NCAA Basketball: Hot Seat Head Coaches in Mid-December of 2023-24 season

Juwan Howard – Michigan Wolverines

Part of Michigan’s Fab Five of the early 90’s, Howard was certainly already a big name on the Michigan campus a quarter century before becoming the head coach in 2019. After great success with those Wolverines, he played nearly twenty years in the NBA and aided on the Miami Heat’s staff following his retirement. Michigan brought him back to Ann Arbor to replace John Beilein and there have certainly been memorable moments during his tenure with his alma mater.

We’ll start with the good, as his Wolverines won the Big Ten and made the Elite Eight during his second season before advancing to the Sweet Sixteen the following season. Last year was a bitter disappointment as Michigan missed the NCAA Tournament completely. He had an altercation the year prior with Wisconsin coach Greg Gard and has missed most of this season with a health issue. Unconfirmed reports have alluded to a possible altercation with a member of Michigan’s staff, though these are simply rumors.

With all the drama surrounded Jim Harbaugh and Michigan’s football program, a coaching conspiracy in the basketball program is the last thing the athletic department wanted. We’re not going to put stock in these rumors until the university confirms anything, but it’s fair to wonder how much longer Howard will coach. Phil Martelli has been the interim head coach for the entire season, which has included some rough performances like against Long Beach State and Texas Tech. What does the future hold exactly in Ann Arbor regardless of this controversy?

Do you agree that the names we selected are the coaches whose seats have grown the hottest? Were there names we didn’t mention that could be in danger in the months ahead? The college basketball season is still unraveling and we’ll learn a lot more about these programs and coaches very soon.