The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1510053
[ 2023-24 BASKETBALL PREVIEW ] 34 THE WOLVERINE ❱ NOVEMBER 2023 BY CHRIS BALAS T h e f i rs t c o n c e r n w i t h Michigan basketball in the 2023‑24 season was really the only one in early Oc‑ tober — making sure Juwan Howard was healthy. The U‑M head coach wasn't feel‑ ing well, so he went to visit his doc‑ tor only to find he needed major heart surgery. He successfully went under the knife Sept. 15, and was expected to potentially return to the program in four to six weeks and to fully recover in six to 12. "He's doing fantastic," assistant Saddi Washington reported Oct. 10. "He's in good spirits and very moti‑ vated to get back to the young men. And we're going to be really excited the first time we see him walk down that hallway and into the gym. "He is a very motivated individual to get back. But there's no timetable. We want him back when he's ready. He's going to listen to his team of doc‑ tors, and he's going to go through the process of working through his rehab and getting healthy … we're just going to hold down the fort and forge forward and try to prepare these young men for this season." Associate head coach Phil Martelli will coach the team until Howard re‑ turns, and he was also in good spirits at Oct. 17 media day. There, several new young faces met the press with high hopes and expectations for what will be a much different team in 2023‑24. Gone are two first‑round NBA Draft picks in wing Jett Howard and shooting guard Kobe Bufkin, as well as a transfer in big HIGH TURNOVER, BUT STILL HIGH HOPES Juwan Howard's Fifth Michigan Team Has Questions, Potential Howard underwent major heart surgery Sept. 15. He is recuperating well and in good spirits. There is no set timetable for his return to the sidelines to lead sophomore guard Dug McDaniel and the Wolverines this season. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL