Michigan fires Howard, former Fab Five star, after five seasons
ANN ARBOR, MICH. » 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.
“Juwan is among the greatest Wolverines to ever be associated with our basketball program,” Manuel said in a statement.
“I know how much it meant, to not only Juwan, but to all of us for him to return here to lead this program. Despite his love of his alma mater and the positive experience
that our student-athletes had under his leadership, it was clear to me that the program was not living up to our expectations and not trending in the right direction.”
Manuel hired Howard, who had tears of joy at his introductory news conference in May 2019 when John Beilein bolted to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers after turning the Wolverines into a national power.
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.
PURDUE 67, MICHIGAN STATE 62 »
Zach Edey had 29 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks, as the Boilermakers (29-3) recovered from a blown 12-point lead to beat the Spartans (19-14) in a hard-nosed Big Ten Tourney quarterfinal.
Tyson Walker had 15 points, Malik Hall pitched in 12 points and Tre Holloman scored 10 points for the Spartans, who had an 18-0 edge in fast-break points and made a spirited rally to tie the game late before falling short in head coach Tom Izzo’s 1,000th game on the bench.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 73, (5) TENNESSEE 56 »
Cameron Matthews and Josh Hubbard each scored 18 points as the Bulldogs (21-12) dominated the Volunteers (24-8) in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
This victory should push the Bulldogs firmly off the NCAA Tournament bubble with their second win over No. 1 seed Tennessee this season.