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Will Juwan Howard Accomplish as Coach What Fab Five Couldn’t?

A Look at the heralded recruiting class and 2021 Wolverines

Juwan Howard was first discovered by sports fans as one of the members of arguably the best-recruiting classes in college basketball. The five freshmen that would eventually start for the Michigan Wolverines during the 1991-1992 NCAA season were known as the Fab Five.

Howard is the coach of his Alma Matter who is a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Wolverines play No. 4 Florida State in the round of 16 — Sunday, March 28, at 4:00 p.m. ET on CBS. Howard, in his first tournament appearance as a coach, has the Wolverines four wins away from its first title in 32 years. Michigan is receiving the third-best betting odds to win NCAA men’s championship on America’s favorite sportsbook. Don’t miss your chance to redeem your bracket and bet on the NCAA tournament before it’s over.

Head coach Juwan Howard reacts after beating an opponent. Learn more about coach Juwan Howard and the Michigan Wolverines
Jamie Squire/Getty Images/AFP

Fab Five changed the culture of basketball

Michigan’s 1991 recruiting class consisted of Detroit natives Chris Webber and Jalen Rose, Chicago native Juwan Howard, and recruits from Texas: Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. Michigan became the first team to reach the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship and start five true freshmen. Michigan would go on to lose to Duke 71-51 in the 92’ title game.

The Fab Five caught the eyes of the sporting world with their talent and their new style. All five freshmen wore black socks and black shoes along with baggy shorts, which had never been a popular part of basketball attire before the ’91-92 basketball season. Michael Jordan would later take the Fab Five’s style and make it the most popular style in the basketball world. Jordan’s “style” became popular throughout the world and still is seen as common streetwear today (although short-shorts are making a long-awaited comeback).

The Fab Five returned to the Championship game in ’93 and again fell short, this time to North Carolina. The 77-71 loss to the Tar Heels is still remembered for Chris Webber’s costly “timeout,” which resulted in a technical foul as Michigan had none remaining. The heart-breaking loss would mark the end of the Fab Five era because Webber would get drafted No. 1 overall in the 1993 NBA Draft.

The Martin Scandal: Michigan basketball’s demise

Four out of the five members would go on to play in the NBA. Ray Jackson was the lone player to never receive All-American honors or play at the next level. The Fab Five is still remembered for changing the game of basketball in many ways, but are also remembered as part of the Ed Martin scandal. Martin was a booster for the Michigan basketball team who was found guilty of violating NCAA rules — involving payments made to several players to launder money from an illegal gambling operation.

Webber was the only player of the Fab Five to have been found guilty for accepting money from Martin but the NCAA took the 1992 and 1993 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four recognition from the program. The University of Michigan would feel the repercussions of the incident throughout the ’90s, which put the program in a bad place at the turn of the century.

Beilein to Howard: The turn around

Michigan basketball would be irrelevant for nearly 10 years until it hired John Beilein in 2007. With the restrictions and loss of scholarships behind them, Beilein would turn the program around, once again making the Wolverines a perennial powerhouse. Beilein would leave the program to take a head coaching job for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2019. Ten days after Beilein’s departure Michigan announced the hiring of Juwan Howard as basketball coach.

The Fab Five were once again brought back to light as Howard prepared to be a head coach for the first time. Not only was the hiring of Howard a big moment for him and his family but it meant the Fab Five was no longer viewed as ‘bad guys’ by the University.

Howard has a chance to do something he could not do as a player — win a national title. He has his Wolverines in the Sweet 16 as a No. 1 seed. The Wolverines finished the regular season with a record of 22-4, which was good enough to win a Big 10 regular-season championship and earn Howard the Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Juwan Howard represents more than basketball

Howard’s 2020-2021 team is much different than the college teams he played for back in the day. The easiest comparison is that there is only one freshman that starts for Michigan this season. The other starters are three seniors and one sophomore. The Wolverines are a No. 1 seed in the tourney because of how well they play team defense.

The team Howard is coaching is not all players he recruited but it is easy to tell the players love him as their coach. Because of what Michigan has achieved, Howard is one of the four finalists for the Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year award. Howard also put together the No. 1 ranked class for next season, which goes to show how powerful of a person — recruiter — he is.

People believe in him. Kids want to follow a path similar to his — become a star at Michigan and make it to the pros and win an NBA championship, and maybe one day become a coach. Coach Howard seems to understand that basketball is more than a game, it is an opportunity to change young kids’ lives for the better. An opportunity to teach young men how to persevere and to work hard — an opportunity to do something for others and not just themselves.

Fab Five and Juwan Howard — Keep it Real

Howard and the Fab Five may not have understood what they stood for back in college, but it is no surprise that Howard is finding success as a coach. What made the Fab Five so special is that they were not afraid to be themselves. They were not afraid to be different and let their critics talk while they had fun, playing the way they knew how. Twenty years later, Howard is not afraid to be himself, showing emotion, being raw with his players and coaches which once again is translating to success.

The players Howard is coaching and recruiting were not alive when he was playing at Michigan and were still in diapers when he won his first championship with the Miami Heat. But that does not mean they haven’t seen the ESPN documentary or watched his highlights before he walked into the room.

Howard is unlike most other coaches in the fact that he is an African-American who stands 6-foot-9 and knows what it is like to be a top recruit and to play in the NBA. He also was the first player to sign a $100 million contract in the NBA. Oh and not to mention he learned to coach from one of the best in the NBA — Pat Riley.

Will Howard Win a Title?

His stature and accolades do not mean he will be a good coach. But, his basketball IQ mixed with his ability to level with players does. He has been an instant success at the college level and seems destined to win a championship at Michigan. Will he be the first coach to win a title in their first tournament appearance? Or will it take a few more years before he can cut down the nets? Additionally, to check out more specific information about the NCAAB props available for the NCAAM Elite Eight.

It seems bound to happen — Juwan Howard will achieve something his Fab Five team fell just short of. But, maybe not. It is possible he has plenty of success at Michigan but never captures the ever-elusive title and leaves for the NBA. Just like when he played in college. Either way, it is easy to see that Howard and the Wolverines are going to be title contenders this year and for years to come.

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