Rumor: Olivier Nkamhoua eliminates UM
Apparently down to WVU/Baylor and NIL was the difference per antwright twitter space
I've tried to stay positive but man.....we're in a really bleak place. It wouldn't shock me at all if Coach Howard moves on. What a nightmare.
Yeah, the university really let him down. man, i dont know what you guys are watching. There are teams with 1/10th the talent of Michigan doing a ton more with it. a senior year big man center who averages nearly 20-10... plus 2 1st round (potentially) picks and you cant make the NCAA tourney?
I think both can be true.
You are right, the last two teams have underachieved relative to their talent (at least NBA draft evaluation talent). Most of that seems related to roster composition and likely the negative influence of his kid on the team.
It's also true that the University seems to have directly cost him at least two impact players due to transfer policies. Would they have been better last year with Terrance Shannon? Seems very likely. But if Jett was still allowed to play the role he played, they probably wouldn't have been that much better.
I would not be surprised if 2023-24 is Howard's last year with Jace being done and the ceiling that the University seems to be putting on his roster. May be his choice, may be Manuel's choice.
I agree - no problem is ever entirely on one person... there are always things that lead up to it. But, ultimately, I don't see how its not part of his job to figure it out and proactively get ahead of this stuff. 4-5 years in, he should know how/if/when/where Caleb Love is possible or not. Its a PR black eye, even if its been happening for years.
But, when I hear that we have someone visit and they feel our NIL falls short, then its on him to make up the difference - what we're hearing is that we cannot do that. Our history, the block M, the fab five, the whatever.. none of it is enough to make up for cold hard cash with SOME kids.
I don't think losing this guy is the issue. The issue is more broadly ---- how is this roster composed, and who is coaching it up to be the best version of itself. Each year, I see both areas failing more and more.
I expected some fall off from the Beilein years in terms of the attention to detail, no turnovers, improved defense, no fouls, crisp ball movement. But I also expected a jump in athleticism and talent that would make up for it, and possibly get us over the hump.
If we're now saying that Juwan can't bring in the elite talent to make up for the coaching deficiencies then... time for a change right?
Manuel doesn’t choose, he does…as little as possible #peterprinciple
Sound the old bit siren.
I think Juwan was exposed a bit last year as losing that many close games suggests a lack of coaching/system prowess. TBF, though, nobody thought he was showing up with a Beilein type coaching acumen of 20+ years. Many felt it would be his ability to recruit more elite talent and grow into the job that would keep UM basketball rolling. Many elite players were looking at UM and went another direction, for whatever reason.
I think it’s fair to put blame both on the admin/university and head coach when things start to snowball this way.
He lost close games because the PG was a freshman and there was no one on the court who could handle the ball, run the offense, and had college experience. That's why the end of games devolved into chaos.
Kobe Bufkin was 70%+ at the rim.
Remember all those late game drives he took to the rim (no matter the result the outcome had to be our best option)?
Coach had a NBA first rounder with elite finishing skills and had no idea how to take efficient shots late.
That is on him.
The window is closing on upgrading this roster. This is Amaker level with nobody except for maybe a Daniel Horton (Dug) that can shoot. Yikes.
BTW I absolutely love Coach Howard. I think he is in the Brady Hoke 7-5 season heading toward 5-7. I hate it but its a roster thing now and the time has passed for this season.
No. Losing that many close games "suggests" losing 5 starters from the year before and having your starting pg go down with an injury in Dec. You all are delusional. On one hand you say Howard can't coach but you've become so instantly used to his success that you EXPECT to go to the sweet sixteen every year even with a team of freshman. It's exhausting.
And stop acting like Belien didn't have bad years... plenty of them...throughout his time here.
Having a son who half assed playing D, seemed to affect everything. We played quite well without Jett in the lineup, and I think k we would have made the tourney without him.
Yup. We were way better without Jett. Having the coach's son on a team is usually a disaster, especially in B-ball. Sadly, it looks like the team will continue to deteriorate and Warde, being Warde, will do nothing until he is forced. Or maybe Juwan just moves on. He doesn't need the money after all.
I whole heartedly agree. We looked more in rhythm without daddy’s boy!
You're right even if no one here wants to admit it.
Right, and everyone is aware that Michigan is trying coupon shop players so no coach will come.
This is only going to get worse before it gets better.
What is Santa doing? The hell with it bring on football.
If he can't win here, if his hands are too tied, I think that he should quit. Why have your rep savaged when you can't match better-paying universities? I've watched people's enthusiasm for NIL yoyo here while taking a very dim view. But. . . why helm shitty teams? These are bad looks for Michigan, not Juwan; but the average fan won't know that.
Whaa????? We were in the sweet 16 year before last. LOL Coach Howard has the most conference wins of any coach in the time he's been here. The MOST. Has put multiple players in the league every year he's been here. Was national coach of the year. LOL
What shitty teams are you talking about?
Tom's available.... and someone said he has ties to Michigan, through marriage.
If this losing of players is most of the time NIL issues, maybe it's because those with NIL money don't want to open their purse with Howard, and his track record, as head coach?
This basketball program is a mess. I don't blame Howard for all of it, but I put about 75% of it on him.
Wtf you want him to do? Pay the players himself?
No. he could avoid having temper tantrums and coach his players up. maybe not to a national title, but at least to the NCAA tourney. I don't think NIL has anything to do with the trajectory of what this coaching staff has produced in 3 (and soon to be 4) consecutive declining years.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. yeah. whatever.
Another ignorant comment but what would you expect from A Musk guy. People on here don't know much about basketball and sure show their ignorance.
What does Musk have to do with it? Weird.
Tesla is in his name handle. The biggest piece of crap cars every made.
A number of GM/Ford/Chrysler vehicles would like a word with you, sir.
Insightful detail!
Inciteful too!
No but he could, you know, actually make an impact coaching the players.
Are you serious about coaching up players and making them better? GTFOH. Wagner made a big jump, Bufkin made a big jump, and every year since Howard has been here we have had what 2 players drafted. We have had the most drafted players in the Big10 since JH has been here. He makes his players better and all the blame on him for the roster isn't all his fault. People leaving before they are ready, others transferring and others just leave be ause of competition.
you feel like this roster exudes a high level of competition? Guys are leaving because its... too competitive? Cheddrz, llewelyn, terrance williams, ?..
Somehow the football program is managing to make it work. I can’t imagine the protocols for football and basketball are that much different. Harbaugh has also said that they have prioritized rewarding the guys who have come to UM and performed, not buying highschool recruits that aren’t even on campus yet. This seems like a pretty good balance of NIL and trying to run a legitimate program. Howard’s problem is his lack of success. It’s simply not an attractive program to play for right now and we don’t have enough NIL to overcome all of the negativity. I have no idea what Howard’s approach is, but a lack of success with talented rosters, embarrassing losses, and some image issues haven’t helped. We haven’t been a legit “blue blood basketball school” since he played here. Players still want to win, that still matters.
Thanks to the differences in the NFL & NBA draft requirements, Harbaugh's model for NIL works in football. It means nothing in basketball. Top basketball talent expects to be in the NBA after one year.
Michigan got three years of Hunter Dickinson because he received low draft grades and Michigan had an adequate NIL program. Michigan didn't get four years of Hunter Dickinson because they apparently lack an elite NIL program.
His roster management could have been better. Going into this past season with three scholarship guards was not ideal, nor was recruiting a bunch of project players at the 4.
And how did you come to "about 75%"?
In game coaching and team structure fall completely on him. Which imo is 75%. Nil is not his fault but plenty of other teams made the tournament last year without a top 5 nil deals
So the players he want can't get into school or the NIL money isn't there but team structure is all his fault? How does that make sense?
How do Duke and North Carolina get their kids into school?
Beilein knew what he was doing jumping ship when he did. NCAA basketball is rough right now.
The tournament is still a lot of fun, but yeah a lot of the rest of it sucks right now. It's just uncontrolled free agency it seems. For whatever reason basketball seems to be adopting to this era in a significantly worse way than football or hockey are. Just constant roster churn
The tournament IS fun. But a lot of in-season games are outright ass. The quality of the 'product' is often just quite poor, in part because it takes time to MAKE a team. We've seen how very young college squads play miserable defense, and actually connecting with the players and their stories. . . . whatever. I can't do the NBA in-season, but you turn on a game like Miami and Denver the other night, and the difference in quality of play is absurd.
St. Peters would like a word with you.
Everything is fine.
I'm starting to think you and Tesla are the same person.
Sir, I would be honored
For those of you like me who don't know who this is, he's a Univ of Tennessee transfer power forward. He is the #36 transfer per On3 and #57 to 247.
Dang, the way people were carrying on about this I assumed he a the #1 overall recruit.