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.
“I’m pleased to announce that @CampSanderson — an integral part of the program the last 10 years — will be staying in Ann Arbor,” Howard tweeted. “His reputation precedes him — I’m definitely looking forward to witnessing that first workout.”
Sanderson, who also works with Michigan’s men’s and women’s golf programs, is widely regarded as one of the nation’s top strength and conditioning coaches. Many of the player development success stories from the John Beilein era owe themselves in part to his offseason training regimen known as “Camp Sanderson.”
NBA players such as Nik Stauskas, Caris LeVert and Moritz Wagner, and current Wolverine starting center Jon Teske, among others, transformed from raw prospects into bonafide physical specimens under Sanderson’s training.
Howard retaining Sanderson might bode well for the chances of retaining Michigan’s current assistant coaches — Luke Yaklich, DeAndre Haynes and Saddi Washington.
It’s unknown which assistants Howard might look to keep on staff, if any at all. Andrew Kahn of MLive.com reported earlier this week that athletic director Warde Manuel “is very aware of the need to pair Howard with a veteran college coach,” and is currently searching for potential candidates, which would eliminate at least one of the trio. Meanwhile, Yaklich, Michigan’s de facto defensive coordinator the last two seasons, has interviewed with Texas head coach Shaka Smart for an open position on the Longhorns’ staff.