Matt Howard (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Matt Howard is an American professional basketball
player, who currently plays with Olympiacos of Piraeus
, Greece
. Previously, he played college basketball
with the Butler Bulldogs
. He helped lead the 2009–10
and 2010–11 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team
s to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament
.
He is a 3-time Academic All-American and the 2011 Men's Basketball Academic All-America of the Year as well as the 2009 Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year
. He was a 2009 All-American
honorable mention by the Associated Press
. He was the 2010
and 2011 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
MVP as well as a four-time Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
All-Tournament selection. He won the 2011 Lou Henson Award
as well as the 2010 & 2011 Elite 88 Award
s. He is the Horizon League record-holder for career free throw
s made and attempted.
as a high school senior in 2006–07 while playing for Connersville High School. Howard ranked second in the state in blocked shots as a junior. Howard is regarded as the first top-100 recruit in the history of Butler.
newcomer of the year. That year, he was prominent in the 2007–08 Bulldogs
's first round victory in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
over South Alabama
. As a junior, he helped the 2009–10 Bulldogs
make it to the championship game of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
. In February of the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
, Howard was hit by an elbow that caused extensive bleeding on his face. In the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
, he scored a tipin as time expired to give Butler a 60–58 victory over Old Dominion
in their second round game. Then in the third round, he made the winning free throw
with 0.8 seconds left to clinch a 71–70 victory over the number-one seeded Pittsburgh Panthers
. Although Howard made only 5 three point shots in his first three seasons, as a senior he developed an outside shot, making over 40% on over 100 attempts.
He earned Academic All-American selection in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and was named the 2011 Men's Basketball Academic All-America of the Year as well as the 2009 Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year. He was a 2009 All-American honorable mention by the Associated Press. By helping Butler earn consecutive trips to the final four
, Howard earned consecutive Elite 88 Award
s in 2010 and 2011. He was also one of ten finalists for the 2011 men's basketball Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
During the 2010 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament he earned the MVP Award. Then, during the 2011 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament he repeated as MVP and became the first person to become a four-time Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament All-Tournament selection. He won the 2011 Lou Henson Award as the mid-major player of the year. Howard was the 2007–8 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year. He was a second team All-Horizon League selection that year and first team selection the following three seasons. He was a Horizon League All-Defensive Team selection as a sophomore and a senior. He holds the Horizon League records for most free throw
s made and attempted (both league only and all games). He led the Horizon League in field goal percentage
as a sophomore with a 55.0 average.
noted that Howard "looks more like a geeky band-camp RA than a possible NBA first rounder", but added:
He is also known for eccentricities both on and off the court. Howard's teammate Shelvin Mack
told Reilly that Howard had six pairs of new shoes in his locker, but refused to wear them, preferring to stay with what Mack described as "ratty old ones". Howard also habitually rode a rusted-out bicycle to Butler's 6:00 am practices, regardless of the weather; during one 2011 ice storm, the handlebars bent under him while he was riding, causing him to fall onto the ice. He would say about this incident, "I fixed it. Just poured some WD-40 in there and bent them back. It's a little risky to ride, I guess, but I can't see buying a new one." He also has a habit of spoonerism
with people's names; for example, he routinely calls Mack "Melvin Shack".
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player, who currently plays with Olympiacos of Piraeus
Piraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Previously, he played college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
with the Butler Bulldogs
Butler Bulldogs men's basketball
The Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represents Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League, of which it has been a member since 1979...
. He helped lead the 2009–10
2009–10 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented the Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Brad Stevens, serving his 3rd year...
and 2010–11 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team
2010–11 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Butler University in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Brad Stevens, serving his 4th year. The Bulldogs played their home games at the Hinkle Fieldhouse, which has a capacity of approximately 10,000...
s to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
.
He is a 3-time Academic All-American and the 2011 Men's Basketball Academic All-America of the Year as well as the 2009 Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year
Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year
The Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year is a basketball award given to the Horizon League's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1979–80 season—the first year of the conference's existence. Four players have won the award multiple times: Byron Larkin,...
. He was a 2009 All-American
2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
An All-American team is an honorary sports team composed of the best amateur players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not...
honorable mention by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. He was the 2010
2010 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
First round games at campus sites of lower-numbered seedsSecond round, semifinals, and championship were hosted by the #1 Overall Seed, Butler.All times ET.-Honors:Matt Howard of Butler was named the tournament MVP....
and 2011 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
2011 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
First round games at campus sites of lower-numbered seedsSecond round and semifinals hosted by #1 overall seed Championship game hosted by highest remaining seed-Honors:...
MVP as well as a four-time Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
The Horizon League men's basketball tournament is held annually at the end of the men's college basketball regular season. The tournament has been played each year since 1980. The winner of the tournament is designated the Horizon League Tournament Champion and receives the conference's automatic...
All-Tournament selection. He won the 2011 Lou Henson Award
Lou Henson Award
The Lou Henson Award is an award given annually by CollegeInsider.com to the most outstanding mid-major men's college basketball player in NCAA Division I competition. The award, established in 2010, is named for legendary Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lou Henson. Henson, who also coached at...
as well as the 2010 & 2011 Elite 88 Award
Elite 88 Award
The Elite 89 Award or more formally The Elite 89 Academic Recognition Award Program and formerly the Elite 88 Award is an award by the National Collegiate Athletic Association recognizing the student athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average who has reached the competition at the...
s. He is the Horizon League record-holder for career free throw
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...
s made and attempted.
High school
He led the state of Indiana in reboundingRebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...
as a high school senior in 2006–07 while playing for Connersville High School. Howard ranked second in the state in blocked shots as a junior. Howard is regarded as the first top-100 recruit in the history of Butler.
College career
As a freshman, Howard was the Horizon LeagueHorizon League
The Horizon League is a ten school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States....
newcomer of the year. That year, he was prominent in the 2007–08 Bulldogs
2007–08 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team
The 2007–08 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented the Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team in the 2007–08 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Brad Stevens, serving his 1st year...
's first round victory in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball season...
over South Alabama
South Alabama Jaguars men's basketball
The South Alabama Jaguars basketball program has competed in the Sun Belt Conference since 1978 when the league was formed. In their 42 year history, the Jaguars have compiled an overall record of 694-507 . Ronnie Arrow returned as head coach in 2007, succeeding John Pelphrey after the 2006-07 season...
. As a junior, he helped the 2009–10 Bulldogs
2009–10 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented the Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Brad Stevens, serving his 3rd year...
make it to the championship game of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:*March 18 / 20*March 25 / 27*March 26 / 28Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held on April 3 and 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium, hosted by the Horizon League and Butler University, as per the NCAA's...
. In February of the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 8, 2010 with the preliminary games of the 2010 Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic, and ended with the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 4, 2011 at Reliant Stadium in Houston...
, Howard was hit by an elbow that caused extensive bleeding on his face. In the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2011 tournament:First Four*March 15 and 16**University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OhioSecond and third rounds*March 17 and 19**Verizon Center, Washington, D.C....
, he scored a tipin as time expired to give Butler a 60–58 victory over Old Dominion
2010–11 Old Dominion Monarchs basketball team
The 2010–11 Old Dominion Monarchs basketball team represented Old Dominion University during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Monarchs, led by 10th year head coach Blaine Taylor, played their home games at Ted Constant Convocation Center and are members of the Colonial...
in their second round game. Then in the third round, he made the winning free throw
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...
with 0.8 seconds left to clinch a 71–70 victory over the number-one seeded Pittsburgh Panthers
2010–11 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2010-11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their Head Coach was Jamie Dixon, who was in his 8th year as head coach at Pittsburgh and 12th overall at the University...
. Although Howard made only 5 three point shots in his first three seasons, as a senior he developed an outside shot, making over 40% on over 100 attempts.
He earned Academic All-American selection in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and was named the 2011 Men's Basketball Academic All-America of the Year as well as the 2009 Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year. He was a 2009 All-American honorable mention by the Associated Press. By helping Butler earn consecutive trips to the final four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
, Howard earned consecutive Elite 88 Award
Elite 88 Award
The Elite 89 Award or more formally The Elite 89 Academic Recognition Award Program and formerly the Elite 88 Award is an award by the National Collegiate Athletic Association recognizing the student athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average who has reached the competition at the...
s in 2010 and 2011. He was also one of ten finalists for the 2011 men's basketball Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
During the 2010 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament he earned the MVP Award. Then, during the 2011 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament he repeated as MVP and became the first person to become a four-time Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament All-Tournament selection. He won the 2011 Lou Henson Award as the mid-major player of the year. Howard was the 2007–8 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year. He was a second team All-Horizon League selection that year and first team selection the following three seasons. He was a Horizon League All-Defensive Team selection as a sophomore and a senior. He holds the Horizon League records for most free throw
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...
s made and attempted (both league only and all games). He led the Horizon League in field goal percentage
Field goal percentage
Field goal percentage in basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. Its abbreviation is FG%. Three-point field goals are included in this percentage. Instead of using scales of 0 to 100%, the scale .000 to 1.000 is commonly used. A higher field goal percentage denotes...
as a sophomore with a 55.0 average.
Professional career
On July 28, 2011, Howard signed with Olympiacos of the Greek League.Playing style and personality
In a story immediately before the 2011 Final Four, Rick ReillyRick Reilly
Richard "Rick" Paul Reilly is an American sportswriter. Long known for being the "back page" columnist for Sports Illustrated, Reilly moved to ESPN on June 1, 2008 where he is a featured columnist for ESPN.com and wrote the back page column for ESPN the Magazine...
noted that Howard "looks more like a geeky band-camp RA than a possible NBA first rounder", but added:
He is also known for eccentricities both on and off the court. Howard's teammate Shelvin Mack
Shelvin Mack
Shelvin Mack is an American professional basketball point guard with the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association.In 2011, Mack help lead the Butler Bulldogs to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship game...
told Reilly that Howard had six pairs of new shoes in his locker, but refused to wear them, preferring to stay with what Mack described as "ratty old ones". Howard also habitually rode a rusted-out bicycle to Butler's 6:00 am practices, regardless of the weather; during one 2011 ice storm, the handlebars bent under him while he was riding, causing him to fall onto the ice. He would say about this incident, "I fixed it. Just poured some WD-40 in there and bent them back. It's a little risky to ride, I guess, but I can't see buying a new one." He also has a habit of spoonerism
Spoonerism
A spoonerism is an error in speech or deliberate play on words in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched . It is named after the Reverend William Archibald Spooner , Warden of New College, Oxford, who was notoriously prone to this tendency...
with people's names; for example, he routinely calls Mack "Melvin Shack".
External links
- Euroleague.net Profile
- Eurobasket.com Profile
- Howard's College Stats @ ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
- Howard's Official Bio from Butler UniversityButler UniversityButler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...