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Phil Martelli not trying to be Juwan Howard during Michigan’s next 5 games
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Though Juwan Howard never thought he’d have to be in this situation, the advantage of having a guy like Phil Martelli on the bench is paying off.
Because Howard is suspended for the next 5 games, Martelli will step into the role as acting head coach for Michigan through the rest of the regular season. It’s been a few years since Martelli has been a head coach, but he has no plans of changing who he is over the next 5 games.
“I am not Juwan Howard,” Martelli said, per The Detroit News. “I’m going to be me.”
There might be a little rust, but Martelli doesn’t need any directions on how to coach a team. He was the leader at St. Joseph’s from 1995-2019, enjoying plenty of success during a 25-year run.
St. Joseph’s was 444-328 under Martelli’s guidance, making appearances in 7 March Madness tournaments and playing in the NIT 6 times. The team won the Atlantic 10 regular season title 4 times and was a 3-time winner of the Atlantic 10 conference tournament.
Martelli will have his work cut out for him, as Michigan has a tough 5-game stretch as it tries to push for an NCAA Tournament appearance. The Wolverines will play Rutgers, Illinois, Michigan State, Iowa and Ohio State to close out the season.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB