Springfield Catholic’s Zach Howell finally finds college home in UW-Milwaukee
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (BVM) – As rewarding as it is for a high school athlete to make a college commitment, the recruiting process to get them there is not always easy. For Zach Howell, it certainly wasn’t at first.
“It was really difficult if I’m being honest,” Howell said. “I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. I thought I would’ve been committed a year ago probably, but with guys getting their Covid year back and the transfer portal being how it is, I think it’s the hardest time in the history of college basketball to get recruited.”
Howell had been talking to some lower-level schools, and at one point was having discussions with Texas Tech, yet nothing was seeming to work out. About two weeks ago, Howell was on a visit to Northwest Missouri State. But while there, he received a text from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee expressing interest in the 6-foot-5 guard.
“The assistant called me, I talked to him and they wanted me to go up,” Howell said. “We ended up driving up the next day.”
With his options still wide open, Howell finally found his fit at Milwaukee. Impressed by the coaching staff and facilities the Panthers had to offer, the Springfield Catholic basketball standout decided to commit right then and there.
“It just felt like the right fit with the coach, the facilities and with how crazy it is,” Howell added. “I pretty much just committed on the spot and it felt really good to get it done … Sometimes you can just feel if it’s the right fit. Coach [Bart] Lundy has a really good vision for the program.”
Howell now has a chance to lead the turnaround of the Panthers’ program after a tough season in 2021-22. If his college career goes anything like his time in high school, Howell may just be one of the biggest steals in the 2022 recruiting class.
Growing up, Howell was a multi-sport athlete whose first true love was baseball. However, as he continued to put in work on the hardwood, Howell realized basketball may be the sport he has the brightest future in.
Developing a lethal jump shot and becoming a strong rebounder, Howell’s game took off after joining Yanders Law coached by Rob Yanders.
“I started working out with him [Yanders] and playing for his team, Yanders Law, in third grade,” Howell said. “He’s been with me the whole way and I attribute a lot of my success back to him. He’s worked with me pretty much every step of the way. He’s pushed me and part of my work ethic stems from him.
“As far as skill development goes, he’s pretty much the best in the country. He could get an NBA job tomorrow if he wanted to. But he focuses on giving back to kids and is a great figure in this community … He’s going to push us to be our best everyday no matter what it takes.”
Playing under Yanders, Howell was more than ready to hit the floor at Springfield Catholic High School. As a freshman, he played a bit sparingly, but still averaged a solid seven points per game.
However, Howell’s emergence began the following season as he averaged nearly 19 points per contest for the Fightin’ Irish.
“I think the hardest thing for me to adjust to as a freshman was the playing time,” Howell said. “I had always been someone who played pretty much the whole game growing up. I knew I was good enough to play at that level, but we just had a team that was set in stone before me … In my sophomore year, I was getting a lot more shots and playing the whole game. I think that I went from really just a shooting role to being a more complete player.”
Despite the strong year, Howell was still learning the ins and outs of the high school game, and claims he still had a lot to work on throughout the offseason. Putting in time and effort once again, Howell made a big leap in his junior season, becoming a Class 5 all-state player while averaging 26 points a game.
“I think I made a lot of changes to my body in between my sophomore and junior years, I got a lot more athletic,” Howell said. “Junior year, I didn’t really get the attention I got my senior year as far as defenses go.”
Although the Fightin’ Irish would lose in the district finals in 2021, the stage was set for one last special ride in Howell’s senior season. Despite garnering more of that defensive attention throughout the year, the 6-foot-5 standout still averaged 24 points and 6.6 rebounds, scoring an impressive 769 points in the season.
The senior produced multiple 30-plus point games, highlighted by a 41-point outing late in the year against McDonald County. This time, Howell’s season performance was good enough to lead Springfield Catholic to the state semifinals.
Once there, the Fightin’ Irish unfortunately suffered a tough three-point loss to Jeff City Helias in a game where Howell scored 25. But getting as far as they did, and having a chance to experience a state finals atmosphere, was a good way to go out for Howell and the rest of his senior class.
“We all knew how it felt to get knocked out and we prepared,” Howell said. “Once the season started, it flew by … That Helias game, I just didn’t think we played very good. It just happens sometimes in basketball, that’s one we wish we could’ve had back because we could’ve competed for a state championship. But looking back, we had a great season.”
Howell credits fellow Springfield Catholic star Ty Lyon among many other teammates for the Fightin’ Irish’s success in 2022, and has made bonds with his now former teammates that will last for life.
Also long lasting is Howell’s legacy at Springfield Catholic. The guard finished his career as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,186 points, racking up nearly 300 3-pointers and almost 500 free throws in his high school career.
“I think I’ve shown that really good players can come out of Catholic,” Howell said. “We’re a smaller school and not really necessarily known for basketball besides the past couple of years.
“Before my freshman year, the previous scoring record was 1,736, and I remember putting it in my phone and seeing what you’d have to average a game over four years to beat it. When I beat it against Marshfield at home, that was a pretty cool moment for me. To extend it to 2,000, that also felt really good. I wouldn’t be able to do it without my teammates, they screen for me, get me open and are always working for me. It’s just as much of a group award as it is an individual award.”
In addition, Howell was also named the Springfield News-Leader’s player of the year and earned MSHSAA Class 5 district player of the year honors after his senior season.
Now, it is on to the next step for Howell. Although UW-Milwaukee may not be the most glamorous spot to play coming off a 10-22 season, there is reason for optimism after Lundy was hired in mid-March
“Coach Lundy, besides his great resume as a coach, he’s a great guy and someone you can really rally behind,” Howell mentioned. “When I was talking to him, he said, ‘Right now, we really don’t have a guy that’s like you, that shoots it at the clip that you do.’ I have a chance to earn a spot if I really work hard and that was one of the main things I wanted when I was looking for a college.”
Howell will very likely be a fixture of Panthers’ teams to come over the next few years. He is committed to playing out his entire college career at UW-Milwaukee, and just as he did at Springfield Catholic, he plans to turn the program around and bring newfound success.
“One of my main goals even before I got to Milwaukee is I want to be able to play in the tournament and make a deep tournament run,” Howell said. “I’ve always dreamed of doing that. I think as I get older in this program, I can lead. I think with how crazy everything is right now in regards to the portal and really not staying in one place too often, I know I’ll be at UW-Milwaukee for my whole career. It feels right with Coach and I know it’s the place for me.”
