Juwan Howard’s time in Ann Arbor has come to an end.

On Friday, Michigan basketball confirmed via a press release that Howard is being relieved of his duties after the Wolverines went 8-24 and a disastrous 3-17 in B1G play this season. It’s the lowest win total for the program since the 80s.

“After a comprehensive review of the program, I have decided that Juwan will not return as our men’s basketball coach,” said AD Warde Manuel. “Juwan is among the greatest Wolverines to ever be associated with our basketball program. I know how much it meant, to not only Juwan, but to all of us for him to return here to lead this program. Despite his love of his alma mater and the positive experience that our student-athletes had under his leadership, it was clear to me that the program was not living up to our expectations and not trending in the right direction. I am thankful for Juwan’s dedication, passion and commitment to U-M and for all that he, and his legacy, will continue to mean to Michigan.”

Howard began this season sidelined after a health scare and finishes his time in Ann Arbor with an 82-67 overall record and a 48-47 record in league play. He led the program to the 2021 regular-season B1G title and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances but no Final Fours.

RELATED: With March Madness heating up, track all the latest odds and trends for the Big Ten Basketball Tournament and the NCAA Tournament with Tradition’s Ohio sports betting links and apps.

Why the delay?

As an integral figure in Michigan’s basketball history and previous status as one of the “Fab Five,” Howard was always destined to get every chance to succeed with the program. Even with that understanding, the Wolverines gave Howard one chance too many in an overdue decision.

Even during the successful years of his tenure, Howard was far from an innocuous figure.

During the 2021-22 season, Howard and Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard engaged in a verbal confrontation. That incident eventually boiled over when Howard swung at and hit a Badger assistant.

During the 2021 B1G Tournament, Howard engaged in a similar verbal altercation with then Maryland coach Mark Turgeon. Reports from that incident claimed Howard threatened Turgeon before receiving a double technical and ejection.

Then, there were reported in-house issues this season. Howard was part of an internal investigation into an alleged altercation involving the head coach and a strength coach.

At any other situation involving any other coach, Howard would have been out well before this season. And that’s just talking about the situation outside of in-game performances.

On the court, Howard did less with more than any other coach in the B1G. Last season, the Wolverines had a pair of NBA Draft picks in Jett Howard and Kobe Bufkin to go with star big man Hunter Dickinson but could not reach the NCAA Tournament or compete for a B1G title.

Despite a 23-win season in the 2020-21 campaign, the Wolverines never cracked 20 wins again. By contrast, John Beilein had just 1 season below 20 wins from 2014-19, and his Wolverines won 25+ games 3 times.

No matter how you slice it, Howard was an utter failure in Ann Arbor, and his departure was long overdue.