Howard succeeded on court at all levels

For Steve Howard, basketball was always more than just a game. If he was on a court, with a ball in his hands and a rim over his head, nothing else seemed to matter. If he could run, jump and shoot, he'd be OK.

Howard survived a turbulent youth, in part, because he sought refuge in basketball, and was able to find it.

"It became like my family," Howard said last week, recalling his career.

And what a career it was.

Howard, a two-time Times All-North selection, spent three seasons on the Watertown High School varsity team, finishing second on the Cyclones' all-time scoring list with 1,230 points.

There were rough patches throughout: spats with coaches, teammates and opponents, struggles to understand his place in the world as the product of a marriage that fell apart.

He survived, thanks in no small part, to the sport he simply adored.

After graduating from WHS in 1996, Howard played two seasons at Jefferson Community College, years split by a failed venture to fit in at the NAIA level with Southern California College. At JCC, the scoring continued. Among his accomplishments with the Cannoneers: school records for most points in a single game (51) and a career (1,566).

Howard, a 6-3 guard, and the Cannoneers even advanced to the NJCAA national championship game in 1997. He scored 32 points in a 79-75 loss to Eastfield College of Texas.

In both seasons at JCC, Howard was a first-team pick for the All-Mid-State Athletic Conference and All-Region 3 teams. He was the Mid-State player of the year each season, and as a senior, he was the MVP of Region 3 and a first-team NJCAA Division III All-American, averaging 28.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.

He wasn't done. Next came two seasons in NCAA Division I, where he played for St. Francis College. His overall point total at St. Francis: 1,081. He helped the Terriers win their first Northeast Conference regular-season crown and made the All-NEC team twice.

"Steve came in as a project and left as one of the best players in school history," then-St. Francis coach Ron Ganulin told the Times in 2001. "That's all you need to know about him. He played as hard as any kid I've ever coached and really adapted to the Division I level well."

Howard left St. Francis with a bachelor's degree in liberal arts and moved on to play professionally in Ireland, Iceland, Italy and Cyprus.

Howard's Icelandic team, Skallagrimur-Borgarnes, won the Division I Pro League title in 2004. He finished with 30 points in a 122-87 win over Fjolnir in the championship game.

Now 31, Howard is single, lives in Folly Beach, S.C., and works as a substitute teacher.

To read about previous selections to the Times' list of The North Country's Greatest 100 Athletes of All Time, log on to www.watertowndailytimes.com.