Ah, I see.
I have a hard time believing the title is a stumbling block. I don’t believe any college basketball coach has the defensive coordinator title. Does an AHC title really carry any weight? If this report is true, money is not the issue either and Howard had to be on board.
So what is the problem? I’ve been saying all along that Yak couldn’t expect the same level of autonomy over the defense that Beilein gave him. If that’s the sticking point, then Michigan has done all they should and Yak can take a job that suits him better. We can’t have an assistant coach dictating his own responsibilities.
Maybe he’s just negotiating for a bigger offer from Texas or the Cavs. He deserves a few days to figure things out.
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Do we know for a fact that Yak has received an offer from the Cavs?
I’m obviously not MattR11, but I might have said the same thing he did.
If you think Howard is only a good hire if Yak stays, you hire someone else instead. Maybe Yak if he’s that important. Assistants come and go and Yak was near the end of his expected tenure. You have to hire someone you trust to make his own staffing decisions, who you think will be successful because of his own abilities to run the program.
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No. I think it’s conceivable Beilein waits to see what happens with Michigan before making an offer. He may even prefer having all coaches with NBA experience.
Just throwing the Cavs out there because it seems like the other main possibility and their jobs are open.
If the rumored names are legit, I think we’ll have a good staff no matter what. If Yak leaves, I will not be more or less confident in Juwan
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Imo, spending an assistant spot on “guy who has been a HC” is a waste. I think an “assistant to the head coach” thing ala Vanderbilt is much better for that. Use that money. Use your assistants on people who will actually develop or recruit.
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This. And so much of the speculation I see is about not losing Wilson when we don’t know a thing about his intentions. If Yak and Juwan didn’t see eye to eye–and they might not for about 100 reasons, many of which we might not be able to infer even if we shot the breeze through next season–I wouldn’t want him on staff, especially not for huge money. Get the people that Juwan sees that he needs.
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I think it depends what else the coach brings to the table. If it is a guy that you just want around to help you make a schedule and advise you on what meetings to take, that makes sense. If it is someone who is still a capable teacher, X’s and O’s guy, etc. then you might want him on the practice court, right?
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I agree. I don’t want a guy like that just for the sake of it. Would want them to actually be a good assistant. Basically what Dylan just said while I typed this haha.
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Head coach Juwan Howard & assistant coach Luke Yaklich may make the perfect team. We don’t know. We’ll never know what Yaklich would have done as head coach at Michigan, not in the short term anyway. I don’t understand how people can state with certainty that any of this speculation “means” anything. Wanting to retain Yaklich doesn’t “mean” that Howard is only a good hire if Yaklich were to stay. It means he thinks he’s valuable and would like to prepare him an attractive financial package to remain on. For all we know Yaklich will hold Howard back from greater success. We don’t know anything and nothing means anything. It’s just speculation without supporting data.
Bottom line is it’s Howard’s program now and if he’s successful he was the right guy, and if he isn’t then perhaps there were better alternatives and perhaps there weren’t. But you can’t prove anything right now and state to people that Howard’s interest in Yaklich “means” Howard was the wrong hire. Where’s the proof?
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Let’s say Tim Miles in interested, would you ideally prefer him as an adviser or as an assistant coach?
The main issue I have is that he’s 99% to leave after one season, my opinion. So that would limit his effectiveness as a recruiter. Maybe that’s a role he’d rather take a break from. Players might benefit from more continuity in instruction. If the alternative is a high quality assistant who’s likely to stay longer, might that be a better option?
Out of all the former HCs whose names have been bandied about, Martelli is the only one I’d think would be a great choice as an assistant.
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I’m afraid you’re completely misunderstanding.
I’m not critiquing Howard as a coach. I was in favor of hiring him. I’m saying that Warde hired him because he thinks he’ll do a great job - independent of having Yak around. Otherwise he should have hired someone else. Obviously they want to keep Yak, I do too, but those should be separate decisions.
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A couple potentially germane considerations on the Yak topic that don’t seem to be getting much play, but which likely factor into his thinking…
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Much like a player after a strong tournament run, I’m sure he’s cognizant of his stock being at a high point. He runs the risk of the UM program taking a step back and his name similarly retreating into the shadows a bit as a result, removing him from that “hot coach list” potentially. Lots of money and upward mobility could be left on the table if he remains static. Of course, if Texas is his best option and they stick to their mediocre niche that could be a worse career move. He’s a bit limited by the timing of JB’s departure as well in the short term.
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On the flip, I’m sure he also recognizes that UM provided him with the opportunity to emerge from semi-obscurity at ISU and presented the opportunity to get his name out there and be recognized for all of his amazing attributes. There may be an underlying since of loyalty. The fact that the Yak family seems to enjoy the community, have a kid nearing graduation, etc. could make that an easy argument to convince themselves to stay.
Objectively, Howard still has more practical, high-level coaching experience and is better-established in the greater basketball world …so one would think Yak wouldn’t see that selection as his employer choosing a less deserving candidate and feel slighted by that. He’s still pretty damn early in his coaching resume - if he continues to prove himself, his chances will be plentiful.
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I think you’re correct. I don’t understand what people are trying to say about this. I think I saw something similar in a tweeter that Yaklich’s wife apparently approved of. This notion that a desire to retain Yaklich demonstrates that Michigan has hired the wrong head coach. I am completely misunderstanding that. It’s as confusing as the superposition in quantum mechanics.
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I agree with you, swinawer. I was kind of grasping at straws as to how we could keep him. It seems these days a lot of folks are motivated by titles and money, but there are certainly other things that motivate people. Ken Blanchard says, “What motivates people, is what motivates people.” In other words, people are motivated in different ways and you need to find out what motivates THEM.
So, what motivates Luke Yaklich? Frankly, as I think about it, I don’t think titles are all that motivating either, but I don’t know how Yak feels about them. I’m not, I’m really not, motivated by money, but Yak may be. Probably not since he WAS a HS teacher, after all, and he didn’t want to leave his high school job for a college assistant coaching position initially. But if Juwan really wants him, then it’s important to find out what it is that motivates Luke Yaklich. Most importantly, as I’ve said elsewhere, Juwan has to WANT Yak, and Yak has to WANT Michigan, or it’s not going to work, or matter.
By the way, I pretty much agree with all of the points you’ve made on this thread. Very thoughtful and perceptive, I think. 
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Why are people making a deal out of Bacari’s tweets? He tweets a lot and a comeback would qualify as any return to coaching, not just Michigan.
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Sure, but I feel like the optimal utilization of resources is to get the best “assistant to the head coach” you can find and the best “X and Os assistant” and pay both of them individually.
Yeah, I guess my point is that potential candidates don’t all fall into one distinct bucket. As you put each piece of the puzzle together then the needs of other positions can change a bit.
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