A Man Of The People: Michigan's Juwan Howard Makes Big Splash On Campus
Life in Ann Arbor seems pretty good for Juwan Howard these days. In addition to the tremendous success he's experienced on the court, Howard has also become a fan favorite by fully embracing Michigan life off of the court as well.
On Monday, the reigning AP Coach of the Year spent the morning greeting University of Michigan students as they made their way back to campus for the fall semester. To their surprise, Howard shared donuts, bracelets, hugs and even took pictures with the students as they made their way to morning classes.
Though things have gone extremely well for Howard so far, his third season in Ann Arbor may prove to be his toughest challenge yet.
During just his second year at Michigan, Howard would become the 2021 Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year, Sporting News Coach of the Year and Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year - along with becoming the first person in NCAA history to enter the tournament as a No. 1 seed as both a player and a coach. As if that isn't enough, Howard also became the first Michigan Basketball coach to reach 23 conference wins within their first two seasons as head coach.
The 2021 season ultimately culminated with the Wolverines making their 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in program history.
Of course, fans are expecting even more success from Howard and the Michigan basketball program during the 2021-22 season - particularly with the No. 1 recruiting class for 2021 already on campus and a handful of key veterans returning.
While optimism is high, Michigan fans will need to wait a few more months to see Howard's product on the court, as the Wolverines open the 2021-22 season at home against Buffalo on Nov. 10. It will be just the third meeting all-time between the two programs and the first meeting since the 1934-35 season.
Until then, there's plenty of time for doughnuts.
