University of Michigan Fires Juwan Howard
The school announced that former Fab Five member Juwan Howard was fired as Michigan’s men’s basketball coach Friday, ending his five-year run in Ann Arbor. This season, the Wolverines finished 8-24, one of the worst records the school has had in almost 60 years, finishing last in the Big Ten. With the Big Ten tournament loss to Penn State on Wednesday, the Wolverines dropped their final nine games of the season, finishing with a 3-17 record in the conference.
Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel released a statement about Howard via ESPN.com, “After a comprehensive review of the program, I have decided that Juwan will not return as our men’s basketball coach. Juwan is among the greatest Wolverines ever associated with our basketball program. I know how much it meant to not only Juwan but to all of us for him to return here to lead this program. Despite his love of his alma mater and the positive experience that our student-athletes had under his leadership, it was clear to me that the program was not living up to our expectations and not trending in the right direction.”
As many of you know, Howard was a Michigan Wolverines basketball team member from 1991-1993 and part of the infamous Fab-Five along with Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson. Howard would eventually get drafted by the Washington Bullets/Wizards in 1994. He spent 19 years as an NBA player, winning two championships with the Miami Heat, and was an NBA All-Star in 1996. In 2019, Howard rejoined his alma mater as the head coach. Howard finished in five seasons at Michigan with a record of 82-67.
Not long after being released by the organization, Howard released a statement thanking the university and athletic director for his time as a head coach at U of M, saying, “I want to thank the University, Board of Regents, and AD Warde Manuel for the privilege of coaching Michigan, my university, for these past five years. During my tenure as head coach, we shared memorable seasons and achievements, including a Big Ten championship, back-to-back Sweet 16n appearances, and being within one game of the Final Four. I was honored to be named AP national Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2021.”
Michigan has already begun looking at potential head coaching candidates like Dusty May, Jamie Dixon, and Brian Dutcher and hopes to fill their head coach vacancy soon.
