Big Ten Basketball: 5 biggest storylines for the league in 2020 offseason

Juwan Howard’s second year at Michigan

After John Beilein‘s shocking departure last summer for the NBA, Michigan responded by pulling off their own surprise after they hired the unexpected and inexperienced Juwan Howard.  Although Howard served as a Miami Heat assistant for seven years following his playing career’s conclusion, he never took on any head coaching responsibilities warranting a few eyebrow raises after his Alma Mater chose him to replace a former 12-year coach credited with returning the program to its prestigious nature.

But despite all this, Howard faired quite well during his first season, leading the Wolverines to a 19-12 record and likely earning tournament bid. Howard’s Wolverines even defeated Gonzaga during the season’s opening days, helping the first-year coach enter the college basketball scene with a bang.

But with leading scorers Isaiah Livers and Zavier Simpson set to move on, Howard will need to make some real adjustments for the first time as a head coach. But lucky for him and Wolverine fans, their recruiting class next year includes four-star players Hunter Dickenson, Zeb Jackson, and Terrance Williams who also join three-star forward Jace Howard to form a freshmen class ranked twelfth nationally and first amongst Big Ten teams according to 247Sports. Alongside these freshmen also comes transfer point guard Michael Smith who averaged 22.8 points at Columbia last year.

Managing this massive talent influx comes as a modestly tough task especially for a coach entering just his second year. Whether Howard surpasses expectations once again with this new crew or instead falters under the pressure continues to materialize as an interesting story one might want to keep a tab on.