U-M Firing Juwan Howard Had To Happen

The University of Michigan fired fifth-year head men's basketball coach Juwan Howard (pictured) on Friday afternoon after the school endured their worst season in history.

Yes, 8-24 overall, last place in the Big Ten (3-17 league record), and getting knocked out by Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament qualifies as the worst season in school history.

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Therefore, the firing just had to happen.  The Michigan administration just couldn't allow this ineptitude to continue after five years.  The Wolverines have gotten worse every year since the COVID year.

2020-21 - 23-5 - Big Ten regular season champs, made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA's (lost to UCLA).

2021-22 - 19-15, Made it to the Swett Sixteen of the NCAA's (lost to Villanova)

2022-23 - 18-16, lost to Vanderbilt in the second round of the NIT.

2023-24 - 8-24, last place in the Big Ten.

They just had to make a change.  It wasn't working.  Fans have stopped going to games at the Crisler Center.  There was the controversy involving the (now-former) strength and conditioning coach.  And let's not forget the infamous coach-slapping incident two years ago at Wisconsin.

So now, what's next?  Who do you call first?  There's one guy you call before anyone else, IMO.

John Beilein

I call the best coach that Michigan basketball has ever had (Yes, he's better than Steve Fisher ever was) just to see if he's interested. If he says no (and he probably would say no), ask him who he would recommend to take over in Ann Arbor.  But ask if he is interested first.

If/when he says no, who's next??  I don't know.  I've heard the names everyone else has.  But I call Beilein first.  And remember one other thing...

You don't have as much time to get a coach as you did in previous years.  Why??  The transfer portal for college basketball opened on Monday morning.  You need to get a coach in there ASAP to try to re-recruit the players who are currently on the roster.  And of course, there's Name, Image, and Likeness money.  Which you must have these days.

Michigan can get back to national prominence quickly if they can get the right coach.  This is a big hire for AD Warde Manuel.  We all know that men's basketball at Michigan isn't as important as football.  But it's still a big hire.  He needs to get it right.