College Basketball: Juwan Howard Returns To Basketball Roots As Michigan's Head Coach

Juwan Howard will return to his basketball roots as the Michigan "Fab Five" icon was named head coach of his alma mater Wednesday. Howard was a member of the famed Wolverines recruiting class in the early 1990s that, along with Chris Webber and Jalen Rose, reached consecutive national title games. He played in the NBA for 19 seasons and was an assistant coach for the Miami Heat before getting the nod as the successor to John Beilein, who left the program to become head coach of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers.

"I am very excited about the opportunity to lead the University of Michigan's storied basketball program," Howard said in a statement. "As a 'Michigan Man,' I know the place our program has in college basketball and I embrace the chance to build onto that history and lead us to championships both in the Big Ten and national level. I cannot wait to get started. It feels great to be coming home."

Howard's hiring continues a recent trend in which iconic former players have been hired to lead the programs for which they once starred.  Thus far, the experience has seen mixed results. Chris Mullin recently parted ways with St. John's after four seasons in which he posted a 59-73 record and earned one NCAA Tournament berth. Patrick Ewing is 34-29 in his first two years at the helm of Georgetown with one NIT berth. Anfernee Hardaway led Memphis to a 22-14 mark and an NIT appearance in his first season and has landed a highly ranked recruiting class for next year.

While those coaches were hired to revive somewhat dormant programs, Howard steps into a higher standard of expectations at Michigan. The Wolverines have reached two national title games this decade under Beilein, who went 278-150 in 12 seasons.

Moreover, it appears Howard wasn't the school's first choice. Several other candidates reportedly were considered, and Howard became the front-runner after Providence coach Ed Cooley withdrew from consideration earlier this week. Howard, 46, had been an assistant with the Heat since 2013.

Duncan Robinson played for three seasons under Beilein at Michigan from 2015-18 and experienced Howard's coaching as a member of the Heat last season. He told the Detroit Free Press he believes Howard will be a strong fit for the program.

"He's just the type of guy you want to play for, want to play hard for," Robinson said. "He makes an effort to reach out and connect and be more than just somebody that can teach and coach you in basketball, but instead someone that you feel you have a genuine relationship with.

"A lot of times in coaching, that's more than half the battle, to get people that are willing to buy in because they trust you and understand that you're genuine in your motivations."

Michigan is listed at 40/1 to win the 2020 national title in the latest college basketball future odds.