Michigan fires basketball coach Juwan Howard
As expected, the Juwan Howard era at Michigan is over, 5 years after it began. Howard was let go Friday after a 66-57 loss to Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament and following a historically bad basketball season in which the Wolverines finished 8-24 overall, 3-17 in the conference in the regular season. Michigan is dead last by several games and finishes at the bottom of the Big Ten standings for the first time since 1966-67.
“After a comprehensive review of the program, I have decided that Juwan will not return as our men’s basketball coach,” said Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel in a statement.
“Juwan is among the greatest Wolverines to ever be associated with our basketball program. I know how much it meant, to not only Juwan, but to all of us for him to return here to lead this program.
“Despite his love of his alma mater and the positive experience that our student-athletes had under his leadership, it was clear to me that the program was not living up to our expectations and not trending in the right direction. I am thankful for Juwan’s dedication, passion and commitment to U-M and for all that he, and his legacy, will continue to mean to Michigan.”
Manuel hired Howard in 2019 from the Miami Heat, where he was a long-time assistant, after the A.D. lost head coach John Beilein to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The timing made it tough, but many still thought it was a reach given he’d had no experience as a head coach or putting a roster together. He went 19-12 overall, 10-10 in the conference, in a decent first year, but there was on postseason due to COVID.
The 2020-21 season was the highlight of his career. Though COVID wreaked havoc on the season and sidelined players on all teams here and there, the Wolverines persevered to win a Big Ten title and make the Elite Eight. The season ended with a disappointing loss to 11 seed UCLA in the, but Howard won national coach of the year honors after leading Michigan to a 23-5 record, 14-3 in the Big Ten.
Howard and Michigan barely made the NCAA Tournament in 2021-22 after winning at Ohio State in the last game of the year, but wins over Colorado State and No. 3 seed Tennessee got them to the Sweet 16. They lost to Villanova, but there were high hopes for the following season with the addition of Jett Howard and another year with center Hunter Dickinson.
Instead, the Wolverines disappointed, never clicking and falling short of the NCAA Tournament. They flamed out in the second round of the NIT after beating Toledo, losing a big lead in the last minute at Vanderbilt in a 66-65 loss. This year, of course, the bottom fell out, and it was clear to those in tune with what was happening behind the scenes that there was zero expectation he would return in 2024-25 despite reports to the contrary.
Watch for more on this development — and possible replacements — in the hours to come.
