Shocking Juwan Howard Postgame Comments: He's Lost the Locker Room

Submitted by MS3 on February 3rd, 2024 at 7:49 PM
https://twitter.com/anthonytbroome/status/1753924409226658192 https://twitter.com/anthonytbroome/status/1753924812668325939 https://twitter.com/anthonytbroome/status/1753926038021706236 https://twitter.com/anthonytbroome/status/1753926158473683078 https://twitter.com/anthonytbroome/status/1753939933881147478

Shocking postgame comments from Juwan after the game today, courtesy of Anthony Broome. I don't know how you can throw your players under the bus like this, especially given that this is the roster you've assembled. Starting to feel like the point of no return...

MGoBoard
Basketball

San Diego Mick

February 3rd, 2024 at 8:05 PM ^

He is a fucking clown, talk about being in denial. 

Why would any of the players feel loyalty to him?

Fire him now so that the players who are eligible to come back will see that there is hope in the future. 

IDGAF about the recruiting class, it won't matter if the coach is clueless. 

Joined: 05/11/2011

MGoPoints: 50644

1VaBlue1

February 4th, 2024 at 12:38 AM ^

I don't understand why you're getting negged.  It's true - he's burned down what Beilein built.  The first two years were largely Beilein's players and culture.  This roster?  This culture?  This is entirely what he built.  Did he get all they guys he wanted?  Nope - portal players are a non-starter at Michigan and I will not hold Juwan responsible for that.  That is a Warde issue to resolve.

But Juwann know the deal here, at least he does as of last year.  Why he's in this position is his fault.  Why the team roster looks like it does is his fault.  Why the team plays like it does is his fault.

I love Juwann - he's one of my Fab Five hero's and will always have a warm spot in my heart.  His banners should be displayed.  He had better always receive a Standing O when he's spotted in the crowd.  He better not ever buy a beer in Ann Arbor.

But his time as Head Coach needs to end.  It just hasn't worked out - no shame in that.  I know he's given everything to make it work.  But you can't make comments like this about your players.  The players you brought here.  It's over.  It has to end.

Joined: 01/31/2016

MGoPoints: 127087

wolve1972

February 4th, 2024 at 5:14 AM ^

That is what pissed me off - his comments about the kids. I also looked past his temper, altercations and throwing punches but he's supposed to be an example for our kids. I'm a Michigan grad  (BSME -1972) and my school comes before any individual that does not know how to represent my school. Enough already.

Joined: 12/07/2018

MGoPoints: 6775

PeteM

February 4th, 2024 at 6:49 PM ^

Not sure I agree entirely about the first two years being Beilein. Franz may have come because of Beilein but wasn't coached by him. Hunter, Smith and Brown were big parts of the elite 8 run, and were Juwan's guys. I don't know what's happened since, but to argue that the program ran on "Beilein autopilot" for Howard's first two years isn't my observation.

Joined: 09/15/2008

MGoPoints: 3471

MidwestIsBest

February 3rd, 2024 at 11:10 PM ^

Knock it off. He’s a Michigan legend. He’s in over his head and it’s clear he’s fucked this up, but he’s invested more time, energy, and sweat in this program than all of us combined. I get it: it sucks when our teams are this embarrassing. But show some respect and keep your comments above the belt. He’s earned that.

Joined: 11/12/2016

MGoPoints: 1949

DennisFranklinDaMan

February 3rd, 2024 at 11:51 PM ^

Agree. Not to mention, this is *exactly* the stuff coaches say (or even do) to motivate their team.

I'm not saying it's going to work. I think he's probably done. But the commenters here rip on him now for everything he says. When we say "this team shows no commitment or energy" we're just calling it like it is. But when he says it, somehow, he's a clown? Like they wouldn't rip on him if he denied there was a problem?

As I said, I think he's probably done, but let's acknowledge that he's going to get slammed whatever he says at this point.

Joined: 01/23/2021

MGoPoints: 14418

MGlobules

February 4th, 2024 at 9:56 AM ^

Isolate those comments, build some lynch mob language around them, and. . . summon a lynch mob! But they really don't seem so incendiary in context, as found here in Andrew Kahn's summary of the postgame presser: 

https://www.mlive.com/wolverines/2024/02/this-bleep-works-juwan-howard-frustrated-as-losses-pile-for-michigan.html

When the team loses it's really not an outrage, or an insult to your ego--invested in that block M, though it may be. It's a bad team. Reserve your phony outrage for a crumbling planet. Or even better, do something about it. It's fun to pull down the high and mighty, but when all is said and done, Juwan will still have large money, have accomplished more with his years than. . . let's throw out a number. . . 95 percent of the noodles here?

 

Joined: 11/17/2008

MGoPoints: 47649

SHub'68

February 4th, 2024 at 10:01 AM ^

It was not just the roster. Those guys came with fundamentals and 'how to play basketball' already built in. So he was installing an approach to offense and defense that was different, but the critical foundational things were already in place. The guys already knew how to make crisp passes, take care of the ball, position themselves, select good shots, find a guy who has a better shot, when to take the shot, how to stop ball, help on defense, box out on free-throws, work together, dig in and play tough when it's needed...it's a crapload of maximum effort in practice to identify, teach, and motivate guys to learn them. Coaches work their tails off showing guys how this is done. It's all the things that go into a game that ends with fewer than 10 turnovers and a score that favors the good guys. Beilein ran himself ragged doing this and found a guy to help him (defense) when he couldn't do it himself.

That is what was already in place when he got here.

So what to do? Sort of like building up a football team from the lines out, if I were in Juwan's shoes, I'd try to find some basic things the team can hang it's hat on. Maybe start drilling the daylights out of them on ball security, moving on defense, and positioning for rebounds. Get some basics down with objective goals you can quantify that you can tell the team you're proud of them for and that they can be proud of. "We out rebounded them," "We only had 8 turnovers," "We only let that guard blow-by once"- "We closed out really great on threes" stuff like that. 

Joined: 09/29/2010

MGoPoints: 6663

Blau

February 3rd, 2024 at 10:31 PM ^

If Juwan Howard wasn’t part of a legacy era of Michigan athletics such as the Fab Five, he would’ve been let go a long time ago. I’m not saying he’s a bad coach or didn’t deserve a chance but all coaches/teams follow a trajectory to get better, stay the same, or get worse. You can guess where he falls on that spectrum.

Granted he may not of gotten the job in the first place without his Michigan connections but if people are still judged by the success and character they produce while employed, I have to think he’s on borrowed time.

Joined: 01/23/2014

MGoPoints: 35254

Ginuvas

February 3rd, 2024 at 8:12 PM ^

You could be on record for saying to hire a lot of coaches that would seem better than the current situation. We canceled our cable/streaming to save some money. Past years I would be so sad because I love Michigan basketball, but I can’t stay awake late enough to see the conclusion of most games and this year I already know the ending so it doesn’t even matter.

Joined: 03/13/2012

MGoPoints: 794

maizedNblued

February 3rd, 2024 at 10:20 PM ^

Last time I checked, Texas, Marquette and VCU are not high level hoops programs with better resources than Michigan. 

And my question to you is....then why did we hire Juwan Howard back then? At that moment in time and with the program at an all-time high, he had done none of that.

Joined: 11/25/2009

MGoPoints: 2137