Ben Howland expresses interest in USC coaching position, according to report

Following a not-so-graceful departure from UCLA, Ben Howland could be looking to become the next head coach of the other Pac-12 program in Southern California.

Howland has expressed some interest in the open USC job to boosters, according to a tweet from Scott Wolf of the L.A. Daily News.

His interest in the job should not come as much of a surprise. Howland is not only regarded as one of the nation’s top coaches, but also has the résumé to back it up. He led UCLA to three Final Fours during his 10-year tenure in Westwood, and coached the Bruins to the Pac-12 regular season championship despite bringing in four new starters.

As SB Nation’s UCLA blog, Bruins Nation, has been saying for weeks, it was time for a change regardless of results.

Then, of course, there is the revenge factor. Howland could probably land a better job than USC should he look elsewhere, but being just a few miles away from his former employer would give him a chance to stick it to them at least two times a year. He knows the L.A. area well, has strong recruiting ties and should have no problem winning the press conference with Trojans fans.

Head over to Conquest Chronicles for more on USC’s coaching search.

Back in January, Kevin O’Neill was fired as USC’s head coach after a disappointing start to the year. Bob Cantu did a solid job as an interim head coach, although he is not expected to be a serious candidate in the Trojans’ search.

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