The Wolverine

June-July 2019

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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18 THE WOLVERINE JUNE/JULY 2019 "I'm happy for Juwan, [his wife] Jenine and his family, and feel he is deserving of this opportunity to coach at the University of Michi- gan," Riley said. "He is going back to a school and a conference in which he is revered. "I think it is a great step forward for him and the University, and I wish him nothing but the best, be- cause that's what he's given us." Before becoming a coach, Howard played in the NBA for 19 seasons, winning back-to-back champion- ships with the Heat in 2012 and 2013 while playing with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. "Juwan is an absolute star as a person, player and coach," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra added. "I feel he is more than ready. He is a terrific leader and mentor, which translates very well to the collegiate level. "While we are losing a valuable member of our staff and a great friend, I am happy for him and his family. He will forever be a cham- pion and part of the Heat family, and I am excited to see him take the next step." Howard was still working on as- sembling his staff as of May 27, but he announced one big move when he tweeted that strength coach Jon Sanderson would remain part of the program. "I'm pleased to announce that [Sanderson] — an integral part of the program the last 10 years — will be staying in Ann Arbor," Howard wrote in his second-ever tweet. "His repu- tation precedes him — I'm definitely looking forward to witnessing that first workout." What he's looking for in other assis- tants wasn't clear, but Howard knows plenty about big men and it's assumed he'll use his expertise to help in that area. The 1996 NBA All-Star appeared in 1,208 games during his 19-year career and totaled 1,208 games played, 900 starts, 16,159 points, 7,428 rebounds, 2,663 assists, 818 steals and 312 blocks. At Michigan, he and the "Fab Five" (Howard, Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson) helped lead the Wolverines to back-to-back national championship game appear- ances in 1992 and 1993. He ranks 20th all time in scoring (1,526 points) and 11th in rebounding (745 boards) at Michigan, and is one of just seven players in program his- tory to surpass 1,500 points and 700 rebounds. Howard's wife tweeted a picture of them and one of their children facing Michigan Stadium when he first ar- rived back in Ann Arbor, a touching first photo of his homecoming (How- ard's first tweet wouldn't come until two days later on May 24). "I am very excited about the oppor- tunity to lead the University of Michi- gan's storied basketball program," Howard said in a statement released by the school. "I have been very fortu- nate to be part of a great championship organization in the Miami Heat for the last nine years — three as a player and six as a coach. "It was always going to take some- thing incredibly special for me to leave Miami. However, I know in my heart this is the right place and the right time. "As a 'Michigan Man' I know the place our program has in college bas- ketball, and I embrace the chance to build onto that history and lead us to championships both in the Big Ten and national level. We will continue to develop young men on the court, in the classroom and in the community that our fan base will continue to be proud of." A FAB REUNION ON TAP? With Howard comes plenty of speculation about whether Michi- gan fans will finally get to see the Fab Five reunion many of them have sought. For years, Rose and Webber specifically have publicly aired grievances with each other. Those days are over, Rose said im- mediately after Howard was hired. "It squashes any drama or any beef because we're not going to bring that to Ann Arbor's campus with Juwan Howard as our head coach," Rose said on ESPN's 'Get Up!' "The one thing that we both know is his success turning around the University of Michigan is first and foremost about him and about the players that he's going to influ- ence. Then it's about us being there to support him, not being [a part of] drama, not being splintered, not giv- ing any indication of dysfunction. "We're going to move as a family, and we're going to do what we can to build on what John Beilein has established in Ann Arbor." It won't be easy. "Turning around" the program was a poor choice of words considering Beilein hung six banners in his 12 years and made two national championship games, but Rose's point about solidarity was still an important one. The football program's transition from Lloyd Carr to Rich Rodriguez was a perfect example of how a culture can blow up if everyone is not on board. "Any time you grow up for public consumption like we've done, people have got a chance to see us at our high- est of heights and our lowest of lows," Rose continued. "And they've seen some discord. I've just got to acknowl- edge this on national television. Those days are over. "There will not be any disrespect to the program, there will not be any sideshows, there will not be any fric- tion among the Fab Five. We're about to all come together like Voltron and make sure we do what we've got to do to put us back on top of the map." For his part, Webber went on record to say the Howard hire was — and would be — about Howard and his Howard earned All-Big Ten honors in each of his three years at U-M, and ranks 11th all time in school history for rebounding and 20th for scoring. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY

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