The Wolverine

June-July 2019

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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JUNE/JULY 2019 THE WOLVERINE 5   FROM OUR READERS On the hiring of Juwan Howard as the Wolverines' new basketball coach … • The stars have aligned with Juwan Howard since he has the combination of great personality, street cred, 20 years in "the league," two NBA champi- onship rings, recommendations from the best in the NBA and ability to relate to kids today. tnemcek • I know Juwan's lack of head coaching experience gives many of us pause, so I thought I'd look up the coaches he's played under — the trees from which he's a branch, so to speak. It's not a bad list and includes: Larry Brown Steve Fisher Leonard Hamilton Avery Johnson George Karl Nate McMillan Erik Spoelstra Jeff Van Gundy … and, interestingly, Cleveland Cava- liers senior advisor Bernie Bickerstaff. Obviously, he also had exposure to Pat Riley in Miami. 97Rose • Honestly, I don't think any of that matters much. Otherwise everyone who played for good coaches would be good coaches themselves. Great coach- ing is not a function of osmosis. But I do believe there is a benefit in his having experienced different philosophies and processes. Felix • Welcome home, Juwan. I had no idea if this is going to work out, but I am root- ing like crazy that it does. Go Blue! WolverineGrad00 • I don't think we can overstate how big of an impact it is to have LeBron [James] endorse Juwan like he did [on Twitter]. A blessing from the King is a big deal for recruiting purposes. andrewhfine • Much more exciting than a [Shaka] Smart or [Ed] Cooley hire. rverhage65 • Any hire among our limited choices would have lots of questions and hesi- tations. alee69 • There are definitely risks, but the fact that Juwan was drawing interest from NBA franchises has me optimistic. Now, NBA franchises obviously make bad coaching decisions, Stan Van Gundy for example, but these guys typically know coaching talent. Amaizingblue • I just think Juwan was probably the best of limited options. Will he be as good as John Beilein? Unlikely, but we will find out … he could be in the end. You are certainly right there are ques- tions, but I still am excited about a new era of Michigan basketball while at the same time being sad that the last one ended. jetcheve • My own opinion, but this can be the most important recruit this year in bas- ketball. Yes, I know some people have concerns, but getting top-tier coaches to leave was more of a pipedream. Glad to have you and your family home, Juwan Howard. magic33 • I just hope Cleveland doesn't come after him if this Beilein thing doesn't work out. lardon • I'm not expecting a huge spike in star power, but I'll wear God-awful Spartan gear for a week if I hear Juwan Howard struggles with selling himself, Michigan and Michigan basketball to recruits and parents. The beautiful thing is his returning to get his Michigan degree with NBA pay- checks already en route to him. Genuine experience conveyed genu- inely. He's going to impress folks. Not every recruit will opt in, or claim Michigan is their new No. 1, but it is seriously difficult to imagine kids and parents not being impressed with him. Go Blue. Always. Blue_note On the football team's third annual overseas trip, this one to Africa … • How is this not the coolest thing ever? jab43 • Great stuff. These are educational ex- periences you can't get in a classroom. So glad the team is doing this. DrMazenblue • The pictures and videos from the sa- fari were awesome. I would've [pooped] my pants about a dozen times if I was with them. I cannot believe how close they got a chance to be to those lions and elephants and rhinos. … It must've been an awesome experience to get to do that. I think this has been the coolest trip so far. marzanoj • A safari is a life-changing event! Also, I am so happy that this team has been able to visit the historical sites, remind- ing everyone about colonialism, Apart- heid and Nelson Mandela's important place in history. Profmobile • They're students first and these trips are things you'll never be able to learn in a classroom. If Alabama wants to take a trip to Tahiti and the NCAA clears it then so be it, I guess, but these trips are what makes Michigan amazing for student- athletes. joelhindy1 • The reality is football funds the en- tire athletic department (or most of it anyway). I'm all for these trips so long as they are within the rules, and they clearly are. sandiegogoblue • The kids will remember these experi- ences for the rest of their lives and think back on them often. I still think of all the experiences I had during my 26 years in the Marine Corps, but I can't share details on some of them as this is a 'G' rated board. Piper28540 Join The Conversation - 60 Day Free Trial, Use Code BLUE60 Juwan Howard has never coached on the college level or been a head coach before, but he has been around basketball for his entire life. PHOTO COURTESY MIAMI HEAT

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