Juwan Howard Is A Boss And Michigan's Culture Is Special Because Of It

We've talked about the culture within the Michigan basketball program under Juwan Howard around here several times but honestly, it's probably not enough. The team is winning in impressive fashion, guys are completely bought in, seniors are leading, youngsters are shining — Michigan basketball is a well-oiled machine.

Even after 23 days off.

After missing five games and two weeks of practice, most people thought Michigan would head to Madison and limp back to Ann Arbor with a loss. In fact, most would even give Michigan a pass in a game like that. After all, the Badgers are a good, well-coached team and are always very tough at home. Instead, Michigan outscored UW 40-20 in the second half and came away with an eight-point win. And they did it as a team with solid leadership, a ton of talent and positivity oozing out of their sneakers.

Between the players, the very solid stable of assistant coaches and Howard himself, the culture at Michigan is special and it's starting to become a topic of discussion nationally. Obviously, when a team is 14-1, No. 3 in the country and considered one of the No. 1 seeds ahead of March Madness, everyone is going to take notice.

Isaiah Livers used words like "blessed" and "grateful" when talking about being a part of this team. He's a senior. He gets it. He recognizes that something special is brewing and he's happy to be along for the ride while leading and playing at a high level. He called Howard "a big boss" with a giant smile and said that he'd rock with whatever his head coach told him to do. Not long after Livers left the podium, freshman Hunter Dickinson said the same thing. This team will run through a wall, dive for loose balls and sacrifice a tooth for this guy — just ask Eli Brooks.

Howard has made a tradition out of sinking half-court trick shots the day before games. He dances, he daps up his guys, he shares stories from his two decades in the NBA — and he gets in their faces too. That's what truly makes him special. He's a players' coach, but he's not soft. Earlier this season a "dust up" between he and Livers was caught on camera and the broadcast team wondered if it was cause for concern.

Yeah, I guess not.

And just think, Howard has done all of this in one of the weirdest stretches of time in the history of athletics. Just imagine what he'll do when he can recruit like normal, finish a season, attend and conduct every practice and meeting and focus only on basketball.

Like a boss.