EXCLUSIVE: One-on-one with Michigan basketball's Jace Howard
Michigan junior forward, Jace Howard, has become a mainstay and a face of Michigan basketball through adversity and attrition alike. In only his third year within the program, he has become the longest-tenured Wolverine along with his 2020 recruiting classmates' Hunter Dickinson and Terrance Williams II.
Even though Dickinson and Williams have been here just as long as Howard, and had larger roles throughout their time, the dynamic is just different for Howard.
Not many in this sport get the opportunity to share their time on the court with their family, but the Howards are an exception. Michigan prides itself on its family environment, and they have the evidence to prove it.
Howard is coached by his father, Juwan Howard, who played at the University of Michigan himself. Meaning, Howard not only has three years of experience within the program but has 20+ years of experience with the head of the program.
This should help Howard with the transition to being more of a vocal leader, and the staff is expecting him to take that next step as well.
Davis Moseley of Maize & Blue Review got an exclusive interview with Jace Howard to discuss everything leading up to Michigan's upcoming season.
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On what his role is like as the longest-tenured Wolverine:
Howard: I would probably say it’s exactly that, I’m a vocal leader and a guy who is there to help the younger guys with both on and off the court life. It’s a different challenge for me because I’m going into my third year in the Michigan program and I’m being looked at as an upperclassman now. I’m here to help anyone and everyone I can just continuously get better. I want to be that guy that my teammates come to for guidance, whenever they have a question, or just want some advice about all aspects of life at the University of Michigan. It’s a blessing to have this opportunity and I’m loving my role so far. It’s so easy when you have such great guys in our program like we do. The guys are open-minded, humble, and eager to learn, which makes it that much sweeter.
On playing for his father and with his brother:
Howard: It means everything to me. It’s truly awesome but really hard to articulate at times. Whenever we get in the gym, I just think about how four or five years ago, we were working out together in the Miami Heat gym arena not knowing what the future held for us. I would have never guessed this was in store. It’s unreal to think that five years later, I’m playing with my brother, for my dad, at the university we all love so much. It’s a surreal feeling. It’s really interesting to see how much our relationships have changed over this time. The three of us have always had a great relationship through the game of basketball, but it’s different when your dad becomes your coach. I get to see his basketball mind like I never have before and I get to play, compete, teach, and learn from my brother every day in practice. It’s a blessing and something I will never take for granted.
On his early expectations for Michigan's team:
Howard: I expect us to be a well-rounded team. We have everything we need and then some. I truly feel that this is the deepest team I have ever been a part of, in terms of our personnel. We really could go 10 to 12 (players) deep if we wanted to. It probably won’t get to that point, but to say that we could, speaks to how strong our depth is and really gives credit to the guys we have in our locker room. We have shooting, we have defense, we have playmaking, and we have Hunter (Dickinson). Since July 1st, we have just been grinding. We have put our heads down and worked. We got to take the trip to Europe and learn exactly where we are as a team. It gave us a blueprint and a mold that we can work on. We are trying to get better each and every day. I feel we are ahead of schedule compared to where we have been in previous years, especially last year. I feel that we have everything we need to not compete for a championship but compete for championships. This is the team to do it.
On the European trip:
Howard: I think it helped us find out where we were at as a team, and obviously you don’t get that opportunity every year. Getting to play against pro teams was huge. Like I said, it gave us a blueprint on how to improve ourselves. We have taken it to heart and have begun to improve ourselves on all the things we saw. It was a great experience for us. We really got to grow as a team. While we were out there, it was pretty much just us, so we really bonded with one another. We grew closer as a unit because we spent all day every day together. We were able to do things outside of basketball, like hanging out on the boats, going out to dinner, or go walk to Athenas Temple or the Olympic Stadium in Greece. Those are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that we got to share together.
On what returning players will shock Michigan fans this year:
Howard: The first guy that comes to my mind is Kobe Bufkin. He is a worker. It feels like he has a lot to prove to himself. He has gotten so much better in all aspects of the game. We see it every day in practice. His basketball IQ has gotten higher, his shotmaking has gotten better, and for a guy like that to improve this much is scary. Another guy that really pops is Isaiah Barnes. His growth from where he was last year to right now was huge. He played really well in Europe and I’m looking forward to the opportunity he has ahead of him this year.
On the freshman class as a whole:
Howard: They are all doing really well in their own ways. I think their adjustment to the college game has been pretty damn good. I think they are ahead of the game in terms of transitioning to the game. They are great dudes who want to learn. They ask questions, they attend film sessions with the coaches, and they seek guidance from the older guys in the program. We can help guide them on how to play in tough environments like at the Breslin Center or at Indiana. The freshmen have done a great job soaking in all of the knowledge us upperclassmen have.
On which freshman is sticking out most:
Howard: Dug has been a really pleasant surprise. His skill set is next to none. He scores the ball, passes it really well, and is an elite on-ball defender, he is just a pest as an on-ball defender. I think he is going to surprise a lot of people this year. I’m looking forward to Dug this year, I think he is going to help us win a lot of games this season. At the end of the year, when we look back, I think everyone is going to say how Dug helped us win a lot of games.
On Jett Howard, Tarris Reed, Gregg Glenn III, and Youssef Khayat:
Howard: Honestly, I think Jett is probably the most skilled player on the team, in terms of natural ability. There aren’t many guys that are 6-foot-8 and can handle the ball as he does. There just aren’t many dudes that can facilitate the game the way he does. I think Jett’s ceiling is the highest, but we have guys like Tarris who are absolute workhorses. Gregg is a workhorse and now we are starting to see Yo-Yo around here and he is looking pretty damn good too. The whole class is looking really solid.
On some area's of strengths and improvements:
Howard: I think our strength will be our team depth. We have a lot of ways that we can attack both defenses and offenses with our personnel. The personnel we have has to be a strength for us, and once we learn to use it, there won’t be many teams that can compete with us. As for an area of improvement, I would say is the defensive side of the ball. You can always say that because you can always get better defensively. We are dialed in every day and our coaching staff is very defensive-minded. The coaches constantly stay on us about it, but we all know how important defense is. The best teams in the country are always elite defensively. That’s the one thing we are looking forward to getting better at.
On the impact of Hunter Dickinson returning:
Howard: First and foremost, (Hunter returning) brings a level of leadership to the locker room. I feel that Hunter has improved as a leader over the last year. He’s been that vocal presence at our practices, that voice we all hear after every play, and on the court there isn’t another big in the country like Hunter. At 7-foot-1 that can shoot, block shots, and rebound, not everyone has a Hunter. When he came back, it gave us that insurance down low that teams dream of.
On games the team has circled:
Howard: I mean, there are a couple of other games that we have circled, but it’s no secret there is one we are waiting for. We are looking forward to that game versus Wisconsin on February 14th. It’s ironic that it falls on Valentine’s Day. Certainly, no love lost between us. It’s a great atmosphere over there. We are definitely looking forward to that one and we know they are as well. Two great programs that are going to compete come February 14th but now there is obviously a rivalry brewing. We look at them in the same might we look at Michigan State.
On what to expect from the "bench mob" this season:
Howard: Regardless of who is on the bench mob or not, it’s always going to be elite. I feel like that’s our culture now. When people think of Michigan basketball, they think of how all of our guys support each other no matter what. Now it’s just a tradition for us. It’s our DNA. Put it this way, on a scale from one to ten, it’s going to be a 12.
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