A week after turning down overtures from Western Michigan — his alma mater, no less — Michigan assistant Saddi Washington continues to do what he can to help improve Wolverines basketball. He and his fellow assistants as well as head coach Juwan Howard have had to get creative, of course, given the effect of COVID-19 and world events, but they’re moving forward.
Washington, once the lead candidate for the WMU job (where he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2010), hasn’t gone into detail about why he chose to remain in Ann Arbor, simply saying he loves being at Michigan (or, as he put it when asked, ‘It’s Michigan’). He’s now focusing all of his attention on making U-M better, as he has for the last several years.
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"We’re doing what we do in the offices this time of year; we’re just doing it mobile,” Washington said. “Obviously, first and foremost we’re checking in with our guys pretty frequently, because academically there are still requirements they need to meet from that standpoint. So that’s priority one — making sure guys have found a flow from that perspective.
“Then, we’re doing as much as we can recruiting-wise over the phone. That’s pretty much what we’re limited to at this point.”
They’re trying to get the kids on the team used to their “new normal” of taking classes online, he added, being diligent with their coursework.
“It’s a new space for them,” he added. “We’re just making sure they cross the finish line from an academic standpoint.”
Most of them have gone home, but a handful have stayed in their Ann Arbor apartments. Freshman Franz Wagner is with his brother, former Wolverine Moe, in Washington D.C., home of his Wizards team. Others are figuring things out on their own.
“They’re used to moving around at their own pace,” Washington said. “Coming and going at their parents’ house isn’t the same as coming and going in their apartment, but that lends to them being stir crazy, as well, probably, not really knowing what to do with their time.”
And, of course, basketball is a distant second to what’s been going on in the world, Howard noted Thursday from his home in Miami. They’ve been stressing social distancing and staying safe while at the same time keeping tabs on one another.
“We're still a family. We've done a really good job of communicating, whether it's virtually by FaceTime, by phone or by Zoom,” Howard said. “Our staff is working hard, communicating with our players and staff, not only coaches but the extension of our staff … our trainers as well as our strength coach. Our player personnel, Director of Basketball Operations … we've all been in great communication.
“As you know, this is all new to us. We're scrambling, we're learning through the process seeing how we can give the support that each and every one of us needs through this moment. I'm making sure I'm talking to the staff each and every week. I talk to my players by phone. I text them. We have a group text with everyone on it. We're always giving nice motivational talks or quotes to inspire and keep all of us uplifted throughout this process.”
For those with NBA aspirations — Isaiah Livers and Franz Wagner, specifically — there will be some choices to make. The absence of draft camps — even an NBA season at this point — has made it interesting, to stay the least.
“For everybody, I think this process again is the great unknown, because the priority for the NBA right now is to get games back started,” Washington said. “I think the tone for them is obviously everything gets pushed back, but to how long? And then what does that do for all the kids who aspire to either go through the process or make the jump? What that does for them at school?
“This is space nobody has ever been through. We’re all going to find out together how it’s going to work this year."
But he’s happy to still be at Michigan, ready to help them in any way he can.
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