Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball: Ranking all 14 head coaches for 2019-20 season

By Joey Loose

EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 20: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans looks on during a game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Breslin Center on February 20, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 20: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans looks on during a game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Breslin Center on February 20, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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ORLANDO, FL – OCTOBER 26: Josh Richardson #0 and assistant coach Juwan Howard of the Miami Heat on the bench on opening night against the Orlando Magic on October 26, 2016 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Manuela Davies/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL – OCTOBER 26: Josh Richardson #0 and assistant coach Juwan Howard of the Miami Heat on the bench on opening night against the Orlando Magic on October 26, 2016 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Manuela Davies/Getty Images) /

11. Juwan Howard (Michigan)

One thing very hard to measure is how a rookie head coach will fare, especially at a successful program like Michigan. When John Beilein left the Wolverines for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Wolverines brought back Fab Five member Howard, giving the former NBA All-Star his first head coaching position.

After winning a pair of NBA titles with the Heat, Howard retired in 2013 and joined the Heat coaching staff. His six years assisting Erik Spoelstra represent his entire coaching career. His familiarity with his alma mater made him an attractive hire at Michigan, but it’s impossible to know exactly what the Wolverines are going to get. Beilein did some incredible work for a program that had stalled under Brian Ellerbe and Tommy Amaker before him.

Recent history does not shine brightly on NBA players and coaches taking collegiate coaching jobs, especially without college experience. It’s been 25 years since Howard played at Michigan and the college basketball landscape has greatly changed. In recent years, we’ve seen coaches like Chris Mullin, and Eddie Jordan fail to impress. Fortunately, Howard inherits a Michigan problem in much better shape than St. John’s or Rutgers.

There’s general excitement in Ann Arbor with Howard’s hiring, though nobody expects him to immediately fill the shoes that Beilein left behind. Simply put, Howard is too young in his coaching career to be ranked higher on this list. We’ll see in a few months how Howard fares as an in-game coach, though he should continue to bring in the same level of recruits for the Wolverines. There’s no issue with Howard’s hiring for this program, but time will tell if the investment pays off for a program that’s played in two of the last seven national championship games.

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