Top Awards Go to Howland, Williams

Pittsburgh’s Ben Howland--passed over for coaching jobs at Loyola Marymount, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara in the past--was named the Associated Press coach of the year Friday.

“Things work out for a reason,” said Howland, who played at Cerritos High and was a longtime assistant at UCSB before getting his first break at Northern Arizona.

Duke’s Jason Williams was named the AP player of the year in voting that was complete before the NCAA tournament began. Both awards were announced in Atlanta, where today’s Final Four is being held.

“I wish I was playing,” said Williams, who missed a free throw that would have tied the score in the final seconds of Duke’s NCAA tournament loss to Indiana. “We didn’t win a national championship, but at least I have one.”

Williams returned to school for his junior season even though he might have been picked first in the NBA draft, and expects to complete his degree this summer before beginning his professional career.

“I’m not really worried about draft position,” said Williams, who averaged 21 points and five assists. “I don’t care if I’m the No. 1 pick, or if I go No. 5. As long as I realize my goal of playing in the NBA, I’ll be happy.”

Howland guided Pitt to a school-record 29 victories and took the school to its first round of 16 appearance since 1974.

He showed his coaching skill by making the transition from Northern Arizona, where his teams twice led the nation in three-point shooting, to Pittsburgh, a Big East school that thrived on defense.

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Ben McDonald, a former UC Irvine star who also played in the NBA and CBA, is in his first season as an Indiana assistant.

“It’s unbelievable, me being a teacher last year and now I’m here and we’re playing in the Final Four,” McDonald said.

He spent last year as a substitute teacher in the Long Beach Unified School District but was hired by Indiana Coach Mike Davis through the recommendation of Herb Livsey, a one-time Irvine assistant who later worked for the Continental Basketball Assn., where Davis also coached.

Robyn Norwood

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Cal State Northridge Coach Bobby Braswell may be a candidate for the Oregon State job, made vacant when Ritchie McKay became the coach at New Mexico on Thursday.

Braswell is in Atlanta attending the Final Four. Reached there, he said, “I would obviously have some interest if they were interested.”

Braswell, 39, was a finalist for the Oregon State job two years ago after guiding Northridge to its first NCAA tournament berth but lost out to McKay. Oregon State Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart is in Atlanta looking for candidates.

“We have not had any contact,” Barnhart said. “Some people have called on his behalf.”

Braswell completed his sixth season at Northridge and led a rebuilding Matador team to a 12-16 record in its first season in the Big West Conference. Before arriving at Northridge, he was an assistant at Oregon from 1992-96.

Eric Stephens