA women are currently 14-13 this season.
Block, however, twice said he has confidence in Guerrero's leadership.
"I have an athletic director I have faith in," Block said. "He's aware of the issues, and as you've heard, he's dealing with them. With Dan's leadership and my advice, I think we're going to be able to get back on track. He has all the right Bruin values."
Whether Block and Guerrero has similar faith in Howland will not be clear until after the Pac-12 tournament next week.
"There's no question the story paints a picture of one of our premier programs that causes a great deal of concern," Block said. "I have questions, just like you do."
Said Guerrero, "Obviously, I've been with Ben for nine years. Obviously, this is a stain on that too some degree. Now we have to pull ourselves together."
It's been a long season for the Bruins on and off the court. UCLA (16-13 overall, 9-7 Pac-12) needs to win four games in as many days to secure the Pac-12 tournament and the conference's automatic NCAA tournament berth, the Bruins' only remaining way into March Madness after an underachieving and dysfunctional season.
"I am very confident of my abilities to lead this program in the future and feel very, very good about our recruiting class and also the kids we're involved with (in recruiting) right now," Howland said.
While acknowledging "this is not a great day for our program," Howland insisted he was "surprised by some of the assertions that I had no knowledge of or were simply untrue or were taken out of context. I'm responsible for this program and everything that happens in it. If there's any need to make changes, I'll make them. I'm proud of our current and former players and our coaches and I'm confident of where we're going."
And Wednesday, Guerrero, when asked repeatedly, would not commit to the program moving forward with Howland.
"We just read the article today," Guerrero said. "There are some issues evident in there that have to be discussed. We're talking less than 12 hours from the release of that article. We still have to do some due diligence in that regard. I don't want to go out in front of anything in that regard."
Guerrero said a review of Howland's job status and the direction of the basketball program will take place after the season. Guerrero acknowledged a need for culture change within the UCLA basketball program.
"Yeah, there's no is no question about that," Guerrero said during a teleconference with reporters that also included Block.
The teleconference and one by Howland later Wednesday were in response to a Sports Illustrated report published Wednesday in which players and staff members from recent UCLA basketball teams said Howland's failure to control an influx of talented-but-disruptive players undermined discipline and morale within the program.
Howland guided UCLA to three consecutive Final Fours between 2006 and 2008. But the Bruins haven't been past the second round of the NCAA tournament since then and, after being picked to win the Pac-12 this season, are facing the likelihood of missing the NCAA tournament for the second time in three seasons. UCLA's underachieving season, critics charge, is in large part the result of a lack of discipline in the program under Howland.
UCLA point guard Jerime Anderson was arrested over the summer for stealing a computer on campus. Sports Illustrated season preview issue cover boy Reeves Nelson remained on the squad despite a series of rules violations and incidents of disruptive behavior, including a heated verbal confrontation with Howland after showing up late for a team meeting in November. Nelson was finally dismissed from the team in December after laughing and joking through the second half of a home loss to Texas. Sophomore center Joshua Smith has been a major disappointment having struggled to regain the form and fitness level he displayed as a freshman when he was described by Pac-12 rival coaches as the conference's top NBA prospect.
"At this point in time, we're assessing all the issues that have come into play," Guerrero said. "Ben's got to coach his team this week, and obviously in the post-season, and we'll address this entire matter at the end of the year."
Howland's contract runs through 2017-18 season and pays him an annual base salary of $300,000. He also receives an annual talent fee $1.8 million for this season. The talent fee increases to $1.9 million next season and then $2 million for the remainder of the contract. The contract also has the potential for $185,000 in annual performance bonuses.
Under the terms of the contract, Howland's buyout includes the base salary for the remaining years of the contract the remainder of the talent fee for that season and one additional year in talent fee.
The Howland controversy is the latest in a series of recent blows to a Bruins athletic program that has had a mixed record in 10 years under Guerrero, a former UCLA second baseman.
Although UCLA has won 21 NCAA titles in Olympic sports during Guerrero's reign, the Bruin football program has not played in a BCS bowl game during his tenure and has a 41-45 record in conference play.
Guerrero was forced to fire his first two football head coach hires, Karl Dorrell, after five seasons, and Rick Neuheisel, after four. Dorrell and Neuheisel, both former Bruin players, were a combined 56-56 at their alma mater. Guerrero passed up Mike Riley to hire Dorrell. Riley, with fewer resources and a signifincantly smaller talent base, went on two twice lead Oregon State to within a game of the Rose Bowl.
At least eight Bruin football players have been suspended for failing university drug tests during the past two seasons. Under UCLA's drug policy athletes cannot be suspended until a third positive test.
Guerrero has also been criticized for failing to retain Bruin women's basketball coach Nikki Caldwell, a rising star in the sport, who was hired away from Westwood by LSU last spring. The UCLA women are currently 14-13 this season.
Block, however, twice said he has confidence in Guerrero's leadership.
"I have an athletic director I have faith in," Block said. "He's aware of the issues, and as you've heard, he's dealing with them. With Dan's leadership and my advice, I think we're going to be able to get back on track. He has all the right Bruin values."
Whether Block and Guerrero has similar faith in Howland will not be clear until after the Pac-12 tournament next week.
"There's no question the story paints a picture of one of our premier programs that causes a great deal of concern," Block said. "I have questions, just like you do."
Said Guerrero, "Obviously, I've been with Ben for nine years. Obviously, this is a stain on that too some degree. Now we have to pull ourselves together."
It's been a long season for the Bruins on and off the court. UCLA (16-13 overall, 9-7 Pac-12) needs to win four games in as many days to secure the Pac-12 tournament and the conference's automatic NCAA tournament berth, the Bruins' only remaining way into March Madness after an underachieving and dysfunctional season.
"I am very confident of my abilities to lead this program in the future and feel very, very good about our recruiting class and also the kids we're involved with (in recruiting) right now," Howland said.
While acknowledging "this is not a great day for our program," Howland insisted he was "surprised by some of the assertions that I had no knowledge of or were simply untrue or were taken out of context. I'm responsible for this program and everything that happens in it. If there's any need to make changes, I'll make them. I'm proud of our current and former players and our coaches and I'm confident of where we're going."
And Wednesday, Guerrero, when asked repeatedly, would not commit to the program moving forward with Howland.
"We just read the article today," Guerrero said. "There are some issues evident in there that have to be discussed. We're talking less than 12 hours from the release of that article. We still have to do some due diligence in that regard. I don't want to go out in front of anything in that regard."
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