University of Tennessee Athletics
Howell???s Choice Helped Himself, Vols
February 20, 2008 | Men's Basketball
By Justin Young
One of the toughest decisions in a young man???s life is deciding where to go to college and spend the next four years of his life. Staying home or going away to school is not an easy decision to make. It is even tougher when you are a basketball player living in a state where your father, uncle and brother all played basketball at a home-state school.
That was exactly the predicament that senior guard Jordan Howell faced after high school. The 6-foot-3, Auburn, Ala., native grew up hearing all about his family members putting on the orange and blue for Auburn University. When it came down to making a decision, Howell???s journeys led him to orange of a different shade. He chose the orange and white of the Tennessee Volunteers.
???I wanted to do something different,??? Howell said. ???I grew up a ball boy for Auburn, going to every game, but I wanted to make a name for myself. My brother was playing for Auburn when I was looking to go to school somewhere, and we used to fight all the time. It was a sibling rivalry, and I knew it would be a bad idea to go to the same college as him. I picked the best place for me at the time, and I am happy about it.???
Howell has been a steady contributor to the Volunteer basketball team during his final season. He has increased his scoring output and surpassed his assist total from the 2006-07 season, but offense is not the only thing he brings to the table.
???With all he does, making shots, he is an underappreciated defender,??? head coach Bruce Pearl said. ???He is an excellent defender; he moves his feet and keeps his guy in front of him. A lot of times he gets matched up against one of the opponent???s top guards and he does a great job.???
With that said, Howell???s on-court leadership might be his most valuable contribution to this Tennessee squad. He is capable of a hitting a big three, pulling down a key rebound or calmly sinking a couple of free throws. All along, his demeanor never changes.
???We are an emotional team, and I try to get everybody settled,??? Howell said. ???I try to be a leader by being calm and getting everybody in the right position. It is great having the emotional leaders that we do, but I feel like when I am out there, I have to be a calming influence. When teams make a run at us, I look over at coach and try to calm everything down. That???s what I feel like I can do for our team.???
