Coach Ben Howland

[basedog]

Has done a great job building Msu basketball program, I hope he is able to retire from Msu. Not only has he brought some life back into our program but he is a class guy who represents our University.

Looking back early in the season, a few naysayers were on the edge ready to push him off the cliff. This team has adjusted and has improved, the thing I see is how well Howland has handle some tough situations with players and has not lost the players and team chemistry. His calmness is great for this bunch, say what you want but he also has done a great job adjusting with players, big time improvement from the defensive side. I think Ado has made a huge step forward which helps our defense!

Just saying.

[tcdog70]

Ado is just a Soph. He will be hell of a player the next 2 years.

[Ari Gold]

Has done a great job building Msu basketball program, I hope he is able to retire from Msu. Not only has he brought some life back into our program but he is a class guy who represents our University.

Looking back early in the season, a few naysayers were on the edge ready to push him off the cliff. This team has adjusted and has improved, the thing I see is how well Howland has handle some tough situations with players and has not lost the players and team chemistry. His calmness is great for this bunch, say what you want but he also has done a great job adjusting with players, big time improvement from the defensive side. I think Ado has made a huge step forward which helps our defense!

Just saying.

Excellent post

[basedog]

Ado is just a Soph. He will be hell of a player the next 2 years.

Ado is a gamer who is learning as the year goes by. I'm pretty sure where he grew up he didn't have a lot of fundamental teaching. He runs well, plays hard, he needs to work on his hand coordination but I don't think it will ever be great but will be improved over the next few years.

[basedog]

Btw, yes the start of the game yesterday wasn't great, but there again the adjustments made by Howland and the players is what it's all about. I know when I Coached basketball, you hope your team gets off to a fast and good start. For whatever reason it doesn't always work like fans want. Not sure some of you guys understand the game enough to know, watching is one thing, playing and coaching is a whole different thing. Watching is easy, Coaching and playing isn't always easy. In saying this, what I have seen with Howland and the players, they usually and most of the time play hard and never give up. Good example is all the close games we lost, bad teams fold, this team in general hasn't done that.

Hey, I realize I'm not gonna change opinions for a bunch, but from my past experience seeing this program improving is very encouraging, and yes history does say a lot, we haven't had a ton of great things to happen except for Babe's years, a few years with RW and Stans had some good moments.

This team could be dangerous in tournament time, I sure hope Nick gets back, we need his experience, toughness and it gives Howland options.

[Commercecomet24]

Has done a great job building Msu basketball program, I hope he is able to retire from Msu. Not only has he brought some life back into our program but he is a class guy who represents our University.

Looking back early in the season, a few naysayers were on the edge ready to push him off the cliff. This team has adjusted and has improved, the thing I see is how well Howland has handle some tough situations with players and has not lost the players and team chemistry. His calmness is great for this bunch, say what you want but he also has done a great job adjusting with players, big time improvement from the defensive side. I think Ado has made a huge step forward which helps our defense!

Just saying.

Great post. This is the reason you let the season play out. The seasons are long and teams can adjust and change. Some folks overreact way to much at the slightest sign of adversity. The team has come a long way and Coach Howland getting Perry and Woodard more minutes has been huge. Let's finish strong

[MaroonFlounder]

I sat right behind the S. Carolina bench last night. It really is a contrast in coaching styles between Frank Martin and Ben Howland. Frank yelled in his guy's faces and was having a fit of rage up until just a few minutes left in the game when he knew it was hopeless. I've been critical of Howland's refusal to get tough with this team, but he knows what he's doing, I now realize. I will welcome his Mr. Rogers style if he can get to the 2nd weekend of the big tourney.

[Lord McBuckethead]

I understand what you arr saying, but the way a couple of players have been playing sure looks like he has folded. Now they may be going through tons off the court. No idea. Whatever it is, leadership needs to emerge.

Good turn around yesterday. Hope they win the next 20 games.

[basedog]

I understand what you arr saying, but the way a couple of players have been playing sure looks like he has folded. Now they may be going through tons off the court. No idea. Whatever it is, leadership needs to emerge.

Good turn around yesterday. Hope they win the next 20 games.

I'm betting leadership will be getting better soon. Players like Holman who have started since day one and now find themselves as a role player can be difficult to deal with and can destroy team chemistry, seems Holman has been pretty good excepting his role in public. A player like Peters is a tough them for a Coach, benching him now would be bad for him to handle, the way Howland has handled both these situations has been pretty good.

I haven't seen any player fold, some have struggled at time but that's just basketball. Being 20-7 with a winning Sec record doesn't happen much at Msu!

[Ari Gold]

I understand what you arr saying, but the way a couple of players have been playing sure looks like he has folded. Now they may be going through tons off the court. No idea. Whatever it is, leadership needs to emerge.

Good turn around yesterday. Hope they win the next 20 games.

What ???

[preachermatt83]

Great post!

[Bothrops]

I'm a Howland fan and everyone else around here should be as well

[MarketingBully]

Coach Howland is a great basketball mind and a great recruiter. He knows what we are doing wrong and will call it out. In fact, once the players listened to him last year in what we had to do on both sides of the ball we went on the big run last year. My only knock on him is he isn’t multiple in his defenses (he’s a strict man to man guy) and he sometimes seems to play favorites. He’s the best Coach pedegre wise we’ve ever hired at State. I really don’t want him gone. I want him to get it done here because he’s a great coach. Also, it wouldn’t surprise me if we have a better team next year then this year as I think Perry, Ado, Woodard, and Carter are a great nucleus to build off of with Molinar, King, Oduro, Stewart, and Butts joining the team next year.

[Leeshouldveflanked]

His assistant coaches seem a little more “active” the last few games.

[somebodyshotmypaw]

A few things:

RPI show us with the 13th toughest schedule in the country to date.
We've only lost one game by more than 5 points (21 points at Kentucky).

So we are probably a little better than we think.

[MarketingBully]

A few things:

RPI show us with the 13th toughest schedule in the country to date.
We've only lost one game by more than 5 points (21 points at Kentucky).

So we are probably a little better than we think.

The ceiling for this team has always been high. Had we not dropped games we should have won to Ole Miss and South Carolina, we’d be in the driver’s seat for fourth place in the SEC and a 3 or 4 seed in the dance.

[MCsMGs]

Has done a great job building Msu basketball program, I hope he is able to retire from Msu. Not only has he brought some life back into our program but he is a class guy who represents our University.

Looking back early in the season, a few naysayers were on the edge ready to push him off the cliff. This team has adjusted and has improved, the thing I see is how well Howland has handle some tough situations with players and has not lost the players and team chemistry. His calmness is great for this bunch, say what you want but he also has done a great job adjusting with players, big time improvement from the defensive side. I think Ado has made a huge step forward which helps our defense!

Just saying.

Great post! While I am as competitive as anyone I know, it troubles me when we are so focused on winning that nothing else in life matters...or when we make judgements and accusations about people or things we know little or nothing about.

Howland IS a class act and a tremendous ambassador for MSU! He brings so much more that what shows up in the W-L column.

[BrunswickDawg]

I don't think people appreciate things sometimes because they are prisoners of the moment.

Think about this - we won our 20th game of the season with 4 games remaining. We have 3 very winnable games and 1 long shot left.
We are 2 wins away from having the most regular season wins since 2003-04.

If we win 2 - it will be only the 5th time in program history that we have exceeded 21 wins in the regular season. 2003-4 (25), 2001-02 (23), 1961-2 (24), 1958-59 (24).

[CadaverDawg]

I don't think people appreciate things sometimes because they are prisoners of the moment.

Think about this - we won our 20th game of the season with 4 games remaining. We have 3 very winnable games and 1 long shot left.
We are 2 wins away from having the most regular season wins since 2003-04.

If we win 2 - it will be only the 5th time in program history that we have exceeded 21 wins in the regular season. 2003-4 (25), 2001-02 (23), 1961-2 (24), 1958-59 (24).

Wow, great stats. It has been a good year. I agree about being prisoners of the moment...I think it's been so long since something good has happened in hoops, maybe people are preparing for the inevitable when they/we should be enjoying the journey. This team has tons of talent, and is well built for March...so instead of looking for flaws in the armor, I'm going to just enjoy watching them, appreciate Q's last run, and hope these guys hit their peak at the end of the regular season heading into tourney time.
March Madness will finally be fun again! Filling out brackets is so much better when MSU is on one of those 64 lines

[Lord McBuckethead]

What ???

Just saying a couple of our guys have almost totally disappeared since the Kentucky game. Those players have seemed to have folded. Ben hasn't. He is handling each player pretty well from what I can tell, but at the end of the day we need out players playing as a team. We cannot have 1 or 2 players not in the team mentality. Cause here very soon, it is going to matter.

[Lord McBuckethead]

We all have seen glimpses of this teams potential. This team could be better than the 2004 team. This team could be the best team we have ever had. We have that kind of talent. We have seen each and every player reach their potential at different points of this season. We are going to need each player to focus and work together to get where we want to be. The last weekend of the tourney. We can beat anyone. But 1 player alone cannot.

[BrunswickDawg]

We all have seen glimpses of this teams potential. This team could be better than the 2004 team. This team could be the best team we have ever had. We have that kind of talent. We have seen each and every player reach their potential at different points of this season. We are going to need each player to focus and work together to get where we want to be. The last weekend of the tourney. We can beat anyone. But 1 player alone cannot.

Sports is such a fickle thing though. That 2004 team was awesome. And they bombed out in post season - getting knocked out in the SEC First Round, and getting bounced in game 2 of the NCAAs. 25 regular season wins means very little when you are 1-2 in the postseason.

[louisvilledawg]

I don't think people appreciate things sometimes because they are prisoners of the moment.

Think about this - we won our 20th game of the season with 4 games remaining. We have 3 very winnable games and 1 long shot left.
We are 2 wins away from having the most regular season wins since 2003-04.

If we win 2 - it will be only the 5th time in program history that we have exceeded 21 wins in the regular season. 2003-4 (25), 2001-02 (23), 1961-2 (24), 1958-59 (24).

Speaking of stats. I was looking the other day and it said we've only been ranked for 153 total weeks in our program's 107 year history. That's unreal!

[Ari Gold]

Just saying a couple of our guys have almost totally disappeared since the Kentucky game. Those players have seemed to have folded. Ben hasn't. He is handling each player pretty well from what I can tell, but at the end of the day we need out players playing as a team. We cannot have 1 or 2 players not in the team mentality. Cause here very soon, it is going to matter.

I cant gauge the temperament of the team in the locker room or at practice, but they have seemed to be pretty engaged all year to me.
I will applaud Holman for accepting his role coming off the bench lot of Srs would have moaned and groan about that he seems to be handling it well .
Even tho Peters has struggled to score lately I dont see any bad body language there .
Just because you a couple of sub par games scoring doesnt mean you have checked out or folded.
And unlike some I have never waivered on the abilities of CBH. Also big props the the staff and CBH and players for the 3-0 stretch without Nick. Thats big time no matter who the opponents were

[StarkVegasSteve]

The emergence of Perry and Woodard and Q's ability to completely take over games at times reminds me a bit of the UCONN team with Kemba Walker. Not saying we're going to make some magical run and win the whole 17 thing, but Perry and Woodard have emerged similar to how Lamb and Napier emerged on that team and this is about the time in the year where Kemba would just take over games similar to what Q has done in February, avg. 22.5 per game. If we can get Nick back and Q continues at this level watch out. Cause this team could be poised for a run down the stretch.

[Ari Gold]

Sports is such a fickle thing though. That 2004 team was awesome. And they bombed out in post season - getting knocked out in the SEC First Round, and getting bounced in game 2 of the NCAAs. 25 regular season wins means very little when you are 1-2 in the postseason.

Agree 100%.
If we go one and done in the SEC tourney that doesn’t mean we are not going to play well in the dance and possible make a run
The SEC is really good unlike years in the past.

[Ari Gold]

The emergence of Perry and Woodard and Q's ability to completely take over games at times reminds me a bit of the UCONN team with Kemba Walker. Not saying we're going to make some magical run and win the whole 17 thing, but Perry and Woodard have emerged similar to how Lamb and Napier emerged on that team and this is about the time in the year where Kemba would just take over games similar to what Q has done in February, avg. 22.5 per game. If we can get Nick back and Q continues at this level watch out. Cause this team could be poised for a run down the stretch.

Excellent post and comparison.

[CadaverDawg]

The emergence of Perry and Woodard and Q's ability to completely take over games at times reminds me a bit of the UCONN team with Kemba Walker. Not saying we're going to make some magical run and win the whole 17 thing, but Perry and Woodard have emerged similar to how Lamb and Napier emerged on that team and this is about the time in the year where Kemba would just take over games similar to what Q has done in February, avg. 22.5 per game. If we can get Nick back and Q continues at this level watch out. Cause this team could be poised for a run down the stretch.

Great comparison

[basedog]

Not so sure Howland isn't the second best Coach we've had at Msu. It's only year 4 but the future looks really good, I see no drama from his teams at Msu so far, that is a big plus in my eyes. He was very happen in the post game press conference, no doubt he really likes his team. What I see in Howland is how well he communicates with the players.

Btw, I see where several moan because Howland doesn't zone, I have to laugh as 95% or maybe more, college basketball teams don't zone, never have in the modern era. Yes, maybe a trip or two but nothing consistently. I can't think of any teams besides Cuse who run zones. If I have to explain to some why then I realize you don't know the game very well** LOL!