Warde Manuel on firing Juwan Howard: 'It was the hardest decision I've made in my career'
Juwan Howard represents a ton to the history of the basketball program for the Michigan Wolverines. That made it all the more difficult for Warde Manuel to decide to end his tenure as their head coach.
Manuel explained that choice in an interview this week with The Michigan Insider. With what he knew and got to know about Howard, he felt like it was the toughest choice in his job as an athletic director.
“Well, first of all, it was the hardest decision I’ve made in my career because of what you just said – the amount of respect for him as a person,” said Manuel.
“I’ve gotten to know him very well over the past five years,” Manuel continued. “Obviously was impressed with him as a player and what he had done at Michigan and then in the pros. Him as a person, you know, going back to get his degree because he promised his grandmother he would. So, couldn’t find a better person.”
With that said, Michigan was not where he wanted them to be on the court.
Over Howard’s five seasons, the Wolverines went 87-72 (.547) overall. They did have their successes in the span, including a 23-5 finish in ’20-’21 to win the Big Ten and a pair of second-weekend appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Still, they’d been trending down all the way to one of the worst seasons in school history at 8-24.
After that finish, Manuel had this decision to make in mid-March. He actually hadn’t planned on letting him go either. However, after a discussion, he felt he had to rather than send the program toward more of the same.
“Ultimately, though, I made the choice to make a change because I didn’t like the direction we were headed and I didn’t think it was going to be any different this year,” explained Manuel.
“For me, with the support of the president, I sat down with Juwan to talk about it. I didn’t walk into that room thinking I was going to do it. I knew it was possible. I had that in my mind. I just felt that it wasn’t going to be any different. I felt like, if that was the case, in my mind, let’s not drag this out,” Manuel added. “So, for me, again, it was the hardest decision that I’ve made in my career. Ultimately, sometimes you have to make those hard decisions and you have to live with them.”
With that, Manuel still hopes to see Howard return to a bench somewhere someday. Although it didn’t work out at his alma mater, his resumé could still justify him to some franchise or school.
“I just, I think the world of him and I hope he will get an opportunity in the pros to be a head coach,” Manuel added. “I don’t think one job defines what a person can be. Other opportunities may be better for him to thrive and succeed in a way that is at the highest level.”
“I think Juwan can produce that so I hope he gets that opportunity either in the pros or in college.”
Manuel didn’t want to fire Howard as much as he thought that he had to. He paid him the highest compliment of all, though, in stating he wouldn’t have changed his choice in hiring him in the first place with what he did while back in Ann Arbor.
“I wish him all the best and I appreciate the five years and what he gave back as a head coach.”
“I would do it all over again. I would hire him again, given even what I know now, to lead the program,” said Manuel. “I’m happy to have had him as our head coach for five years.”