Ashley Howard (basketball)

Ashley Howard is an American college basketball coach. He is the head men's basketball coach at La Salle University, a position he has held since 2018.[1] He was previously an assistant coach at Villanova University.

Ashley Howard
Howard with the 2016 NCAA championship trophy
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamLa Salle
ConferenceAtlantic 10
Record33-47 (.413)
Biographical details
BornPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Playing career
1999–2002Drexel
Position(s)Point guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2004–2008La Salle (assistant)
2008–2012Drexel (assistant)
2012–2013Xavier (assistant)
2013–2018Villanova (assistant)
2018–presentLa Salle
Head coaching record
Overall33–47 (.413)

Background

Howard's parents were Maurice Howard and Diane Coleman, the former of who played college basketball at the University of Maryland, and was a second round draft choice of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers in 1976. He also played for the New Orleans Jazz.[2] According to Chris Mack, Xavier head coach, Howard has "been around the game his entire life. He is a tireless worker and will bring energy every single day to the practice floor. He's worked with countless pros even before he hit the college floor in a coaching capacity. It was very evident in talking to some of his former players that Ashley deeply impacts the players he coaches."[3]

Education

Howard graduated from Monsignor Bonner High School. He graduated from Drexel University with a degree in communications in 2004.[4]

Basketball career

Howard averaged 8.9 points and a team-high 4.9 assists per game with the Drexel Dragons. Howard was a guard for the team between 1999 and 2002, only stopping due to an injury. At that point he became a student assistant coach at Drexel University until 2003. He was co-director of the Eastern Invitational Basketball Camp. In 2004 he became head coach John Giannini's assistant at La Salle University. In 2006 he was an assistant coach of the Jamaica National team, accompanying the squad on its Olympic qualifying bid in Kingston. In 2008 he went back to Drexel as assistant coach to James "Bruiser" Flint.[5]

Villanova
Photo from Villanova's victory parade in Center City, Philadelphia. Ashley Howard is seen on the far right.

Howard joined the Villanova Basketball staff in June 2013 and has played a key role as the program has posted more than 140 victories, four Big East regular season titles and two NCAA national championships in that stretch.

Villanova head coach Jay Wright said: "We're proud to have Ashley join our Villanova Basketball family. I have known Ashley since he was a high school player. He has deep roots in Philadelphia's basketball tradition and gained an appreciation for the Augustinian values during his days as a student at Monsignor Bonner High School. He will take great pride in representing Villanova."[6]

Howard earned two NCAA Division 1 men's basketball tournament titles with Villanova in 2016 and again in 2018.

La Salle

Howard was considered a top candidate for La Salle University's head coaching job.[7] On April 8, 2018, La Salle announced him as the next head coach of the Explorers, succeeding his former boss John Giannini.[8] During his first season, the Explorers finished 10–21. Howard guided the team to a 15–15 record in the 2019–20 season.[9]

NBA players coached by Howard
  • Darrun Hilliard, Villanova, drafted in 2015 at #38 overall, played in NBA 2015–current
  • Daniel Ochefu, Villanova, undrafted free agent signed in 2016, played in NBA 2016–current
  • Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova, undrafted free agent signed in 2016, played in NBA 2016–current
  • Josh Hart, Villanova, drafted in 2017 at #30 overall, played in NBA 2017–current

Personal life

Howard married Ariana Casanovas in August 2017. Howard's daughter, Journey, was born in 2014.

Head coaching record
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
La Salle Explorers (Atlantic 10 Conference) (2018–present)
2018–19 La Salle 10–218–109th
2019–20 La Salle 15–156–12T–10th

}}

2020–21 La Salle 8-115-7
La Salle: 33–47 (.413)19–29 (.396)
Total:33–47 (.413)

References
  1. http://www.villanova.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/ashley_howard_847282.html
  2. "Ashley Howard". Villanova. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  3. "Ashley Howard". Xavier. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  4. "Ashley Howard". Villanova. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  5. J, Mike. "Villanova Hires Xavier Assistant Ashley Howard". Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  6. "Villanova adds Ashley Howard as assistant coach". CSNPhilly. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  7. http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleges/la_salle/la-salle-basketball-coaching-search-ashley-howard-tim-legler-john-giannini-20180405.html
  8. "La Salle names Ashley Howard new head coach". ESPN. April 8, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  9. Holmes, C.J. (October 30, 2020). "La Salle is building a culture as it looks to move up in the Atlantic 10". The Athletic. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.