Howland makes sure no noise gets to Bruins
SAN JOSE — If you like a coach who has an eye -- and, apparently, an ear -- for detail, Ben Howland is your man.
He took time during a news conference Friday to silence a couple of loud talkers just outside the curtain where UCLA's coach and his starting five were trying to talk about today's West Regional final between the second-seeded Bruins and top-seeded Kansas.
Howland didn't go Bob Knight on the podium director, but he said, "I think, when you have a press conference it should be run to where there's respect toward the players
Bruins point guard Darren Collison says this is why UCLA (29-5) is back in a regional final for the second straight year, why the Bruins own consecutive Pacific 10 titles, why they accept their coach's voice in their ears hounding them to dress warmly, eat smartly and, more than anything, keep their feet moving and arms up on defense.
"Wins are in the details," Collison said Friday. "If you have one missed help assignment on defense, that can lead to a missed turnover and that can be a missed basket and if you lose by two points you can go back in the film and find one detail that made the difference."
UCLA has averaged 71.6 points a game, but over the last six -- including consecutive losses to Washington in its regular-season finale and California in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament -- the Bruins are scoring a bit more than 60 points per game.
While Howland is in firm control of everything, from the noise and hubbub surrounding his team to his foot-stomping, red-faced, arm-waving exhibitions of how he wants defense, sometimes it seems as if his firm belief in making all the offensive calls can be inhibiting.
"Sometimes you block out his voice and go on instinct," sophomore Josh Shipp said.
Afflalo, who made five of 22 shots in his last two games, said he doesn't feel harnessed by Howland's close eye and play-calling certainty.
"I trust he knows what works best," Afflalo said.
Collison said that it is not only Howland's obsession with details that is important.
"Coach Howland explains things to us," Collison said. "He has a reason for every little detail he expects. So he doesn't just tell us something. He explains why.
"I guess not every player could come here and understand what Coach Howland expects, either. So it's a little of both. But if guys see us and think offense isn't important, that's wrong. It's just that we think defense is more important."
