Newly-minted captain Jace Howard is Michigan's 'hypeman' and motivator

Michigan junior forward Jace Howard wears the title of captain of the basketball forward as a badge of honor. You can tell it means a lot to him and you can tell that the responsibility of leading the team sits squarely on his shoulders.

The weight of it all doesn't impact Howard, as nothing ever seems to. He was the same smiley and happy-go-lucky kid that he was when he was going through the recruitment process in high school.

It's an honor that brings him, and his family, a great honor.

"It means a lot," Howard told reporters during U-M's Media Day. "It means a lot that these coaches and the players trust what I have to say and trust me to lead them out there. I think midway through last year, that's when I thought my voice really started to echo through the locker room and that's when I started saying more things in practice and in the games because I was pregame hypeman as well.

"Being able to do that, taking the experience that I've had with my first two years, a winning season and last year with the up-and-down season and having to navigate our way through that to get to the tournament and get to the Sweet Sixteen, I learned a lot from it. It's helped me because now we have a whole lot of new guys, new faces. I think them having another voice, another person that they can listen to that has been through similar experiences that they all have been through. I think it's great."

The Wolverines' summer overseas trip brought the entire team together and helped establish a bond. With the chemistry already there, it's going to help tremendously once the team starts playing competitive basketball against other programs, not themselves in practice.

Howard enjoys the younger players and believes that something special is brewing in Ann Arbor.

"We've got great guys who listen," Howard said. "Every single one of them, their growth since they've been here has been insane. They're willing to learn, I think that's the main reason why they've grown so much because of their willingness to learn. We have guys who have the potential to be something really special. This has the potential to be a special class and it's making my job as the captain easier because it's not just me, Terrence and Hunter speaking. Now we have everybody with a captain-like voice in practice which makes the coach's jobs easier. It makes it easier for winning."

As for his leadership style, Howard has labeled himself as the "hypeman" of the team. As it's been clear throughout his tenure in Ann Arbor, Howard has been a vocal presence on the bench. Leading the Wolverines in cheers from the bench, as well as being a key member of the "bench mob" during celebrations.

It extends well beyond the bench, though. Howard has had plenty of excellent examples to learn from in terms of leadership.

While he will take bits and pieces of what he's observed in his three years with the program, he still very much takes his leadership style in his own way.

"I try to motivate guys on a day-to-day basis," Howard said. "I feel like one of the best things going for myself is my ability to relate to everybody. I think I can relate to everybody and their own story, their own situation. I've been in so many situations myself. It's definitely a motivator, a guy who gets guys going, juiced up, a meathead type of guy when I have to be in the weight room, and stuff like that."

He continued:

"I think the team really gravitates towards it because then you've got a guy like Terrance who is so methodical in how he does things, he's super practical. Such a technician. Hunter, the big voice. The best player on the team in terms of that mantra and the presence that he has. I think we all do something different, which is really good for the team because we're all not the same type of leader. To answer your question, definitely that motivator, that hype guy. Also, try to establish a tone on the defensive end. I think that's something that would really differentiate us from being good to great this season. I'm taking on that challenge and I know our team is as well."