The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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42 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2021 cluding the loss at Minnesota (75-57) Jan. 16. Senior guard Chaundee Brown, who was a part of teams at Wake Forest that posted a combined 35-48 record his three years in Winston- Salem, said a relentless mentality has manifested itself within the players, and that they're not satisfied by just winning regular-season games. "We try to not let the [opponent] get any confidence at all," he said during a Zoom press conference. "We want them to have the mindset that they can't be on the same court as us. "Even the other guys, the rotation guys that come in, we tell them the same thing, 'Just don't let up … don't let them feel like they belong here.' That's what we're trying to do to ev- ery team." One of the reasons why U-M hasn't allowed itself to become complacent has been a focus on the bigger pic- ture, Howard said, pointing out that all of the team's goals are still in front of it. "We know that it's still early," Howard said, after being asked about the aforementioned record his team broke. "We're not here to try to break any records. "Our goal is to be the last team standing on Monday night in April." — Clayton Sayfie ASSISTANT PHIL MARTELLI HONORED WITH A NATIONAL LEADERSHIP AWARD Michigan assistant basketball coach Phil Martelli received an ac- colade Jan. 5 when The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) presented him with their 2020-21 Guardians of the Game Award for Leadership. The honor is presented annually and given to those who display "ad- vocacy, education, leadership and service." The 2020-21 campaign is Martelli's second year in Ann Arbor, with head coach Juwan Howard having hired him prior to the start of last season. Experts around the nation lauded the move at the time, and the 66-year-old has used his past coaching experi- ence — he was the head man at Saint Joseph's from 1995-2019 — to help Howard get the ball rolling on his own head coaching career. Martelli is the Hawks' all-time leader in career wins, having com- piled a 444-328 record during his 24 seasons as the head coach in Phila- delphia, including 18 postseason vic- tories. He also took Saint Joseph's to the 2004 Elite Eight. "It's humbling for me to receive this honor," he said. "Thinking about what needs to be done to move our game and profession to that next level and to assist others in need is what makes me get up every day. It isn't to be recognized. "I have tried to make it about oth- ers. I am just blessed for the opportu- nity and the advantages to offer help and make a difference." Martelli has plenty of experience working on college basketball com- mittees and also helped spearhead the Coaches vs. Cancer organization (which is a partnership between the NABC and American Cancer Soci- ety). He served as the co-chair for its Philadelphia chapter during 12 of his years at Saint Joseph's and was the co-recipient of the American Can- cer Society's Circle of Honor Award in 2017, sharing it with then-Temple head coach Fran Dunphy. "Phil is the real deal," said Jim Haney, the former executive director of the NABC. "He cares deeply for people, especially student-athletes and coaches, and is very passionate about the game. Whether as NABC president or a member of commit- tees, you could tell by the way peo- ple responded that Phil was highly respected, and what he said and how he said it was impactful." "Coach Martelli's energy and pas- sion is infectious, whether it's on the court or in the fight against cancer," added Natalie Morrison, the strategic director for Coaches vs. Cancer. "His genuine commitment to Coaches vs. Cancer has had and will continue to have such an impact throughout Philadelphia and the entire nation. "He was an amazing longtime chair of the Coaches vs. Cancer Council, and he continues to be a key member of the team as we all keep fighting with him to crush cancer. ❏ After Michigan's 13-1 start this season, Martelli has been a part of coaching staffs that have won 649 college games, 444 of which came during his time as the head coach at Saint Joseph's. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY