The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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20 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2021 Award an astounding seven times. They didn't know that transfer guard Chaundee Brown Jr. would be eligible to play this season. All that said, they were laying the foundation for a title, Howard insisted. "In June, I started talking about, 'These are championship habits,'" Howard recalled. "'We're going to de- velop championship habits, how we practice, how we prepare ourselves, how we compete. There are going to be some special things happening, but we have to go and work hard at it. It's not going to be given to us.' "Our guys earned it. They earned this Big Ten championship, by the belief they had for each other." They also believed in their head coach. That aspect of the run to the title shows through, over and over. "He's honest, and he tells you how it is," Smith said of Howard. "A lot of people try to beat around the bush, and not tell you how it really is. He's on you, every day. In practice, he treats it like it's a game. There's no cutting corners. You do it his way, and we're going to make sure it's the Michigan culture way. "He trusts in us, and we trust him. That's a big part of a player and a coach [relationship]." Howard gives it out, and can take it as well, Brooks indicated. The vet- eran noted seeing a bit of a difference in the Fab Fiver from his first season as head coach to the second. "I was joking with everybody at the start of this year, seeing his gray hair when he came back for his sec- ond year," Brooks said. "Just to see the smile on his face — he's a high- character dude, and he treats every- body like family. "To be able to see a guy like that succeed when a lot of people doubted him, he put his name up there … it's fun to play for Juwan. He's a great guy, and I'm happy for him." Livers talked about the focus nec- essary to grind through a long — and in this case, interrupted — season to win a championship. Howard, Liv- ers noted, played an integral role in keeping it all together. "Coach Howard really did a great job of keeping our eyes on the road — our journey, where we were sup- posed to go, what we wanted to do, what we wanted to accomplish," Liv- ers assured. "We want to hang up banners. That's what we talk about at practice — hanging up banners. That's how we go that extra mile. I definitely envisioned this, and I defi- nitely worked hard for it." Livers put an exclamation point on the title-clinching win over the Spar- tans at Crisler Center. With moments remaining, he headed to center court on his way out of the game. He dropped into push-up position, and planted a kiss on the block M at center court. It's a move he'd pre- planned, and one that meant a great deal to someone who has been to the Final Four, and captured a Big Ten Tournament title, but wanted a regu- lar-season league title to complete the trifecta. The kiss marked the capper. "I knew that would be the last time I played at Crisler," Livers said. "I had to. I'd seen other seniors do it. I told myself, even when I was a fresh- man, that I was definitely going to kiss the floor. That's how much love I have for the campus, the coaching staff and the journey here." The love goes both ways. "To see the emotion, the sweat, the tears, and see the kiss on that block M at midcourt, it shows how he re- ally enjoyed his time here at Michi- gan," Howard said. "He's given it all, for four years. "In the two years I've been with him, I've witnessed it in practice. We'd come in the gym all days, lis- tening to the music, knowing that Isaiah is in the gym working out. No one had to ask him to come in. He loves basketball. Juwan Howard, who was tabbed as the Big Ten Coach of the Year, started laying the founda- tion for a championship season last summer. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL