Michigan Basketball: Analyst says Juwan Howard reminds him of Pat Riley

Former Michigan basketball player Tim McCormick shared some thoughts from his visit to Ann Arbor which included comparing Juwan Howard to legendary NBA coach and executive Pat Riley.

Following a successful career playing for Michigan basketball and later in the NBA, Tim McCormick hired on as a college basketball analyst with ESPN while also breaking down Detroit Piston games on Fox Sports. Recently, Tim traveled to Ann Arbor to gain a little insight into what the Wolverine program will look like in year one under new head coach Juwan Howard.

Based on what Tim had to say, it’s going to be a great era.

"Watched @umichbball practice yesterday – Thoughts on @JuwanHoward. Highly involved with the big men, decisive & authoritative, quick corrections & move on. Coaching style reminded me of our former coach Pat Riley. High energy!!!"

Tim McCormick compared Juwan Howard’s coaching style to that of a coach who won the NBA championship five times and later three more times as an executive. Pat Riley, who was Tim’s coach for the New York Knicks, is regularly listed as one of the greatest coaches of all-time alongside guys like Phil Jackson, Chuck Daly, and Red Auerbach.

Although Tim did clarify his comment’s, saying the comparison is limited to Howard’s style of coaching, and noting that Juwan still has a lot to learn.

"He has never coached an official game. He still has so much to learn. Just saying he has been mentored by some of the great coaches. His confidence & communication style reminds me of Riley."

Franz Wagner is a future 1st Rd pick

Tim didn’t limit his commentary to the coach as he also delivered high praise on the players including freshman Franz Wagner.

"Observations on @umichbball practice Saturday – Most improved Pl is Eli Brooks showed great confidence/playmaking. Franz Wagner is a future 1st Rd pick with length, high IQ & deep range. Jon Teske has grown & is approaching 7’2”. Love Livers versatility."

While McCormick believes Wagner will be a lottery pick, he doubted the young German star’s ability to play the shooting guard position and said there will be a combination of Zavier Simpson, David DeJulius, and “Most improved PI [sic]” Eli Brooks.

Matt’s musings

This is the second time in less than a week that college basketball analysts have shared high praise for the program, specifically keying in on Franz Wagner. As I reported last week, CBS Sports College Basketball Insider Jon Rothstein said that the Michigan coaching staff “raves about (Franz Wagner’s) IQ and overall feel. Will have a big piece of the pie in 19-20.”

Jon also believed Franz would play the wing and Brooks will start at shooting guard.

Regardless of the position, Franz will have to be all that and more if the Wolverines hope to compete in the Big Ten after all the personnel losses they suffered in the off-season. Michigan State is the unanimous preseason number one team in the nation and many media pundits list UM as the fifth or sixth-best team in the conference.

Howard is fighting an uphill battle, and the development of young talent will be crucial to sneak up on conference opponents and to have any shot at a tournament appearance.