Howland Holds Court

UCLA Coach Returns for His Youth Basketball Camp

The moment UCLA men’s head basketball coach Ben Howland entered the Palisades High gym Monday morning to open his fifth annual Youth Camp, some 195 kids suddenly quieted down to hear what he had to say. The theme was simple: work hard, play hard and, most importantly, have fun. Howland arrived on crutches, having torn his Achilles tendon three weeks prior, and he was emotionally drained after speaking at last Saturday’s memorial service at Pauley Pavilion for Bruins’ legendary former coach John Wooden, who passed away June 4 at the age of 99. “It was a great tribute to Coach and I think his family was pleased with it,” Howland said. “There are so many things you can try to learn from him–both in the way he coached and the way he lived his life. He never talked about winning and yet that’s all his teams did.” While he understands Wooden’s accomplishments will never be equaled, Howland knows expectations will always be high in Westwood and he embraces that challenge: “It’s a difficult thing, but coming here you understand it and that’s what you shoot for–to reach that level of excellence.” Howland is optimistic about the upcoming season, especially given the addition of twin brothers David and Travis Wear, who transferred to UCLA from North Carolina. First things first, however, and Howland is glad to be back in Pacific Palisades–the fifth straight year he has held his camp here–just like Wooden used to do decades before. “It’s a great location, a great facility and the response has been terrific,” Howland said. “The neat thing is that some of these kids have been to every camp so you recognize them. It’s good to see them coming every summer.” This year’s camp runs through Friday, when championship games are played, followed by an awards ceremony and Howland’s closing comments. Open to boys and girls ages 6-12, it includes passing, dribbling and shooting drills as well as three-on-three and five-on-five games. The camp is broken down into three divisions: the SEC (grades 1-2); the Pac-10 (grades 3-4) and the NBA (grades 5-6). Coaching UCLA once again is Palisades High boys’ basketball coach James Paleno, who hopes the Bruins make Howland proud: “The pressure is on if I want to keep my job,” he joked. Howland, entering his eighth season, became the first UCLA coach since Wooden to win three straight conference titles (2006-08) and earn three straight Final Four trips. In 2008, he joined Adolph Rupp of Kentucky and John Calipari of Memphis as the only Division I coaches to win 30+ games in three consecutive seasons. “Let’s all have a positive attitude and learn the fundamentals,” Howland told his campers. “No matter how much talent you have, it comes down to basics in the end–things like defense, rebounding and passing.” After Howland’s introduction, players were evaluated and teams were formed based on age and ability. Drills throughout the week work on essential skills like dribbling, jump shooting, chest passing, bounce passing, rebounding, defensive stance and lay-ups. “It’s been fun so far,” said Liza Cushnir, a second-grader from Cheviot Hills who signed up for the camp with her 10-year-old brother Freddy. “He’s on the Suns and I’m on Auburn. I’ve made 12 steals in the two games we’ve won.”