Gilbert Search Firm: Replacing Juwan

If you scroll through the archives of this here website. You will see that I did not expect to be writing this article. I’m not going to argue that the trajectory of Michigan basketball was pointing up. However I thought Juwan Howard would be given one more year. The “should” of that statement is no longer important. Howard is gone and Michigan is the market for a head coach. So let’s fire up the search firm one again. As usual, we will look at the quality of the job. Which will then inform the type of candidate that will fit.

The Job

Is this a good job? The answer is an unequivocal yes. Is it a blue blood capable of pulling an established head coach from another Power 5 school? Not necessarily, but at this present time. Michigan needs to swallow hard and aim high. Their last two coaches have been a program legend and a winner who left for the NBA. They are one of the biggest athletic departments in the country flush with a football national championship. Now is not the time to settle for a mid major coach just to save some bread.

Consequently, I’m not going to give you the mid major names that most sites are going to spit out (sorry Dusty May) I’m also going to eliminate some of the “pie in the sky” options. We are first going to survey the Beilein coaching tree. Then buckle up, because we are going big game hunting. Then as usual, we get a little weird at the end.

The “Not Going to Happen” Bunch

Nate Oats (Alabama Head Coach) New contract extension notwithstanding, I doubt he really wants to come. He has weathered the storm of last year’s controversy and seems to be in a good spot in Tuscaloosa. Much is made of his time coaching within the state at Romulus. However when you scan his resume. That his only actual experience in the Mitten. This would not be like welcoming a native son home.

Brian Dutcher (San Diego St Head Coach) What can I say? I’m a 43 year old basketball fan who grew up in the state of Michigan. The starter drug of my basketball narcotic is the Fab Five. Dutcher was the assistant coach who led their recruitment. He also happpens to be one the hottest coaches in the country. Leading the Aztecs to an improbable championship game appearance last year. That being said, he is also 64 years old, has a good thing going, and lives in San Diego. Have you been to San Diego? He’s not leaving.

John Beilein (former Michigan Head Coach) A strong contingent of the Michigan fan and more importantly booster base wants to see this happen. However there is not enough space to list why I can’t see it. His age, his stated reluctance to deal with NIL and the transfer portal, the length of time it takes to learn his system are the main demerits. Now with all that being said. The seemingly quick about face on Howard’s status makes me think there is a chance. But I still would be shocked if it happened.

If Warde Manuel’s goal is to appease this flank of the fan base. It would behoove him to at least start with this first grouping.

The Beilein Tree

I really like both Luke Yaklich and LaVall Jordan as candidates. However they would be a hard sell with their recent firings from smaller jobs. With those two eliminated. There are only two candidates within this category.

Saddi Washington (current Michigan Assistant) If you wanted to mix the best of the Howard and Beilein qualities into a pot. This is the only candidate who has worked for both. Has been in Ann Arbor eight years, so he is a known commodity. That could be good or bad. No one has better connections throughout the state. Was a high school star in Lansing who went to become a standout at Western Michigan. Has been an assistant at both Oakland and his present job for a combined 18 years. Was recruiting at the Breslin Center when the news of Howard’s firing came down. Speaking of recruiting. Is probably the name that could keep Michigan’s current class and roster together. Once again this could be seen as a positive or negative. I don’t hate it. However I think Michigan avoids it for a simple and petty reason. They would essentially be copying what Ohio St just did.

DeAndre Haynes (Marquette assistant) Haynes is a former Beilein assistant with more diverse geographic resume. The Detroit native has worked in Ohio, the all important DMV region, and is currently part of a red hot staff at Marquette. Unlike Washington, Haynes was not in Ann Arbor very long (two years) His age (39) and lack of head coaching experience might work against him. Haynes is an excellent fit for the Detroit Mercy job that recently opened. I wish I would have included in that write up from last week.

Big Game Hunting

Get your neon orange on. We are going to try and get Michigan a big name to match Michigan’s big brand.

Shaka Smart (Head Coach Marquette) Why not? Is Michigan a better job than Marquette? Would you rather be in the Big East or the Big 10 from a resource perspective? He is still quite young (46) and has turned Marquette around quickly. Has experience working at a football first school at Texas. Despite the prevailing narrative. His tenure there wasn’t a train wreck. Maybe that experience ultimately keeps him away. However, if you are going to take a real basic approach to the search and just scan the current bracket. Of the top teams, Hurley, Hubert and company aren’t leaving their spots. I think Smart would listen and would be both a cultural and geographic fit.

Mick Cronin (Head Coach UCLA) Let me be clear— I don’t love the fit. But there is some smoke here. I think most of that smoke is emanating from Cronin’s camp. The fit is simple. He is a Midwest guy who is just wins. You could do a lot worse. That being said. I think he ultimately just wants out of Westwood. Which is somewhat concerning. At the end of the day, he gets the Louisville job. The Cardinals just need to win without frills right now. That is Cronin in a nutshell. He fits better in Cardinal country than Ann Arbor.

Chris Collins (Northwestern Head Coach) If Michigan is intent on sticking to the academic standards that frustrated Howard (which they are) They should explore coaches with experience building success within difficult academic structures. Well…. Jerry Stackhouse and Jerod Haase just got fired. I don’t think Tommy Amaker is coming back. So that leaves—Chris Collins. Would he really jump across the conference? Michigan is a better job. I’m also certain he has taken Northwestern about as far as they can go. His Dad coached in Detroit and he has recruited the area very well in his time in Evanston. It’s worth a call. Once again like Cronin, I don’t love it. However I could see why a certain element of campus leadership would.

As you can tell. Personally I’m not crazy about the candidate pool. Sometimes that happens. That is part of why I thought they should give Howard another year. So… I wasn’t going to do it….. but let’s cue up the late little man from the Twin Cities

I love what John Beilein brought to Ann Arbor. A competent winning culture. But I also love the energy Juwan Howard added. Admit it, was fun to be in the top 5 of seemingly every top recruit’s list. I work in recruiting— players loved Howard. So I’m looking for someone who both wins at a high level. Yet infuses a program with energy and vitality…

So without further ado…

Bruce Pearl (Auburn Head Coach) I can hear browsers closing, but stick with me for a minute. First off a thing called the internet exists. Rick Pitino was once offered the Michigan job. So people can stop clutching their pearls (unintentional pun) on the morality front. While I think most of it was overblown. Michigan just celebrated a national championship in which they basically gave the NCAA and the Big 10 the finger along the way. So maybe a furniture breaker is what they need.

About Pearl’s NCAA issues. He works at a school that literally manufactures reasons to fire their football coaches. Pearl was not winning at the time of the FBI investigation. The school probably could have easily fired him for cause and they didn’t. He is now one the highest paid coaches in college basketball (we will come back to that) As the Michigan football team showed. The NCAA is essentially neutered as an enforcement organization. You don’t have to worry about Pearl getting the program on probation.

Why would a 64 year old well compensated coach leave a good spot for Ann Arbor? Once again, is Michigan a better job? On the whole, I would say yes. Pearl has been in the South so long it seems like he is from there— he’s not. He is an East coast guy with deep Midwest coaching roots. Most of his early success came in Indiana and Wisconsin.

About that compensation. Roughly five minutes after Howard was let go. The aforementioned Nate Oats was given a contract extension that made him amorphously worded “one of the top five” highest paid head coaches in college basketball. Bruce Pearl is currently sitting at #4. I’m going to go out on a limb and say Oats is making more than Pearl. I’m also going to guess after winning the SEC tournament, Pearl is going to want a raise. What if Auburn closes the wallet?

That is a lot of “what ifs”. For Michigan, Pearl is worth the risk. His salary will be a full athletic department investment. He will be Sherrone Moore and Kim Barnes Arico’s biggest supporters. He has done it everywhere he has been. People loved seeing Howard on the the sidelines and in Omaha. Pearl will take it up a notch. More importantly he will win and win big. With the NCAA out of the equation, he is actually a pretty safe investment.

Lastly, with Ohio St bragging rights firmly in tow. Who does the Michigan fanbase quarrel with right now? If you believe social media, the people in Champaign seem to be the latest enemy. And let me tell you. If you want to fire up Illinois…. you go hire Bruce Pearl. I’ve already gone too long, and trust me there is not enough space to mine that story. Iowa is involved too and it is spicy. Just type in “Deon Thomas “ and thank me later. If you think you have seen Bruce Underwood and Fran McCaffery mad… I’ll just leave it at that.

conclusion

Interview Saddi Washington. See how it plays in the community and locker room. Make back channel inquiries to Shaka Smart and Chris Collins. If you come up empty on those fronts. Whip out that BCS thick wallet and throw a bag at Bruce Pearl. Then watch the sparks fly.