Michigan bringing back Howard as coach
ANN ARBOR, Mich. —
Juwan Howard, the former member of Michigan’s Fab Five Final Four teams, has agreed to a five-year deal to coach the Wolverines.
“As a ‘Michigan Man,’ I know the place our program has in college basketball and I embrace the chance to build onto that history and lead us to championships both in the Big Ten and national level,” said Howard, who will be paid $2 million in his first year. “We will continue to develop young men on the court, in the classroom and in the community that our fan base will continue to be proud of.”
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, in his first major move in three years in charge of the department, is giving the Miami Heat assistant coach his first shot at being a head coach other than during the NBA’s summer league.
“We have found someone with high integrity, great character and a coach who has unbelievable knowledge of the game of basketball,” Manuel said. “We are excited to welcome back a member of the family to Ann Arbor.” He replaces John Beilein, who left to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Howard helped Michigan reach the national championship game twice, playing alongside Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. The school later removed the Fab Five’s Final Four banners from Crisler Arena as part of self-imposed sanctions from one of the NCAA’s largest financial scandals.
A federal investigation revealed now-deceased booster Ed Martin gave Webber and three non-Fab Five players more than $600,000. The NCAA forced the school to dissociate from the former players involved until 2013.
“Juwan wasn’t a part of that,” Jackson told AP in a telephone interview. “He was never involved,”
The 46-year-old Howard played at Michigan for three seasons before Washington drafted him No. 5 overall in 1994. The twotime NBA champion averaged 13.4 points during a career that ended in 2013.