Juwan Discusses Contemplating Walking Away From Coaching After Open Heart Surgery

Michigan basketball coach, who returned as head coach in Saturday's 83-66 win over Eastern Michigan, said of returning: “It’s a blessing. Truly, a blessing. I have to thank God first...'

Photo Courtesy of University of Michigan Photography

Wolverine coach Juwan Howard claps on sideline with (L to R) guard George Washington III (No. 40), son and forward Jace Howard, assistant coach Saddi Washington and forward Will Tschetter (No. 42) to his right.

By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Three months and one day ago, Juwan Howard was undergoing open heart surgery at University of Michigan Hospital. He said after Saturday’s 83-66 win here over Eastern Michigan that he had contemplated whether he should continue the high-stress, high-demand position as the head coach of his alma mater during those trying times.

Howard said the surgery hit him like a “Mack Truck,” landed him in the hospital for 15 days and caused him to lose at least 30 pounds.

“Being away, I got a chance to reflect late at night,” said Howard following his first game again as head coach. “You’re talking 3, 4, 5 in the morning. You guys are probably asleep and I’m awake and I’m listening to the heart monitor beeping, and medical professionals are coming into the room and they’re doing their jobs, taking vital signs.

“Now, it’s taken me some time to get back to sleep. But one of the things I think about is basketball. It never leaves my mind, and I’m thinking about what are some of the most important things that your team needs to help grow. How can you challenge them? And the staff, what are some of the things that as a staff, how can we be the best version of ourselves for them? Those are thoughts that I have.

“But, then, also there are thoughts in my mind like, ‘OK, do I want to continue this journey of basketball and put my health first?’ And I took my time during the process.”

Howard came back, adding, “I’m so happy that I found the problem.” Doing so prompted the surgery that might have saved his life.

He said athletes are “taught to really suck it up” through pain and deal with “being out of breath and taking a deep breath and keep pushing myself.”

Howard found himself feeling “out of breath” during a workout three months ago, and knew he “wasn’t feeling normal.” He said he’s thankful he “wasn’t stubborn in the moment” and got it checked out by doctors, who quickly planned the surgery.

“It was something that really scared me,” said Howard, a survivor since making it through the mean streets on the South Side of Chicago as a youth. He was a great basketball player at Chicago Vocational and the first commitment of Coach Steve Fisher’s “Fab Five,” who went to back-to-back Final Fours.

Howard continued, “I had no idea what I was truly facing. Basketball’s been my life, but to hear ‘open heart surgery,’ I was like, ‘OK, bring it on…I can’t run from it. So, this is what it is.’ And that’s the athlete mentality that I have. But not knowing open heart surgery, I had never had a serious surgery before, playing in the NBA or playing in college other than three broken noses.

“And after the surgery was over, it was like, ‘Whoa.’ Like I had been hit by a Mack Truck. It took some time -- 15 days in the hospital. Fifteen. And with those 15 days, I got a chance to reflect on how badly do I want to get healthy and, of course, put my head down, be in the puddle, and just feel sorry for myself. Or am I going to toughen it up, roll up my sleeves, and say, ‘You know what? There’s no time to start feeling sorry. I’ve got to figure out how to get healthy.’ ”

Howard is 6-foot-9 and weighed 240 pounds in his playing days. But his weight loss is quite noticeable and I asked him about that, and if there was any need to regain some of it.

“I lost some weight?” he asked, smiling. “Thank you. No, I don’t want to see that weight again [laughter]. I don’t want to find it around the corner. But, yes, I’ve lost a lot of weight. I don’t know how many pounds, but let’s just say it’s more than 30 for sure.”

He was only 50, and doctors at the time of his surgery said a complete return was expected with him fully recovered in 12 weeks, and that he should come back in stages that began with a few practices viewed from a balcony at the practice facility.

“It felt like a reward,” Howard said of that return, admitting that he was “fatigued” during his first return to practice. He laughed and said that getting two technicals and an ejection at a tournament game in the Bahamas just prior to Thanksgiving was, “Welcome back to basketball, baby. Welcome back. That was part of my stage of returning. That was a part of it and I stuck to the plan.”

Doctors told him mid-December would be a likely return time to full activity, but he doubted that.

“I looked at him like, ‘He really don’t know who I am,’,” said Howard. “I was looking at more of November.”

But he learned to trust the doctors upon realizing they were right.

Howard returned to practices and games about one month ago as an assistant to interim coach Phil Martelli. But on Saturday, the team was fully his once again. He paced the sidelines, more stoic than usual, pausing to take short sips out of a small water bottle.

What was going through his head before tipoff?

“It’s a blessing,” said Howard. “Truly, a blessing. I have to thank God first and also giving a big, big shou-tout to University of Michigan medical, my doctors, Dr. [Himanshu] Patel and his crew, the nurses…I’d also like to thank my wife [Jenine] – that’s the best nurse that I have. She was with me from the first day, all day.”

Then he thanked everyone on his coaching staff, the players, team managers and support staff “for all the support and text messages, phone calls and cards.”

Howard added, “It felt like I was never gone. So, to be back on the sidelines, doing something that I love doing, being the head coach of the University of Michigan men’s basketball program, I just love maize and blue.

“Just to smell the energy of the building and also to see the fans present, and to be there yelling and shouting, calling timeouts, drawing up plays. I remembered the times sitting in my hospital room and just thinking about, ‘Would I ever have that opportunity ever again?’ ”

He said that on Saturday he recalled the prayers from NBA teammates and friends, friends from Chicago and “thought of the Michigan fans that pray for me daily.” Howard smiled widely as they cheered him walking through a lobby toward the press conference.

“Go Blue!” Howard shouted to them.

In the press conference, he told reporters that the overwhelming support he couldn’t have imagined “is what got me through the process.”

Then he noted, “I’m looking forward to continuing this journey.”

Dealing with Controversy Upon Return

These haven’t been easy days for him over the last week. Reports surfaced of an altercation of some sort involving him, several others, and long-time strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson -- who has been highly successful and widely popular with Wolverine players.

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel issued this statement Friday night after an internal investigation into what happened:

“The return of our usual coaching structure comes after a review of an incident involving several individuals during a team practice last week. Based on a thorough internal review, nothing was found to warrant disciplinary action for anyone involved. As such, we will move forward with a focus on our team and our season.”

Howard said, “I’m basically piggy-backing on what Warde said…I think it was clear. It was precise. And there’s still a review happening.”

When asked of Sanderson’s status, Howard said, “I’m not sure.”

Sanderson was not with the team Saturday, and an announcement on his status is expected early next week.

And as for Howard’s actual return in “total capacity,” Manuel added: “Coach Howard, his doctors and our medical experts remain aligned in taking this next step as he recovers from a September heart procedure.

“We greatly appreciate associate head coach Phil Martelli’s guidance of our program on an interim basis to start the season. I want to personally thank Phil for what he has done in the past few months to lead the program. We will continue to benefit from his wisdom moving forward.”

The Wolverines were 5-5 in the games coached by Martelli, who won 444 games as the head coach at Saint Joseph’s in Philadelphia.

Howard, now 80-48 in his fifth season at Michigan, was the 2021 Associated Press national Coach of the Year after winning the Big Ten championship and reaching the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament that season.

But Michigan was 18-16 last season and didn’t make the Big Dance, getting eliminated in the second round of the NIT.

So, this was going to be a challenging season, one in which Howard and his staff sought to get the Wolverines back among the elite, albeit with center and team star Hunter Dickinson leaving for Kansas.

Did the players notice anything different about Howard in his return as their head coach?

“Nah, not really,” said forward Terrance Williams II after scoring 13 points against EMU. “Same Coach Howard I’ve known for all four years.”

Same energy, same approach?

“Yes, sir,” Williams told me. “Same everything… Coach Howard is back now; so he’s back to being normal.”

Forward Olivier Nkamhoua, who transferred from Tennessee for this season, said, “I had a couple weeks with him in the summer, and his energy’s always been great. Every time he had an opportunity – even after he’d just had surgery, every time you see him he’s a very positive person. He’s a very good influence on everybody, and his energy’s always up.

“And he’s done a great job of keeping his own struggles to himself, and only bringing us positive and good energy. So, he’s done a great job of keeping his spirits high and helping us keep our spirits high.”

Howard was asked if there’s anything he’s had to change.

He said, “For me, and my family, and my team, and for this university, take care of my health. Health is a power. Health is everything. You don’t have health, you don’t have nothing. And that means proper sleep, eating right – that’s part of taking care of my health.

“And I just embrace this working out plan my doctors and nurses gave me. It has really helped me get stronger.”

With that, he smiled, and thanked reporters.

He noted that he’d even missed us.

Returning to his job felt that good.