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.