Michigan Wolverines head basketball coach Juwan Howard has his team ranked No. 3 in the country and sitting atop the Big Ten standings with a 9-1 mark in league play.

He's being lauded across the country for the job he's done piecing together his roster in just his second season as a head coach at any level. Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske graduated, and three players transferred out, but Howard made the right moves in the offseason, bringing in senior guard Chaundee Brown and fifth-year senior guard Mike Smith, as well as landing high-end recruits like freshman center Hunter Dickinson.

"Trust" in the coaching staff has been a common sentiment shared by Michigan's players this season. But how has Howard gained the team's unwavering belief that he and his staff will put them in the right position?

"He’s a player’s coach," Smith said, adding that Howard has exceeded his expectations. "You kinda could tell that when he was recruiting me. He wants the best for each and every one of us..."

Howard gives his players their freedoms, often telling them they have a 'say' in the team.

Smith explained further: "He pushes us each and every day to the standard that he feels we all should be at. Collectively, one through 17, he treats everybody the same. And if someone is having a bad day or not competing to the level that they should, he’s gonna hold us accountable. I think that’s everything you want in a coach."

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So is Howard a 'player's coach' or a demanding one?

Through his relatability and motivation tactics, coupled with his sharp basketball mind, Howard is actually both.

Since his players know he has competed at a high level — being an All-American at Michigan, an NBA All-Star and a 19-year league veteran — they really can't argue against his methods ... and they really don't want to, either.

"A player’s coach means that he understands, that he’s been there, he’s done that," Smith explained. "I think most coaches have not played or they haven’t played recently. I guess his isn’t recently, but he’s played and he’s been there.

"He understands how, some days you don’t wanna come in and don’t wanna do this, but it’s a necessity. You need to be able to come in and want to practice and do the right things all the time — 'every time, all the time,' is what he always says. He understands that, and when you have somebody that’s played at the level that he has, it’s hard to deny that he’s done what we’ve done. That’s what I mean by player’s coach."

It's playing out exactly how Howard drew it up, with the newcomers on the squad finding their roles. Smith, who averaged an Ivy League-best 22.8 points per game last season at Columbia, now has the talent around him at Michigan to carry the scoring load, so he's adapted his game. He leads the Big Ten in assists per contest (5.6) and tops the conference in three-point shooting percentage during league play (65.2 percent).

Smith credits the coaching staff for fostering a culture that has allowed him to carve out his role.

"I think it’s just naturally happened," Smith said. "Coach allowed me to be who I am, and I’ve always been a real point guard. Through it all, I’ve always wanted to do what the team needed me to do. If it was scoring, it was scoring. If it was passing, it was passing. If it was both, it was both. If it was getting everybody involved, it was getting everybody involved. That was something I took ownership of and I love to do."

He's also defending at a higher level, too, a product of having elite defenders around him like senior guard Eli Brooks, sophomore wing Franz Wagner and others, and knowing that was the expectation when entering the program last summer.

"It’s competitive," Brooks said of playing alongside top-notch defenders. "The coaches always challenged me to be better, when I first stepped on campus, on the defensive end. And I’ve tried to accept that role and tried to be that player, and I think I’ve done that.

"Obviously the job’s not done and I have a lot more areas to grow in, but I for sure look up to [my teammates] and how they pride themselves on defense. I’ve been trying to do that as well."

It's the same thing with senior forward Isaiah Livers, who decided to come back for his final year instead of keeping his name in the NBA Draft. He's been in a different zone as of late, having scored 20 or more points in each of his last three games.

Smith said Livers' elevated play is more a product of him choosing to be more aggressive than anything else. It goes along with the message Howard has been preaching all along.

"No, he’s doing it on his own, and it’s been working," Smith said of Livers' increased level of aggressiveness. "I think Coach believes that everybody should be aggressive.

"And if he’s hot, he’s hot, and it’s hard to stop him when he’s hot. You’ve gotta ride with the hot hand until it’s not hot anymore, and he’s been hot. We’re for sure going to continue to look for him.

"Hopefully we can keep him scoring 20 points a game going into March madness, for sure, and the Big Ten Tournament, and each every game."

Michigan's next game is Thursday at home against Rutgers.

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