Howland said he never really sleeps that well. Six or seven hours most nights, and never very soundly. Falling asleep is the hardest part, so he reads the paper or watches TV for a while before trying to relax enough to let the day go.
Winning usually helps that process, but not always, and not this season -- yet.
Even after a win, even after his wife has stayed up to make him eggs at midnight, even after his team -- for one night at least -- showed the potential to turn this season around, sleep came reluctantly for Howland on Tuesday.
"You never leave it as a coach," he said. "Everything is going on in your head.
"We have a lot of young kids, so you have to be patient. It's hard, but sometimes you have to go through this. I've done it before, usually at the beginning of a job, not in the seventh year. There's a multitude of reasons why we are where we are, but at the end of the day we've got to be better than we've been playing."
Eventually, Howland drifts off to sleep. The solutions are not yet ready to reveal themselves.
Another night, perhaps.
Patience has always been one of his underrated virtues.
about 2 years ago
Nestor
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Three points
First, do not click on the link because if you do, you will have to suffer through the insufferable—that’s right Lavin opining. The only thing worse than that is watching Caroll try to complete a gramatically correct complete sentence. (I know that’s its a low blow comparing a former failed UCLA coach to an ethically destitute USC coach and counselor to SUV enthusiasts. But I said the stuff from the Land Rover salesman is lamer than the junk from that goofy basketball “coach.”)
Second, the quoted material is excellent because it tell us what Coach Howland is suffering through. Every competent person in a high profile position when things go wrong suffers the same sleep disfunctionality and stress. It is not an issue of personal pride as in “pride goeth before the fall” but a desire to produce a winning work product of which one can be proud and, in our case, of which a great university can be proud.
Third, it dovetails with the prior post quoting from Coach Wooden on a down year he had.
I was just about to comment
on how annoying it is that WWL links always automatically play the video, even if it’s not the Lizard. If you’ve not viewed it yet, just be ready to hit that ‘pause’ ASAP.
WTF???
“I couldn’t believe it,” Honeycutt said. “I look up in the stands and see this guy with a UCLA jersey on and he had a trash bag on his head. I was like, ‘Wow & a trash bag? That was quick.’”
I hope he understands that it was a bandwagon fan…that guy probably has an SUC jersey in his closet as well. I’d like to think I wouldn’t but I probably would have threatened to whoop his ass if he didn’t remove the bag or leave the building. Any REAL BRUIN would never be ashamed of being a Bruin or rooting for our Bruins regardless of the teams current success.
Interesting
This quote reminds me of another quote from the mouth of the head coach of another one of our big money programs. I believe his words were: “I sleep very well at night.”
Oh UCLA you sweet bitch, you've BRUINed me for anything else.
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