When will Juwan Howard return to Michigan basketball?
Michigan Wolverines basketball has been without head coach Juwan Howard, who underwent a heart procedure Sept. 15, during preseason practices. The Maize and Blue have said they’ve navigated it smoothly. It’s different come the time games start, though, and as of now there hasn’t been any news that Howard is back or nearing a return.
When Howard underwent successful surgery Sept. 15, the program announced that he was expected to fully recover in six to 12 weeks and could return to the team in four to six weeks. The six-week mark has passed, and FOX/BTN college basketball analyst Stephen Bardo apparently has reason to believe that it’ll be some time before the fifth-year head man is back on the sideline.
“I want to send my well wishes out, because the heart procedure that he had I think was a little bit more serious when they went in,” Bardo said on Podcast on the Brink. “So, he’s going to miss extended time.”
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Michigan begins with a Nov. 3 exhibition game against D-II Northwood and tips off the regular season Nov. 7 versus UNC Asheville.
“I don’t think he’s going to be back at the start of the season next week,” Bardo said. “I think it’s going to be more like Christmastime — maybe back end of Christmas, right before the Big Ten resumes. We wish him a speedy recovery.”
Michigan plays 12 games before Christmas and 13 before the new year. That includes a road game at St. John’s (Nov. 13), three tilts at the Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 22-24), a road clash at Oregon (Dec. 2), Big Ten games against Indiana (Dec. 5) and at Iowa (Dec. 10) and a Jumpman Invitational showdown with Florida (Dec. 19).
Michigan went 14-10 in games before New Year’s Day the last two seasons combined, falling behind the eight ball and having to recover during Big Ten play. Michigan did enough to make the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed in 2021-22 but failed to earn a bid in 2022-23 despite going 11-9 in conference play.
It’s unknown how the Wolverines will play without their head coach, and with acting head man Phil Martelli at the helm, early on in the season, of course. Having a change with him coming back at some point in the season, too, will be unique.
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“If you know Coach, you would know that he’s very anxious to get back to these young men,” Washington said at Michigan’s media day Oct. 17. “We can’t wait to see him walk down the hall. He hasn’t been in the office. We’ve really just tried to give him the space to get himself ready, because we’re in this for the long haul. He’s anxious to get back, and we’re ready for him to get back.
“But until then, we’re going to continue to flourish and do what he wants us to do and has coached us to do. Personally, the way that we model his leadership is by being prepared for when he gets back. We’re at a good pace; we obviously have a lot of work to do, but every day is a step closer to getting better.”
Michigan beats Marquette in ‘secret scrimmage,’ 115-111
Michigan knocked off Marquette in a ‘secret scrimmage’ Saturday, as first reported by social media account Trilly Donovan. Marquette is ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press poll heading into the season, making it a significant victory for the Maize and Blue.
It’s important to note, however, that the format of these scrimmages aren’t the same as a typical game. Players stay in the game with more fouls, situations are worked on, etc.
Still, it provided some hope for Michigan fans looking for reason to buy into this under-the-radar Wolverine squad that was picked to finish 11th in the Big Ten by the media.
Michigan and Northwood will battle Friday at Crisler Center. That game won’t count either, but it will be a true game format. Northwood took on Central Michigan Sunday (Oct. 22), falling 81-55. The Timberwolves went 2-26 overall and 2-18 in league play last season.
