Juwan Howard is the epitome of what true leadership is

Juwan Howard owes absolutely nobody an apology for what happened yesterday. I don’t care what anybody says.

I wasn’t even going to write an article about this, but I have seen various Michigan fans kind of taking Wisconsin’s side of things and it’s making me mad.

You all know what happened by now. Wisconsin HC Greg Gard called a timeout when they were up double digits with a few seconds left. Then, in the handshake line, Gard grabbed Juwan’s arm and wouldn’t let him go by in the handshake line.

Words were exchanged, tensions escalated, benches cleared, a Wisconsin assistant coach grabbed Jaaron Faulds and mouthed off something to Juwan which set Juwan off, Juwan open-hand slapped the assistant, a few Wisconsin players retaliated, punching Michigan players, which set them off and they retaliated and the whole situation became one huge mess.

Ok, the picture is painted. My issue with all of this is various fans and media members acting like what happened is the worst thing to ever occur on a basketball court.

No, by no means am I condoning anything that Juwan Howard did, besides the fact that he stood up for his players. That, to me, is what a true leader is supposed to do. Even when it looks bad from the outside, Juwan has his player’s backs.

If I was a player on the Michigan basketball team, I would run through a wall and go to war for Juwan. He is that awesome of a coach. I hope the players realize this and wake up and start playing better. Heck, former Michigan kicker Quinn Nordin summed it up best:

All Juwan wants is the best for them, and for them to win games. Even when times get tough and the team is in a slump. Juwan is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to see his Boys in Blue succeed. He cares that deeply about his team and players. Think about it. All he wants from them is their best effort every night.

You don’t really know a coach until he shares his emotions with you and stands up for you on the court. Too many college coaches can coach but can’t share the emotional aspect of coaching. It never fully connects for them.

They can’t or don’t have the ability to connect with their players on a deeper, more raw, and emotional level. That is what separates Juwan from his peers. For better or for worse.

This is now the second straight year that Juwan Howard had made headlines for sticking up for his guys when the media tries to portray it as such a bad thing. What does that tell you about Juwan?

What other college basketball coach can you think of would twice risk his job to make sure that his players are safe? Out of over 300 D-I coaches, maybe a few. And coach Juwan is one of them. How can you not be inspired by that?

I can guarantee that Juwan is having private conversations with Warde telling him this exact thing. That he’s just sticking up for his players and making sure they are safe. Warde should still discipline him, but he should have a sense of pride as well.

Next, Michigan fans and media members seem to want Juwan fired. That’s a blatant overreaction to a petty, physical slap. It wasn’t even a full-on punch.

If this situation was football, and coach Jim Harbaugh got in a fight with Ryan Day and Michigan’s football players beat up Ohio State’s, yes certain media members would be mad, but Michigan fans would be proud and wouldn’t feel that bad about it.

So, all I ask is to have that same level of pride for Juwan. Yes, again, I get that the optics are horrible, and Juwan should be suspended and fined, but at the same time, as a die-hard fan, a little part of me is proud of what Juwan did. He’s an admirable coach, even in a tumultuous season.

I don’t condone what he did at all, because there are other ways to teach leadership than fighting, but, Juwan will always stick up for his players, and there’s no coach I’d rather root for as a Michigan fan in college basketball than coach Juwan Howard.

We now know that Juwan doesn’t play games when it comes to the safety of his players (as he shouldn’t) and a coach’s job is to protect his players safety first and foremost.

Juwan is a second parent to some of these players. He’s like a father figure. Parental figures are willing to leave it all on the line for their young ones. Juwan owes nobody an apology, and Michigan fans and media members need to realize that Juwan just cares.

He shows he cares way more than some of these robotic college basketball coaches that couldn’t care less what their players do.

Let this be a teaching moment for Juwan, but also a crucial moment for Michigan basketball as it could light a fire under their players to play to their true potential for the rest of the season to make their suspended coach proud.

Juwan is a true leader. He has a son on the team, don’t forget. It is his #1 duty and priority to keep his players safe. Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. If you can’t see that Juwan was just protecting his guys, then I don’t know what to tell you.

Most people that know Juwan know that he has no enemies. He is a super friendly guy and loves to joke around. Everyone loves him. He had the entire support of the Miami Heat organization. He’s like that cool uncle or father that you never had.

But push his buttons, and the no-nonsense Juwan will come out of the shadows. You don’t want to mess with that guy. Juwan doesn’t like bringing out that ugly side of him, but if it needs to be done, it needs to be done.

You can debate Juwan’s tactics, but you can’t debate his loyalty to his players. He will always stick up for them. Juwan will serve his suspension and/or fine. He will learn from this. Meanwhile, life goes on.