I have to leave the office before any official confirmation
has come out on this. Here’s to hoping
that whatever the hold-up is, it gets resolved soon and Howard can head to Ann
Arbor, find a house and meet with players, recruits and staff.
So, it’s Juwan (well, not yet)! Immediately after Cooley rejected the Michigan
opportunity (I don’t believe there was an offer – THANK GOD FOR SMALL FAVORS - in spite of all the rumors) Warde made
his way down to Miami, conducted an interview with what is apparently one of
the current
NBA’s best defensive assistants and former Michigan Fab Fiver Juwan Howard.
And he returned to Ann Arbor
and penned up an offer.
It could have been worse. The “Cooley Mess” I simply didn’t
understand: This guy’s best
offensive team only ranked in the 100’s in KenPom. Can you imagine a fanbase that has been part
of teams with single digit offensive efficiencies and leading the NCAA in lack
of turnovers getting a guy like Cooley? They
would have wanted his head on a platter after the first 20 Turnover game. Or sooner.
Juwan comes with cache and a
swagger few other coaches could have matched given
what he’s accomplished. With endorsements
from some of the NBA’s greatest, including LeBron, Wade and Webber and Rose
(for obvious reasons), he also got a lot of nods from coaches and other
players in the NBA who claimed they wouldn’t be the player they are today
without Howard’s tutelage.
Juwan also knows Ann Arbor, a
lot like it’s current football coach.
He knows the funny floor spots in Crisler Arena. He can hold up two NCAA National Championship
appearances. And a plethora of other
stuff…
So, is there risk here?
Read This:
Well, do you want than answer
in one word or two? Hell YES
there’s risk here! Juwan has never been a head coach
anywhere. He’s never recruited. And he’s been away from the college game for
over 25 years. Anyone thinking there isn’t
risk is an idiot. Will he be
able to keep the current staff intact?
As I wrote a little earlier, Yak interviewed with Shaka Smart but nothing
has come out of that discussion.
My guess is Yak has fallen in love with Michigan and Ann Arbor and wants
to stay here and continue building what’s a pretty damn good program. I think if Howard can keep at least Yak and 1 of
either Washington or Hayes, than he’ll have already had a small victory
before he watches the first ball tipped in the 2019-20 season. Will Howard be able to retain the current
recruits? Remains to be seen. How will he be on the recruiting trail? My guess is he’ll figure it out. And
how will Howard adjust to being a head coach down from the super-paced and
athleticly deep NBA? I mean, I’ve
been watching the play-offs and the things that Steph Curry can do from
anywhere on the floor just blows my mind.
Can Howard manage a game with way less talent than what’s on a typical
NBA squad? IT all remains to be seen….And,
ALL OF THAT IS RISK!!!!
But it’s not unmanageable risk
and it’s risk that I’m sure Juwan has more than defined for himself. With two sons going through the AAU gamut,
he’s familiar with the recent kids in varying programs and top recruits that
are available. And he was an AAU kid
himself. Not to mention that he’s
got the backing of NBA names behind him. I mean, consider this:
How many guys can walk in and
hold up a tweet of LeBron and D-Wade saying “Juwan’s the MAN!”
But, I have a hunch Juwan won’t do
that. In fact, don’t be at all
surprised if you hear Brian Dutcher’s name getting mentioned by
Juwan as someone that Juwan might call for advice. Once a Michigan Man, always a Michigan Man. And Dutcher will help, of that I’m sure. Dutcher is currently coaching at San Diego
State where he took over for Steve Fisher. And who knows? The 74 year-old “Fish” might even give his
old player a pointer or two in recruiting.
AHEM: So, would you care to rank all
of these worry beads so we know what we should be most concerned with?
Sure. Again, my biggest concern: This fan base is now SO USED TO BEILEIN BALL that as
soon as that one ugly turn-over game happens, were all going to be, “What
happened to the ball control we had under Beilein?” Or worse, Michigan, sort of like this past
season, loses some of its offensive swagger and ability. Gotta get that back. And will Howard be able to manage the college
game?
2. Retaining the coaching staff and some of the
Beilein culture. Say what you
want, I think Beilein’s fingerprints should be embraced and they should
continue on with how Michigan should look and act on and off the court.
3. Recruiting.
Somehow, I feel like this will be the least of our worries if Juwan can
land a really big name. If he can do
that, the others will follow, assuming Michigan is showing an interest.
All in all, this
is probably the best outcome this ordeal could have had. Yeah, Jay Wright would have been the ultimate
catch, but Jay Wright, I’m convinced, isn’t leaving for anywhere
else. He’s going to be at Villanova
until he retires. Think of him as Coach
K for the Wildcats. So, as I said on Monday, I can live with this.
I certainly don’t have the same trepidation
I had when Rich Rod was hired. OR the
simply “Whatever” hire of Brady Hoke.
Nope. Warde did as good as he could do. And that’s all you can do. History will bear out whether it’s a good
decision or not.
Overall, I’m a little bit
excited to see what Howard can do!
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