The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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22 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2021 pull the Fab Five together. You look at what he did in the pros early in his career and how he led the teams he was on. "They talked about him being a leader on the championship teams, when he played for the Heat. Then he became a coach. I had the good fortune of speak- ing to [Miami Heat coach] Erik Spoelstra, and he talks about how Juwan is a leader among his assistant coaches and leads the guys on the court, even as an assis- tant. He takes the reins. "For me, I saw that part of him. The knowledge that he presented to me of the X's and O's, and what he wanted to be. What was the culture of that team going to be? Defensively and offensively … again, I talked to Erik Spoelstra, and he talked to me about Juwan's level of knowledge of the game, and how he didn't just rely on what he did when he was a player, for what, 17, 18 years? He didn't just talk about, 'Well, we did this!' "He learned the game. He learned about what people are doing now, how they're defending, strategies, etc., and fully participated. "Then I looked at him as a person, and his character, the way he talked about the importance of young people and mak- ing a difference in their lives, knowing how he was as a student-athlete when he played here. Leaving early, but keeping a promise to his grandma that he would get his degree. I believe he got it within two or three years of turning pro. "There's something to be said about somebody's character. We all have flaws. We all make mistakes. You have to look for the strength of somebody's charac- ter. For me, those three, more than oth- ers, were keys to feeling he could be very successful here at Michigan, and there- fore bring great success to our basketball program. "He is a tremendous coach, as are all of our coaches. But at 6-10, he's the most visible of our coaches as an ambassador, not only in athletics but for the Univer- sity. Him and Jim get a lot of the atten- tion, but all of our coaches can represent this institution and give me great pride in how they carry themselves. "But he is a great ambassador for ath- letics and for this University." The Wolverine: Another of your head coaches enjoyed a huge breakthrough, with Bev Plocki and women's gymnastics winning the national championship. Talk a little about that effort and other high- lights throughout the 2020-21 athletic year. Manuel: "I am so proud of Bev. I have known Bev since the late '80s, early '90s. For me, seeing her reach that level of suc- cess after so many years, so many Big Ten championships, so many years going to the NCAAs, so many years going to the Super Six — watching her do that, watch- ing that team win with the third-highest score in the history of the NCAA, to beat several great teams and to compete the way they did … it was phenomenal. "I was beaming with pride. As I sat and watched it, we were screaming so in- tensely at my house, you couldn't have been able to distinguish it from a football game or a basketball game. It's stuff you obviously can't do at the arena, because they're flipping and turning. You can't scream like you want to scream. "We had a few people we had been in quarantine with over at the house to watch it. It was just amazing to see them achieve that level of success, and to see her, in particular, do it. "Jim [Plocki] and Bev are considered friends and have been with me along this journey in intercollegiate athletics. Jim was the strength coach, I think a [graduate assistant], when I first got there. They've both been long-time friends. So it made me very proud. "You look at nine conference champi- onships this year, in a year of COVID. One of the best academic years we've had, in several respects. We set records academi- cally. I am in general just extremely proud of all of our student-athletes, our coaches and our staff. "I could call out field hockey, finish- ing as the runner-up, in an overtime loss. We finished fourth in the nation in row- ing, wrestling fifth. Regardless of where people finished, I'm very proud. "The effort … to go through having a swab stuck up both your nostrils six days a week for 40, 50 weeks is a lot to endure. Then you've got masks. Nobody knows if you're going to play or not. "Look at what happened to hockey. Look what happened to football at the end, with the outbreak. I don't think peo- ple realize. Everybody wants to focus on the wins and the losses, and I get it. But that wasn't where my head was when I started the year. "I hoped we could play, and I wanted to play safely, and let the results fall where they may." Juwan Howard has impressed his boss as a leader, teacher, role model and more. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL