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U-M's Howard Eisley Is Getting Comfortable, And His Guards Are Excelling

For most of his year-plus on the job, Michigan assistant Howard Eisley has been a behind-the-scenes guy. Everyone talked about his work with the guards and how much they were learning from him, but he didn’t meet the media much and wasn’t one to be seen nor heard.

There’s no denying his impact, however. Mike Smith and Eli Brooks have become one of the Big Ten’s best backcourts, and both would credit Eisley for helping make it so. He’s continued to put in the time with his guards and becoming accustomed to his role after spending years as an NBA assistant.

“It’s different than what I’m used to, but I’ve really enjoyed it. Once you step between the lines, basketball is basketball. Things outside the court are really diff, but it’s sort of what I expected.”

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Michigan Wolverines basketball assistant Howard Eisley has been a big part of U-M's success.
Michigan Wolverines basketball assistant Howard Eisley has been a big part of U-M's success. (AP Images)

Impacting young players’ lives has been important to him, and he’s enjoyed it. Recruiting has been a different experience, but he’s learning, following Howard’s “improve one percent every day” mantra.

“It’s something I haven’t had to do before, again, part of all of our one percent,” he said. “It’s something I've got to get better at just from not having the experience of doing it. I’m embracing that, continue to work at it.”

But oh, can he coach. He knows the game, having played for former U-M assistant Perry Watson’s elite Detroit Southwestern teams before shining at Boston College and spending more than a decade in the NBA.

His experience has made him a must-listen in practice, per the players on the team, and the proof is in production. Smith has gone from volume scorer at Columbia to consummate team player, averaging 9.2 points and 5.4 assists per game.

Senior Eli Brooks, too, is averaging 3.6 assists, up from 2.0 a year ago.

“Both are willing passers; both are willing to give to the team and the group,” Eisley said. “The thing that has really helped them and us is they are both experienced players. Mike Smith coming in here still has a chip on his shoulder and feels like he has a lot to prove. He has really bought into our culture and doing the things we are trying to get our team to do.

“Eli’s probably one of the best on ball defenders I’ve been around. The fact he’s able to get into the ball and very rarely does he every get screened … he does an excellent job on that end of the floor, and we just continue to really try to help him behind with our bigs. I think our length has really bothered teams up to this point.”

The result — U-M has the best interior defense in the country. Senior transfer Chaundee Brown is another big reason for that, having become a stopper and a guy willing to do anything for the program. His ability to cover multiple positions has been a huge plus.

Sophomore Franz Wagner, meanwhile, might be the best defender in the Big Ten. He’s been that good.

“He has really bought into being a two-way player,” Eisley said. “His length, his ability to move his feet, slide his feet and stay in front of people and then have the ability to contest and then go to the block and still be able to play in passing lanes … he has worked extremely hard on his body to be more durable. His strides … we continue to see him get better in each game.”

The result has been a finely tuned machine on both ends or the floor, and Eisley has played a major role.

The key, he said, is to continue to improve, starting with Saturday’s game at Minnesota against a Gophers team that’s much more confident at home.

“That’s our challenge right now. Human nature will always [play a part],” Eisley noted. “We’re 11-0, okay, pretty good. To have that type of attitude, it’s something we have to remind ourselves — there bigger goals out there for us.”

But there’s no arguing they’ve been good, and Eisley has played a huge role in getting them there.

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