Everything Juwan Howard said during pre-CSU podium session
Michigan head coach Juwan Howard met with the media on Wednesday to preview Thursday's NCAA Tournament clash against Colorado State.
Here's everything he had to say during the session.
Q. As you have dug into game film of Colorado State, what's impressed you beyond what you initially saw?
COACH HOWARD: The first thing I would point out is they are a well-coached team. They do a good job offensively moving the ball, moving people from side-to-side, which means your defense, whoever they face will have a tough job defensively of making sure you keep guys in front.
Another thing that's impressed me is Roddy, who is the head of the snake. Very competitive young man. Plays with a lot of energy and effort. Being undersized, I'm sure people have said, how I look at him, how he competes, he's not undersized because of his toughness, the way he is able to get downhill to finish over top of lane. He's also very physical, shoot the ball from the outside.
Stevens, another guy who has done well for them offensively, running the team, very quick, athletic, as well as strong, has length with him as well.
Those two guys, along with the others, I have been impressed with how they have competed in their conference. And it doesn't surprise me, being in the Mountain West, one of the conferences that folks don't talk about because of the fact they're on the West Coast, but you look at San Diego State, Wyoming, others, it's a competitive conference.
Q. We spoke to DeVante' on Sunday. He was emotional about getting a chance to play in this tournament for the first time. Can you speak to his disappointment?
COACH HOWARD: He will not be able to suit up on Thursday. Unfortunately, it's a bummer because here is a young man who has been a part of coastal Carolina, had a lot of success there. Now he has the opportunity to play at the University of Michigan and led our team. He's also a big reason why we're here.
What it is, at this moment, we're going to monitor his health, pray that he gets healthy. But overall I love how his teammates are going to be there to stand up and play hard for him
Q. Coach, if you look at this tournament field, in addition to yourself, you have Penny Hardaway, Hubert Davis, coaches who are at their alma maters, who hadn't been head coaches before, Kenny Payne, a candidate at Louisville. I wonder if you think that the experience knowing the program the way you do helps offset that lack of head coaching experience for you?
COACH HOWARD: I'm happy to be a part of a school that has helped mold me to the man I am today. A great academic school, a great alumni base.
The thing of being a student-athlete at Michigan, it was some precious, fun years. So when you look at a guy like myself and Penny and others, like you mentioned, these are dream jobs for us because we remember being that student and going to class and getting to experience that college atmosphere.
And then you come back, and your experience, now you are able to teach and give back to other young men. I think it's just -- it's a special icing on the cake. I look at it as I'm blessed. It's fun that I get an opportunity to do something I love doing.
Q. I'm curious what you took away from the time away those last couple games of the season after the suspension, and as a follow, what kind of a resource Phil Martelli has been for you, not just in that period, since he's gotten here?
COACH HOWARD: Excellent question. When you step away, you get a chance to reevaluate yourself and also what you can do to improve, because I'm always built on a growth mindset, how I can help prepare our guys, what can we do better as a group, and watching film and going back to old games and also looking at the games that are being played and seeing where there can be growth, I think we're truly 1% better.
I trust the staff that I put together, before I got the job, understanding where my weaknesses are and seeing how we can cover up those weaknesses and band together as one of the best coaching staffs in the country to provide for our student-athletes and also represent the University of Michigan, Phil Martelli was a no-brainer. I did my homework slowly and took my time.
When I saw Coach coaching those five games and the support staff, it was no surprise because we've always talked about the next man up, and they were ready. Coach Martelli has done it for so many years and also coached big games, been in the tournament, coached big games. He knows how to manage a game. It wasn't his first rodeo.
Q. Juwan, how did DeVante' suffer the concussion? And if Frankie is a guy that gets more minutes, what type of growth have you seen from him this season?
COACH HOWARD: When you go out and practice, competitive practices, where guys are competing, an advertent elbow as you drive into the lane, he got elbowed in the nose area. And looking at it day by day. I'm sure he's going to be healthy soon, take his time. We're not trying to rush him back. We want him 100% healthy, DeVante'.
Next man up. Frankie is going to get an opportunity, so will Kobe and Eli. So we have a very good, balanced backcourt that's able to step in and do whatever they can to help the team compete at a high level.
Q. Juwan, do you have to change things schematically with DeVante' out, or is it next man up, plug-and-play type deal?
COACH HOWARD: Next man up. What we focus on is, yes, how we can prepare to go out there and compete and play some winning basketball, but defensively there is going to be a focus as well as far as how can we get stops versus Colorado State, a team that's capable of putting up high numbers offensively.
So we have to make sure we manage the game, also looking at it as far as taking care of the basketball and then defensively limiting them to one-shot opportunities.
Q. Coach, you played in the NBA, you played against some of the best trash talkers of all time, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan. Where does Hunter rank among the trash talk? He talks a lot of trash out there?
COACH HOWARD: I don't get into ranking guys as far as trash talkers, but you're right, in the NBA, you left out one guy, and no disrespect, but Garnett, Gary Payton, those guys are all Hall of Famers, that you mention. I wish I had a chance to play against Larry Bird because I heard he was one of the best there was, but they have ways to back it up. Speaks for itself on the floor.
Hunter, I am a type of coach that allows him to express himself. It a very competitive ball game, and when you express yourself, you express yourself within the guidelines of the game, where it's not disrespecting opposing coaches as well as opposing players.
He's a guy that like all players, when they shoot a shot and they make it, they like to celebrate it. They make a dunk, they show emotion. Basketball is a very emotional and competitive game.
Q. Juwan, one more thing on the last couple of games of the regular season. You mentioned things that you reflected on and tried to get better at. What were some of those things? How difficult was that period, and how much did that help you knowing you had this and the conference tournament ahead of you?
COACH HOWARD: Let's look at it like this. I did not break my TV. I may have broken a remote, but at the same time I tossed and turned in bed, and my pillow was wet.
Q. Juwan, curious, do you see your group's NCAA Tournament experience as an advantage going into this game? Obviously Colorado State hasn't played in this environment in quite some time.
COACH HOWARD: This time of year every team that's a part of the NCAA Tournament have earned the right to be here, and there is no guarantee whether you have the experience or not that you are guaranteed that victory that particular game.
For forty minutes, that's the critical moment as far as you get involved in the competition and each team is prepared and preparing for one another, and you're going to go out there and compete for forty minutes and see what happens from there. Our goal is to try to get one point higher than our opponent.
Q. Coach, you guys haven't won more than three games in a row this season. How do you get your guys into believing they can win six?
COACH HOWARD: One game at a time. Look, you don't ever look far ahead. You look at the opponent, Colorado State. That's who we are focused on, one game at a time.
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