Michigan Basketball: Is Juwan Howard the favorite to be head coach?

Juwan Howard is expected to interview for the Michigan basketball job Tuesday and with that in mind, is he the favorite to get the job?

If you didn’t know it already, this is going to be a big week for the Michigan basketball program. Juwan Howard is set to interview for the vacant head coaching job Tuesday and within a week, we should know who the Wolverines new head coach is.

That’s at least the timeline that Warde Manuel gave people on the Michigan basketball staff when John Beilein left for Cleveland, according to a new report out by MLive.

MLive did some digging into the coaching search and there were some interesting tidbits in the article. Obviously, the players, both current and ones that went to the NBA believe that the assistants on staff, Luke Yaklich, Saddi Washington and DeAndre Haynes, are ready.

And according to some new reporting by the Michigan Insider ($), we know now that both Yaklich and Washington have interviewed for the job. Yaklich reportedly did so before interviewing with Shaka Smart down in Texas.

As of right now, Washington and Yaklich are the only guys we know that have gotten an interview. Howard is reportedly interviewing tomorrow and he appears to be the favorite. Fans and alumni have started to back him and while he is a risk, just because he is an unknown as a college coach, there is a lot of upside.

UMHoops ($) broke down the candidacy of Howard and that was the conclusion. Howard had a 19-year NBA career, played for the Fab Five and has been Erik Spolestra’s top assistant for the last six years. Howard is especially good on the defensive end and developing bigs.

One former player for the Miami Heat was quoted in the article, saying: “He’s probably our biggest defensive coach. Any defensive adjustments that need to be made, he’ll normally pick those out and tell us about it. He’s our emotional coach.”

A big question is whether Howard can recruit. He does have family ties to a top-10 prospect this year, Jaden McDaniels and both of his sons are expected to be good players. But outside of his ties to Chicago, Florida, Michigan basketball and the NBA, he has no recruiting connections.

That’s where having an experienced staff will help and according to the article by the Michigan Insider, Sam Webb said he has heard rumblings from Howard’s camp is interested in keeping two of the assistants and bringing on another assistant with head-coaching experience.

Howard teamed with Yaklich and Washington or Haynes, plus a veteran assistant with some head coaching chops would be perfect. I believe Howard can be successful and has the most potential, but he will also need help adjusting.

While Howard feels like the favorite, this isn’t over. LaVall Jordan is still in the running, although his buyout has been an issue all along. He seems like the easiest transition and there is probably a better chance that he stays at Michigan basketball long term, unlike Howard, who could leave for the NBA in 4-5 years.

The other name to watch is Ed Cooley of Providence. He has been among the top four basically since last weekend and his name is one that has been mentioned throughout the process. Don’t forget, Manuel worked at the Big East at UConn, so he knows Cooley.

Cooley may not be the flashy name every Michigan basketball fan wants, but he has a solid resume. He turned Fairfield into a 20-game winner and won a regular-season conference title there, in addition to five NCAA tournament appearances and a Big East tourney title at Providence.

Cooley is known as a solid X’s and O’s guy. He also has a very good reputation as a recruiter and just back in the 2018 class, he signed two top-50 prospects to Providence. He also developed Kris Dunn into a top-five pick.

Webb said he believes Cooley will get an interview before the process is all said and done. Manuel said he wanted an experienced college coach all along and of the guys still in contention, including Shaka Smart, Cooley seems like the safest pick.

He may not lead Michigan basketball to the promised land, but if he can land top-50 kids at Providence, imagine what he could do with the Wolverines and their brand.

Howard feels like the top choice but Michigan still needs to find out if he wants to be a college head coach long term. That is a question that hasn’t really been answered. If he convinces Manuel, he’s committed to Michigan, then it’s probably a slam dunk.

But if not and Manuel sees the hire as too risky, Cooley could be the fallback. Jordan and Smart are in the mix too. It seems one of these four men will be the Wolverines new head coach by next Monday, so buckle up, we have an exciting week ahead.