Coach Howard's post Oregon press conference
TL;DR version
He liked how the team played, no critical comments.
Felt our guys were flying around in the first half, Oregon just hit some tough shots.
Likes how Franz's and Brandon's games are coming along. They've impacted previous games in more ways than one.
Liked the last play; Z had a chance to shoot, or dish to Zay (Isaiah), there was a chance at a tip in. He can live with it.
Knew Pritchard was good, saw him in the NCAA last year
Praised Oregon on their defense.
Great ball game, nothing to be upset about. The team cares about results, about one another. To lose two in a row stings, but we’re human. We got until Thursday to think about this loss.
Really liked the atmosphere, reminded him of the Duke game when he was a freshman
December 15th, 2019 at 5:44 AM ^
The stupid human in me wants to poke at something he said, something(!), but not for the right reasons. Like a lot of us, I was frustrated by the game and the result and I just wanted him to be angry. He was composed. As for myself, I can't help but think that some of my feelings stem from how the football season ended. I can't let it go. I want Michigan to be great and it simply just hasn't been in the cards. The basketball team is doing well, and I expect them to get better.
I need to get better and not let our teams affect me so much.
December 15th, 2019 at 6:12 AM ^
Yikes.
December 15th, 2019 at 10:14 AM ^
Well said. We all do.
December 15th, 2019 at 12:26 PM ^
I just have a completely different feeling about MBB than I do about the football team.
One part is structural -- a loss like this doesn't torpedo your season, because it's (mostly) about March Madness at the end. Even a Big Ten loss doesn't hurt as much, because there are more games.
Another part is that the teams - including this one - have overachieved some seasons. Even this squad has beaten some quality teams.
Another part is that I don't see a basketball philosophy that's a bad fit for the team. Part of that is the nature of BB vs FB, but still. The "eye test" says Juwan is coaching appropriately for his team.
Lastly, we know this is a transition, so whatever happens is (mostly) OK.
As negative as I am about the football team, that's how chill I am about MBB. It was a good game yesterday. We came up short, and that sucks, but we'll be fine.
December 15th, 2019 at 6:52 AM ^
Did anyone ask him about coaching, prep or talent gaps?
December 15th, 2019 at 10:12 AM ^
Juwan is ready to answer your questions, not your insults.
December 15th, 2019 at 12:37 PM ^
You seem like a pretty awesome human being, you know?
December 15th, 2019 at 7:05 AM ^
I see this team getting better, but Simpson & Teske need to step up or they will be on the bench. Both are limited athletically, and as good as they can both be, they can be as equally not so good. Simpson's lackadaisical play and turnovers have got to go.
Also, need Brooks to be better. He is key.
Coincidence that in Juwan's tweet, there's pictures of Brandon & David? Ascending.
December 15th, 2019 at 8:19 AM ^
Simpson and Teske are not going to get benched and rightfully so. If you really think so you're delusional. If you think a DeJulius - Johns duo can maintain top-25 status for us you're also overrating them severely.
December 15th, 2019 at 8:33 AM ^
But he is not overrating them any more severely than you are overrating Teske and Simpson. Loyalty is perhaps the most overrated of all human characteristics. And I say that the next two games gives this staff the opportunity to get the next group ready to give the B1G schedule a go. Now is the time to see if DDJ, Brooks, Wagner, Livers and Johns are the best starting five.
December 15th, 2019 at 8:57 AM ^
I said that Simpson and Teske will not be benched. How is that severely overrating them? If you believe that saying that is severely overrating them then I'd invite you to watch the past season and the first seven games of this season again.
I am saying these "status quo" things because I believe in evaluation over a large sample size rather than over a few recent games. It's the same reason I don't get too high, for example, when the team won seven straight to start the season.
My preseason expectations were that this was a top 20 team. After seven games, I thought that we might be a top 10 team. Now I think we're a top 15 team. I went from Top 20 to 10 to 15. It feels like some people on here have gone from Top 50 to 3 to 25 (not accusing anyone here), and so given the circumstances, I will either be more positive/negative. You've just happened to see this side of me lol
December 15th, 2019 at 9:00 AM ^
Loyalty is perhaps the most overrated of all human characteristics.
According to whom? I disagree completely. Actually, loyalty is one of the most important human characteristics. Loyalty is what builds positive morale. Senior-led teams are the way to build a program, and have an advantage at tournament time, or in parts of the season where the team hits a rough patch.
Teske and Simpson did not have their best games. How they bounce back from that - how they behave in meetings and practice - is way more important to the development of this team and the younger players than one disappointing loss. Johns and Wagner are finally hitting shots and coming on. This is great news, and hopefully will keep getting better. Last week, most of the board was declaring them clearly not ready.
The importance in terms of leadership and example make Simpson and Teske invaluable to this team throughout this season. That Michigan has eight guys or so that will have a positive impact on this season bodes well for this basketball program.
December 15th, 2019 at 5:25 PM ^
What a simple-minded, unfounded statement. Surely you have never been the leader of a team either as a player or a coach- because your last paragraph is beyond pointless. The worst thing for any team is to have a "leader" who cannot walk the talk-and that is what Simpson is. Juwan has his work cut out for him here.
Loyalty can be as much of a negative as a positive. If this has to be explained we are in a profuond "Oh my!" situation.
December 15th, 2019 at 9:12 AM ^
I didn't even get around to completely reading your take in my first reply, and the edit button isn't working so...
I don't think I've seen a more asinine comment than to call for Simpson and Teske benching in awhile. You're the epitome of overreaction. Imagine if every team started benching their best players after two bad games. Especially considering DDJ was 4-16 and 0-5 from three in the last two weeks prior to yesterday's game. If ONE game where the backup outplays the starter inflicts you to bench the starter in favor of the backup then I can't even begin on how horrible of a coach you would be.
Given your comment, you'd think that Simpson and Teske are having horrible seasons for someone to consider benching your two best players. This is nowhere even close to the case. They're just being used much more offensively with the departure of our top 3 scorers from last year, and yet we're still a very good basketball team with them running the show. Your comment makes me feel like you've literally just watched one game the whole season
December 15th, 2019 at 10:00 AM ^
It’s great that DDJ and Johns are stepping up their game. Having a deep roster is a positive thing especially if players have slumps, foul trouble or matchup problems. I agree that calling people overrated and wanting to bench seniors is a bit reactionary.
December 15th, 2019 at 10:32 AM ^
The team has a low ceiling with Simpson and Teske as focal point pieces. He is not saying they should be benched, they should be part of the rotation, but teams have figured them out and the offense will stall if they remain the dominant aspects of the offense. We all like Teske and Simpson. Good guys and good players. Players that can sustain a Top 25-30 team and beat some folks. But Howard does need to turn more to DDJ and Johns offensively if he wants to make a deep run this year. If the team relies on Simpson to initiate offense to this degree this season will stall a lot like last year, but probably a bit sooner.
December 15th, 2019 at 5:15 PM ^
Thanks for your attempt to inform. On this board, for all the interest, the lack of actual knowledge regarding basketball is stunning. Insecurity and ignorance are a steep hill to climb and here, persistence is not a good thing. Clearly many have no limits to how poorly Simpson will have to play to demonstrate the boundaries of his skill. Playing the game at this level requires more than simply effort. Simpson and Teske have important roles to play on this team. But if people really believe what they say about Simpson then he is the most overrated player in college basketball. And the sooner DeJulius takes over the majority of minutes here the better for everyone.
You all can neg me in this regard until the cows come home-this is on you not me. Just because you don't know talent and the game doesn't mean that I don't.
December 17th, 2019 at 4:02 PM ^
Gonna say it again. You’re a major overreactor and a major idiot if you think DeJulius gives us a better chance to win. You have nothing of significance to support this.
Also great move by bringing out the “everyone that disagrees with me knows nothing about basketball even though I’m in the large minority” card. I have nothing to say to that. You win
December 15th, 2019 at 11:09 AM ^
what an asinine comment. Just dumb.
December 15th, 2019 at 11:37 AM ^
Agree - terrible take. Teske is probably our most impactful player. His length around the rim impacts the entire offense of opposing teams. He also has TJ e ability to stretch the floor on offense and draw other teams’ bigs away from the basket. He isn’t being benched.
December 15th, 2019 at 2:22 PM ^
yep. there's a reason that prichard made 6+ layups in the final 20 min or so; teske wasn't in there. i recall only one shot of his at the rim when teske was in. he is one of the best rim protectors in college bball and he is serviceable on offense (13.4 ppg). but ya, let's bench him for a 6'8" guy.
hey, if you want to give johns the bench minutes from castleton, i am all for it. maybe it lights a fire under his arse. johns could also get several minutes at the 4 when livers or wagner get a breather. but teske needs to get his 30+ min...as does simpson.
i am also willing to give DDJ more minutes over brooks. brooks has become way too passive. DDJ attacks.
December 15th, 2019 at 3:21 PM ^
Oregon also made layups when building their 16 point lead. Tip your hat to the step back threes, but they got to the rim way too easily at the beginning of the game, too.
December 15th, 2019 at 12:33 PM ^
Yes, Johns and DDJ should get more minutes, but Z and Teske will not be benched. That's stupid.
Z just needs to understand that he doesn't need to play heroball as the players around him get better. From the beginning of the season, I can see why he thinks that. But the aforementioned DDJ and Johns are improving, and at some point, the team will be better off if Z leans on those guys more. I'm sure Juwan will communicate that.
Teske....I dunno. I mean, he has skills, but it seems like he freaked a little when Oregon was trapping him in the post yesterday. As the trap comes, he will need to find the open man and those players will need to convert. That will improve this offense. I think he got flustered and it took him out of the offense.
So, a couple tweaks, and these players will be alright. The future is bright.
December 15th, 2019 at 7:14 AM ^
I hate Press conferences like this... Everything is Great Everything is Fine I did nothing wrong they did nothing wrong.. Nothing to worry about despite losing 3 ofm 4 now...WTF..just tell the damm truth
December 15th, 2019 at 7:19 AM ^
That’s the thing.... he did.
We all know about how Simpson needs to be a little cleaner with the ball and how Brooks screwed us with that back court turnover, but in the grand scheme, the team played well.
Gotta find a way to not have those scoring droughts, but the team is playing well and is going to get better.
December 15th, 2019 at 8:11 AM ^
What do you want him to say? Everything that you think? Would that make it better? Do you want him to run down his players like Izzo? Good Lord. Half the people on this board think Michigan should go undefeated in football and basketball for all of eternity. And if they don't, they're directly insulting you somehow. It was one game. If there was one more minute, UM probably would have won. Would it have been any better if that guy's 40-footer would have counted? Still would have been a loss and another insult, I guess.
December 15th, 2019 at 8:22 AM ^
This is the damn truth. There's instances, such as we've seen in football, where your comment is appropriate.
This is not. The team outplayed Oregon by like somewhere near 10 points. And I'm not discounting missed threes etc..., I'm counting some of the circus shots and silly rim shots Oregon made vs some easy dunk shots that we missed, along with probably around a 3-5 point officiating swing.
December 15th, 2019 at 8:40 AM ^
I am not here to pick on you but you say some of the most ridiculously homer, status quo things. Michigan did not get screwed by the officials. And sorry to tell you, if one player lost this game for Michigan it was Simpson-by a wide margin. Just acknowledge the reality and move on.
Otherwise, this is simply a friggin college basketball game. I feel badly about the game...love to win...but it is simply another athletic contest. I'll try to regain my composure and perspective here.
December 15th, 2019 at 8:51 AM ^
I am not implying either of the things you think I am and perhaps I should make it clear.
A 3-5 point swing is very regular in basketball, and is part of the game, so I have no problem with it, as long as it's not near the end of the game, which it wasn't. It is absolutely unrealistic for an official to not make a bad call throughout the game. I'm citing it as part of my argument that taking a regular-luck game if you will, we likely win the game by around 10 points. An example of a positive-luck game would be the game vs Gonzaga, where nothing would fall for GU, and some calls went against them as well. A negative-luck game if you will, would be like yesterday. There is no bias in admitting that. I'm happy Juwan didn't say what I said, because that would sound like a coach making excuses, but as a fan, I have all the right in the world to point out which way luck was pointed at.
I am here to criticize the OP criticizing Juwan, for speaking nothing but the truth, in a way that also didn't make excuses. There is a time and place where his criticism is true, but today is not one of them.
December 15th, 2019 at 12:41 PM ^
Van, you've made excellent points in the thread, but we had the officiating advantage yesterday. As someone said during the stream yesterday, "If I was an Oregon fan, I'd be pretty pissed at the officiating."
Someone else can help my swiss-cheese brain out about specific calls, but I noted at least three that could have easily gone the other way. Also, Pritchard (their PG and best player) got into early foul trouble. Otherwise, the first half - when we played pretty badly for stretches - could have been a lot worse.
December 15th, 2019 at 9:47 AM ^
The number of people who get their panties in a knot over press conferences never ceases to amaze me.
December 15th, 2019 at 11:09 AM ^
What sort of answer could Juwan have given that would satisfy you?
December 15th, 2019 at 3:22 PM ^
Public words vs private words
December 15th, 2019 at 7:43 AM ^
Great content. Great post. Early-season loss against a very high quality opponent, where there were numerous quality M developments. Wish there weren't so many damn whiners on this board. More impressed with Howard and Martelli each time I see them, and the teams they put on the floor. Sure, 18-22 year olds will make a few mistakes, but after losing Iggy and Poole to the pros, I love the team we have in mid-December the following year.
December 15th, 2019 at 7:50 AM ^
I mean, they lost a one point game in over time to a top 10 ranked team. It sucks, but it's not something you should get pissed about. They dug a huge hole in the first half, and then battled it all the way back to OT. Gripe about the first half, but if you can't find something positive in this, then fuck off.
Seriously, this team came back from 16 down to have a chance to win at the buzzer against a top 10 team. In the middle of December. WTF is there to complain about?
December 15th, 2019 at 8:20 AM ^
Starting horribly at home when you are the higher ranked team.
December 15th, 2019 at 8:36 AM ^
"The Wolverines played eight consecutive games against top-50 teams in 17 days, and only two were at home. Through 11 games, Michigan’s strength of schedule is ranked 10th in the nation and first among high-major teams."
- from UMHoops, as stated in a different thread.
This was a marquee game for Oregon - on the road at a bball powerhouse with the entire East Coast watching, a rare thing for West Coast teams. They were ready for this game the same way Louisville was.
But you keep finding things to piss and moan about to prove to everyone that you're a just a whiny bitch.
December 15th, 2019 at 3:27 PM ^
WTF is there to complain about?I wouldn't ask that question around here.
December 15th, 2019 at 8:56 PM ^
I just don't get this. The team can do a lot of things really well and a lot of things not really well in the same game. You can praise Johns's emergence and how DDJ played in the 1st half while also criticizing/"complaining" about Howard not making an adjustment to stop Pritchard from scoring 15 in the final 4:11 of regulation + overtime, Michigan taking only 2 threes in the final ~14 minutes of regulation and 0 in the final 7 minutes after making their first 4, Livers not shooting a single shot in the final 12 minutes of the game after starting the 2nd half 5 of 6 (and Simpson taking 5 in this span, missing 4), that disastrous final play, the team's lack of poise late, etc.
Yes, they balled out to come back from such a large deficit (that they were in because they came out absolutely flat at home against a team that thought it was 9am). But there were numerous issues late that cost them the game and could hurt them against other teams in the future (like if Howard game plans for Winston like he did for Pritchard) if they don't fix them. And nobody is a bad fan if they merely point those out.
December 15th, 2019 at 9:10 AM ^
I am not surprised. Howard has to feel that his team's in pretty good shape. They've lost three games, to quality opponents, in ways that have shown them exactly where Michigan's weaknesses are. How other teams will attack them. Missing open threes (and dunks) is something you are hopeful will naturally improve over the next few months. The players and coaches can look back at these three games and see exactly where they need to improve. Some of the younger players seem to be stepping up. This is great news, as it means when Simpson and Teske are struggling or run into foul trouble, all is not lost. These losses are exactly why you want to play some good teams early - to sharpen you, see what you need to work on, and face some competition mostly the likes of which you won't see again until tournament time.
December 15th, 2019 at 10:21 AM ^
For example, the way we defended Pritchard down the stretch is exactly how NOT to defend Cassius. Hopefully we learned something that will help during conference play. The Big10 title really is up for grabs this season.
December 15th, 2019 at 9:14 AM ^
I especially like the 7:42 mark. Yeah...It’s fluff but you can tell this is a coach that players will love to play for but this sure as hell means a lot to him (which we all knew).
He’s a new coach and this isn’t a seasoned team. It feels like he is coaching in a manner his team will respond well to.
December 15th, 2019 at 9:56 AM ^
He had a measured response to a tough loss - no way he'll make it in college basketball. He's gotta start blaming kids and how "unfair" he's treated.
December 15th, 2019 at 10:45 AM ^
Here's my take: Winnable game was lost due to Brooks and Simpson not playing well especially defensively
December 15th, 2019 at 10:52 AM ^
Reading through a lot of the negative comments (and rather desperate advice), I cannot help but think how many would be arguing the complete opposite if Simpson's hook shot swished or the tip-in attempt rattled in.....would half the people on here still be making the same claims. Yes, Howard is still finding the right rotation and minutes for personnel, but an overtime loss to a top 10 team in December means very little for these teams seasonal goals!
December 15th, 2019 at 11:34 AM ^
I don't disagree with this. I think it's a combination of two things:
- People are still broken from the football season and our taking it out on the basketball team.
- The wins at Atlantis sort of tainted many fans and set them up to think we were invincible.
I do love that a loss in basketball, in particular this time of year doesn't ruin your season. I was just irritated because we clawed our way back just to lose, combined that with losing to Oregon in the tournament 3 years ago with a buzzer shot miss by our PG. I really wanted to beat them. But I'm over it today and still super excited for the rest of season!
December 15th, 2019 at 11:44 AM ^
There is some overreaction going on but it really was a pretty brutal loss in the sense that the win could have insulated the team from really any pressure during Big Ten play. 8-3 with one conference loss already is not bad, particularly with a couple of good wins, but neither is it bulletproof. The BIG schedule gets brutal right away. It is not out of the question that this team could find itself on the 6-7ish line in the BIG. A win yesterday would have taken the team irrevocably out of “bubble” territory even if they play relatively poorly in conference.
December 15th, 2019 at 12:27 PM ^
I am disappointed we lost, but I think we saw a few things that are positive for the future.
1) The team did not give up and kept after it all the way to the buzzer.
2) Juwan answered the deficit well by changing the lineup around. He figured what had to be done to get back in the game and succeeded.
3) The backups performed well in a tough situation. Bench strength is always important and it looks like we have some.
This is the difference between football and basketball- this gets to be a lesson learned. You don't get those in football.
December 15th, 2019 at 1:09 PM ^
Did he say anything about having to play weird guyz?
December 15th, 2019 at 3:02 PM ^
If I don't take us to win it all, I might take Oregon to win my NCAA tourney pool. I like the way they way play and Prtichard is a senior who is clutch.