Most observers were stunned when Juwan Howard struck an opposing coach in the face following Michigan's loss to Wisconsin last Sunday. Jalen Rose felt something closer to sorrow.
Howard's longtime friend and former Fab Five teammate said on ESPN's Get Up Wednesday morning that he teared up when Howard swung at Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft after a confrontation in the handshake line with Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard. Rose knew Howard's reputation was now on the line.
"I was watching that situation happen live and I shed a couple of tears when it took place," said Rose, Howard's teammate at Michigan from 1991-94. "And let me tell you why: because I know how hard this man has worked and I know how much he sacrificed and dreamed for this opportunity, and I didn’t want this lapse in judgement to be something that he got judged on … where people took that snapshot of that moment and really defined his legacy."
That's for Howard to decide. His legacy at Michigan remains in his own hands, assuming something like this doesn't happen again. It was just last March that he was being hailed as one of the best coaches in the country after leading his alma mater to the Big Ten title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, acing the impossible task of taking over for John Beilein. But the only thing that undermines winning -- or overshadows losing -- is flouting the same values you preach.
Rose said the fact that Gard "put his hands on" Howard in the handshake line was "clearly not a reason for Juwan to do what he did to the assistant coach." And he said Howard will grow from the incident moving forward, just as soon as he returns from a five-game suspension beginning Wednesday night. Rose reached out to Howard himself to make sure.
"And again, he apologized. But let me do something," said Rose. "As a Detroit native, as a Michigan alum, as somebody that has a scholarship endowment at the U of M and as a season ticket holder, I apologize for the behavior of our team. Just like our athletic director did. We are better than that. I’ve talked to Juwan, he understands that, we understand that.
"I think this is going to be a great moment for growth, not only for him but for the young people on the team to see how he responds to this. I know he’s going to respond and the team is going to respond with flying colors. And when we’re cutting down the nets one of these years, all of these turbulent times are going to make it worth it."
It's easy to espouse things like character and integrity, especially in sports, even more so in amateur sports. Harder, sometimes, to fulfill them. That's what made Beilein's 12-year tenure so impressive, beyond the conference titles and Final Fours. Indeed, that's how he lasted 12 years in the first place. It's year three for Howard, with as many years to come as his character and integrity will allow.