Michigan assistant coach Saddi Washington knew Juwan Howard before Howard took the U-M job, having spent time with him when Howard would visit campus. The two hit it off well, and it was clear to Washington even then that the Miami Heat assistant was a star in the making.
He had no clue, however, that he’d be working for him a few years later.
Washington reached out to Howard immediately after John Beilein resigned abruptly in May to take the Cleveland Cavaliers job.
“Through our conversations, he understood that my passion was his passion,” Washington told MGoBlue.com.
And he remained optimistic.
“We always talk about embracing sudden change. I don’t know if it could be more sudden than what we went through here,” he said. “You hope that your body of work speaks louder than any of your words can. I made it clear to Coach Howard that I wanted to stay, but I wasn’t going to bombard him and pressure him. He had enough stuff going on.”
Washington continued to work and was the consummate professional, calling recruits and trying to keep them — and the current Michigan players — in the loop while Athletic Director Warde Manuel conducted his search.
None of the players expressed trepidation about the change, many of them leaning on Washington to keep them apprised.
“A lot of them looked at it as a new opportunity to grow, and they didn’t panic and try to get out of here. They were like, all right, let’s see who’s coming in.
“Their first meeting with coach Howard it became clear that the connection they would have with coach moving forward was going to be one that was strong. I just think they’re excited. It’s a very veteran group. I like the fact that guys are motivated to continue to excel both on the court and in the classroom.”
Likewise, they’re happy to have a familiar face in the room.
“That’s a great face," junior forward Isaiah Livers said, predicting a “smooth” transition. "Saddi, he’s kind of the one who got my attention to come here because he recruited me at Oakland. Now he’s going to still be here, so that’s great for me, because I’ve got a guy on the staff that I know personally.
“Saddi can give Juwan his advice about how we used to do things, and Juwan’s going to alter it to how he wants to do things. It’s going to be great because we’ve got Saddi next to him and just being his right-hand man.”
Like Livers and many of the other players, Washington is looking forward to the next chapter. He’s appreciative of his time with Beilein but anxious to see what he and new assistants Phil Martelli and Howard Eisley can accomplish under Howard.
“Any time he came in to visit he would spend time with our staff,” he said of Howard. “.We would have a couple chalk talks out on the floor. You could even see then his passion, energy, and his knowledge of the game was at a really high level.
“When it became clear coach Phil and Howard were coming on as assistants, I was personally excited. Some people are scared of new; some people embrace new. I’m one of those that tries to embrace the new.”
He’s already off and running on the recruiting trail, ready to see what the future holds.
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @Balas_Wolverine and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook
