Howard has Michigan looking elite in 1st year
No one really knew what to expect after Michigan basketball’s offseason reset.
The Wolverines lost their top three scorers from what was a very good team last season. They lost the program’s alltime winningest coach, too. His replacement is Juwan Howard, a first-time head coach who had also never coached for an NCAA program.
Michigan had plenty of question marks entering this season.
And it answered a lot of them over three days last week.
So far, the Wolverines look like one of college men’s basketball’s elite teams. They just won three games in three days, with two decisive victories over then-No. 4 North Carolina on Thursday and then-No. 7 Gonzaga 82-64 Friday.
It’s early, and most teams across the nation are still figuring things out, but that’s kind of the point: Michigan has had to do the same thing, except with a new head coach who inherited a roster that he didn’t recruit.
The Wolverines’ early success is a testament to the job Howard and his staff have done. It’s also a testament to the roster, which could have disintegrated during the coaching transition but didn’t (there was zero attrition) and worked to acclimate to a new coach.
The season started with a thud after a lackluster second half against Appalachian State, but Michigan has diced its way through opponents ever since.
The Wolverines have the profile of an elite team on both ends of the court: They take (and make) a lot of 3-pointers and shoot very well on 2s, while setting plenty of screens for their dynamic point guard. On defense, Michigan limits 3s, encourages opponents to take inefficient mid-range shots and protects the rim. That’s a winning formula, and while it sounds easy, Howard and his staff deserve credit for implementing their vision.
There’s been a notable improvement from many players, too.
Two question marks entering the season were shooting and roster depth. So far, both have been clear strengths.
Entering Friday, the Wolverines had a 61.1% effective field goal percentage, No. 2 in the nation — and that was before they shot 54% against the Bulldogs, including 52.2% from 3.
Michigan has been a lot deeper than anyone expected, too. Eli Brooks, David DeJulius, Colin Castleton and Brandon Johns have provided scoring, rebounding, defense and key minutes whenever Michigan’s stars, like point guard Zavier Simpson and center Jon Teske, have been in foul trouble.
There has even been clear signs of development from Michigan’s most established players. Forward Isaiah Livers has been more assertive in ball-screen situations and looks more comfortable putting the ball on the floor. Teske has been an elite two-way center while developing his post-up game. Simpson has had some difficulties with turnovers but is shooting over 40% from beyond the 3-point line, averaged more than 10 assists in the Bahamas and even hit a left-handed sky hook against Gonzaga.
Michigan is still likely to go as far as Simpson and Teske can carry it, but the improvement from the rest of the roster has been significant. The Wolverines will also get better play from prized freshman wing Franz Wagner, whose first game of the season was against Iowa State. Wagner, who missed the first three games of the year with a broken right wrist, scored 10 points with four rebounds and two steals against Gonzaga. He should only continue to improve as he shakes off the rust.
Put all of it together, and Michigan has the look of a very dangerous and talented team.
This was as good of a start as Howard could have asked for. The Wolverines just won the most competitive preseason tournament and significantly enhanced their NCAA tournament resume. The program just notched two signature victories on consecutive days over coaches with 20-plus years of experience.
If recruits had questions about Howard’s coaching methods and style, those have mostly been answered. Michigan plays fast on offense and spreads the ball around, and the players all seem to love Howard.
“When you have a coach that you know cares about you genuinely, both on and off the floor,” DeJulius told reporters after Thursday’s win over North Carolina, “then you’ll run through a brick wall for him, as you can see how we played today.”
The players deserve credit for buying into Howard’s philosophy and sticking around when they could’ve explored other options. The staff deserves credit for finding what works for this roster and developing the players.
Entering last week, the Wolverines weren’t ranked. On Monday, they entered the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll at No. 5, with perhaps the nation’s most impressive resume over the first month of the season, and they’ll have two more chances at top-25 wins over the next two weeks against No. 1 Louisville and No. 14 Oregon.
Michigan is on a roll that few could have anticipated. And it’s pretty darn impressive.