Video: Juwan Howard Explains Timeout Usage Strategy
Juwan Howard has admitted that he's still learning on the job. Opposing fans might think that they love hearing that but Michigan's head coach is killing it on the recruiting trail, has won three games in a row including against rival Michigan State and has his team peaking at the right time of year. Still, Howard knows he's a work in progress.
One thing that he's still figuring out is exactly how to use his timeouts. He explained how he typically uses timeouts and agreed that his approach is a bit unorthodox compared to most coaches.
Brown's Breakdown
I try to call things like I see them and I pride myself on not sugarcoating anything. When Juwan Howard was hired, I was very skeptical and pretty critical of the move. I didn't necessarily think he was going to fail, I just thought it was a very risky move given the state of the Michigan basketball program.
Howard certainly hasn't been perfect, but he's been very good and better in some areas than I thought he'd be. I thought he'd be a good recruiter but he's been elite so far. I thought he'd be able to connect with his players as a former member of the Fab Five and a 19-year NBA veteran. Not only has he connect with his players, he's become a prominent figure in their lives and someone they can truly trust and count on both as a coach and as a mentor. He has been outstanding as a leader of Michigan basketball in that regard.
As he has said about himself, he's still learning and figuring some things out along the way — late-game situations, timeout usage and developing an efficient rotation come to mind — but he's won some big games and has U-M in a great spot heading towards tourney time. His guys play extremely hard for him and you can tell there's a high level of mutual respect between him and his players.
All in all, I think year No. 1 has been a success for Howard already with a chance for it to be special. More and more people are starting to look at this Michigan team as a potential Sweet 16 type of group, which would be an outstanding launching pad for Howard and his budding career.
What do you think of Howard's timeout usage? What has been the most peculiar approach by Howard this season? Comment below!!!
