Michigan fired Juwan Howard after the Wolverines finished in LAST place at 8-24

Juwan Howard’s tenure at the University of Michigan ended on Friday, as he was sacked in his fifth season as head coach.

Howard’s return to his old mater included a Big Ten title and two NCAA Tournament berths before finishing with two consecutive poor seasons and an 82-67 record for the Wolverines. In 2021, he was voted The Associated Press coach of the year after winning a conference regular season championship and coming within one win of the Final Four.

The former NBA player lost a school-record 24 games this season, as Michigan finished bottom in the Big Ten for the first time since 1967.

Warde Manuel, Michigan’s athletic director, fired Howard without cause two days after his eight-win season ended with a loss to Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament’s first round.

‘After a thorough examination of the program, I have determined that Juwan will not return as our men’s basketball coach,’ Manuel said in a school statement that did not include a response from Howard. ‘Juwan is one of the greatest Wolverines to ever be involved with our basketball program.

‘I understand how much it meant to not only Juwan, but to all of us, that he returned here to conduct this program. Despite his affection for his alma mater and the great experience that our student-athletes had under his guidance, it was evident to me that the program was not meeting our goals and was not moving in the right way.’

Howard’s departure follows that of head football coach Jim Harbaugh, a Michigan alum who returned to serve his alma institution.

Instead of declining returns, Harbaugh won a national championship last season before accepting another head coaching position in the NFL, this time with the Los Angeles Chargers.

‘Three years ago, Juwan Howard was the toast of Michigan after an Elite 8 run, and Jim Harbaugh was on such thin ice that he took a 50 percent pay cut,’ The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel wrote on X. ‘Sure enough, one wildly succeeded and one was sacked.’

Manuel hired Howard, who shed tears of joy at his first press conference in May 2019, when John Beilein left to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers after transforming the Wolverines into a national powerhouse.

A message seeking comment was left with Beilein, who could be a possibility to return to Michigan.

Following a run to the NCAA Tournament regional final in 2021-22, Manuel offered Howard a five-year deal for more than $16.9 million that kept him under contract until 2025-26.

According to the provisions of Howard’s contract, Michigan will owe him around $7 million in base salary and supplemental bonus, as well as a lump-sum payment of $3 million for terminating him without cause in year three.

Howard, 51, underwent heart surgery in September and returned to his head coaching duties in mid-December following a review of an incident involving many individuals during a team practice. Jon Sanderson, the club’s former strength and conditioning coach, did not accompany the team on the sideline for the December 10 game at Iowa and did not appear on the bench in consecutive games.

Sanderson resigned last week and was hired as a sports performance consultant for Illinois’ basketball program on Thursday.

Manuel stated on December 15 that a ‘thorough internal assessment’ found nothing that warranted disciplinary action against anyone involved.

Howard was suspended for the final five games of the regular season two years ago and fined $40,000 for punching a Wisconsin assistant in the head and causing a postgame brawl. The previous season, Howard got into a screaming confrontation with then-Maryland coach Mark Turgeon and had to be restrained during the conference tournament. Howard received two technical fouls and was removed from the game.

Howard, a Chicago native, was a crucial member of Michigan’s Fab Five teams, who won the national championships in 1992 and 1993 and included Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson.

Washington drafted Howard fifth overall in 1994, and the one-time All-Star forward averaged 13.4 points during his career, which concluded in 2013 after winning two NBA championships with the Miami Heat. Howard began his coaching career as an assistant with the Heat, focusing on player development before being elevated to assistant coach.

He had two kids play for him at Michigan: Jett, who was picked 11th overall this year by the Orlando Magic, and Jace, a reserve guard on this season’s squad.