Howland has a job ... for now

UCLA hasn't fired Ben Howland as basketball coach, although his time in Westwood appears to be running out.

A school spokesman said late on Saturday night that contrary to multiple media reports UCLA had not fired Howland.

Howland told the Los Angeles Times that he had not yet spoken to athletic director Dan Guerrero, who typically evaluates Howland and the program after every season. Yahoo Sports reported that Howland had already been notified that he was out.

The Bruins' season ended on Friday with an 83-63 loss to Minnesota in the NCAA tournament.

Howland has a 233-107 record in 10 seasons at UCLA. He took the Bruins to three Final Fours and won four Pac-12 championships, including this season. He has two years left on his contract that includes a $2.3 million buyout.

Howland had a series of ups and downs this season that included center Joshua Smith quitting the team for personal reasons and guard Tyler Lamb leaving over a lack of playing time in the same week in November that the Bruins were upset by Cal Poly and dropped out of the Top 25.

The season opened with star recruits Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson under investigation by the NCAA.

Muhammad missed the first three games and had to repay $1,600 in impermissible benefits after the NCAA and UCLA found that he had accepted travel and lodging during three unofficial visits to Duke and North Carolina.

(China Daily 03/25/2013 page23)