Michigan men’s hoop coach Howard fired after 8-win year

Michigan fired coach Juwan Howard on Friday after five seasons, parting ways with the former Fab Five star whose return to his alma mater included a Big Ten title and advancing in two NCAA Tournaments before closing with two straight disappointing seasons.

Howard finished with an 82-67 record with the Wolverines, reaching some highs and lows. He won a conference regular season championship and was a win away from the Final Four in 2021, when he was named The Associated Press coach of the year.

He lost a school-record 24 games this season as Michigan plummeted to a last-place finish in the Big Ten for the first time since 1967.

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel made the call to fire Howard without cause two days after an eight-win season ended with a loss to Penn State in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Early in the 2021-22 season, following a run to an NCAA Tournament regional final, Manuel gave Howard a five-year extension worth more than $16.9 million that had him under contract through the 2025-26 season.

Michigan will owe Howard about $7 million for his base salary and additional compensation plus a lump-sum payment of $3 million for firing him without cause in year three of his deal, according to terms of his contract.

The 51-year-old Howard had heart surgery in September and returned to his head coaching duties in mid-december after a review of an incident involving several individuals during a team practice. Former strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson did not join the team on the sideline for its Dec. 10 game at Iowa, and was not on the team’s bench in subsequent games.