At his introductory press conference last week, Juwan Howard said he was intent on assembling "the best, hardest-working staff to give (our players) all the resources they need."
He appears to have finalized that staff with the additions of Phil Martelli and Howard Eisley, along with holdover Saddi Washington.
Martelli, the longtime head coach at St. Joseph's who was let go at the end of last season, announced the news via Twitter. He'll provide valuable experience to a rookie head coach in Howard.
THE NEXT CHAPTER !!! @umichbball @JuwanHoward THX to @saintjosephs @A10MBB ,Big5,Philly hoops allowing me and my family to take away lifetime memories and lifelong friendships #GoBlue
— Phil Martelli (@PhilMartelli)
June 3, 2019 Over 24 years as head coach at St. Joseph's, Martelli compiled a record of 444-328 and led the team to seven NCAA tournament appearances. He was named Naismith Coach of the Year in 2004 when the Hawks reached No. 1 in the AP Poll for the first time in school history and finished 30-2.
He was also a four-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year.
Eisley, an assistant coach for the Knicks the past three years, is expected to officially join Howard's staff "within the next 24 hours," according to
The Athletic. The Detroit native who enjoyed a 13-year NBA career was briefly teammates with Howard on the Mavericks during the 2000-01 season.
He's spent the duration of his nine-year coaching career in the NBA.
Washington, who came to Michigan in 2016, is the lone holdover from John Beilein's staff. Both Luke Yaklich and DeAndre Haynes have moved on.
