Breezy non-hostile discussion of Michigan basketball under Juwan Howard
I know there have been a ton of posts about Juwan and Michigan basketball lately. Nearly all of the discussion results in a breakdown of takes that is precisely “fire the bum” or “give him another year.” That is ground trust has been covered.
However, I watched Juwan’s press conference from a while back after Rutgers. If you have not watched it it is worth a view. No, not linking it cuz I’m bad at stuff.
Two things jump out to me. 1 - Juwan is not checked out. He is taking this losing personally and it is not rolling off his back, and 2 - Juwan genuinely feels like there is a lack of true effort from the players themselves in terms of effort and pride.
Juwan also offers a full throated defense of he and his staff regarding results. He persuasively points to BIG championship, Elite 8, Sweet 16, as recent anecdotes to support his system and his methods. I will admit, I was somewhat persuaded.
So, with these ideas above in mind, has the anti-Juwan movement gone too far too fast? Are the first-half performances we are seeing this season indicative of a young team that has pieces that will eventually mold? We lose a couple of key contributors next year, but get a couple young pieces as well and presumably Dug will be eligible. Reed and Tschetter are promising ball players. The portal is there.
Additionally, who is Michigan going to get instead? Who wants this job? Who is going to more successfully recruit for this program? John Beilein ain’t walking through those doors.
So, just to discuss. Why is this team as bad as it is? Is it maybe more of a one-off than we have collectively concluded? What is the direction of the program if we look elsewhere and start over?
Happy Tuesday.
February 20th, 2024 at 2:44 PM ^
We're nearing rock bottom. As things sit right now, Dug will transfer, and next season will be even worse. Perfect time for a new coach because we won't have any players to even worry about transferring due to a Howard firing. Shoot, with a new coach it's possible we could keep Dug and get him straightened out in the class room.
February 20th, 2024 at 2:53 PM ^
Again, I'm not against firing Juwan. I'm just saying that most people here are over-selling the attractiveness of the Michigan basketball coaching job whereby not many (if any) top level candidates would be interested.
February 20th, 2024 at 12:56 PM ^
I place the blame as follows:
50% Howard's suckitude at roster management. Forget the complicating factors, this is the chief responsibility of a modern college basketball coach.
25% player effort, especially on defense. You have to show some pride at this level.
15% in game strategy. All the close losses and second half scoring droughts speak for themselves
10% dead weight assistant coaches who are just cashing a paycheck apparently
February 20th, 2024 at 1:02 PM ^
Who wants the job? Trust me plenty of good coaches would come to Michigan
it's Michigan for gods sake
February 20th, 2024 at 1:14 PM ^
Life is hard but not last-in-the-Big-Ten hard.
February 20th, 2024 at 1:31 PM ^
Michigan needs pg and or an offense who can get some assists ! Not sure wtf we even ru no g out there . I will see more action coaching varsity hoops tonight in first 4 minutes than what we do . No screen the screener , back doors , Coming off double stagger screens , lobs , and finally use a damn screen properly .
February 20th, 2024 at 1:34 PM ^
He let his son Jett play thru obvious defensive lack of effort all last season & apparently only now does the team have a problem with effort? He needs to go. I've stopped watching games, not following hoops at all. And I've been a lifelong fan of UM basketball.
Juwan cannot take criticism without becoming angry/unstable emotionally. His rigid coaching style has become stale & his words are meaningless to the team. The only change if TSJ & Love were on the roster is we'd score more points. Defense would still be atrocious.
February 20th, 2024 at 1:35 PM ^
The one critique of Howard that I don't find persuasive is that all the early success was due to Beilein's players. Yes the 2020-21 team had Livers and Brooks, but it also featured Dickinson, Wagner, Brown and Smith (none of whom were coached by Beilein).
That doesn't explain or justify this year's failures, but again I just don't think that you get to the elite 8 without having some coaching ability.
February 20th, 2024 at 2:49 PM ^
Leadership was in place. Biggest thing
February 20th, 2024 at 1:36 PM ^
I keep hearing Phil give Sadi props for what he does for out defense every week when Sam talks to him . I don’t get it . I see no arguments out there and Sadi clearly doesn’t use anything he learned from Luke . He has done a terrible job
February 20th, 2024 at 2:50 PM ^
Saddi has been really bad
February 20th, 2024 at 3:31 PM ^
I'll step up in defense of Saddi & the other assistants. Do you ever see Juwan pass off duties in timeouts or step away from the player huddle, hand off to his assistants? Do you ever see Juwan walk over to the bench, sit down & have conversations with his assistants? The answer is "no". This is probably my biggest reason that Juwan has reached the end of the line, he simply does not use his assistants like other college coaches to receive feedback & consultation during the game. He is completely isolated from them during games.
February 20th, 2024 at 2:09 PM ^
Love Juwan for what he has done for, and given to, Michigan, even remember meeting him in Ross (before it was Ross) in 1994-95. But... he has to go.
Juwan remaining Michigan's basketball coach is not in the best interest of the university.
February 20th, 2024 at 2:33 PM ^
After supported Harbaugh unconditionally until the 2-4 season, I said, albeit painfully, he had to go. This is probably the only thing I can say Warde got right. That aside, insofar as Juwan, if there were cause for optimism I would agree w/many that say let's see what happens next year. But so far we cannot jump up and down w/joy about the recruits coming in, nor can we realistically say "oh, he'll get good players in the portal" given the dictates from Admissions. One thing that has not been given much attention is whether he "still has the locker room." If he doesn't that signs the deal for me.
February 20th, 2024 at 2:39 PM ^
I can't talk UM basketball without getting hostile. I'll just sit in the corner and wait for the talking down I need.
/don't get me started on hockey.
February 20th, 2024 at 3:10 PM ^
I think the most tiring part of the discourse is the idea that the major things currently wrong with the program aren't Juwan's fault
Can't get top level transfer talent? Darn you M admissions!
Players are undisciplined and listless? Juwan can't force his guys to care!
Starting point guard doesn't go to class? What's he supposed to do, hold his hand on the way to class?
Maybe if you could make a case for any one of these things not being his fault, but taken together they present a coach who is way out of his depth and has no business managing a basketball program. I have no faith that he can course-correct and make M a tournament team again.
February 20th, 2024 at 3:13 PM ^
I wonder if Warde is going to ask Juwan to take a pay cut?
February 20th, 2024 at 4:13 PM ^
Juwan’s slap of the Wisconsin assistant, the Mark Turgeon episode, and Sanderson’s face off has allowed opposition coaches to use these matters in recruiting. The adverse impact of these negative events cannot be overlooked as long as he is coaching hoops in Ann Arbor.
He also publicly discussed a drinking problem when he played in DC. This can be found on the web. Is he in recovery? Does he address this?
The surgery he went through was very serious as well. I’m surprised he wasn’t on medical LOA for the season.
You don’t eff around with the aorta.
February 20th, 2024 at 8:54 PM ^
Well perhaps it was the pay cut that really lit the proverbial fire...
February 20th, 2024 at 5:14 PM ^
"John Beilein ain't walking through those doors". Okay? We didnt exactly know John Beilein would take us to two national title games when we hired him. Unless you're hiring a coach that's already been to final fours at another school every hire is a taking a chance.
February 20th, 2024 at 6:29 PM ^
There is no question that Juwan has a strong passion for UM and the bball program. That aside, the problem is that the situation they now face (bad culture, poor roster construction, absence of discipline/fundamentals, complete disengagement of the fanbase) is squarely a result of his (and his staffs) efforts, much like Matt Doherty with UNC back in the day (we know how that one eventually ended up). I'm sure that he wants to roll up his sleeves and find solutions, most people would. However, I am nearly certain at this point that he is not the right man for the job to figure out those solutions, because I don't think any of his "solutions" are going to work. The program is currently lifeless and a new voice/leader needs to be brought in to facilitate a complete overhaul, similar to when Beilein replaced Amaker. Doesn't to have to be a "big name" coach, but it does need to be someone with experience coaching in COLLEGE and that understands how to build a proper roster core through recruiting (supplemented with transfers, not as the main pieces) and development. I, like many here, really wanted this to work and was so hopeful after the first two years, but this is not working and we need to move on (but I fear that Warde is going to do the lazy thing and try to ride it out while hoping for the best)
February 20th, 2024 at 6:56 PM ^
This is the reason that his hire was a poor decision. Juwan did not have the resume of someone that should be coaching a Michigan team. The only reason he got the job was because of his Michigan ties and Warde's failure to do a proper coaching search. Admittedly, this was due to the timing of Beilein's departure, but does not exclude Warde from criticism. As many have stated, Warde always seems to take the "easy" path. So now we have a fanbase that is very critical of a former beloved player and there will be a sad departure if not this year, then next year for Howard. This could have been avoided.
February 20th, 2024 at 8:33 PM ^
Look at the last time Michigan was last place in the league. That's all you need to know. Get him the hell out of here. Not watching this garbage product in the meantime.
February 20th, 2024 at 9:11 PM ^
Will happily pick Juwan’s beer tab in AA but as a coach he’s got to go. It’s beyond justification now.
February 20th, 2024 at 9:49 PM ^
The arrow just keeps pointing further down every season. It’s a trend, not a blip. Add in weird shit like hitting an opposing coach and whatever the hell happened with Sanderson, and here we are, just circling the drain.
February 21st, 2024 at 12:04 AM ^
you yags always want to fire the coach. hey. how about fire UM admissions?? all those people they turned away are thriving... and ncaa influence that some aren't amateurs? (yes i had to google spelling-hmm not sure i got it right. well i'm an ingenruire....). nobody is amateur anymore and your role is in the past. for good reason. i've been on teams. youre super good guy makes a difference. we lost multiple to f UM admissions. yeah, they are not coming here to play school. etc. retain Juwan Howard. his players love him, he has demonstrated success. fire UM admissions. or... get used to this. smile. philthy phil (my rugby name). at least football figured out how to not be so predictable or... thrive being so. which i thought was not possible... bsee engr 1981. ps fu david brandon.
February 21st, 2024 at 7:12 AM ^
We're not going to fire our admissions people because the men's basketball program - which recently was thriving, mind you - is now in last place.
If our coach can't function within the parameters of admissions, we need to find one who can.
February 21st, 2024 at 5:56 AM ^
Michigan is cheap, cheap, cheap.
I mean Houston, Diabate, Dickinson, Howard and Kobe...Michigan said they'd use NIL to retain yet not 1 of these guys was offered a penny...just ask Dickinson. Mix that with the transfer hurdles and its pretty clear Michigan isn't serious about winning so why change?
At the end of the day Michigan will 100% bring Juwan back for 1 reason and 1 reason only because they're cheap, cheap, cheap.
Juwan has a 3 mill buyout, sorry.
February 21st, 2024 at 8:28 AM ^
"John Beilein ain’t walking through those doors." is a lazy take. There are plenty of coaches who could com in and run things the way we need them run to be successful. Once you lose a team, as a head coach, there is no getting them back. Irreversible damage, the damage is done so it's time to move on and find the next John Beilein.
February 21st, 2024 at 8:42 AM ^
Last year’s coaching performance is a bigger indictment of Howard’s capabilities.
Dickinson is a Wooden award finalist now, and has a legitimate chance to win it.
Bufkin and Jett were both first round picks.
In retrospect, Juwan had three of the top 25 players in the country on the roster last year. He didn’t even make the tournament. With that talent, you should be a 1-seed.
February 21st, 2024 at 8:52 AM ^
The Hoops program is totally dead on and off the floor. Juwan wasn’t alone in killing it, but he bears the majority of the blame.
I don’t trust Warde at all to do what is necessary to bring it back to life and I fear another decade in the wilderness like the pre-Beilein era.
February 21st, 2024 at 9:25 AM ^
"The portal is there"
That's what should worry us