20-loss season may spell end for Juwan Howard at Michigan

One man did it in his first season in Ann Arbor — earlier than happening to win a pair of regular-season and conference-tournament championships, together with showing in two nationwide title video games. The newest man is doing it in what is perhaps his final season in Ann Arbor — with one regular-season championship and no Closing Fours on his resume. The one factor John Beilein and Juwan Howard have in frequent is that they’ve each had 20-loss seasons at Michigan.

When the Wolverines fell to Purdue, 84-76, at house on Sunday, it dropped them to a horrific 8-20 in a really rocky season that’s been tormented by Howard’s health, a ton of accidents, and having their best player suspended for road games.

“It’s positively like a mentioned issue,” Michigan’s Terrance Williams II said of the dearth of fan assist the Wolverines acquired at house, as Purdue followers took over the sector. “You recognize, simply enjoying a sport, we’re going to play on the court docket, nevertheless it felt like Mackey Enviornment, straight up.

“We go on highway journeys, you already know, their fanbase it doesn’t matter what the report is, they are going to be all their followers and somewhat little bit of Michigan followers. Immediately felt extra like 75 % Purdue followers, 25 % Michigan.”

With no less than 4 video games left on the schedule, issues may get even worse for Michigan. Howard may set this system’s single-season report for losses, which might be worse than Beilein’s marketing campaign throughout his first season in 2007-2008 when he went 10-22. Howard now joins Beilein, William Perigo (1959-1960), and Invoice Frieder (1981-1982) as the one coaches in this system’s historical past to lose no less than 20 video games in a season.

It wasn’t alleged to be this manner.

“I felt like I used to be letting down my teammates as a result of I didn’t do what I got here right here to do, and that was to convey a championship to this college, a college I care a lot about,” the Fab Five member tearfully said during his introductory press conference in 2019. “Now let’s quick ahead 25 years later. I’m again.”

Moreover the 2020-2021 season that included an Elite Eight look, issues haven’t gone like many assumed. A lot of the discuss round Howard has been across the recruits that he hasn’t signed, the gamers who’ve left this system — because of the switch portal or getting into the NBA draft too quickly — or the on- and off-court drama Howard has been concerned in, which has included multiple skirmishes with other coaches, and alleged ones with members of his staff.

Final month, the unthinkable occurred when the Fab 5 reunited at Michigan when Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Ray Jackson, and Jimmy King all got here collectively to take a seat courtside and assist Howard on the Ohio State sport. It was the primary time the enduring group had been collectively in that place since 1993.

“Household all the time assist household,” Howard told his team standing with the Fab 5 within the locker room. “You see what the actual ones are. The actual ones come out when issues are somewhat bit tough. The actual ones don’t run away. And the actual Michigan followers that assist this crew proper right here, you’re them.”

Earlier this month, Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel publicly supported Howard.

“Juwan and I’ve talked, sure,” he said. “We’ll proceed to have these conversations because the season goes by means of. I proceed to assist him and the hassle to show this round. There isn’t a lack of effort from our student-athletes and our coaches. It’s an absence of execution at occasions. We now have to be higher. He is aware of that. I’ll proceed to have conversations with him and can proceed to assist him and our program.

“It will be honest to say I’ve not likely considered any adjustments in our males’s basketball program at the moment.”

On the time, Michigan was 8-17 and had misplaced 12 of their final 14. The Wolverines have back-to-back highway video games in opposition to Rutgers and Ohio State earlier than they face Nebraska at house within the finale. If the season ended in the present day, they’d be the 14th seed within the Large Ten Event.

Just a few weeks in the past we watched as Warde Manuel hit a house run by promoting offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore to head coach of the soccer program after Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL, in a transfer that was a no brainer. Within the coming weeks, Manuel might should make a extra official determination about Juwan Howard. And if Howard breaks Beilein’s report for many losses, it is perhaps a simple determination for Manuel to make.