Over his first three years coaching the Michigan men’s basketball team, Juwan Howard has established a “next man up” mentality within the program.

It applied during his first season when Zavier Simpson served a one-game suspension for violating team rules and then again last season when Isaiah Livers suffered a foot injury in the Big Ten Tournament that kept him out of March Madness.

Now, ironically enough, it applies to Howard’s own coaching staff in his absence. Howard is suspended through the end of the regular season as a result of the Wolverines’ altercation in Madison following Sunday’s game. He is not allowed at Michigan’s games or practices through March 6, though he can communicate with players and staffers.

Without Howard, his assistant coaches are embracing the “next man up” mentality that usually applies to players. It works in the Wolverines’ favor that the staff has close to everything it could ask for.

At the top is Phil Martelli, the veteran associate head coach with more than 45 years of college coaching experience, including 24 years as a head coach at Saint Joseph’s. He is currently serving as the acting head coach. Then there’s Howard Eisley, who is widely seen as an up-and-comer in the coaching world after successful assistant stints in the NBA and now at Michigan. Saddi Washington, who helped lead the Wolverines to the 2018 national title game, rounds out the staff as the lone holdover from the John Beilein era. Director of basketball operations Chris Hunter — a former NBA player for the Knicks and Warriors — has assumed the role of the third assistant coach in Howard’s absence.

“I believe our staff has great synergy amongst us,” Washington said Friday. “Phil did a tremendous job of leading us (over Rutgers on Wednesday) and our guys did a tremendous job of following the game plan that evening. That’s really how we’ve been wired since day one. Coach Juwan has put us all in positions to be successful as coaches, as players. We have that mentality. We try to practice what we preach.”

But after Michigan defeated the Scarlet Knights earlier this week, the roles were reversed. It was Martelli singing the praises of the other assistants rather than the other way around.

“I’m here to tell you Saddi Washington and Howard Eisley just coached their backsides off,” Martelli said after the Wolverines’ 71-62 win. “I knew when I spoke to many of you yesterday, I was confident that I could manage a game. Those two guys, just absolutely extraordinary. … What you’re seeing there is two future head coaches. America needs to know that.”

Asked about Martelli’s comment, Washington smiled.

“It’s definitely a collective effort,” Washington said. “As much as we appreciate the soundbite from Phil, we’re all hands on deck around here. And we’re going to do everything we can to support coach Juwan, we’re going to do everything we can to support coach Phil in the interim and we’re definitely going to do everything we can to keep as seamless a transition as we can for our players until we get back to whatever the normalcy of coach Juwan coming back.”

Combined, the staff of Martelli, Washington and Eisley has 73 years of coaching experience under their belt. But from now until March 6, the “next man up” mentality is the biggest difference maker.

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