Thoughts on Juwan and the Towel
You saw it. Midway through the second half, after a bunch of his guys had slipped on the floor, Juwan got down on his hands and knees HIMSELF and cleaned the damn floor. And he looked pissed.
As the TV guys said - and as others on Twitter have noted - I don't think I've ever seen that before.
"As you can tell,” Howard said after the game, “I don’t mind getting my knees dirty.”
So, was this just a quirky little moment, or can we read a little more into it? My thoughts:
- I loved it, and I love this guy more every day.
- It showed me a coach who truly doesn't think he's better than anyone else or above anything. We've always heard and known how humble he is, but that illustrates it perfectly. Recruits and others are going to recognize that. Real recognize real.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:25 PM ^
yea quirky is cool when winning and weird when losing
that said, glad to see he was looking out for player safety and think that resonates
November 27th, 2019 at 5:23 PM ^
This is so true, but real question do we think Juwan is quirky? I've never gotten that sense about him and I didn't see the towel incident.
November 27th, 2019 at 5:31 PM ^
It really wasn't about being quirky. The floor was constantly wet and guys were slipping. Howard was frustrated over the Atlantis people not taking better care of it.
November 27th, 2019 at 7:41 PM ^
This. There was a sequence later in the game on the other end of the floor where two of our guys slipped and fell on a single play.
I didnt notice ISU players slipping as much. Not sure if it's a shoe thing or what...
November 27th, 2019 at 8:54 PM ^
This is the same kind of bullshit that has caused Izzo and a few other prominent coaches to pull their players off the floor instead of playing on an inferior surface.
There's nothing wrong with playing basketball in a venue that's meant for playing basketball. Player safety is not worth it.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:25 PM ^
I think we hired the right guy.
November 27th, 2019 at 5:34 PM ^
The more I learn and see of the real, present-day Juwan, I'm excited that we may actually have caught lightning in a bottle with this hire.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:25 PM ^
Reminded me of Reagan. I never knew that about him until recently. After he was shot and in the hospital he didn’t want the nurses to slip or have to clean the ice off the floor.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:48 PM ^
he had a sense of humor about the whole thing...
> To surgeons, as he entered the operating room: “Please tell me you’re Republicans.”
> In a written note, upon coming out of anesthesia in the recovery room (paraphrasing Comedian W.C. Fields): “All in all, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.”
> In another note, recalling a Winston Churchill observation: “There’s no more exhilarating feeling than being shot at without result.”
> In a third note: “Send me to L.A., where I can see the air I’m breathing.”
> In yet another note written while surrounded by medical staff: “If I had this much attention in Hollywood, I’d have stayed there.”
> Complimented by a doctor for being a good patient: “I have to be. My father-in-law is a doctor.”
> To an attentive nurse: “Does Nancy know about us?”
> To a nurse who told him to “keep up the good work” of his recovery: “You mean this may happen several more times?”
> To Daughter Maureen: The attempted assassination “ruined one of my best suits.”
> Greeting White House aides the morning after surgery: “Hi, fellas. I knew it would be too much to hope that we could skip a staff meeting.”
> When told by Aide Lyn Nofziger that the Government was running normally: “What makes you think I’d be happy about that?”
November 28th, 2019 at 2:15 AM ^
Cool, Reagan was a partisan asshole. Thanks for confirming...
November 28th, 2019 at 4:48 AM ^
Come on, hoping the doctors are Republicans made for a good joke. If you want to blame Reagan for something, blame him for replacing "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" with the irresponsible and anti-social idea that taxes are theft. That's actually pernicious and will be seen by historians hundreds of years from now as a non-trivial part of what drove America off a cliff.
The partisan joke, however, was funny.
November 28th, 2019 at 6:48 AM ^
There was a time when “Republican” simply meant a belief in a smaller role for a centralized federal government and “Democrat” meant support for an expanded role. That was it. They did not hate each other and it actually rarely came up.
November 28th, 2019 at 1:10 PM ^
Hypocrisy?
November 27th, 2019 at 4:26 PM ^
I was at the game, sitting next to the Howard family. The guy responsible for drying the court kept dancing while he would dry the floor trying to get a reaction out of the crowd. After 2 guys slipped in the same spot, the guy came out and half assed the job again. In fact he kept missing the spot. Juwan was pissed, ran over, grabbed the towel, and did the job proper. Funny that Jace was like, “that’s just dad.” The Michigan fans roared when they saw that. Met him Tuesday night in the hotel and he could’ve have been more gracious - took time to talk with us and sign my sons b-ball even though it was obvious he was on his way to the pre tournament dinner.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:37 PM ^
Thanks for that, DBS! Man, I love this guy even more now.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:43 PM ^
Did your kid have X’s do?
November 28th, 2019 at 12:19 PM ^
We did get Zavier’s autograph. Thought it was funny he signs it with an ‘X’
November 27th, 2019 at 4:52 PM ^
I've spent a lot of time in the Bahamas. I saw that on TV and my first thought was "Welcome to the islands Juwan." It's really hard to get a job done right down there.
November 27th, 2019 at 5:14 PM ^
I work on corporate events all around the world..If you ask anyone in my profession whats the WORST place to have a event they will tell you the Atlantis Hotel..the staff their is just AWFUL slow and Lazy as FUK...As I can accept or decline any event I have twice said no to a event at that hotel so nothing their surprises me..will never go back there
November 27th, 2019 at 6:48 PM ^
the staff their is just AWFUL slow
Island time bro. Ha!
November 27th, 2019 at 4:26 PM ^
Coach Harbaugh like instinctive reaction. Guy is a dude.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:29 PM ^
Does Brian cook still want Steve Prohm for head coach ??
November 27th, 2019 at 4:30 PM ^
He was sending a message to the venue and officials -- guys are gonna get injured if this continues. It has continued in the UNC/Alabama game.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:34 PM ^
Perhaps. But he was also doing a good job cleaning the floor. He was protecting his players. And he wasn’t showing people up or being a jerk.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:38 PM ^
Can you imagine the UNC coach or a stuffed shirt like coach K doing something like that? JH (bball) is the right guy. He was ticked and taking care of business.
November 27th, 2019 at 5:33 PM ^
To be fair, those guys are so old that if they tried to do that, they probably wouldn’t be able to get back up again.
November 27th, 2019 at 6:02 PM ^
Age would not be the limiting factor for those guys. It would be the lack of your aptly-worded 'servants heart'
November 27th, 2019 at 7:26 PM ^
Tiny Tom would have drowned in the puddle.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:54 PM ^
I'd say getting on his kness and wiping the floor was definitely showing people up.
November 27th, 2019 at 5:32 PM ^
He was protecting players from possible injury. The only way he could be sure the floor got dry was to do it himself. That’s not showing people up, that’s just doing what’s necessary.
November 27th, 2019 at 5:53 PM ^
It *could* be both.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:31 PM ^
He was my favorite of the 5.
November 27th, 2019 at 8:03 PM ^
He was the nicest and most humble, too.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:32 PM ^
I like it I’m sure he’s highly relatable and this should help him recruit and coach. You listen and work harder for someone you respect.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:32 PM ^
I love, love, love it. Leadership is service, and the best leaders are servant-leaders. Leaders should not command people to do something they are not willing to do themselves.
I dig this kind of thing a lot. My favorite people to serve under have been the ones willing to do what’s needed, even if it is sweeping floors or cleaning bathrooms.
Juwan has been a celebrity since he was a teenager. He has won NBA titles. He’s a millionaire many times over. But, in 30 seconds of wiping a floor (and it wasn’t just being dramatic—notice that he wasn’t chastising the refs or the other maintenance people, he was doing it to get it right) he gave us a clear picture of who he is.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:57 PM ^
I really hope he's successful here because he seems like a great guy and wonderful alum to have around. Proud to have him back in Ann Arbor
November 27th, 2019 at 6:05 PM ^
Yes, this is the difference between a leader and a boss. I’ve had many a boss and very few leaders. Sadly, from what I’ve seen in corporate America, the bosses get promoted because they just do whatever their boss says and have no spine. Love Juwan though. Still have my 25 jersey from when I was 13.
November 27th, 2019 at 6:23 PM ^
A’s hire A’s. B’s hire C’s
November 27th, 2019 at 6:09 PM ^
This right here is what separates the successful from the wanna be’s. Treat people with respect no matter who they are and be a leader who serves. I believe both our JH coaches are these type of men.
Go Blue!
November 27th, 2019 at 9:16 PM ^
...and by all appearances, the man can coach basketball more than a little bit too. I am very pleased...VERY.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:35 PM ^
I think Howard has a unique appeal to recruits, this probably doesn’t need to be over analyzed, but things like this indicate Howard is relatable and down to earth.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:45 PM ^
Much like his Ferrari
November 27th, 2019 at 5:09 PM ^
I also have a Ferrari & can relate to that.
/S
November 27th, 2019 at 5:17 PM ^
He probably has a Ferrari, but when he was at the Tigers game this summer I saw him drive away in a truck. And by saw him, I mean he almost ran into me because I was jaywalking like an idiot.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:37 PM ^
Michigan looks way better than I thought they would. . .Howard has impressed early. The end game sets are very good, way better than Beilein's teams, who always struggled to get the ball in. I thought they'd be 3-2 or 4-1 at best at this point. The offense actually looks better so far than last year's. The only concerning part is that turnovers seem to be WAY UP, but I think much of this is do to Simpson's cockiness. Howard needs to tell him to quit over-estimating his passing ability.
You can tell already Howard carries himself with an impressive level of professionalism. . .we don't ever have to worry about him embarrassing the university, like some other school's coach who let a raper live in his basement.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:40 PM ^
Coach Howard is from the "If you want it done right, you gotta do it yourself" school.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:40 PM ^
One other thought: This also showed me a person who was raised right. I never knew his grandmother, but she raised that kid right.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:43 PM ^
He’s too good of a dude to be a college coach, probably. He seems wicked fun to play for and be around, as he certainly was with the Fab Five. Michigan is lucky to have him.
Beating Iowa State is no joke.
November 27th, 2019 at 4:44 PM ^
No coach is more important than the team?
November 27th, 2019 at 4:45 PM ^
Howard is going to be fine. He has a good staff around him he has good talent left over from Beilein and has good talent coming in next year. He’s going to be a successful coach no doubt. Will he win a championship? That will remain to be seen.