What is Juwan Howard’s head coaching philosophy?
Surely, the answer he gave at his introduction as the head coach of the Michigan men’s basketball team — “it remains to be seen” — couldn’t have inspired confidence among Wolverine fans. How can someone taking over for the greatest coach in school history not know his own coaching philosophy?
Paradoxically, what might reassure those fans is that the man who hired Howard doesn’t know, either.
Some of the biggest questions surrounding Juwan Howard’s hire have concerned his coaching staff.
As of Friday, at least one part of that puzzle is complete.
Michigan’s new head coach announced on Twitter that Jon Sanderson, the Wolverines’ strength and conditioning coach since 2009, will remain with the program.
Howard doesn’t need to restore any glory days. His only mandate is to create more. And if you squint hard enough into the unknown, there are reasons to believe he can do just that.
Adriana Pendino could do nothing but let her emotions take control.
After the Michigan women’s lacrosse team was bounced by Denver, 9-5, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, a reporter asked the senior attacker what her message to her younger teammates would be.
Pendino inhaled deeply, muttered “Sorry,” and closed her eyes to stem the tide.
Ten seconds of silence passed.
Molly Garrett won the draw and surged headlong into the teeth of the Jacksonville defense.
As the junior midfielder sprinted towards the goal, the best regular season in Michigan women’s lacrosse history faded further and further into the past. In its place, dreamland drew closer.
Garrett snapped her stick forward, firing the ball past Dolphin goalkeeper Dayna Martinetto and into the net. 1-0, Wolverines.
So if we don’t remember the 2018-19 Wolverines in the same way we remember other great Wolverine teams of recent years, we’ll still remember them. Not as a moment, necessarily, but as a group of the greatest era of Michigan basketball history.
Even without the titles. Even without the single enduring image. Even without NCAA Tournament glory.
This was a damn good Michigan basketball team. It deserves to be remembered that way.
The Daily looked at tape from three of Texas Tech’s most recent games, including its 78-58 win over Buffalo in the Round of 32, to help break down the matchup between two defensive titans.
When the Wolverines left the locker room, Matthews made sure they were, indeed, on it.
“First time in the huddle, he came and said, ‘No more threes. No more threes. Let’s limit their threes,” assistant coach DeAndre Haynes told The Daily. “He held it down for us out there.”
If the Wolverines wish to beat Florida on Saturday and advance to the Sweet 16 for a third straight year, that can’t be the case.
“We’re pretty sure we’re gonna see some switches tomorrow, which we’ve been scouting,” said assistant coach DeAndre Haynes. “We’ll be ready for it because we’ve been seeing it in our league. Lot of teams switch against us, and it made us a better team.”
Thursday, the Wolverines were happy for the opportunity to overwhelm an opponent by simply walking onto the court.