"We want a winning record," Howland said. "That’s definitely a goal, and we’re now two down. We had...

"We want a winning record," Howland said. "That’s definitely a goal, and we’re now two down. We had a chance to even it up today, had a chance to even it up last Saturday."

Yikes, a UCLA basketball coach aiming to go over .500 (that was after loss against Stanford in Jan)

about 2 years ago Nestor 17 comments 0 recs |

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ugh

it’s just sad, there’s absolutely no way around it. It’s one thing to finish a season with double-digits in the loss column, but to have a sub-.500 record is straight up pathetic.

by maccabita4life on Feb 9, 2010 7:35 PM PST reply actions

FWIW

I will be relieved if we finish over .500. I will be disappointed but still be a little relieved. A losing season on the other hand … well we have made our feelings clear about that.

by Nestor on Feb 9, 2010 7:42 PM PST up reply actions

yep

there is no doubt about that.

by maccabita4life on Feb 9, 2010 8:13 PM PST up reply actions

To be fair

CBH said that its “a” goal, not “the” goal. Every year “a” goal is to be .500, its just that we usually have higher goals so this goal is left on the backburner.

I’m with you though N, I will be very relieved if we can finish above .500 this season so as to avoid a complete cloud of negativity hanging over this program all offseason.

by bruinponcho on Feb 9, 2010 7:53 PM PST reply actions

He definitely was referring to it as “a” goal for this season. It just sounded sad. I think Howland’s standards and expectations are higher than any of us. He is as well versed on UCLA history as anyone on BN.

However, If we finish under .500, I don’t even think the chatter here is going to matter. The negativity is going take hold on its own given all the cranky donors who are going to be hit up for the renovation. This is very different than the Dorrell situation.

This is going to be very interesting to watch.

by Nestor on Feb 9, 2010 8:05 PM PST up reply actions

+1

Pass the popcorn, interesting few months.

by Bruin'96 on Feb 10, 2010 10:45 AM PST up reply actions

lose-lose situation in BN

What can Howland say in this stage that would satisfy BN (esp Nestor)?

If he says “.500 record,” he is dragging down our legacy.
If he says “our goal is win the national champion,” he is clearly delusional.
If he says “NCAA tourney” (which I consider the best realistic goal at the stage), he is both delusional and dragging down our legacy.

Obviously, winning cures all ills. But in terms of CBH’s communication to the press, I can’t fault him for saying what he said. I’m not saying BN is being un-supportive (because we are passionate Bruins fan), but I’m gonna remain unrelentless optismistic and be happy (but not “satisified” if that makes any sense) if CBH accomplish his revised mid-season goal.

by HK Bruin on Feb 10, 2010 10:03 AM PST up reply actions

It's not about what he should say

It’s about the fact that he is in this position at all.

How the FUCK did we get here?

But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.

by tasser10 on Feb 10, 2010 10:59 AM PST up reply actions

Yep

How did we get here? That was the point of the fanshot.

by Nestor on Feb 10, 2010 11:07 AM PST up reply actions

Dealing with the here and now

We can not restart the season. We are where we are. Instead of wallowing about what might have been, let’s make the best of the season. And that starts with goal #1 – a winning record. What would you rather have coach say? We give up? Sure, after 3 Final Fours, we hoped for better. But for now – I’m hoping that we can get over that hump, play well in the Pac 10 tourney and go from there.

by rocket rod forever on Feb 9, 2010 8:12 PM PST reply actions