Juwan has been involved in basketball at the very highest level for over twenty years, and has become tenured enough as an assistant that he has conducted several interviews for head coaching jobs. I think there is a virtually zero percent chance that he does not have a pretty defined sense of how he wants to play and what personnel skillsets are conducive to playing that way. I don’t know what that is, or how effective it is, but I think the presupposition that he is going to cede large swaths of his team’s schematics to someone else is probably not the case.
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I think some here are overstating this idea that Yak had complete control over the D so would need the same under Howard to be happy. Beilein said a number of times that while Yak focused all his energy on D and would scheme how to defend each opponent, Beilein still made the final decisions. Beilein did adapt certain general approaches from Yak (tough 2s vs open 3s, contest every shot, become more physical) but you could still see certain long standing Beilein principals: no careless fouls, emphasis on positioning/walling up. The relationship seemed fairly collaborative, so the questions with Howard and Yak might be more basic: is Howard’s vision for the D compatible with what Yak has been teaching and can they collaborate going forward? They might both enjoy learning tricks from one another or it might not match up the way it did with Beilein.
Having said that, it’s also possible that Yak’s duties could expand beyond just D, depending on what happens with the other assistant hires.
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Does anyone else think its completely INSANE how radio silent the assistant rumors have been?? I mean…
Tues May 21-Howard and Warde meet, Webb reports Smith as a candidate.
Wed May 22-Howard signs
Fri May 24-Goodman reports Eisley as a candidate, ‘MiamiHeatBeat’ reports Hardaway/Miller/Miller&Fernando as candidates, Sanderson is retained.
Sat-nada
Sun-nada
Mon(so far)-nada
I guess a lot of reporters are probably taking the holiday wknd off… so maybe that accounts for some of the radio silence. But you have to imagine Howard’s been relentlessly making calls, gauging interest, entering negotiations, etc. All we’ve heard the past three days are seemingly baseless Yaklich&Saddi speculations/opinions.
Is there a chance he just makes an enormous bang on Thursday and announces an entire staff?
Maybe Howard’s been giving all the guys he’s contacted the wknd to think things through?
Maybe he’s taking some time to get his own candidate list in sharp order?
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I was actually going post something like this. Maybe it moves really fast this week but i sort of figured the assistant hires would move really fast considering how late it is.
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No news is good news
Really? Because if we got no news ever that would mean our only assistant is Sanderson. Do you think Howard and Sanderson could coach the team together? I would rather have normal assistants but maybe Howard doesn’t want any assistants besides Sanderson. Interesting to think about.
Dont see why this would be the case, the quicker Howard gets assistants in place the quicker the program gets back to being fully operational, specifically in recruiting. BTW has Howard even arrived in AA yet?
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Haven’t heard yet that Yak is moving on, or about Saddi or Haynes interviewing, so that’s good. Presably Howard and Yak have talked by now, so that’s good for those of us who hope for the retention of one assistant and also Yak for another year or so.
Recruits don’t need a press conference to be told of any staff decisions already made. Maybe knowledge of staff decisions yet to be announced triggered Bajema’s announcement.
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I imagine there is a ton going on behind the scenes.
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It’s a holiday weekend
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I have to wonder if most of those rumors started as just educated guesses. “I’m hearing so and so would be a good fit for Howard at Michigan”, rather than somebody knowing so and so was actually contacted.
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And with Matthews and no Yaklich?
Unless you’re playing a 2-3 zone, every team needs a wing stopper to have an elite defence. We had a great one, but I wouldn’t hold that against Yaklich. We do need to recruit a replacement in 2019 or 2020 unless we’re hoping to just outscore everyone for the next few years.
It’s a holiday weekend and I’m sure there are a lot of moving pieces. If Yaklich, Washington or Haynes are retained, that would be an easy press release. If Michigan hires externally it probably would have to be reported and then announced a few days later after background checks, etc.
Probably should know more in the next week or so, though.
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Dot posted on 247 Yak to Texas is happening.
Good for him. Hope that this a step towards getting a HC job. Not that I don’t love what Yak brought to Michigan, I think that we are good and am very excited for what Howard is going to bring to the program
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Bummer if true, but best of luck to him and family. Been a great run here.
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Dot also confirmed that Howard is looking to add additional support staff/special assistant ala Stackhouse
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per Brendan Quinn, today will in fact be Howards first day in AA as HC
Michigan will survive without Yak. He was a good assistant and helped improve the defense with the team tremendously over his two years. That being said never understood so must consternation over whether or not he was a must keep or that he should have gotten the job as interim for continuity. Good luck to him and hope he fairs well.
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I agree completely, he was a good coach but I don’t think he is the most essential piece to the teams success.