Ask those around the Michigan basketball program why the Wolverines play so hard, so disciplined or so selflessly, and the answer is always the same.
The qualities that have propelled Michigan to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament are direct reflections of the coach whose hire some dismissed as a marketing ploy.
Juwan Howard likes recruiting. He has a passion for teaching. He has a playbook the size of a Charles Dickens novel. When the coaching staff holds a scouting meeting, he arrives with pages and pages of handwritten notes, not just on Michigan’s upcoming opponent but on the Wolverines’ practice film.