Juwan Howard 'Not Scared' Of High Expectations: 'I Love Our Chances'
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines head basketball coach Juwan Howard is entering his third season back at his alma mater, and he's done nothing but continue what former head man John Beilein started from 2007-19, even adding his own flair.
Heading into the 2021-22 season, Howard and Co. are the favorites to win a second-consecutive Big Ten championship, and are ranked sixth nationally in the Associated Press preseason rankings.
It's a stark contrast to last season, when the Maize and Blue — who were ranked 25th in the country and pegged to finish sixth in the league before the season — embraced an underdog mentality, even after winning the Big Ten regular-season title and earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Asked by the emcee during his Q&A portion of the program's 'Michigan Madness' season kickoff event Thursday night (Oct. 21) what it's going to be like going from 'the hunter' to 'the hunted,' Howard delivered an impassioned response that fired up the thousands of fans in attendance.
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"Well, first of all, if you’re scared, buy a dog — and buy a big one, too," Howard said with a smile. "What this means is we’re not scared. We’re competitors. If you’ve heard anything about what our team identity is all about, we’re for competitors only.
"So with that, me and my staff trust our players and all the hard work they put in during the summertime to prepare themselves to get ready for our first practice. And our first practices have been great, leading up to this day. Yes, there are a lot of areas that we need to work on, which we will continue to do as far as building our habits on the offensive and defensive end. But the beauty of this team is that they’ve always come in ready and eager to learn.
Then, Howard added: "I love our chances."
Howard and his squad put on a dance off against the women's team, and competed in a dunk contest (won by freshman guard Kobe Bufkin) and three-point shootout (won by senior guard Adrien Nunez).
They enjoyed being in front of some of their most loyal fans, and look forward to playing in front of a full-capacity Crisler Center during their 16 scheduled home games.
"It will mean so much," Howard said of having spectators back in attendance. "I want to say first, tonight, it’s exciting to see the turnout, to see the amount of people. Two years ago, we had this building rocking, and then last season, as we all know, we all had to figure out what the new, new is.
"I think we all did an amazing job, and I will start with our players and how they have sacrificed. And when I talk about the players, I cannot leave out [former players] Franz Wagner, Isaiah Livers, Chaundee Brown, Mike Smith, Austin Davis, Rico [Ozuna-Harrison], C.J. [Baird], Luke [Wilson].
"Last season, our guys came together, and they trusted what the athletic department did and the guidelines they put in to keep us healthy and safe. They sacrificed so much last season, as far as not being in class in person, seeing all the students on campus, seeing the alumni in the building, the Maize Rage in the building."
Getting to play in front of fans and have a 'normal' college experience was one of the reasons why sophomore center Hunter Dickinson, a 2020-21 second-team All-American, returned to school after testing the NBA waters.
"Talking to Coach Howard, I really felt like coming back for one more year [would be the best decision]," Dickinson explained while on stage at the event. "Playing with my guys for one more year, trying to win another Big Ten championship but also an NCAA championship."
Fifth-year senior guard Eli Brooks is utilizing the free year granted by the NCAA for similar reasons. Plus, of course, he wants to hang some more banners.
"You talk about winning championships ... we've got three on our mind," Brooks said. "We want to hang banners. We come in, we look up at the single [1989] NCAA championship banner every single day. We want to hang one more up there."
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