On May 30, 2019, the former
Fab Five team member, NBA All-
Star, two-time NBA champion and
veteran NBA assistant teared up
in front of reporters, family and
friends as he was announced as the
17th head coach of the Michigan
men’s basketball team.
His raw emotion revealed the
magnitude of the situation. Juwan
Howard joined a small group of
Black coaches in college basketball,
becoming one of 14 Black head
coaches in basketball’s six major
conferences, as of 2019, and the only
Black head coach in the Big Ten.
The lack of Black representation
in leadership roles in college
basketball is especially striking in a
sport where the majority of players
are Black — 53.6% of all men’s DI
players.
“I am the only Black head coach
in the Big Ten, which I’m very
proud of,” Howard told The Daily.
“I don’t understand why there isn’t
more but … I’m just gonna try and
do the best job I possibly can for the
University of Michigan to help spear
our student-athletes to become
successful within basketball, but
more importantly successful in life.”
It was his desire to do more than
just win but also to make an impact
on his players and the community
that appealed to athletic director
Warde Manuel — one of 12 Black
athletic directors in the Power 5
Conferences.
“I just thought he was a genuine
person,” Manuel said on the ‘In
the Trenches’ podcast in 2019.
“Just a down-to-earth, very smart
(person). (He) had really educated
himself about the college game. He
knew about me. … What struck me
was how genuine and how humble
he was as a person. He didn’t
walk in wearing either one of his
championship rings.”
Critics hinged on Howard’s
lack of experience as a head coach,
but that did not matter to Manuel.
He just wanted the most capable
candidate and the person who
wanted the job the most.
“If I’m going to take a risk with
somebody,” Warde said during
Howard’s
introductory
press
conference last year, “I’m going to
take that risk with Juwan Howard.”
Manuel’s confidence in Howard
gave him the comfort to go ahead
and do his job to the greatest ability
he could.
Looking back after the first year
under Howard’s reign, the “gamble”
paid off as the Wolverines finished
with a 19-12 winning record and a
top-15 recruiting class.
However, there was another
explanation for the controversy over
Howard’s hire bubbling beneath the
surface.
“(There’s) this perception out
here when you are a Black coach
(that) you’re not as qualified as
some of the other coaches who are
from a different race,” Howard said.
“I think that’s so sad that folks have
that narrow-minded and (are) so
ignorant, in a way.”
The lack of Black leaders in sports
— like basketball, where a majority
of the actual athletes are Black —
proves that discrimination still
plays a huge part in hiring decisions.
In an idealized world, that
representation
among
players
would translate to coaching staffs.
Players, logic should dictate, have
the requisite eye and experience
to truly understand the game.
However, as is well-documented,
that is not the case.
In the NFL, for example, a
majority of players are Black, but in
the past three years, only two of 19
open head coaching positions have
been filled by Black coaches. Many
of the new hires were first time head
coaches, jumping straight from
coordinator roles or other assistant
roles or even making their first NFL
appearances coming straight from
the college-level.
Candidates hired with a lack of
experience is odd considering the
wealth of potential Black candidates
with plenty of experience. Consider
Kansas
City
Chiefs
offensive
coordinator Eric Bieniemy — who
has over 20 years of experience
in the NFL as a player and a coach
— coming off one of the greatest
offensive seasons in NFL history
and a Super Bowl win. Bieniemy,
like many others, was overlooked.
It’s hard to say if race is a main
reason in these decisions, but it’s
hard to deny that it plays a role.
Returning to the hiring of Juwan
Howard, it becomes more complex
considering he was pitched as a
candidate with a lack of experience
and received a lot more criticism
than some of those white NFL head
coaches.
“Why not me?” Howard said.
“Why, how (am) I not considered
to be qualified for a position like
this? Especially someone who (has)
loads of experience as a player,
played the game of basketball since
he was six years old, played on the
professional level for 19 years, and
also coached on the NBA level for
six years. … I have also played here
at the University of Michigan and
played three years and been very
successful all three years, been to
the championship game two years
in a row, been to the Final Four two
years in a row. I am very qualified.”
Someone with the resume of
Howard’s should be on the top of
the list when it comes to a head
coaching role. He is someone who
has played with and been around
some basketball’s greatest minds
and players: LeBron James, Pat
Riley, Dwyane Wade, Steve Nash,
Dirk Nowitzki, Jeff Van Gundy,
Tracy McGrady and Doc Rivers.
Despite
all
Howard
has
accomplished, doubt still circled
around his hire and still does,
even in the face of the success he
accomplished last year.
“As a Black skin, some folks think
that you’re not qualified enough,”
Howard said. “I think that’s the
ignorance that we have to ignore
and continue to keep driving and
doing whatever to be the best
person of ourselves no matter what
people may say or think.”
These opinion-driven stigmas
about Black leaders serve as a brutal
reminder of how much more work
needs to be done for the fight against
racial injustice. And as protests and
marches over the past few months
have shown, that change is being
fought for right now.
Howard
understands
the
gravity of this moment and will
continue to support his players and
the messaging that he believes in.
“Listening in has been great,”
Howard said. “To know that
where we are as a country, we have
a lot of work to do, but knowing
the fact that our future is in great
hands
with
student-athletes
that are fighting to help promote
change. There are great ideas that
are being said out there that I truly
support.”
That ability to relate to the
struggles some of his players face
in this country is what makes it
so vital to have more diversity in
leadership roles.
Howard described a situation
where a player of his heard some
deeply upsetting comments. While
he wouldn’t share specifics out of
respect for his player’s “respect
and privacy,” it was a situation
where many head coaches could
have felt overwhelmed.
Not Howard.
Howard and other Black head
coaches are able to fathom some
of that adversity because they have
personally experienced it. Not
to mention more diverse leaders
also bring fresh perspectives and
different viewpoints.
“It’s important for me,” Howard
said, “that knowing that I am a
public, national figure, that when
people hear me speak, especially
the young ones who can identify
and look just like me, to be inspired
by someone like myself, ... (to show)
if I did it, they could do it too.”
For becoming a leader to be
a tangible goal, people need to
see others in those roles that
look like themselves. In this way,
Howard serves as a role model for
hundreds of thousands of young
Black individuals. He knows that
he has to set a good example and
encourage them to chase their
dream no matter what people tell
them, especially in a job where he
represents a small minority.
The lack of Black representation
in leadership roles, specifically
coaching, is one that will not be
solved overnight. But, Howard
says,
the
magnitude
of
this
problem can’t serve as a deterrent.
Change needs to happen, whether
it’s by implementing affirmative
action rules like the Rooney Rule
in the NFL or simply giving others
a chance.
As Howard has shown, there
are many capable individuals out
there. And sometimes, that chance
is all they need.
Wolverines making progress physically
and mentally as practice start looms
While
its
season
is
not
scheduled to begin until Nov. 25,
the Michigan men’s basketball
team has been hard at work for
months.
Official practices won’t begin
until Oct. 14, but teams have
been permitted to work out
together.
“It’s been great to get guys
back into the gym,” Michigan
coach Juwan Howard said.
“They’re looking forward to the
opportunity of getting better.”
After having the rug pulled
out
from
underneath
them
just moments before their first
Big
Ten
Tournament
game
against Rutgers, the Wolverines
have been anxious to have an
opportunity to make some noise
in the postseason. Assistant
coach Phil Martelli admitted
that the uncertainty over this
season
prevented
the
team
from fully locking into summer
workouts, but the NCAA’s mid-
September
announcement
confirming a season would be
played has flipped a switch.
“There’s a vibe, there’s an
excitement (now), about having
a chance to pursue a Big Ten
championship,” Martelli said.
According to Martelli, the
improvements made by the team
in workouts have been evident.
He remarked that senior guard
Adrien Nuñez has become a more
physical and confident presence
on the court, and senior guard
Eli Brooks has significantly
improved his basketball IQ.
Martelli also added that senior
forward Isaiah Livers has been a
stabilizing presence for the team
as it prepares for the season,
both due to his ability to mentor
younger players and perform
well himself on the floor during
team scrimmages.
While they may not be big
names,
Martelli
made
sure
to mention that Howard has
routinely taken a chance to
break down plays and game
film with his walk-ons, often
going into the same amount of
time and detail with them as he
does with the team’s scholarship
players.
“I told him that’s why he’s
gonna be great at this (job),”
Martelli said. “His care and
concern for each individual,
person first, player second, is
why I’m convinced he’s a star.”
Howard’s
attention
to
walk-ons is reflective of his
commitment to caring for his
players. During quarantine, he
kept in touch with the team over
Zoom to check in on the well-
being of his players on a weekly
basis. Howard and Martelli also
coordinated with strength coach
Jon Sanderson to help curate
workout plans for the players to
do while in quarantine.
Martelli
stressed,
though,
that until they were cleared to
workout in June, almost every
conversation between coaches
and their players focused on
mental health, believing that it
was their utmost priority during
an unprecedented time.
“Everything
during
the
pandemic was centered on their
mental and physical well-being,”
Martelli said. “It just wasn’t the
time to talk basketball.”
With the season’s tipoff just
over one month away, Martelli
looks forward to having a
chance to put the team’s hard
work and mental preparation on
display on the court. While he
felt that the adjustment period
during and after the pandemic
was a difficult one, Martelli says
that he couldn’t be more excited
to work with Howard, both
the coach and the person, for a
second season.
“It was different being home
for four months,” Martelli said.
“But the energy in recruiting
and the energy of teaching on
the floor is laser vision for me in
that I wanna be by his side when
he coaches on a Monday night
in April. No one is destined to
do that, but if someone has the
ability to do it, I know for sure
that I’m in the right place.”
TEDDY GUTKIN
Daily Sports Writer
FILE PHOTO/Daily
The Wolverines celebrate after scoring a crucial basket against the Michigan State Spartans last season.
‘Why not me?’: For Juwan Howard, lack of Black coaches is personal
ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily
Michigan men’s basketball coach Juwan Howard is one of just 14 Black head coaches in college basketball’s six major conferences.
BRANDON TRACHTENBERG
Daily Sports Writer
John Beilein is back at home in Ann Arbor
John Beilein’s press conferences
last January in Cleveland were
tense, a little gruff, almost defensive.
The NBA had not been kind to him,
and it showed.
That is not the John Beilein who
spoke with The Daily on Tuesday
afternoon, back in Michigan, where
he became a beloved figure from
2007-2019.
The John Beilein of Tuesday
afternoon is relaxed. Happy. His
excitement is measurable as he
talks about getting to play tennis
for the first time in seventeen years,
gleefully adding that his golf game
has improved like you wouldn’t
believe. He talks about getting to
spend time with his grandkids, his
smile practically audible through
the phone.
John Beilein has come home to
Ann Arbor, and it has made a world
of difference.
***
If
there’s
one
thing
that
retirement
has
taught
the
winningest men’s basketball coach
in school history, it’s how to teach a
dog some new tricks.
I don’t say old dog, because
Beilein and his wife Kathleen have
recently adopted a puppy. In his
spare time, Beilein’s been reading up
on dog training strategies — by my
estimate, the puppy will be barking
at pick-and-rolls by Thanksgiving.
But Beilein has picked up some
new tricks, too. He’s teaching a class
at Michigan this semester, and, as a
result of the coronavirus pandemic,
it’s all online. So Beilein has learned
how to use Zoom, with some
help from his graduate student
instructor.
But even with the technology
challenges, Beilein, who hasn’t
taught since he was a high school
coach in 1978, is thrilled to get back
in the classroom.
“I’ve loved it,” he said. “I have a
whole new respect for the faculty,
and all the preparation that you
have to do, and how hard it is to do
a Zoom class of 66 students as well.
But I’ve loved every minute of it.
Teaching leadership, coaching, it’s
really empowering.”
It’s a natural next step for Beilein.
He gave a graduation address to the
School of Education in 2019, and
when Dean Elizabeth Moje asked
him if he’d ever be interested in
teaching, the answer was absolutely
— as soon as he was done coaching.
When things didn’t work out in
Cleveland, Beilein called Moje, and
in a few months’ time, he found
himself the lead instructor of EDUC
240.
His coaching days may be over,
but Beilein is hoping to have as
much impact on his students as he
once did on his players. In his spare
time, he’s reading everything he
can find on how to be an effective
leader (never mind the dozens of
basketball players who’ll tell you in
a heartbeat that he already is one).
It’s clearly prescient — the course
is titled “Coaching as Leading” —
but it doesn’t even begin to scratch
the surface of things Beilein wants
to learn about with all his newfound
time. When he’s asked what he’s
most excited about, he pauses for
several seconds trying to decide.
“I’m a lifetime learner,” Beilein
says. “That will never stop. There’s
all kinds of things. Knowledge is
powerful. And I’m always looking
for new ways to learn more about
the world and how it works.”
But
his
excitement
about
learning doesn’t stop at the end of
his lengthy reading list. Beilein is
learning as much from the class as
his students are, he says.
“Well, the Zoom thing is new,” he
laughs. “But we’re reading all types
of resources that we’re getting more
information from, and the speakers
that we’ve had come in — you’re
always learning from them.”
***
It speaks volumes of Juwan
Howard’s success in his first season
as the Wolverines’ head coach that
when Beilein left Cleveland, there
was barely any talk — and none of it
serious — of Beilein returning to his
old role.
It’s a good thing, too, because
Beilein recognizes it as much as the
rest of us: Michigan is done with the
Beilein era. It’s Howard’s program
now.
“I just have a lot of respect for
Juwan and the team,” Beilein said.
“I don’t want to do anything that
would be a distraction.”
But that doesn’t mean Beilein
doesn’t
care
about
Michigan
basketball
anymore.
COVID-19
restrictions have prevented him
from attending any practices with
the team as of yet, but provided
he’s not stepping on anybody’s toes,
Beilein is more than ready to get
back to work in Crisler Center.
“If and when — I’m going to do
it whenever I can possibly do it,”
Beilein said.
He’s smiling through the phone
again. Beilein clearly still cares
deeply about Michigan basketball.
It’s what made Ann Arbor home.
Even when he was the head
coach in Cleveland, that was always
the case. And eventually, no matter
what the NBA brought, he was
always going to come back someday.
“We never sold our house in
Ann Arbor — we didn’t even try
to,” Beilein said. “We were going to
sell it in the spring, but when things
didn’t work out in Cleveland, it was
easy… We call Ann Arbor home. We
have for thirteen years.”
ABBY SNYDER
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, October 14, 2020 — 17
FILE PHOTO/Daily
John Beilein has found an enjoyable new life in his return to Ann Arbor.