May of 2019 marked a major turning point in the history of the Michigan men’s basketball program. It was then that the long-tenured and well-respected John Beilein opted to make the jump to the NBA, accepting the head coaching job with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
How could it be? Many fans were left baffled at the move at the time. It didn’t add up that a coach that had built up a program into something special would leave with so much left to accomplish. Questions followed about who would fill the void. Billy Donovan? Ed Cooley? Luke Yaklich?