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.