Michigan Basketball, Juwan Howard and the Great Unknown

But now that this issue is settled, an avalanche of questions has followed one of the most important recruits in recent Michigan memory.

Nobody – not Manuel, nor the fans, nor the media, nor even Howard himself – knows how that will happen. It was a rental of circumstances and hope. Manuel hired – and many of his coaches, including Jim Harbaugh, Carol Hutchins and Mel Pearson – stood firmly behind Thursday afternoon.

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But beyond the podium, the stage and the official reception, we will have to start guiding this program into a new era.

Buckle your belt.

"I've been like a sponge, learning, developing this growth state of mind by preparing for a day like this," Howard said. "Now, I have the keys, I can go back to a place that I call home.It will be a challenge.There will be questions, doubts and a lot of outside noises.

"But one thing I will always support and press on this person night after night is that man up there."

If anyone were looking for concrete answers on how Howard was planning to steer this ship, he was leaving Thursday's bail out looking for him. Howard's philosophy as a head coach? Not sure yet, he has never done it. What is he going to run? Suppose we have to wait and see.

Will it work?

The mystery is the most interesting piece of this rental. Howard has never been a head coach at any level. He has never been trained in college. His staff will be designed to help him adapt and navigate this world. But, at the same time, he is in charge. This program will be what it does.

At the moment, Howard's chances of replicating Michigan's continued success under John Beilein appear to be about equal to the chances that this experience will fail in a few years.

Nobody knows.

Manuel was quick to point out how much he was aware of the fact that most of them considered this rental a risk. This is really not an opinion, by the way. Michigan has just hired someone who has no experience doing what he was hired for. It's a risk.

At the same time, Manuel explained in the same way that it was worth it.

"I am already criticized, I read that it was a risk, a bet and all the adjectives used." And it's good, "said Manuel. "But if I'm going to take a risk on someone, you can all see why I've taken that risk or this bet, and everything you say about could possibly happen to Juwan Howard."

It's hard to argue, frankly. Beilein's departure in mid-May paralyzed this coaching research before it started.

Michigan basketball players Zavier Simpson, left, and Isaiah Livers in the hearing as new head coach Juwan Howard, answer questions on Thursday, May 30, 2019 at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press)

Manual does not go into the details. But he admitted that if Beilein had left during the normal cycle of college basketball – roughly at the time of the Final Four -, the pool of candidates and the time he had to spend them in review would have looked different. Maybe Howard would always have been the choice. Maybe not.

However, in this situation, taking the risk of a guy who seems to be universally appreciated and respected in basketball – and Michigan – might not be a bad thing. He will not be Beilein; it's going to take him a little bit to pull himself together.

And he has a few things that could serve him well in college.

He played in the NBA for about two decades. He was the first player in the NBA with a $ 100 million contract. He was a high-level college rookie who played in one of the most under pressure environments of all time.

There are not many things that college players go through without Howard having first-hand experience. He can get along with players of a level that Beilein has never been able to. He has faced adversity, personally and professionally, at the highest level.

This, as much as anything else, will give him a chance to live in salons with families and future prospects. That will earn him respect in the Michigan locker room with players such as Zavier Simpson, Isaiah Livers and Jon Teske – guys who will play hard for him right now, without flinching.

An effective college program is not limited to this.

But it is not nothing.

"When I discovered that, I almost bumped my head at the top of the show (jumping)," Livers said. "I was like" Juwan Howard "Ex-Fab Five, played in the NBA, he's our coach? Who would not be happy about that?" I had already met him before, I know what type he is.

"I'm very happy."

And so Michigan advances. A legendary coach left for the NBA. A former legendary player has come back for what should be a fascinating experience. This comes at a critical juncture for Michigan's basketball program and, perhaps, for Manuel's tenure as sports director.

There is a mountain of uncertainty. How long will Howard be able to recruit? What kind of system will it run? Does it have what it takes in a highly competitive Big Ten? Will this team make the NCAA Tournament in 2020? The year after?

Yet, not everything is a mystery.

Howard's emotion about everything Michigan represented for him and his family was not meant for the show. That's the real thing people are looking for when they are doing hiring like this one.

For the moment, Juwan Howard would not want to be anywhere else than Ann Arbor, at his alma mater.

If U-M is looking for something to build on, you have to start there.

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