Juwan Howard fully reinstates Michigan guard Dug McDaniel after serving road game suspension

Dug McDaniel has been reinstated from his academic suspension, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard announced Tuesday. McDaniel has missed the last six road games as he focused on his classwork, and that was the plan when the program announced the suspension last month.

“Dug is making good progress and has done what we’ve asked him to do to this point,” Howard said in a statement, via The Wolverine. “With that being said, he will be rejoining the team on the road. We have appreciated his efforts and those who have been supporting him.”

McDaniel leads Michigan with 16.7 points, 4.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game through 22 appearances this season. Howard announced his suspension Jan. 10, but confirmed the Wolverines’ leading scorer would be available for home games during that time.

Michigan has three games remaining in the regular season, starting with back-to-back road contests against Rutgers and Ohio State. The Wolverines are in the midst of a five-game losing streak, extended by an 84-76 loss to Purdue over the weekend to drop to 8-20 overall and 3-14 in Big Ten play.

Getting Dug McDaniel back for away games will be important for this final stretch, but Michigan will also going the rest of the way without big man Olivier Nkamhoua. He is undergoing surgery for a wrist injury and will miss the remainder of the year as a result.

In 26 appearances after transferring from Tennessee, Nkamhoua averaged 14.8 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting 51% from the field for Michigan. However, his injury proved to be too much to play through, which is why he opted to undergo the operation.

“Decisions like this are never easy,” Nkamhoua said in a statement. “Playing with this injury became taxing and we knew something had to be done. I feel like I wasn’t able to finish what I came here to do; however, the support and love from the coaches, my teammates and everyone involved with this program has been so amazing.

“Coming to Ann Arbor and having the opportunity to play for a coach like Coach Howard has been something I will cherish. I cannot thank Chris (Williams) and his training staff for all he has done for me throughout this season and going forward in my recovery. I am proud to be able to say I was part of this great university. I am proud to be a Michigan Wolverine.”