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Steve Howes has led Catholic University to four post-season
tournaments, three 20-win seasons, two conference championships and
two NCAA Tournament appearances. And he’s done it all in just
five years. With one of the top players in the Landmark Conference,
a core of talented veterans and a strong recruiting class, he has
the 2009-10 Cardinals poised for another headline-producing
season.
Howes enters his sixth year with a mark of 92-48 and the
school’s second-highest winning percentage (.657). He has the
most victories after five seasons of any Cardinal basketball coach
and is one of only four CUA coaches to lead his team to the NCAA
playoffs. His 92 victories make him the fifth-winningest coach in
CUA’s 99-year basketball history. In a four-round online poll
conducted last year by The Washington Post, Howes was voted the
area’s best men’s basketball coach.
After winning 10 games two years ago in their first season in the
Landmark Conference, the Cardinals improved to 18-10 last season.
The club’s 8-6 league record qualified it for the four-team
conference tournament. After falling in the opening round, the
Cards advanced to the semifinals of the ECAC South Region
Championship.
Howes’ top player, sophomore Jason Banzhaf, led the Landmark
in scoring (20.3 ppg) and was named first-team All-Conference,
first-team All-Middle Atlantic Region (D3hoops.com) and honorable
mention All-American (DIII News). He was also named to the
league’s Winter All-Academic Team for his success on the
court and in the classroom.
Crowning Glory
CUA, the most successful team in Capital Athletic Conference (CAC)
history, punctuated its league affiliation by winning its second
straight CAC championship in 2006-07. The crowning moment for Howes
and the Cardinals came in an 85-75 come-from-behind victory on the
road over Hood College.
The win over top-seeded Hood put the Cards (23-6) into the NCAA
Tournament for the ninth time in 10 years. Howes enjoyed his first
victory in the tournament with a 58-37 triumph at home over Messiah
College. CUA held Messiah to the third-lowest point total in NCAA
Division III tournament history.
Howes led the Cardinals to three straight CAC title games,
compiled an 8-1 league tournament record and won six consecutive
contests in the CAC playoffs.
Helping Players Soar
Howes’ coaching and mentoring helped a bevy of Cardinals
achieve high marks athletically and academically. In 2006-07,
senior Scott Fumai was named first-team All-CAC, and seniors
Patrick Dwyer and Stephen Wheeler notched second-team honors.
Wheeler and Fumai were named to the D3hoops.com All-Region third
team.
At CUA’s Senior Student-Athlete Banquet, Wheeler received
the highest honor for male graduating student-athletes by winning
the Harris Cup in recognition of outstanding achievement in
athletics, academics, leadership and service. Dwyer was honored as
Male Senior Student Athlete of the Year, and Sean Kelly was
presented a Student Athlete Advisory Committee role model
award.
Wheeler, Kelly and Dwyer were named to the National Association of
Basketball Coaches’ (NABC) Honor Court after achieving a
minimum 3.2 grade-point average. Dwyer continued his career on the
professional level by playing the 2007-08 season for the Manchester
(England) Magic.
Nick Olivero, who also played on the Cardinal football team, was
honored as CUA’s Student-Athlete of the Year in 2006-07 and
received the first John J. Convey Award. The latter is given to a
sophomore who has succeeded academically, been active in student
life and has demonstrated leadership potential. Olivero was
selected to the 2007-08 Winter Landmark All-Academic Team.
Advancing to the Postseason
Howes earned his first CAC championship and NCAA Tournament berth
in 2006 with a 79-70 victory over Salisbury University. The Cards
finished 21-7 and were 10-4 in the league. Dwyer was named
first-team All-CAC, while Shane Sowden garnered second-team
Academic All-District 2 honors and received CUA’s Harris
Cup.
Cardinal fans caught a glimpse of Howes’ coaching ability
during his first year (2004-05). CUA finished 20-10 and advanced to
the CAC title game, and Sowden was selected first-team
All-Conference. The Cards accepted a bid to the ECAC South Region
Championship and won their first two contests to advance to the
championship game.
While working under his predecessor, Mike Lonergan, Howes helped
build one of the nation’s top basketball programs.
Building Championship Teams
During Howes’ two tenures (1998-2000, 2001-2004) as a CUA
assistant, the Cardinals amassed a record of 121-26 (.823), won
five CAC regular-season titles and two CAC tournament
championships. The Cards advanced to the NCAA Tournament each year,
twice going to the Sweet Sixteen and once to the Elite Eight. The
2001-02 team went 26-3 to set the school’s season winning
percentage record (.897). Howes has coached 10 players who have
scored more than 1,000 career points.
Howes’ recruiting ability and talent-evaluation skills
helped CUA land many of the top recruits that formed the nucleus of
the Cardinals’ 2001 national championship team. Sophomore
Matt Hilleary was named All-Tournament of the 2001 Final Four and a
second-team All-American in each of his final two seasons. He
played professionally in 2006-07 in Ireland and the following year
in Italy. William Morley, a freshman on the title-winning team,
became CUA’s first first-team All-American in 2003-04.
Grooming Professionals
Howes specializes in shooting instruction and has conducted
individual workouts for many top college and professional players.
Among the athletes he helped develop are Roger Mason (San Antonio
Spurs); Earl Hunt (Brown University); Chris Monroe (George
Washington University); Eddie Lucas, a 1999 second-round draft pick
of the Utah Jazz; and James Gist, whom the Spurs selected in 2008
and played for the Italian team, Angelico Biella, last season.
Monroe plays in Greece, and he and Hunt are their respective
school’s all-time leading scorers.
Howes was Mason’s guest for the start of San Antonio’s
2009 training camp. Mason is in the Spurs’ 10-man rotation.
Washington Wizards Vice President of Basketball Operations Tommy
Sheppard also invited Howes to Washington’s 2009 rookie
camp.
Howes for three seasons (1995-98) was head JV and assistant boys
varsity coach at Good Counsel High School in Wheaton, Md., where he
helped the Falcons achieve a local Top 20 ranking each year. He
coached a host of NCAA Division I players, including Mason
(University of Virginia), Monroe, Hunt, Gist (University of
Maryland), Omari Isreal (Loyola University Maryland) and Gini
Chukura (Maryland).
In addition, Howes worked with two players (Zach Hilton and Chas
Gessner) who played in the NFL. Hilton caught 35 passes for the New
Orleans Saints in 2005 and Gessner earned a Super Bowl ring with
the 2003 New England Patriots.
In 1998, Howes served as an assistant in the prestigious Capital
Classic high school All-Star game, which featured the Indiana
Pacers’ Troy Murphy. Howes was on Lonergan’s staff for
the following two seasons and then returned to Good Counsel before
rejoining the Cards in 2001.
Howes and CUA Athletic Director Mike Allen joined the 2008 NBA
World Champion Boston Celtics when they were honored at the White
House in September 2008 by former President George W. Bush.
Coaching Tree
When Howes became the 20th head basketball coach in CUA history on
July 19, 2004, he stepped into a role that has launched the careers
of many successful coaches. His mentor, Lonergan, is in his fifth
year as head coach at the University of Vermont. Tom Young was an
assistant coach for the Washington Wizards three years ago and won
more than 500 games on the college level. Jack Kvancz is George
Washington’s athletic director and Bob Valvano is an ESPN
broadcaster. The late Jack Bruen led Colgate University to two NCAA
Division I tournaments.
Although he never coached the Cardinals, former CUA standout Jimmy
Patsos followed his successful tenure as a Maryland assistant by
becoming head coach at Division I Loyola University Maryland.
John Becker, one of Howes’ former assistant coaches, is
now an assistant at Vermont. Two of Howes’ former Cardinal
players and a manager are assistant coaches in college: Aaron Kelly
(Bucknell University), Mike Wasilenko (Salisbury [Md.] University)
and Andrew Gunderson (Averett University).
Terry Sullivan, who worked on Howes’ staff last year, is now
a video coordinator intern for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Playing Days
After playing at Frostburg (Md.) State University from 1991-93,
Howes transferred to CUA for his final two seasons. He started 14
games as a junior under Lonergan, including a 12-point, 12-rebound
performance at Gettysburg College. He graduated from The Catholic
University of America in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in
history.
A team captain and Coach’s Award winner at Good Counsel,
Howes played on a team that set the Falcons’ record for most
wins up to that time. He received the school’s Christian
Conduct Award as a junior and graduated in 1991.
Personal
Howes taught religion and history at Good Counsel from 1997 to
2004. He’s active in the NABC and has been a featured speaker
at numerous basketball camps. He hosts a camp at CUA each
summer.
Stephen Todd Howes, 36, is a native of Washington, D.C. His wife,
Melanie, also graduated from Good Counsel and played varsity field
hockey and soccer at Immaculata College. They live in Olney, Md.,
with their son, Michael Patrick, 5, and daughter, Sarah Elizabeth,
1.
