The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JANUARY 2020 THE WOLVERINE 37 FAST START BUILDS MOMENTUM Michigan radio play-by-play man Brian Boesch has seen it all play out in the early going and understands what the early thrust by the Wolver- ines can mean going forward. "It starts with this team being a group that's been together," Boesch said. "They had to go through the stretch between Beilein's departure and Howard's arrival. That really emboldened them. It bonded them in a way that even they didn't an- ticipate. "You can't simulate that. You talk about someone going through a good practice and gaining confidence there. That's one thing. But you've got to be able to do it in the game. "The situation this team had to face in the offseason was unlike anything. It happened so late in the game. It happened with a coach that many thought was going to retire at Michi- gan. You have to stick together, and this team was able to do that." Navigating those waters together produced incalculable gains for the Wolverines in the early going, the voice of Michigan basketball asserts. "I think it has given them a sense of purpose as a group, a sense of cama- raderie that you just can't simulate," Boesch argued. "You think about the guys that were in that national cham- pionship game, the guys who have been to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, the guys who have won Big Ten Tournament cham- pionships. "That's all basketball related. But what they did in the offseason, that's real life. That's going through adver- sity that you can overcome, but it's more challenging than, 'Oh, a guy played really good defense on me,' or, 'I can't make a shot in a game.'" Howard's own passion helped im- mensely as well, Boesch noted. "He's been a guy that's really bonded well with this team," Boesch said. "He's shown appreciation for all the work they've put in. I think the staff they put together around Juwan is great. They work well to- gether, and it's all added up. "This team needs to get better. They know that. There are things to work on. But I've been really im- pressed with how they've gone about the whole season, especially what they did in Atlantis." ❑ Howard Off To The Best Start Since Fisher Juwan Howard's 8-2 record over his first 10 Michigan games represented the Wolverines' best start out of the gate under a new leader since his own coach, Steve Fisher, got off to a championship-level beginning. Fisher, of course, began in a unique circumstance. The Bill Frieder assistant took over on an interim basis when U-M athletics director Bo Schembechler parted ways with Frieder after learning he had verbally accepted the job at Arizona State — famously proclaiming that "a Michigan man is going to coach Michigan" — on the brink of the 1989 NCAA Tournament. Fisher went on to lead a six-game sweep to the national championship, earning the job on a permanent basis. With the first four games of the 1989-90 season tacked on, Fisher began at 9-1, going 2-0 over top-10 teams (No. 5 North Carolina and No. 3 Illinois in the NCAA Tournament) and 3-1 over top-25 teams. Howard, by comparison, went 8-2 in his first 10, 2-1 versus top-10 squads (wins over then-No. 6 North Carolina and then-No. 8 Gonzaga, with a loss at then-No. 1 Louisville) and the same 2-1 against the top 25. Here's a quick look at how the last five Michigan coaches have fared in their opening 10 games: Head Coach Record Vs. Top 10 Vs. Top 25 Vs. Big Ten Steve Fisher 9-1 2-0 3-1 1-1 Juwan Howard 8-2 2-1 2-1 1-1 Brian Ellerbe 7-3 0-0 0-0 2-0 Tommy Amaker 5-5 0-1 0-2 2-0 John Beilein 4-6 0-2 0-3 0-2 The first 10 games obviously aren't predictive of a coaching career at Michigan. Beilein posted the worst record of the five, but arguably turned out to be the best basketball coach in Michigan history, taking the Wolverines to 278 wins, two trips to the national championship game, a pair of Big Ten titles and two conference tournament championships. With an established track record as a head coach, Beilein enjoyed significant leeway, although he wound up drawing sharp criticism in some quarters. What the strong start means to Howard is simply this: it gives evidence to his ability to establish a strong staff, take talented players and win right away. All of that can't do anything but help in seeking to attract the sort of talent with which he can win down the road. — John Borton ESPN dubbed senior point guard Zavier Simpson the No. 19 player in all of college basketball after the first month of the season. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL