Michigan’s basketball program is in limbo after revelations that starting center Juwan Howard was disciplined with a three-game suspension for his role in the brawl between Michigan and Ohio State. The Wolverines will have to find answers on the court, but how should big games like this be policed?
On Monday night, Michigan Wolverines coach Juwan Howard was banned for the rest of the regular season (five games) after striking Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft in the handshake line after the Badgers’ 77-63 victory on Sunday afternoon.
Terrance Williams II and Moussa Diabate of Michigan, as well as Wisconsin guard Jahcobi Neath, were all given one-game suspensions for their roles in the postgame altercation. For the incident, Howard was fined $40,000, while Wisconsin coach Greg Gard was penalized $10,000.
Following the ugly incident captured on Sunday afternoon network television, ESPN’s college basketball team of Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, and John Gasaway weighed in on the appropriateness of the punishment, the way forward for Michigan and Howard, and the necessary next steps for college basketball.
Juwan Howard is expected to return for the Big Ten tournament, but how will the Wolverines’ season end? Rich Barnes is a sports reporter for USA TODAY.
Did you believe the penalty meted out after the incident on Sunday was fair? What impact will this incident have on college basketball?
Medcalf: The Howard penalty makes sense; I assumed we wouldn’t see him until the playoffs. In college basketball, we haven’t seen many — if any? — instances like that. I also believe Howard’s punishment was prolonged as a result of his post-game outburst. Howard missed his opportunity to express “my mistake” at the postgame news conference, and it cost him with league and school authorities. I wouldn’t have been shocked if Greg Gard was banned for a game as well. When you watch the footage, you can see Gard grab Howard violently while Howard pleads, “Don’t touch me.”
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No players should have been suspended, in my opinion. It’s tough for me to lay the blame for whatever happens next on the shoulders of student-athletes after the coaches lose their collective calm. However, a punch is a punch, which is why we’re largely discussing Howard’s behavior. On the first non-NFL Sunday of 2022, it all happened on national network television. And it’s because of this that the sport suffers. Instead of discussing the advantages and disadvantages of Kentucky, Arizona, and Auburn, or Johnny Davis vs. Oscar Tshiebwe in the Wooden Award race, the No. 1 topic in our sport is Sunday’s postgame incident. When Howard returns in time for the Big Ten tournament, he will be the focus of all college basketball stories. It is detrimental to all parties concerned. What a shambles, only weeks before the greatest sporting event of all time.
Borzello: The punishment is reasonable. When polling people across the sport on Sunday night, most appeared to believe Howard’s sentence would vary from the duration of the regular season to the regular season and playoffs. Nobody believed that sacking him should genuinely be an option. Five games seemed to make the most sense to me. If the Wolverines had just three games remaining, I could see the Big Ten tournament being added on top of the regular season by the league and the school. When you consider Howard’s history of coach-coach conflicts, five games seems about right. I was hoping Gard would receive a game since, as Myron points out, he wasn’t blameless, but I don’t believe zero games is excessive. The guys who were punished threw punches; in terms of sanctions, this is a no-brainer.
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LaPhonso Ellis and Seth Greenberg discuss Michigan head coach Juwan Howard’s suspension for the rest of the regular season.
I’m all it if the most significant impact for college basketball is a rethinking of the mandated handshake line. We made it through last season without the handshake line owing to COVID-19, and I believe the sport would flourish without it. Make a wave and withdraw to your locker rooms like the NBA. Before and after games, there is plenty of opportunity to embrace, exchange pleasantries, catch up, and so on. It doesn’t need a handshake line.
Gasaway: Yes, the punishment is justifiable. When your team is fighting for a tournament berth, missing five games in February and March is a major setback. One consequence for college basketball is that every coach has now seen a violent brawl resulting from a dispute about “the unwritten rules.” We’ve all seen coaches push past one another in the handshake line, glower at one another, or even get into heated arguments over a late timeout or a dunk in a blowout. Coaches are very sensitive to perceived slights, and a subset of fans enjoys debating the finer points of good basketball etiquette during garbage time. I get it, but this time it became physical. Perhaps the NABC can issue a resolution as a reminder of the importance of the handshake line. Handshake, frown if desired, agree to disagree, and walk away.
How will Juwan Howard’s reputation be affected as a result of this?
Borzello: Howard made a mistake by not apologizing on Sunday night, but saying so on Monday night was a step in the right way. However, until this happens on a frequent basis throughout Howard’s career, it will be forgotten or at the very least downplayed. Granted, he had a run-in with Mark Turgeon during the Big Ten tournament and now this, but he didn’t have a reputation for being unpredictable while he was playing, so I doubt it will happen every season. People will concentrate considerably more on his on-court accomplishments if he continues to win and recruit like he has. However, Sunday night’s event will likely be a significant discussion topic for the foreseeable future, and he will be scrutinized in the future.
Gasaway: Howard can recover from this by winning and avoiding anything that even somewhat approaches what happened in Madison. In Division I, demonstrative or even enraged coaches are surely not prohibited. Michigan’s coach is free to occupy that space with his more volatile teammates without ever crossing the line. Howard’s track record speaks for itself if he can avoid five-game bans in the future. In his second season, his program received a No. 1 seed, and he came within a 3-pointer of reaching the Final Four. In the autumn of his third year, he pulled in one of the best recruiting classes in the country. Clearly, he is a good coach.
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During the handshake line between Michigan and Wisconsin, Jay Williams responds to the brawl.
Medcalf: We’re talking about Rick Pitino perhaps getting another Power 5 position, Will Wade continuing to coach despite a “strong-ass offer” being leaked, and Bruce Pearl possibly being named national coach of the year. It is possible to restore one’s reputation. Clearly. Howard’s coaching at a school where he was once a star helps. He’ll be shielded from criticism in a manner that a coach without such links may not. This isn’t too tough to figure out. If Howard wins and succeeds, this will become irrelevant to him and his career in the long run. He apologized before his first press conference at the Big Ten tournament, and I’m certain he’ll say the appropriate things when he gets back. However, the concern must be that athletic director Warde Manuel has delivered the “never again” lecture to him. People are going to look at him differently now. Winning, on the other hand, helps bad days go away in this sport. The same thing may happen to Howard.
What impact will the bans have on basketball? When Howard returns to the bench, what do you think Michigan will be playing for?
Gasaway: Moussa Diabate and Terrance Williams II have both been banned for one game, which means they will be unable to play against Rutgers at home. That’s a crucial game for Michigan, as the Wolverines play Illinois, Michigan State, and Iowa at home before traveling to Ohio State. The most amazing element of it all is that UM is now on the cusp of being cut from the field of 68. The stakes aren’t going to grow much higher. We’ve seen teams come together while playing for an interim coach, and maybe the Wolverines and Phil Martelli will be no different. I’m interested in seeing the first game when the suspensions are served. That’s when everything will seem odd and unfamiliar, and Michigan will be desperate for a victory against the Scarlet Knights.
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Juwan Howard and Greg Gard provide their perspectives on the incident that occurred during the handshake line.
Medcalf: This is a significant step for a squad battling for an NCAA tournament berth. The Wolverines did not look like an NCAA tournament club in two of their last three games, defeats to Ohio State and Wisconsin. And a looming stretch that includes a hot Rutgers team, Illinois, Michigan State, a tenacious Iowa club, and Ohio State (in Columbus) might sabotage any at-large ambitions for this team, which is currently playing without its head coach. Ask Louisville what it’s like to be without their head coach for five or six games. It has the potential to transform everything. Michigan has won seven of their past eleven games. Even without Diabate and Williams, this is a good group. The Wolverines thrashed Purdue, a legitimate national championship contender, two weeks ago. Before Howard returns, they can likely pick up a couple victories and add to their resume. However, everything might go apart, and they could find themselves in a desperate situation heading into the Big Ten tournament.
Borzello: Losing your head coach for five games, a starting forward for one game, and a rotation component for one game is not a good thing for a club on the verge of missing the playoffs. However, Michigan gets four home games before finishing the season on the road at Ohio State, so the schedule is beneficial from a geographical standpoint. From a competitive sense, the schedule is unfavorable; all five of the remaining opponents are potential NCAA tournament teams. Diabate and Williams will not play against Rutgers on Wednesday. Last week against Iowa, Diabate had his greatest game of his collegiate career, scoring 28 points and grabbing eight rebounds, while Williams has been the first frontcourt player off the bench. Having Phil Martelli, a very experienced head coach, take the reins should keep things reasonably steady on the coaching front. In the next two weeks, Michigan has plenty of opportunities to strengthen its resume, and I expect Howard to return for what will effectively be a “win one game and earn a bid” Big Ten tournament for the Wolverines.
