Does Howards’s behavior begin to become a problem?
I know many of you don’t follow twitter so I’m sorry in advance. I’m sure many have seen this but I just wonder how long can Howard act unhinged and survive after last year? He clearly has trouble handling his emotions and when Bufkin pulls him back and around his shoulder hits KB’s chin and clearly says get the F off me or some variation. I have been a 100% supporter of Juwan, my profile pic will prove it. However, after last year how much wiggle room is left? Especially with the team kind of underperforming does Warde take a look? Probably not with his track record of letting things go. What say you all?
https://twitter.com/mikelacett/status/1605771652683399169?s=61&t=71YKMUUbP3gdp1XipDLvKw
December 22nd, 2022 at 1:23 PM ^
Yea this is a nothing burger
December 22nd, 2022 at 1:27 PM ^
You think? Media fuels so much of the outrage and we tend to get a lot of negative press from the haters nationally. Perception tends to be reality for those that are outside. Of course for us fans of the program we accept it but we bemoan the little guy in the elf costume…
December 22nd, 2022 at 1:51 PM ^
Seems to me you could find a clip like this is every game. If this becomes a narrative just start linking clips of other coaches doing the same thing. If you really want to drive the point home that this manufactured, make those linked clips of white coaches. They will drop that story line so fast.
December 22nd, 2022 at 2:51 PM ^
How many of those clips involve a player restraining his coach? Presumably Bufkin would not have stepped in if he didn’t see a problem? If his players view it as a problem, that is much more important than what twitter thinks.
December 22nd, 2022 at 3:19 PM ^
Do you watch much sports? Coaches get excited and players, if they like their coach, often try to restrain them. This was verbal. Howard was never close to touching an official, Coach or player.
December 22nd, 2022 at 4:48 PM ^
What do you think baseball managers are doing when they argue with umpires, even replacing their players in an argument so that the manager gets thrown out of the game instead of the player?
Some is genuine emotion, but part of it is getting the players fired up and showing them that the coach has their back and is handling that stuff with the officials so the players can refocus on the task at hand.
December 22nd, 2022 at 5:39 PM ^
There is a thread just a few below where Izzo was pulled away. This happens quite a bit.
December 22nd, 2022 at 5:53 PM ^
Do assistant coaches count? See 1 minute in for Beilein being held back
December 22nd, 2022 at 3:08 PM ^
The being mad about the no call or whatever is one thing. The point I think that is being missed here is the fact that Juwan tells his 19 year old player to get the F off me and then proceeds to flail his arms and hits player in chin with shoulder. That is out of control. This post was not just about arguing with refs and being angry. It was about him losing control on a player…
December 22nd, 2022 at 3:27 PM ^
Concern trolling is out of style dude
December 22nd, 2022 at 3:38 PM ^
then call me that, too. i don't mind a coach chewing a ref's ear, that's pretty standard. what i do mind is telling his own son to not f'ing touch him. do i think it's a fireable offense? nope. do i think it is a very bad look for coach and the school? very much so. and as a parent that lack of self-control is unbelievably detrimental to the child and the family.
December 22nd, 2022 at 4:49 PM ^
Not surprised at all that's how you saw things
December 22nd, 2022 at 5:21 PM ^
People just dismissing this out of hand like this is blatant homerism or intentional blindness of the issue though. Howard can get into it with a ref, that is one thing. But this aggressive threatening demeanor that he adopts is concerning. I support Howard, I liked the hire and I still like him, but he is out of wiggle room on this. It isn’t “concern trolling,” it is a problem. After Maryland in 2021 and Wisconsin last year, if he has one more incident/meltdown that involves or intends on a physical act he should be spot-fired. This was not that, but it is too close for comfort.
December 22nd, 2022 at 6:55 PM ^
You mention "aggressive threatening demeanor" as if it were something uniquely exaggerated in Juwan. I don't see that AT ALL. We all bring a lot of history and conditioning to our reads, though.
If I compare Juwan to what I see from Izzo regularly, the latter looks far uglier and scarier. But I bring my own preconceptions to the table, too. I can say one thing, however--if I EVER hear that Juwan is abusing or belittling his kids in practice in the way Izzo has done, I would want him gone. So far, from what we have heard, that is not in any way the case.
December 22nd, 2022 at 8:45 PM ^
Yeah but one of the two has literally punched another coach IN THE FACE. Or you think that is my unique history and conditioning too?
December 22nd, 2022 at 9:34 PM ^
That was not a punch, breh.
December 22nd, 2022 at 10:05 PM ^
You call that a punch? Seriously, come on
December 22nd, 2022 at 5:34 PM ^
do you do that in front of your students? Didn’t think so.
December 22nd, 2022 at 3:43 PM ^
Great point!
December 22nd, 2022 at 5:12 PM ^
Well, now you're getting closer to saying what you think, right? All those false notes of concern in you OP, OTOH. . .
December 22nd, 2022 at 6:02 PM ^
No I was referring to “hail yeah” that said I was trolling and it was sarcasm… but nice try.
December 22nd, 2022 at 6:32 PM ^
I tuned in late. I am a huge fan and want him to be great. His pattern of behavior is dangerous and what I saw last night was just not ok. You're down and you want a call to go for way... so you attack a ref to the point your KIDS have to pull you back. That's not ok
December 22nd, 2022 at 6:45 PM ^
"Attack a ref". Please. Just stop with the theatrics. He barked a ref, his players pulled him back so he doesn't get a tech. Happens all the time. Calling that an "attack" means you're either a troll or an idiot. Possibly both.
December 22nd, 2022 at 7:11 PM ^
Yes, because disagreement with a popular opinion can only mean that you are a troll or an idiot.
Howard has no one but himself to blame that his actions get more scrutiny. It is not because he is black. It is because on multiple occasions, he has overreacted and escalated situations when as a coach, he should be de-esculating them.
December 22nd, 2022 at 1:54 PM ^
I think you are letting Twitter shape your opinion. Not one media outlet has a story about Juwans temper being and issue. Coaches complain, bitch and moan. Izzo has been worse his whole career. Have you seen Brad Underwood? Don't get caught up in the Twitter rabbit hole of people piling on.
Having said that, this team is a mess. The roster construction is terrible and there is no fix for what's happening on the court. My issue with Juwan is the further away he gets from Beilein the worst the results are becoming. I'm not advocating for a coaching change, but something better change really quick, or these outburst won't be tolerated. He has made some mistakes on the recruiting trail by not going after some lesser ranked point guards and missing on the big fish. Jaelin Llewellyn was not the answer, and although Doug shows promise, he is a yr or two away from leading this team.
December 22nd, 2022 at 2:11 PM ^
SI literally posted a story about his temper being an issue last night
https://www.si.com/college/2022/12/22/michigan-wolverines-juwan-howard-tirade-loss-north-carolina
December 22nd, 2022 at 2:14 PM ^
Phew. SI has gone downhill, hasn't it? That was their recap of the incident? It is literally just a linked tweet with absolutely no context given. T R A S H
December 22nd, 2022 at 2:34 PM ^
Did SI say anything about the little elf's tirade last night?
December 22nd, 2022 at 3:01 PM ^
And the New York Post. I'm not saying whether it's legit or not. But it's not a situation where it's on Twitter and nowhere else.
December 22nd, 2022 at 5:09 PM ^
Nyp is knee jerk outrage media. And demonstrably biased.
December 22nd, 2022 at 9:43 PM ^
don't know, don't read it, but please do cite to sources that aren't knee jerk, outraged, demonstrably biased.
December 22nd, 2022 at 5:29 PM ^
It was about football and not basketball but the nyp also have given us this delightful column:
https://nypost.com/2022/12/10/college-teams-ok-with-sketchy-athletes-all-in-the-name-of-winning/
December 22nd, 2022 at 2:54 PM ^
Its one of the top articles at foxnews.com too. Say what you want about those outlets, but to say this isn't being covered by major media outlets is not correct.
December 22nd, 2022 at 3:47 PM ^
"Angry black man"
That's what sells papers and drives clicks. Nobody cares that Brad Underwood and Fran McCaffrey and Tom Izzo do this practically every game. But the big black man who is a former player tied to a scandal at said school? Of yeah, that's news baby.
December 22nd, 2022 at 5:43 PM ^
This is the the dumbest excuse making take I have seen. Izzy gets angry and yells, no doubt. He never has to get held back by players, probably because he has never punched another coach on the court. If you think it is a race thing, I suggest you talk to Woody Hayes or Bobby Knight, both of whom lost their jobs for losing their tempers. Juwan should have been fired last year but our AD and this blog blatantly made excuses to cover for him. That was the most MSU like thing going on
December 22nd, 2022 at 6:07 PM ^
Not making excuses for his behavior, just explaining why this is news and Izzo being restrained while yelling at one of his own players is not.
Reality is that part of the reason it's news is because he's black. If it were Beilein, wouldn't be nearly as big on the news cycle. I get that it's your thing to be the contrarian voice of reason or whatever on this board, but that's facts, as much as you might not want to admit it.
December 22nd, 2022 at 7:14 PM ^
If any coach, black or white got suspended for an angry outburst, they should not be surprised that future outbursts draw more scrutiny.
December 22nd, 2022 at 7:30 PM ^
Beeline got a tech once, it was made into a pretty big deal as I recall. Has Juwan faced more of an uphill battle in his career because he is black? Yes, absolutely. But when a head coach punches someone, regardless of color, they are going to have a problem. He is lucky to have his job after throwing a punch, and his continued outbursts are a problem.
December 22nd, 2022 at 6:48 PM ^
If you're citing Izzo as your pillar of self-restraint than you've lost before you've begun.
December 23rd, 2022 at 1:25 AM ^
FOX NEWS, says it all, buddy.
December 23rd, 2022 at 10:21 AM ^
Again, say what you want, but they are a major news outlet with a ton of reach.
December 22nd, 2022 at 2:12 PM ^
Good point about twitter being a black hole. What a mess. I usually scroll by that content but I saw few posts from different individuals and that’s the genesis of the question in the post. I generally like Juwan and was my favorite fab fiver… Just thinking how the mob mentality often brings pressure and then change happens. Right or wrong it is often how things go in society.
December 22nd, 2022 at 3:26 PM ^
Spoiler alert: people on Twitter are enemies of anyone they want because everyone on Twitter makes at least one person their enemy. Hubert Davis was 10x as animated and violent in his screaming for not getting Hunter elbow foul call and both Bilas and Twitter ignore it. Why? because the game was super physical and heated as a result of snotty refs.
Howard is an easy target for other Big Ten teams, same as Harbaugh and his yelling was before he found Jesus, publicly.
December 22nd, 2022 at 2:31 PM ^
Winning fixes everything. If Juwan had a natty under his belt and an ass-kicking team, it would be attributed to his incredible level of "competitiveness" and dismissed. In the context of the team struggling a bit, it's more like vultures circling, hoping their quarry will keep getting weaker. If Juwan were a female coach, people would say "she's a bitch".
December 22nd, 2022 at 4:01 PM ^
How could this be a nothing burger given what happened twice before (Wisc and Maryland). I love JH for his passion and love for UM, but his anger issue is a problem. Unfortunately, he is not as good as I thought. I am thinking that he will leave once his kids are gone.
December 22nd, 2022 at 4:08 PM ^
Hubert Davis was also unhinged and Tom Izzo was yelling at the refs like crazy yesterday too. So what? I do have a problem with the Wisconsin thing. The way Juwan acted yesterday happens everyday in any game.
December 22nd, 2022 at 7:44 PM ^
There was a board post about Izzo freaking out in his elf costume yet every poster pointing out Howard’s poor behavior is getting negged to death. Are we RCMB level now?
December 22nd, 2022 at 7:53 PM ^
What you fail to realize while romancing the stone is this. Juwan has went from slapping a coach to,"PUNCHING" a coach on our blog. So imagine how much better he's getting treated elsewhere. This is a bunch of malarkey. Period.
December 22nd, 2022 at 4:42 PM ^
It's just almost a joke that we're getting this on the night when Izzo freaked and the NC coach went off for a full two minutes. But the answer to the OP's question, nonetheless, is: "Yes, because there are a lot of racists and simple assholes out there. As your post reveals." And Juwan, like all of us, has to struggle to contain his emotions, has his history, stories, shit he has lived through like all of us. It might not be too much of a stretch to say that as males of the species in a violent world we all (or most of us) have a "problem with violence/anger/etc."
December 23rd, 2022 at 12:08 PM ^
Would it be nice if that incident were toned down slightly ? Sure. But Izzo basically does this shit nonstop during games and it's celebrated.