Juwan Howard Is 'The Type Of Coach' Chaundee Brown Needed To Be NBA Ready
During Chaundee Brown's three seasons Wake Forest, the Demon Deacons never had a winning season, and amassed a dismal 35-48 record overall. The losses piled up, and the frustrations surely mounted. Brown chose to transfer following his junior season, looking for greener pasturers, and he found just that in choosing Juwan Howard and the Wolverines.
In Ann Arbor, Brown, much to his delight, helped Michigan win the Big Ten regular-season title and advance to the Elite Eight.
"I transferred to Michigan because I wanted to play in the tournament," Brown told Pacers.com following a workout with the Indiana Pacers. "I knew we had a good shot of making the tournament, and I did that, completed that. Since my freshman year, I just wanted to play in the tournament before I graduated.
"I feel like my game developed well. I came in, was the sixth man at Michigan, did my job, played my role, and I’m here where I’m at now. I just gotta keep working."
RELATED: AAU Coach Breaks Down Jett Howard's Game, Raves About Michigan Basketball
RELATED: Four-Star Jett Howard Talks Michigan Basketball, Recruiting Process
His bench role at Michigan prepared him for the NBA, where he's projected to be a second-round draft pick by some, though most have him going as an undrafted free agent. Still, Brown has some time before the July 29 draft to impress scouts, coaches and front offices at individual workouts, like the one he recently went through with the Pacers. He also worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers last week.
"That I’m a three-and-d guy — that I can defend and hit shots — and that I’m a team guy," Brown said when asked what he's trying to show teams he can do.
Added Brown: "When I committed to Michigan, I knew what my role was going to be. It looks like that’s going to be my role in the NBA as well, so why not practice it now and show that I can play with a great group of guys — first-rounders, second-rounders? I didn’t want people to think I could [only] do it on my own; I wanted to show scouts and other people that I can play with other people."
He did exactly that, with the 6-5, 215-pounder having averaged eight points and 3.1 rebounds per contest, while shooting 41.9 percent from long range.
"After my season, I look at all my stats and see where I did well and bad," Brown explained. "Even the Wake Forest coaches, they said I shoot way better than 31 percent, and I knew that. Nobody was going to feel sorry for me. I knew I just had to get into the gym, and it increased to [41.9 percent]. I give a lot of credit to myself, being in the gym a lot and getting up shots."
He also gives credit to Howard, who was honest with him in the transfer recruiting process and during his time in Ann Arbor. No promises were made, and Howard didn't sugar coat anything. It just so happened what Michigan needed was exactly what Brown was looking for. It's why he didn't hesitate in committing once the Wolverines got in the mix.
Brown believes playing for Howard has him ready for the next level. After all, Howard spent 19 years in the league as a player and another six as an assistant coach. He was drawing head-coaching interest from NBA teams before he decided to return to his alma mater in the spring of 2019 following John Beilein's departure.
"He’s a great guy; he’ll get the best out of you," Brown said. "He’ll keep it real with you, and I know that’s what the NBA is going to be like. He’s coming from the NBA, so he’s been around those guys and he keeps it real with you.
"I need a coach like that. He gets on you when you’re not competing or you’re being lazy, and that’s the type of coach and person I need in my life."
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Listen and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Sign up for our daily newsletter and breaking news alerts
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @Balas_Wolverine, @EJHolland_TW, @AustinFox42, @JB_ Wolverine, Clayton Sayfie and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook