I think Howland let some rotten apples ruin the bunch. We have a bad culture right now, or had. Maybe with a few of them leaving it will improve, sometimes thats a tough spot to be in. You can chew on them and demand it out of them but sometimes it just doesnt click bc the kids dont want it too. And as a coach you are in a tough spot bc you know if you play them you could get the good version and be hellacious that night but then the other hand, you could get the no give a shit lazy BS we saw time and time again. Me personally, I'd rather play with 5 scrubs and take my lumps than play with 5 that wanna do it their way. I can see why he stuck with them though if he thought they gave us the best chance to win.

That, or Howland just let them walk all over him bc he has lost the fire he had at UCLA.