When John Beilein took over the basketball team at Michigan in 2007, his rival to the north was ready to flex its muscles. With a strong core of returning players, Michigan State was one of the best teams in the country.
Now it's Juwan Howard's turn. And while the Wolverines are on more stable ground these days, the Spartans look even better.
They have the Big 10 preseason Player of the Year in Cassius Winston. They have an All-Big Ten forward in Xavier Tillman. They have a blossoming star in Aaron Henry. Throw Joshua Langford in the mix, and they have back three of the top four scorers from a team that won 32 games last year. And, of course, they have Tom Izzo leading the way.
When the first AP poll is released later this month, there's a good chance Michigan State will be No. 1. It presents quite the challenge for Howard in his first year as head coach, not that he's worried about it.
"I don't worry about anyone, I never have," Howard told the Jamie and Stoney Show on 97.1 The Ticket. "I will always give respect to teams and coaches and players who have earned the right. That team you're speaking of up north, they've done a phenomenal job. The coach is an amazing coach, can't take that away from him.
"I respect my opponent, but at the end of the day, I don't fear no one."
And in regard to Michigan State, why should he? Howard went 5-1 against the Spartans as a player. Now he'll try to replicate that success as a coach. The rivalry, which has been fueled by mutual respect in recent years, resumes Jan. 5 at Michigan State, then Feb. 8 at Michigan.
Winston acknowledged this summer that Howard's return might heat things up.
"Maybe from the fans' standpoint. From the players' standpoint, we're going to try and keep it classy. But if it takes another level, that makes it better for the rivalry and it makes it more fun. So I'm looking forward to that, too," Winston said.
For Howard, this is one of the best times of the year. He gets to work with his players every day and teach the game of basketball. It's his way of paying forward the lessons he learned from the many great coaches he played for, like Steve Fisher at Michigan and Jim Lynam in the NBA.
"I've always just been a basketball nut. It's always been my life," Howard said. "I never was one of those (guys) that wanted to take a step back and get away from the game. This is my way, I would say, of serving, of giving back to all the great coaches that I've played for. I enjoy being in the gym and seeing the balls bounce, seeing my players running up and down the court and being engaged to the teaching part of it. It's just the beauty of the game, young guys who are on the same path and have the dreams of playing on a collegiate team and others who want to go on and play on a professional level. ...
On his reaction when he found out Beilein was stepping away: "I remembering being home in Miami. I woke up, and usually I don't always pick up my cell phone when I first wake up. I like to kick back, breathe and just think for a second and recap what I have to do for the day. But that time for some crazy reason, I picked up my cell phone and looked at some texts and there was an alert that came up on ESPN that said Coach Beilein has decided to move and coach the Cleveland Cavaliers. So immediately I turned on SportsCenter and that's where I saw the bottom ticker and it said the same thing.
"I was shocked and surprised, I'm sure like many people, but the first thought that came to my mind was, 'Wow, what if? What if I was the head coach at the University of Michigan?' I've always thought about it in the sense of, if Coach Beilein retired, would I ever? And I've been asked this question, not only by myself sitting there thinking about it, but by many people, if I would ever coach college basketball. And I've always said, it would only be at Michigan."
On the value of an experienced point guard in in his first year as head coach: "Zavier Simpson is an extension of the coaching staff. He's a great leader, he's a guy who's bought in. He trusts us as a new staff, (which is) hard for a guy who has been a part of a different culture, different leadership, and then hearing a new guy come in with his new philosophy and a new staff and only one familiar face, Saddi Washington. That's where the trust has to be earned, and as as a staff that's what we're doing.
"But (Simpson's) a coach's dream. It'd be great to have 15 Zaviers, but that's unrealistic. The 15 players that we do have, they're all awesome. I'm just fortunate enough that Coach Beilein, Deandre Haynes, Saddi Washington, Luke Yaklich, they all have done a phenomenal job of recruiting guys with high character who just really enjoy the game of basketball and want to be taught how to play the right away."
