‘Juwan worked his a** off to try to get NIL’ for Michigan basketball

Juwan Howard was fired this week as Michigan basketball head coach. This came after a meeting with Warde Manuel and in that meeting, according to a report from Sam Webb of The Michigan Insider, NIL was a topic of conversation.

Juwan needed to have a plan for turning the program around. But NIL was cited as one of the issues. Apparently, that didn’t sway Manuel, the Michigan athletic director, who announced Howard wouldn’t return as Michigan basketball head coach.

It’s hard to blame an 8-24 record on NIL. Juwan Howard also had heart surgery and missed a huge chunk of the season, plus the offseason. There were also injuries and player suspensions, plus other off-court issues.

NIL is not what caused 8-24 to happen at Michigan

At the same time, the NIL basketball issue is due to someone who is still employed by the school

— ᗩᑎT ᗯᖇIGᕼT (@itsAntWright) March 16, 2024

According to Josh Henschke of Rivals, “Michigan didn’t have an NIL problem with the basketball program, it needed someone willing to put in the work to get the funds.”

Michigan didn’t have an NIL problem with the basketball program, it needed someone willing to put in the work to get the funds.

More on where it all failed with Juwan Howard, a cautionary tale for the next hire.https://t.co/PeIw7CVyuY

— Josh Henschke (@JoshHenschke) March 16, 2024

Michigan basketball player defends Juwan Howard on NIL

Yet, Ian Burns, a walk-on for Michigan basketball, came to Juwan Howard’s defense quoting Henschke and posting the following:

“Juwan worked his a** off to try and get NIL for this program and we owe it to him for what we do have in terms of NIL. What are we doing here…”

Juwan worked his a** off to try to get NIL for this program and we owe it to him for what we do have in terms of NIL. What are we doing here… https://t.co/8tqYT0xDZq

— Ian Burns (@_ianburns) March 16, 2024

The players and former head coach felt strongly about it. NIL, or lack of it, was certainly a factor in the departure of former All-American Hunter Dickinson, which is likely why the topic was broached with Manuel. The next head coach will need to have a plan in place. Hopefully, the hire will come sooner rather than later with the transfer portal opening Monday.

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