ROSEMONT, ILL. — The coaching bug first bit Juwan Howard in 2009 when he played for Portland and NBA head coach Nate McMillan. He worked his way up to assistant coach under Eric Spoelstra at Miami and finally got his opportunity as a head coach, replacing John Beilein when Beilein accepted the Cleveland Cavaliers job this summer.
Howard took the podium at Big Ten Media Day in Chicago for the first time as U-M’s head coach.
“I’m the rookie. I’m excited about this opportunity to be here today, my first Big Ten Media Day,” Howard said.
“This is a dream come true for me to have a chance to come back to my alma mater, the University of Michigan, one of the most prestigious universities there is in this country. Michigan is a beautiful place that helped me develop as a student athlete … I got my degree at the University of Michigan and I’m proud to call myself a Michigan Man.”
But he also understands the high expectations that come with the job, especially after Beilein’s 12-year career in which he won Big Ten titles, Big Ten Tournament titles and made Final Fours.
He’s not trying to replace Beilein, he said — just build on his accomplishments. He and Beilein have history, in fact, meeting just about every summer.
“Coach Beilein did an awesome job with this program. When I was working with the Miami Heat, I was preparing myself to be a head coach to someday, be ready for it, whether it was NBA or college,” Howard recalled. “See what and how I want my team to look. Every summer I used to go and visit Coach Beilein. He would pick my brain on defense, post defense. There were times we’d have a session — I’d call it a career workshop day. He’d have his coaching staff out there, talk about basketball, skill development from an offensive standpoint.
“I’ve always had a lot of respect for Beilein and his philosophy. There were times I would ask Erick Spoelstra to reach out to Beilein …. (said) ‘this guy is interesting.’ He is one of the best basketball minds out there.”
But he’ll stay true to who he is, he continued.
“I’m sure a lot of people will be like, ‘you have a lot of pressure on you to fill those shoes.’ All I can say is this … I’m not going to try to be like Coach Beilein," he said. "He has his philosophy, his way of doing things. I have my philosophy I think works for our team moving forward. But I do respect the gentleman who was there before me.”
NOTES
• Hiring Phil Martelli as his lead assistant was a no-brainer, Howard said.
“His name is the godfather,” he quipped.
“A), I’m Humble. B), I respect guys who have been head coaches and have a ton of experience. I’d be a fool not to pick coach’s brain or use him. He’s on the staff, a guy I’m going to lean on a lot. I think he has so much experience, 24 years as a head coach, 34 total. That says a lot, that he knows a lot about college basketball.
“That’s why I’m very fortunate I was able to get this Christmas gift early by hiring Phil Martelli.”
• The Wolverines are getting great early leadership from the trio Howard brought to Chicago — Zavier Simpson, Jon Teske and Isaiah Livers.
“I’ve had a chance to watch them from afar being an assistant coach at Miami. To see a guy like Zavier Simpson who I’ve watched for many years, how he’s developed as a player … now I have an opportunity to coach him, and I see why he’s so special. He’s a great person, an excellent leader and a hard worker.
“Jon Teske is another person who has improved a lot as a player. My goal is to help him get better. Isaiah Livers is developing day by day. We have high character guys on our team. It’s a dream for a coach to have those guys in the trenches with you.”
• Howard was asked if he’d continue to recruit his home city of Chicago.
“My walk has been special. I was brought up in this city, being part of the Public League was challenging at times … I faced a lot of adversity that helped me develop as a young man,” he said. “I went through a lot of wars with King and Simeon high school that taught me how to compete at a high level.
“Chicago has some amazing talent in the city. I will continue to recruit not only here in Chicago, but in other parts of the country.”
• The Michigan players are likely familiar with Howard's Fab Five days as a Michigan player in the early 1990s, but it’s not something they all talk about.
"“I haven’t had a chance to even talk about the Fab Five. I think a lot of our guys do their homework,” Howard said. “They’re very smart. They know who the Fab Five is. They understand what I’ve done at my collegiate level. The majority I think have seen the Fab five documentary.
“Chris Webber in my opinion is a Hall of Famer, not only on the collegiate level, but also on the NBA level. Keep in mind, I recruited Chris Webber to come to the University of Michigan. At the time people would say, ‘how can two guys who play the same position coexist on the floor?’ We had an amazing coach like Steve Fisher ... figured it out. We had a lot of success, learned a lot from Coach Fisher.
“But Chris is a Michigan man.”
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