Michigan Basketball: 3 reasons Wolverines need Juwan Howard

Loyal to a fault

The banners were torn down and the team was ridiculed, but when you read the intricate details of the affair, Juwan and others on the team had nothing to do with it. Even with his innocence, he was publicly punished and yet he never turned his back on Michigan basketball.

Juwan decided to leave his junior year which many took as a shot in the heart and an end to a glorious era. But his loyalty to the university and dedication led him back to Ann Arbor.

Howard was raised by his grandmother in Chicago and he made a promise to her that he would earn his college degree no matter what happened. That’s when disaster struck.

While Howard was making his announcement to play for Michigan basketball, Jannie Mae Howard, Juwan’s grandmother, died of a heart attack.

Howard went on to play three years for Michigan and then he was drafted by the Washington Bullets. He was earning millions but he never forgot that promise. While others were sitting around buying shiny toys and ‘living large’, Juwan was reading textbooks and finishing those 32 credits he needed, earning that all-important piece of paper.

"“The degree means more than the money I’m making. It’s something I’ll have and put on the wall and always be proud of.”"

Juwan’s loyalty carried over into his NBA career. The Heat brought Howard on in 2010 and they weren’t looking for him to be a marquee player he once was, rather, they wanted Howard to mentor the championship team they were building, and he never left. Three years later, he became the assistant coach and six years after that, he’s still enjoying the Florida weather.

That could change soon, in Howard’s own words, “even though you don’t hear anything publicly that I say about the program, I’m a Michigan man, I bleed maize and blue.”