Michigan basketball: Juwan Howard on teaching moments, DeVante’ Jones

Michigan basketball has dropped two of its last three games, including a disappointing 80-62 loss to Arizona in which the Wolverine’s weren’t competitive for the last 25 minutes. Head coach Juwan Howard isn’t concerned about his team; rather, anxious to help them improve and get back on track. 

Every game, won or lost, has its teachable moments, Howard said Tuesday, and there were plenty in Sunday’s setback.  

“Looking at a recap of the first half compared to the second half … both halves we didn’t play well,” Howard said. “We started out with a good start, shared with them about how at the beginning of the game we had a good flow, played hard, got into our offensive sets. Defensively, we were solid.”

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Michigan trailed 23-21 when the ‘switch went off,’ the Wildcats going on a run to pull away. Too much of what they did offensively came too easily — they had 18 dunks in the game — and it affected the offense. 

“When teams make runs like that, we’ve got to be able to reel ourselves back in,” Howard said. “That’s where we did not do a good job. When we got frustrated, there were times we felt like we didn’t want to get coached — not all the guys, but a few. 

“We also allowed their defense to speed us up so offensively. When we ran our offensive sets, two or three guys didn’t know what spots they were in because they didn’t know the play. That’s where the disconnect started, and from there we could never gain it back.”

Guys not wanting to be coached didn’t mean they were uncoachable, Howard clarified. 

“I don’t have a concern about it. It’s just a part of learning, and when you hit a little adversity in games … guys tried extremely hard to do everything right and make sure they played mistake free basketball,” he continued. “But when mistakes happen, you’ve got to be ready to accept some of of the coaching, especially when frustration sets in. And that’s a part of growing. 

“I trust … every kid on our team has high character. Every kid on our team cares about each other; cares about the team, cares about the coaches and loves being around one another. That’s a part of growth.”

“… I don’t feel it will be a problem, nor will it ever be a problem.”

But there’s plenty of room for improvement in that area and others, especially in the backcourt. Michigan point guard DeVante’ Jones is averaging 4.6 assists per game but also 2.2 turnovers, and he’s been in foul trouble in a number of games already. 

He’s also been hesitant to shoot the ball. A guy who hunted shots at Coastal Carolina and shooting 42.9 percent from long range this year has only taken seven triples at Michigan in five games, making three.

Some of his fouls have been silly fouls, including one near the end of the Seton Hall game. Others have just been bad luck, Howard noted. But there’s only so much he and his staff can do to coach it out of him.  

“That’s something he also has to learn, not just the coaches,” Howard said. “DeVante’ is a smart player. You still want him to be aggressive, but he’s got to be smart aggressive without getting himself in foul trouble. 

“As a player, being a former player, you’ve got to figure that out. Sometimes the coaches are not going to be the ones to help you figure it out for you. You’ve got to have a feel for the game and understanding for how the game is being called — the flow of the game and the situations where you can be overly aggressive. He’ll learn that.”

So, too, will Michigan freshman Caleb Houstan. The shooting guard is a known as a great shooter, but he’s shooting only 31 percent from the floor, 23.1 from long range. 

“Shooters shoot. Keep shooting it,” Howard said with a laugh when asked what he tells him. “That’s how you get out of a shooting slump. Keep shooting it. Keep letting it fly.”

He’s confident it will get better, just as he’s confident his team will improve. Michigan has been battle tested in the early going having played four good teams, and now returns home to face Tarleton State Wednesday. 

“It’s good that we played these teams early, because that’s going to prepare us for the rest of the season,” Howard said.