Pyramid Tribute: Competitive Greatness, Ben Howland (Head Coach - UCLA)
After a successful run at the University of Pittsburgh, UCLA
hired Ben Howland in April of 2003. In his seven seasons on
the bench, he has returned the Bruins to glory.
From 2006-2008, Howland and the Bruins dominated the competition,
with the Oregon native coaching his team to 97 victories during
that span. In the history of the program, no coach has won
more games in a three year period, as UCLA captured three straight
Pac-10 Conference titles and advanced to three consecutive
Final Fours. That feat propelled Howland into rare company,
joining Coach Wooden as the only other coach in UCLA history to
reach three straight Final Fours.
A hard worker and fierce competitor, Howland has twice (2002, 2006)
captured National Coach of the Year honors.
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Coach John Wooden’s analysis of ‘Competitive
Greatness’ is right there, at the pinnacle of his
“Pyramid of Success”. Be at your best when your
best is needed. Enjoy a difficult challenge.
In my view, 'Competitive Greatness' begins with preparation, from the smallest detail to the most important. It’s an opportunity to be at your very best when preparing for a great challenge. As Coach Wooden would say, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”
Just about three weeks ago, this Tribute began with a discussion of ‘Industriousness’ and ‘Enthusiasm’, the cornerstone blocks of Coach Wooden’s Pyramid. Put simply, to achieve 'Competitive Greatness', you must be ready, willing and able to work hard, sacrifice and truly enjoy what you are doing. To know in your heart that you’ve done your very best, to be the best you can be.
As is borne out by the blocks of the Pyramid, in the game of basketball, there is much to accomplish before reaching the elite level of 'Competitive Greatness'. A player must look at nutrition and diet, develop overall outstanding conditioning and, in workouts, understand the fundamentals and practice skills to the best of one’s ability. Members of a team must accept and understand Coach Wooden’s definition of ‘Team Spirit’ – An eagerness to sacrifice personal interests of glory for the welfare of all.
'Competitive Greatness' is reached by athletes who play their very best in the biggest games – in single elimination contests and conference and national championship tournament games. And there’s nothing more satisfying than competing at the highest level against a well-prepared and worthy opponent and coming out on top as the victor.
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In the history of UCLA Men’s Basketball, there are many examples of individual and team 'Competitive Greatness', a few of which I’m honored to share.
The first two that come to mind are performances by Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor), who each donned the UCLA uniform during Coach Wooden’s days on the bench.
In the 1973 NCAA Championship game, Walton, then a junior, set an NCAA record by connecting on 21 of 22 field goals and scoring 44 points to lead UCLA to an 87-66 win over Memphis State. It was UCLA’s seventh consecutive NCAA Championship and the Bruins became the only school to compile consecutive undefeated seasons (1971-72 and 1972-73).
At 7-foot-2, Abdul-Jabbar was a marked man throughout his collegiate and professional career. Following his Bruin sophomore season (1966-67), the NCAA even did away with the dunk shot. But Kareem persevered through it all, developed his “sky hook” as an offensive force and went on to become the greatest basketball player of all-time. He led the Bruins to three straight NCAA Championships and an overall record of 88-2 from 1967-1969. Kareem was also a three-time Final Four Most Outstanding Player and National Player of the Year. In the NBA, during his 20-year career with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers, he became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer (38,387), was the league’s MVP on six occasions and won six NBA Championships, including five with the Lakers.
In recent times, I’ve been fortunate to witness more examples of 'Competitive Greatness' here at UCLA, both by individuals and the team.
The first which comes to mind for me was the play of Bruin sophomore Arron Afflalo During the 2006 Pac-10 season. Afflalo put the team on his back during a critical Bay area trip and was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week. In our 67-58 overtime win at California, Arron played 43 minutes, scored a game-high 25 points, including 21 after halftime and his three-pointer in overtime propelled us to victory. At Stanford, in our 75-54 win, he had a team-high 16 points. Those triumphs led us to the regular season Pac-10 championship… and it was truly inspiring to witness Arron’s 'Competitive Greatness' on the road in a hostile environment.
From a team perspective, later in 2006 we played Gonzaga in a West Regional semifinal and trailed by 17 points in the first half, 13 at halftime (42-29), and nine with just three minutes remaining in the game. As a team, the Bruins scored the game’s final 11 points with freshman Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scoring six of those while also registering a key steal in the final seconds to seal the win. This was a total team effort from Cedric Bozeman, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Ryan Hollins, Jordan Farmar, Arron Afflalo, Darren Collison, Alfred Aboya, Lorenzo Mata and Michael Roll. Truly a lesson in NEVER quitting and NEVER giving up. It was incredible to be a part of this team victory and the momentum and confidence from this win helped us advance to the NCAA Championship game.
In the 2008 Pac-10 Tournament Championship game, we were facing a tough Stanford team led by the Lopez twins. We had beaten the Cardinal twice in two very competitive games during the regular season and beating them for a third time was going to be a difficult task. Behind our junior point guard Darren Collison, we won the Pac-10 Tournament for the second time in three years, as Darren scored 28 points to lead us to a 67-64 triumph. He was named the conference tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and would help direct the Bruins in the coming weeks to the school’s third consecutive Final Four appearance.
These displays of 'Competitive Greatness' are perfect examples of individuals and teams reaching the pinnacle of performance because of the solid foundation they laid through hard work, enthusiasm and personal sacrifice. The famous old adage – “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” couldn’t be more true in both life and competitive sport. Preparation and enthusiasm will bring out 'Competitive Greatness' for individuals and teams who enjoy the thrill and love of the journey against a worthy opponent.
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On a personal note, it is with great respect and humility that I
write this capstone entry to the Pyramid Tribute. While Coach
Wooden is the greatest coach in basketball history, I will remember
him as an equally remarkable man. The messages and lessons of
the Pyramid are dynamic and far transcend the hardwood.
Whether in boardrooms, out in the community, or at the dinner
table, his teachings will live on and impact lives for
generations. I am forever grateful for the time I spent with
Coach.
- Ben Howland
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College Chalktalk would like to thank all of the respective coaches and administrations who participated in the Pyramid Tribute - in particular the entire staff at UCLA - for their time and effort this summer.
