[ad_1]
Time is running out for what will be the most careful decision of Warde Manuel's professional career.
The Michigan sports director told reporters that he was "surprised" to learn that male basketball coach John Beilein had left his post to join the Cleveland Cavaliers last Monday. Just like that, the search began to replace the most successful coach in the history of the program.
This is a search that could very well end this week. Through interviews with nearly two dozen people over the past few days, many of them in-person and almost a handful with current or past members of the Michigan Basketball Program, MLive has been able to gain an insight into the research and development process. potential candidates.
The information below reflects these conversations.
A day or two after the release of Beilein, Manuel told several Michigan basketball staff that the process should be completed by the end of the week and that it would certainly not be extended after May 27th. These dates do not seem worthy of mention; it was simply the chronology provided by Manuel.
Manuel conducts the research and will make the final decision. This is not necessarily the case in all schools, where a chair or a small group of boosters could exert considerable influence. In all respects, Michigan President Mark Schlissel has no worries about the sports department.
Recruitment agencies have become ubiquitous in recruiting into college sports, and Michigan is no exception. Jordan Schultz of ESPN said that the school has selected Turnkey Sports to help with research Turnkey was founded by Len Perna, who, according to his biography, earned his Michigan undergraduate and law degrees.
Schultz also pointed to Michigan's interest in Miami Heat's assistant and U-M's former star, Juwan Howard, as a candidate to replace Beilein. Later Friday, "The Michigan Insider" announced that Howard and Manuel would meet on Tuesday. A source close to the sports department thinks this is correct.
In the only public appearance of Manuel since the departure of Beilein last Monday night at the meetings of Big Ten sports directors, he said: "If I can get a confirmed coach, someone who has professional experience as a that head coach, that's what I would like to see. "
In 2013, Howard became an assistant coach at the Heat, where he stayed for the past six seasons. He was the head coach of the Heat Summer League in 2016.
Howard, 46, had a distinguished career in Michigan as part of the "Fab Five". After averaging 20.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game as a junior, he was selected fifth overall in the NBA in 1994, the beginning of 19 years. career.
Like Beilein, he interviewed for the vacant Detroit Pistons head coach position last year and received several interviews for NBA head coach positions this month. Would he be interested in training his alma mater?
"That's the million dollar question right now," said Jimmy King, Howard's former teammate, at MLive on Saturday night. "Obviously, he's been interviewing for head coach positions in the NBA – I'd like to know if he's ready to coach at the college level." He's doing it, that would be a no-brainer. His eulogies speak for themselves.I think it would be a perfect fit. "
King said that he stayed in regular contact with Howard, but had not told him about work in Michigan yet.
Several people who spoke with MLive at the NBA draft in Chicago last week highly appreciated Howard as a candidate, citing his professionalism and noting that he had worked for Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra in Miami. "If Michigan can get it to say yes, you have to hire it," said a former longtime Division I coach, who is now working for an NBA team.
There is a faction of the Michigan basketball family that would prefer a more experienced head coach, regardless of their relationship to the school. The consensus is that Michigan is among the top 10 jobs in the university sector. If so, a former player wondered if Michigan should not be one of the top 10 coaches?
The timing is not ideal on many fronts. Beilein left five weeks after the last game of the basketball university season. Nate Oats, a rising star with ties to the state, moved from Buffalo to Alabama while Michigan was still competing in the NCAA tournament and he expected $ 8 million when he was due to leave now. Chris Beard, of Texas Tech, signed a lucrative expansion at the end of April. He would need $ 3 million if he took the U-M position. None of these situations eliminate them, but Michigan's hopes of reaching them have been compromised.
It is unclear whether Manuel attempted to determine whether Mark Few of Gonzaga or Jay Wright of Villanova would agree to leave. Chris Mack went to Louisville last year. Billy Donovan has yet another year in his contract with the Thunder Oklahoma City. The pool of viable candidates whose resume is worthy of Michigan's current rank in college basketball is weak.
Manuel was the sports director of Connecticut in 2012, when basketball coach Jim Calhoun resigned two months before the start of the season. Manuel has appointed assistant Kevin Ollie as acting coach.
Nothing indicates that Manuel will follow suit this time with one of Michigan's assistants, although this may stabilize the program in the near term. Ignas Brazdeikis, a freshman from last season's team who should keep his name in the NBA draft, has approved Saddi Washington or Luke Yaklich. "I would love to see one of them take on this role because I believe they are ready to do it," he said Thursday at the combine.
The sophomore Jordan Poole, who keeps his name in the project, believes that one of the three assistants would suit perfectly, although his first choice was DeAndre Haynes, his coach with whom he had a particularly close relationship.
Current players, even if they do not officially talk about potential candidates, would be comfortable with a staff member.
Whether one or the other of the assistants is retained or not depends on the new head coach.
A former Michigan assistant, Butler head coach, LaVall Jordan, will be "considered," according to several sources, although their definition of what it meant varied. MLive may indicate that Jordan would be very interested in this work. Al Glick, a Michigan athletic giver who has a seat next to the Michigan court, hopes Jordan will be interviewed. He loved his relationship with players during his stay in Ann Arbor.
Ed Cooley of Providence was mentioned by several sources, even though they were not aware of the research. One source is confident that Cooley would succeed in Michigan, but said that it would be difficult to move it away from Providence. Cooley and his wife both grew up in Rhode Island.
Cooley has no ties to Michigan, and many old Wolverines are shooting very well. "The idea of" Michigan man "must be dropped," said a former player. Beilein had no relationship with Michigan before taking office 12 years ago and became the most successful coach in the history of the program. The fact that he's been so attractive has been able to get the Sweet 16 to Michigan in five of his last seven seasons, including two in the title, with seven first-round picks from the NBA in the first round.
There should not be a shortage of interested candidates. It's up to Manuel to sort them out.
"Although I would like this done as soon as possible, I will also take the time to make sure we find the right person for Michigan," he said last week.
The only other clue that he has offered, besides the aforementioned preference for a head coach, is someone who, like Beilein, "will do things right".
If it was not clear before, this season has shown the dirty side of college basketball. Manuel wants an "irreproachable" chef.
Hiring based on particular recruits would be incredibly shortsighted, but recruitment in general will be affected later. Jalen Wilson, the 50th player of the new class, asked Thursday to be released from her letter of national intent.
Cole Bajema, the other signatory of the 2019 class, "plans to see what will follow."
In other words, like everyone interested in basketball in Michigan, he's waiting for Manuel's next move.
[ad_2]
Source link