Ahead of its matchup against Penn State on Sunday afternoon, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard has named associate head coach Phil Martelli as the head coach of Sunday's game against the Nittany Lions.
The Wolverines (6-8, 1-2) will take on the Nittany Lions (7-7, 1-2) at The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Martelli's hometown.
In a cathedral of college basketball, and in his hometown, Martelli will return to the head coaching role for the Wolverines, a spot he held for the first 10 games of the season. Martelli was originally filling in for Howard, who was still recovering from heart surgery, but now the 69-year-old will return as head coach for a different reason.
"In an amazing & classy move, Juwan Howard asked Phil Martelli to serve as Michigan’s head coach for the Wolverines game against the Nittany Lions at the Palestra and in his hometown of Philadelphia," the Michigan men's basketball program wrote in a statement.
Martelli will coach his 11th game of the season on Sunday afternoon before presumably returning to his regular associate head coach position for Thursday's game against Maryland.
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