Michigan fires Juwan Howard after Wolverines finish in LAST place at 8-24: Coach and ex-Fab Five star came back from heart surgery in December

From legendary member of the Fab Five to being fired in his fifth season as head coach, Juwan Howard’s career at the University of Michigan officially ended Friday.

Howard’s return to his alma mater included a Big Ten title and two NCAA Tournament berths before closing with two consecutive disappointing seasons, finishing with an 82-67 record with the Wolverines. He won a conference regular-season championship and was one win away from the Final Four in 2021, when he was named The Associated Press coach of the year.

The former NBA star lost a school-record 24 games this season as Michigan fell to last place in the Big Ten for the first time since 1967.

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel made the call to fire Howard without cause two days after an eight-win season ended with a loss to Penn State in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament.

“After an extensive review of the program, I have determined that Juwan will not return as our men’s basketball coach,” Manuel said in a statement from the school that did not include comment from Howard. “Juwan is one of the greatest Wolverines to ever be involved with our basketball program.

“I know how much it meant not only to Juwan, but to all of us, that he returned here to lead this program. Despite his love for his alma mater and the positive experience our student-athletes had under his leadership, it was clear to me that the program was not meeting our expectations and was not moving in the right direction.”

Howard’s departure follows that of head football coach Jim Harbaugh, another Michigan alum who returned to serve at his alma mater.

Instead, Harbaugh won a national championship last season before accepting a new head coaching position in the NFL, this time with the Los Angeles Chargers.

“Three years ago, Juwan Howard was the toast of Michigan after an Elite 8 run and Jim Harbaugh was on such thin ice that he took a 50 percent pay cut,” Stewart Mandel of The Athletic wrote about X. “Sure enough, one succeeded tremendously and one got fired.”

Manuel hired Howard, who had tears of joy at his introductory press conference in May 2019 when John Beilein moved on to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers after turning the Wolverines into a national power.

A message was left seeking comment from Beilein, who may be a candidate to return to Michigan.

Early in the 2021-2022 season, following a run to an NCAA Tournament regional final, Manuel gave Howard a five-year extension worth more than $16.9 million, keeping him through the 2025- 2026 was under contract.

Howard got into a shouting match with then-Maryland coach Mark Turgeon in March 2021

Michigan will owe Howard about $7 million for his base salary and additional compensation plus a $3 million lump sum for the without-cause firing in the third year of his deal, according to the terms of his contract.

Howard, 51, underwent heart surgery in September and returned to his head coaching duties in mid-December following a review of a multi-person incident during a team practice. Former strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson did not join the team on the sidelines during the December 10 game at Iowa, and was not on the team’s bench in subsequent games.

Sanderson resigned last week and was hired Thursday by the Illinois basketball program as an athletic performance consultant.

Manuel said in a Dec. 15 statement that a “thorough internal review” revealed nothing that warranted disciplinary action for anyone involved.

Gard grabbed Howard’s arm in an attempt to explain why he called the timeout. Howard shouted, “Don’t fucking touch me!” and put his index finger in Gard’s face during the 2022 incident

Two years ago, Howard was suspended for the final five games of the regular season and fined $40,000 for punching a Wisconsin assistant in the head and causing a postgame melee. Last season, Howard got into a shouting match with then-Maryland coach Mark Turgeon and had to be restrained during the conference tournament. Howard committed two technical fouls and was ejected from that game.

Howard, who is from Chicago, was a key player on Michigan’s Fab Five teams with Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson that reached the 1992 and 1993 national championships.

Washington drafted Howard No. 5 overall in 1994 and the one-time All-Star forward averaged 13.4 points during his career that ended in 2013 after winning two NBA titles with the Miami Heat. Howard’s coaching career began as an assistant focused on player development with the Heat before being promoted to assistant coach.

He had two sons play for him at Michigan: Jett, who was drafted No. 11 overall by the Orlando Magic this year, and Jace, a reserve guard on this season’s team.