Sanderson not working with BBall team, still working at UM per MLive
Interesting portions:
...Sanderson...has not worked with the team since a reported dispute with head coach Juwan Howard in early December.
A source told MLive that Sanderson was still employed but had been reassigned within the athletic department, perhaps working with other athletes at the school.
Doug Gnodtke, an executive associate athletic director and the department’s chief of staff...would only confirm that Sanderson was still employed and added that his situation “would be worked out soon.”
The article contains more background that's already been covered here as well as complaints about UM's transparency on this issue, including athletic staff members being told.not to talk to media and UM's glacially slow and painful FOIA responses.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:57 AM ^
A blast from the past.
January 17th, 2024 at 11:57 AM ^
Nothing wrong with telling staff not to talk to the media about this
Shitty FOIA response, on the other hand, is a deliberate attempt to evade compliance with the law and, as Brian has noted often, has been a problem for a long time
In any event this feels like a century ago and I’m happy to keep it back there as long as possible haha
January 17th, 2024 at 2:40 PM ^
Not defending their actions, but this is standard procedure when it comes to FOIA requests. As an attorney who has sent these requests, I cannot recall one single case where the respondent quickly and completely replies. They delay, obfuscate, sometimes don’t comply at all.
January 17th, 2024 at 12:03 PM ^
Juwan Howard failed at U of M. He needs to resign.
January 17th, 2024 at 12:14 PM ^
Agreed but he never should have been hired.
January 17th, 2024 at 12:17 PM ^
And I loved Juwan when he played here -- I will argue with anyone that he was the most consistent and most productive of any of the F5 members during their time here.
January 17th, 2024 at 1:48 PM ^
Who were the better candidates available to us at the time?
January 17th, 2024 at 2:13 PM ^
I named a bunch in 2019 when this whole thing went down - facts are facts - we rushed into a decision and made a mistake. I would have been fine with Yaklich to keep some level of consistency on the defensive side of the ball. Beilein resigned on May 13th - Howard was hired on the 22nd.....I would have liked for it to work out but unfortunately it has not.
January 17th, 2024 at 2:23 PM ^
Yaklich as head coach??? Man this place could mirror Joe vs Joe!!! Man that is &$@:;$ hilarious.
January 17th, 2024 at 2:36 PM ^
Yes - Yaklich - you know, the dude who spearheaded the best defense in all of college basketball during his brief tenure here.....we used to play pretty good defense back in the day.....very similar to Jesse Minter...you know, the guy who many people are hollering for to be the next HC of the football program.
January 17th, 2024 at 2:54 PM ^
Basketball coach Yaklich a defensive coordinator. A head coach over an assistant NBA coach who at least could draw up one offensive play. I won't even contemplate this with you any longer. I'm positive you've never played or coached at any level by your assnine belief that Yaklich would qualify on any level to coach at any college. Let alone The University of Michigan.
January 17th, 2024 at 3:41 PM ^
Draw up one offensive play? Do you hear yourself? Who exactly is drawing up the plays for our end of the game offensive possessions in one score games? You know, the ones where Dug dribbles around for 30 seconds showcasing his amazing dribbling ability before chucking a hook shot halfway thru the paint....those offensive possessions?
The sad thing about this is when Juwan got here, he had a ton of NBA quick hit, gimmicky sets that many on the college level had never seen before but once those have been scouted....by ya know....quality basketball coaches....we became extremely vanilla and plain with zero attempt at running any counters or motion offense, or just even basic shoulder to shoulder pick and roll with a quality lift from a good 3-pointer shooter on the ball side. Ya know simple stuff....but according to you, I never was involved in basketball at any level.....
Let's me and you decide to just keep the Head Coach in place who runs sloppy offensive sets, has awful pick and roll defense with zero connection and does such an amazing job at explaining to the players how to box out and rebound and maybe run some sideline breaks.....but again, according to you, I never played or coached so what do I know....let's just stick with 7-10 and 2-4.
January 17th, 2024 at 3:06 PM ^
You mean this guy? 
January 17th, 2024 at 3:17 PM ^
Yep - quite comfortable saying that guy. I guess would you prefer the guy who has completely butchered the Michigan basketball program that he inherited, particularly the defense, which was considered top-5 in college hoops at the time, coached by.....Luke Yaklich....yep, that guy. Consistency is a thing my man.....I refer you to Rich Rodriguez.
January 17th, 2024 at 10:15 PM ^
he's 42-57in a bad league
January 17th, 2024 at 2:37 PM ^
Facts are facts, you have not named a single candidate that was a better choice when asked.
January 17th, 2024 at 2:42 PM ^
I was actually trying to find it myself - I do recall suggesting Shaka Smart, Chris Beard, Kelvin Sampson, Dana Altman...I may have even tossed Billy Donovan's name in there....ya know...people with actual considerably good head coaching resumes who have done extensive college recruiting.
Beilein resigned on May 13th - Howard hired on May 22nd - we rushed and we failed - it's okay to admit it my man.
January 17th, 2024 at 3:04 PM ^
So you're now doing revisionist lists of what you could've said. Ok. I quit taking you serious when you said,"I would've hired Yaklich as the head coach of the University of Michigan's basketball team. But hey you're the head coaching hiring guru, So, maybe you can take Warde's job after he gets released after the petition from the dedicated posters in here gets submitted.
January 17th, 2024 at 3:21 PM ^
I guess you prefer keeping the guy who butchered the hoops program.....after he inherited it when it was considered a top flight program, which included the defense, arguably the best defense in college basketball....guided by (drum roll) Luke Yaklich,....yep that guy. Consistency is a thing my man but I'll just call you Rich Rodriguez. Keep up the great work with the current hoops program - working out well for you.
January 17th, 2024 at 3:42 PM ^
You're so jaded you lack common sense. Mo Wagners brother was being recruited to the University of Michigan before Juwan gets hired. Who'd you send in to seal the deal? Rich Rod? Juwan Howard(Fab 5 Miami Heat assistant)? Or thee incredible Mr. Invincible, Lukey Boy Yaklich? You're straight out of a comic book!!! Enjoy your day in Lala-land!
January 17th, 2024 at 3:50 PM ^
Huh? Franz had already signed an NLI - Juwan needed to talk to him or risk losing him...that's what a new HC is supposed to do when he takes over a roster and incoming recruits.
I am happy you're happy with 7-10 and 2-4 without asking any questions of the program and its HC aka Fab 5 Miami Heat Assistant....but I lack common sense?
January 17th, 2024 at 3:54 PM ^
You are intellectually equipped enough to answer at least one question, I'll give you that. You said you would've kept Lukey, Boy. Now let's see if you can grasp this. Does your suggestion hold water. If you send in Yaklich do you think Wagner plays basketball at The University of Michigan? Have a blessed day and keep that Yaklich defensive intensity.
January 17th, 2024 at 4:46 PM ^
Repeat after me…..we lost to Penn State……..in basketball
Say it with me again….we….lost…to….Penn State……:in basketball.
But you’re the smart one? Interesting.
January 17th, 2024 at 6:04 PM ^
John Beilein coached team Michigan loses is stunned by lowly Penn State 75-69
Repeat after yourself you're just looking for BULL$&@@ to justify your own BULL$&@"
We can deal with the fact that you're convinced that Juwan has failed. Who cares you're entitled to your opinion. But when you try to convince me that the Penn State loss is,"your" bar then everyone should be immediately fired after a PSU loss. I'm glad that you are convinced please email the BOR and inform them of your recommendation of Mr. Yaklich!!! He at least could coach the team to a win against the lowly Nittany Lions.
January 17th, 2024 at 6:38 PM ^
Yes he did - so you’re going to compare a 30-7 team with a 7-10 team that lost to Long Beach State, McNeese State on top of powerhouses Memphis, Florida, Penn State, Maryland and Minnesota? I really do not want to embarrass you and go back to the previous two years.
You can p*ssyfoot and dance around this all you want but you are lost so please buy a vowel because you are clueless.
January 17th, 2024 at 7:10 PM ^
Po Baby. Field goal posts continuously moving. It's your own bar but you refuse to answer a simple question. Yaklich was not and will never be qualified to head coach anywhere in the BIG10. But it's ok. I don't have to offend you to see that you're so opinionated that it hurts you to accept,"facts!"
January 17th, 2024 at 7:43 PM ^
Dear Stan,
Just curious….is Juwan qualified?
January 17th, 2024 at 7:49 PM ^
Where were you January 6th???
January 17th, 2024 at 7:57 PM ^
But I get off topic? I wish you good fortune in life my man….I really do.
January 17th, 2024 at 7:19 PM ^
If you did go to school any school after high school I pray that you tried at least once to stay on topic, while writing. Because you continue to avoid what you yourself entered into this conversation, Yaklich. I know it's hard for you. I'm not sure how old you are but your comments are HILARIOUS.
January 17th, 2024 at 10:19 PM ^
Thank God we avoided Beard. Michigan would never have hhired Sampson with his baggage. Altman is blah. Smart is in a good place now but was gettingready to be fired at Texas at thre time.
January 17th, 2024 at 12:12 PM ^
Free Sanderson
January 17th, 2024 at 12:17 PM ^
I can't believe we were handed a reason to fire Juwan and chose to lose Sanderson... ugh
January 17th, 2024 at 12:22 PM ^
this is fine, put Sanderson on rowing team duties until Juwan is ousted and bring him back
January 17th, 2024 at 12:17 PM ^
'If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you're the asshole."
With the disclaimer that I don't know anything other than what we all hear on the news, this is definitely becoming a pattern that is affecting his ability to coach the team, and that's not even getting into the on-court lack of execution.
This sucks because I wanted him to work out - we all did - but barring a remarkable 180 this season, what is the case for keeping Juwan as our head coach next year? (Besides being the karmic sacrificial lamb on the altar of CFP championships, in which case, sure give him a lifetime contract)
January 17th, 2024 at 12:59 PM ^
Upvoted for the Raylan Givens quote.
January 17th, 2024 at 12:21 PM ^
What the crap is going on in there? This really is one of those situations where zipping everyone's lips only makes it look worse.
January 17th, 2024 at 12:26 PM ^
I'd be fine if we moved on from Juwan after this year but expect he will get another year for two reasons: (1) the heart issue gives Warde some space to say "hey, this disrupted the team chemistry, plus he did take us to an Elite 8 and Sweet 16" and (2) Fab Five showing up (four actually + Juwan) for the Ohio win is something that many wanted to see. Not sure Warde wants to dump Juwan and alienate that bunch just yet. I realize some of the reason for not having a reunion was the Jalen-Chris rift.
Sooner or later, a change will have to be made. Given the latest "info" (truthful or not, I don't know) about Jim's contract demands for immunity/arbitration panel, I don't expect Warde to get all the blame if he leaves. But I do expect Santa to move on from Warde at the end of the year and bring back Hackett at a temp AD. Jim can clean house in mens' hoops and get one of the coaches from a mid-major (FAU?).
January 17th, 2024 at 4:33 PM ^
I hope we move on from Juwan and hope you are right about Warde.
January 17th, 2024 at 12:26 PM ^
Fire Juwan. It's not working out.
The "Fire Harbaugh" movement of 2020 was based on 1 bad Covid year and not getting over the OSU hump prior - but the team had already gone from abhorrent to good under his leadership. While seemingly fair arguments were made against Jim at the time, the crux of it was basically - "Why aren't we elite" - And then, we were all blessed to have experienced the past 3 years.
Juwan, on the other hand, inherited a relatively healthy program and it's been a downward trend ever since. This isn't a "maybe he can pull a Harbaugh" type scenario where we can use the "be patient" template to extrapolate a potential turnaround. Just too much evidence that this is a tire fire right now.
January 17th, 2024 at 1:52 PM ^
I think people underrate what Juwan had to build when he started.
2019-20: Inherited a team that lost top 3 lead scorers to the NBA Draft, won the battle for Atlantis, jumped from unranked to #4 in the AP Top (only 2nd time it has happened in poll history), Covid ended the season.
2020-21: Lost Xavier Simpson and Jon Teske and both their backups but replaced them with Mike Smith, Chaundee Brown, and Hunter. Won the regular-season Big Ten Championship (first since 2014), received the No. 1 seed, and advanced to the Elite Eight.
2021-22: Lost Mike Smith, Chaundee Brown, Isaiah Livers, Franz Wagner. He added DeVante' Jones and one of the highest ranked recruiting classes in history. The team struggled with all the new parts but advanced to the Sweet 16.
So do we need to move on from Juwan? Probably. But he had to deal with significant turnover and showed results.
January 17th, 2024 at 2:12 PM ^
It's college basketball in the 21st century, pretty much every team has to deal with significant turnover.
January 17th, 2024 at 2:49 PM ^
Significant turnover? Aside from everyone having to deal with the same thing and it's his job to have some foresight and manage a roster, he also pushed out a few players who probably could have helped build on this alleged "shortage" of players you suggest....players who actually went on to have pretty solid careers.
It did not work - we failed in this hire and similar to Hoke's hire and Rich Rod's hire, it was an utter failure in evaluation of professional talent and whether or not it was the right fit.
January 17th, 2024 at 4:30 PM ^
this is laughable. He has singlehandedly ruined michigan basketball to the point that most of you don't even mention john b. anymore. of course, Warde is complicit in this disgraceful evolution of our basketball program
January 17th, 2024 at 12:43 PM ^
Sanderson’s boy is a stud high school player . Would love him in maize and blue
January 17th, 2024 at 12:49 PM ^
We’ve got one team that wins every game, turns who-dat recruits into stars, and has an excellent, unselfish team and staff culture.
We’ve got another team that finds creative new ways to lose every week, has been less than the sum of its parts for a few years now, and has a crap culture with staff nearly coming to blows with each other.
So of course the former is the one where we’ll be conducting a coaching search this offseason…
January 17th, 2024 at 12:50 PM ^
Who cares? Just get some Tae Bo! Maybe Billy Blanks can come coach the team as well?
January 17th, 2024 at 1:37 PM ^
Welp, we lost that trade.
January 17th, 2024 at 2:03 PM ^
Fire Warde
Hire Heather Lyke
pretty simple
January 17th, 2024 at 3:44 PM ^
At this point, doesn't that have to be a strong consideration? It's arguable that the 3 main tasks of an AD are; to hire the right person, avoid scandal and keep the budget balanced. He's made 2 significant hires since he's been here One, Howard, has exhibited rage issues since year one, and is now in the midst of a consecutive non-tournament season. Until proven otherwise, I will believe that his handling of Howard's medical situation has hurt the team. How do you let the "head coach" be an "assistant coach" while the "assistant coach" functions as the "head coach". That arrangement was insane. Warde (in conjunction with doctors and Howard) should have had a target date at which he would return as the "head coach". There was no reason for him to ease himself back into the role while being an "assistant coach". Two, Naurato, was hired after Warde sat on the Pearson report for months. And, then he waited nearly a season to make him the full time coach. And, don't forget the firing of Rosen after he was signed to a 5 year contract. I don't put blame on Warde for the investigations going on with football (for what they amount to). Although, I do think he bears some brunt for lack of oversight (or HR) in the hiring of Schembechler. So, what exactly has he accomplished? No, not getting into a shoving match with stadium security doesn't count.