12
Thursday, May 23, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS
Wilson remains uncommitted, says Howard will “bring a big spark”
When 2019 four-star Jalen Wilson
decommitted from Michigan last
week, it continued a month-long
downward spiral for the Wolverines.
Jordan Poole and Ignas Brazdeikis
unexpectedly left for the NBA before
John Beilein shook the basketball
world by following suit. Then, with
Wilson’s decommitment, Michigan
lost its top-ranked incoming signee.
Six days later, the Wolverines
have found Beilein’s replacement,
hiring Juwan Howard as their new
head coach in a move Wilson said
will “bring a big spark to the school.”
For now, though, Wilson, the
50th-ranked overall recruit in the
2019 class according to 247Sports’
composite
rankings,
remains
uncommitted.
“I still got the same business,”
Wilson told The Daily. “It’s not
gonna change everything. It’s a new
coach so he’s gonna have to recruit
and do all the business all over again
like everybody else, really.”
Wilson
originally
committed
to Michigan as a junior last May
before signing his letter of intent on
Nov. 14. When Wilson re-opened
his recruitment, the most likely
destinations appeared to be Kansas
and North Carolina, two schools that
Wilson has official visits scheduled
with in the next two weeks.
However, Wilson never ruled
out Michigan, telling The Daily last
week that, “I’m always considering
(Michigan). I just had to do this to
look at the bigger picture as a backup
plan. I can’t rely on someone if I don’t
know they’re gonna be there or not.”
His
potential
recommitment
could
hinge
on
whether
the
Wolverines retain their current
assistant coaches, especially Luke
Yaklich, who has been his lead
recruiter.
Yaklich,
though,
has
received heavy interest from Texas
for an assistant coaching vacancy.
Despite
the
uncertainty,
the
Wolverines’
assistants
have
remained in contact with Wilson
since Beilein’s departure.
“(The communication has been)
the same,” Wilson said. “Keeping the
relationship good, keep it ongoing
and telling me to remain calm and
stuff like that. … They just told me
they understood everything, why
I decommitted and that they were
always gonna be there for me if I ever
needed to come back.”
Wilson has not been contacted
by anyone at Michigan regarding
Howard’s hire, as of Wednesday
afternoon. However, last week, he
told The Daily that he wanted to see
the Wolverines hire “A coach that
will come in and keep the top-tier
program like it is and a coach that’s
not going to change the culture of
Michigan because it’s such a great
school and it’s such a unique school.”
And with one of its most
celebrated alumni coming back to
Ann Arbor, Michigan might have
done just that.
“Juwan Howard was a great
player and a great face for Michigan,”
Wilson said. “And now that he’s
the head coach, I feel like it’ll really
bring a big spark to the school.”
THEO MACKIE
Daily Sports Editor
COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES
Michigan coach Juwan Howard will become the 17th head coach in school history.
Juwan Howard to inherit question marks with Wolverines
Just a month ago, shortly after
losing to Texas Tech in the Sweet
Sixteen,
the
Michigan
men’s
basketball team began popping up on
“way too early” top-10 lists.
At that point, there was no reason
to doubt that the Wolverines would
be a top-level program. But that
was before guard Jordan Poole and
forward Ignas Brazdeikis decided
to stay in the NBA Draft. That was
before top recruit Jalen Wilson
decommitted. That was before Hall
of Fame-worthy coach John Beilein
left for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But that’s why any top-10 list made
in April is necessarily deemed “way
too early.” Now, the program new
coach Juwan Howard will inherit is
just a remnant of the one near the top
of such lists.
The Daily breaks down the
situation
Howard
walks
into
entering the summer.
Roster
The Wolverines retain their core
of point guard Zavier Simpson and
center Jon Teske. Last year, the two
were among the leaders of the team,
defensive stalwarts who were also
key components of Michigan’s ball
screen-heavy offense. Simpson and
Teske, both incoming seniors, are
unlikely to transfer, but they were
two players who were so good partly
because of Beilein’s system, and
under another system, they may not
perform at the level they did last year
— when Simpson was named to the
All-Big Ten second team and Teske
was an honorable mention.
Forward
Isaiah
Livers,
who
played primarily at the backup
power forward and center positions
last year, will also take a larger role,
though he is likely to play more on the
wings than he did with Brazdeikis,
Matthews and Poole. Livers is
currently Michigan’s only reliable
returning shooter — shooting 43
percent from three, mostly in spot-
up situations.
Beyond
those
three,
the
Wolverines’ roster is thin. Their
returning
scholarship
players
include guards David DeJulius, Eli
Brooks and Adrien Nunez, forward
Brandon Johns and centers Colin
Castleton and Austin Davis. None
played
significant
minutes
last
year, and any could be at risk of
transferring, especially if Howard
does not retain Beilein’s assistants.
Jaron Faulds, a preferred walk-
on forward who transferred from
Columbia, will be eligible in 2019
after sitting out last season. Other
walk-ons who received playing time
last season include guards Rico
Ozuna-Harrison and Luke Wilson
and forward CJ Baird.
Recruiting
When Jalen Wilson decommitted
on May 16, it left Michigan with just
one commitment in the class of 2019
— wing Cole Bajema. Bajema has
still remained committed, though he
could still decide to look elsewhere if
he sees the new coaching situation
as unfavorable. Wilson has also left
the possibility of recommitting open,
though it seems less likely after he
scheduled official visits with Kansas
and North Carolina, both of which
have stable coaching situations.
Howard will likely look to the
graduate transfer market to fill a
spot or two. Jaevin Cumberland,
a grad transfer from Oakland, had
expressed interest in the Wolverines
and still remains uncommitted,
and others on the market could
still decide they are interested in
potentially playing under Howard.
There are also a few 2019
prospects still uncommitted that
Howard could try to go after,
though Beilein’s mid-May departure
means there are no guarantees.
Howard’s cousin is top recruit Jaden
McDaniels. Some believed he could
come to Michigan if Howard got the
job, however, McDaniels committed
to Washington on Tuesday night,
making that prospect significantly
less likely. Franz Wagner — the
younger brother of former Michigan
player Moe Wagner — also took his
official visit last week, albeit while
the Wolverines were without a head
coach. He hasn’t completely closed
the door on coming to Ann Arbor,
but with an offer waiting from
professional club Alba Berlin, that
too seems unlikely.
With
Beilein’s
departure
happening this late in the cycle,
it is quite possible that Michigan
will have to go shorthanded in the
upcoming season.
The
Wolverines’
lone
2020
commit is guard Zeb Jackson.
Jackson has expressed concern
about Howard’s lack of experience
as a head coach, but he remains
committed now. With plenty of
time until he needs to make a final
decision, Howard will have time to
attempt to win him over as well as
recruit new players for the cycle. He
has never recruited before, but his
pedigree as a member of the Fab Five
and as a long-tenured NBA player
and assistant could help. Howard
also has family members currently
on the AAU circuit, which could aid
him in building connections.
Assistants
Michigan’s
three
current
assistants — DeAndre Haynes, Saddi
Washington and Luke Yaklich — are
all beloved by players and recruits.
Howard now faces the choice to
retain them or bring in his own staff.
The assistants, too, have a decision
to make — remain in Ann Arbor or
go searching for a job with more
guarantees?
Yaklich has already begun that
search, with 247Sports reporting
that he interviewed for a job at Texas
under coach Shaka Smart. This
doesn’t mean he will leave, as coaches
often use such interviews as leverage
to get a raise or simply decide not to
move. Yaklich’s son will be a senior at
Saline High School just outside Ann
Arbor in the fall, and Yaklich could
opt for more stability for his family.
Still,
Beilein
was
primarily
an offensive coach who was less
experienced on the other side of the
ball — hence Yaklich’s necessity.
Howard is primarily a defensive
coach and may be looking for a top
offensive assistant, which could
lessen the need for Yaklich. Howard
also primarily worked with the
big men during his tenure as an
assistant coach with the Miami
Heat, which calls into question the
role Washington — the bigs coach —
would play.
The
more
assistants
the
Wolverines can retain, the less their
roster will be in flux. Keeping some
or all of Haynes, Washington and
Yaklich around would help maintain
commitments from recruits and
keep players from transferring. But
it’s possible that Howard will want
to work with coaches who have
different specialties, and it’s equally
possible that the current assistants
will want to go somewhere that is
less of an unknown.
Coaches,
like
everyone
else,
operate under their own best
interests, and those interests may
not align with what’s best for the
program. If so, Howard will have one
more thing to worry about.
ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Editor