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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

