Reed Saxon, Associated Press Ben Howland has helped turn around the UCLA men's basketball program in his two seasons as coach. Click photo for larger image.

Two years ago, when Ben Howland departed the Pitt basketball team to accept what he called his "dream job" -- a head coaching position at UCLA -- he ventured back to the region where he grew up, just in time to orchestrate another rebuilding project. The Bruins were 10-19 the year before Howland's arrival. Last year, the team went 18-11 and advanced to the NCAA tournament. It's a start, he'll tell you. Howland's mind is now a fact book of UCLA knowledge -- he can tell you, for instance, the average GPA and SAT score of an incoming freshman at UCLA -- but we decided to dig for some other factoids, PG style.

Pitt vs. UCLA, how do the two situations compare?

Howland: Well, both were rebuilding situations, and that's always hard. It was tough my first year here (2003-04), but we were better last year. And we're expecting great things next year. This is when it gets exciting. This place has such a great history and tradition: 11 national championships. That's the expectation here, and I guess that's the biggest difference.

Worst L.A. traffic you've encountered?

Howland: Well you know what? Every time I'm stuck in an L.A. traffic jam, I'm thankful. It's a blessing. You know why? Because it's people! People everywhere. And when you have more people, you have more people to recruit! And we need people. We ... need ... people. So every time I'm in traffic, I'm happy.

When you're stuck in traffic, what tunes are playing in your car?

Howland: Well, I listen to the radio mostly. A little R&B. A little rock and roll.

Do your players' musical tastes ever rub off?

Howland (laughing): Yeah, actually. Some of it has rubbed off. At Pitt in particular. When I left Pitt, not only did I know who 50 Cent was, I also kind of liked him.

Do you ever have regrets about leaving Pitt?

Howland: Well sure. Pitt is still in my blood. My daughter is a Pitt cheerleader. We love Pitt. I was just back at the Pitt spring game. My daughter is a student at Pitt and my son [Adam, currently a high school senior] is attending Haverford near Philadelphia next year. So my wife and I are still stuck here out on the Left Coast.

OK, so your daughter is a cheerleader. Dangerous question: Is cheerleading a sport?

Howland: Oh, cheerleading is a sport. Because if you watch, you see all the gymnastics and tumbling involved in it, all the flips. They compete in that stuff, you know. You should watch.

So now that you've spent two years in the Pac-10, do you think East Coast bias is a myth or a fact?

Howland: Yeah, I think it's true. I think you see some of that. You do have more people on the East Coast, and it's more of a population center. And I think the time change doesn't help us out. When we have a 7:30 game, it's already 10:30 there, and most people, unless you're a real diehard, you're going to bed.

What's your preference, Pittsburgh or Pitt?

Howland: Aww, I'd say ... whatever chancellor Nordenberg wants.

Were you able to follow Pitt's most recent basketball season?

Howland: Yeah, and I'm really proud of how Jamie [Dixon] has continued everything. And I was real proud of Chevy [Troutman] last season, too. Real proud. I'm actually sitting in my office right now looking at a photo of the Pitt team right after we beat UConn for the Big East championship -- what was that? I think 2003. But yeah, it's a huge photo, maybe 3 feet wide and 2 feet tall. I'm looking at Carl [Krauser] and Chevy and Brandin [Knight] and Mark McCarroll. I'm all about love for those guys. To this point in my career, through 25 years of coaching, that game against UConn was the most special.