Juwan Howard’s time at the University of Michigan is over.
The University of Michigan announced Friday that it is parting ways with Howard after five seasons.
This season, the Wolverines have gone out of gear with 8 wins and 24 losses.
Howard, 51, played at the University of Michigan during the legendary Fab Five era that also included Chris Webber and Jalen Rose.
Howard’s coaching tenure showed a lot of promise early on, with the Wolverines going 23-5 and winning the Big Ten regular season championship in his second season in 2020-21.
However, the University of Michigan slumped to 18 wins and 16 losses last season, and although they qualified for March Madness for the second consecutive year, they missed out on the NCAA Tournament.
“After a comprehensive review of the program, we have decided that Mr. Juwan will not return as the men’s basketball coach,” Director of Athletics Warde Manuel said in a statement.
“Juwan is one of the greatest Wolverines to ever be a part of our basketball program. I can’t believe how much it means to him, not just to Juwan, but to all of us, to have him come back here to lead this program.” I know he meant it. Despite his love for his alma mater and the positive experiences our student-athletes have had under his leadership, the program has not met our expectations. It was clear to me that we were not going in the right direction.
“I am grateful for Juwan’s commitment, passion and commitment to UM, and I am grateful that he and his legacy will continue to mean something to Michigan.”
Howard had some issues at Michigan other than wins and losses.
He was suspended for the remainder of the 2021-22 season after slapping Wisconsin assistant Joe Kravenhoft during a postgame altercation on Feb. 21, but later apologized for losing his cool.
He was also involved in a bitter feud with University of Michigan strength and conditioning coach John Sanderson last season, which began over an apparent issue between Howard’s son Jace and a team trainer.
Howard played in the NBA from 1995 to 2013, making the All-Star team once and winning two NBA championships.
