Michigan head coach Juwan Howard met the media Wednesday to talk about his team with the first practice on the horizon. The Wolverines have been working out but will make it official Oct. 14 when the 2020-21 squad takes the floor for its first practice as a team.
There are plenty of new faces, but some familiar ones, too. They are all “his guys,” Howard said, whether he recruited them or not, and he’s ready to blend them on his second Michigan squad.
“I feel the same type of ownership I did last year when I became coach,” Howard said. “This is my team. Each and every one of them are players that are part of this Michigan program, have accepted me as a coach. I have, of course, welcomed each and every student athlete with open arms.
“I know sometimes it’s said that a lot of these players, I didn’t recruit. At the end of the day, this is my team. I don’t put guys in categories or say, ‘you weren’t recruited by me.’ I don’t have some type of pulse where I don’t have a relationship with any of the group. I have an excellent relationship with all of them.”
There’s been no shortage of leadership, either. Senior guard Eli Brooks has become more vocal, and sophomore Franz Wagner has also accepted the role. Fifth-year senior Austin Davis, senior Isaiah Livers, transfers Mike Smith and Chaundee Brown … all have proven to be capable in that role.
Brooks was vocal last year, Howard said, and others have stepped up.
“I really want our guys to be active participants in their culture,” he said. “They know when they hear from me, it comes from a real authentic place. It genuinely comes from the heart.”
NOTES
• Wake Forest transfer Brown is still waiting on his waiver, and Howard couldn’t elaborate on whether or not he’d be able to play this year. He’ll have one season remaining whether it’s this year or next.
“The waiver process will be submitted very soon,” Howard said. “That’s all I can say.
“He has an amazing personality. He’s fun to be around; a worker. That’s great. He’s also a competitor, and I think he’s shown that playing in the ACC for three years. He fits the Michigan culture. He checks all the boxes.”
• There have been reports that Michigan opted out of the Empire Classic to be held at Mohegan Sun Resort in Connecticut, but Howard said that decision hadn’t been finalized. There is a possibility U-M will host its own MTE (multi-team event) in Ann Arbor.
“We’re still looking at a lot of the details on how the tournament will be conducted from a health and safety standpoint,” Howard said. “My goal No. 1 is to make sure each and every one of our players, coach and staff, health and safety is No. 1.
“It’s a lot of moving parts; a lot of new information that is changing daily. Sometimes information changes 20 times a day. We’re trying to do whatever is best to make sure if we play in an MTE or host our own MTE that the health and safety is No. 1.
“I’m not in position at this moment to say what our plans are, If it’s final yet. We’re still working on some things, and hopefully have some news today to share.”
• Freshman center Hunter Dickinson has made an impression on his teammates on and off the court.
“He has an amazing, bubbly personality,” Howard said. “His sense of humor is very unique, so infectious on the group that we all enjoy Hunter. There’s never a day I don’t find laughter in what he says. He has a way of interacting and communicating with people.
“I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to coach him. He came from a great high school program at [Hyattville Md.] DeMatha. He had a lot of success at the high school level, also in travel ball. He knows how to play the game, has a high IQ and I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to work with him.”
• Franz Wagner has also put in the time to better his game in the offseason.
“We’re going to need him, as we did last year,” Howard said. “He’s a worker. He's always in the gym working on his game, getting up extra shots. He’s a student of the game, as well, also watching film. He’ll go out there and give whatever he can to the team.
“That’s the beauty of coaching a guy like Franz. He’s a giver. He never once wavered on the other side of ‘me, me, me or 'I, I, I.' He’s not the type of guy to look ahead or anything like that. He’s locked in on the moment.”
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Listen and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Sign up for our newsletter, The Wolverine Now
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @Balas_Wolverine, @EJHolland_TW, @AustinFox42, @JB_ Wolverine, Clayton Sayfie and @DrewCHallett
• Like us on Facebook
