Juwan Howard forgot where he was Friday afternoon. Mark Turgeon did not.
And if you’re looking for an explanation as to what unfolded during Michigan's quarterfinal Big Ten tournament game against Maryland, this is a good place to start.
Nowhere else on the planet would Turgeon, the Terrapins’ coach, talk to Howard the way he did on the sideline of the court inside Lucas Oil Stadium. Though Turgeon didn’t just raise his voice.
He raised it as he took a couple of aggressive steps toward Howard, knowing full well that a mass of assistant coaches, referees and even players were going to keep Howard from getting too close.
Turgeon wouldn’t use such tone and body language in a restaurant, or a hotel lobby, or a coaches convention. But he knew he could get away with it at a basketball game, where coaches — and players — have more wiggle room to let out their inner demon.
Howard, not surprisingly, didn’t appreciate the way Turgeon moved toward him and talked to him. He responded by moving toward Turgeon and yelling back so forcefully he had to be restrained by his assistants … twice.
The display earned him two technical fouls and an automatic ejection. That’s fine. Those are the rules. Howard broke them. (Turgeon was slapped with one technical.)
After the game — Michigan won, 79-66 — Howard said he forget where he was in the moment.
“I don’t know how you guys were raised but … I was raised by my grandmother and, also by Chicago. … I grew up on the South Side. When guys charge you, it’s time to defend yourself, and especially when a grown man charges you. … I went into defense mode, forgetting exactly where I’m at. That’s not the right way to handle the situation when you come and charge someone. I didn’t charge him. So, when he charged me, I reacted.”
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said after the game that the league reviewed the incident and that no further action would be taken. Expect to see Howard on the sideline when Michigan tips off against Ohio State in the tournament semifinal Saturday afternoon.
There was some talk that Turgeon mentioned the vacated banners at U-M during their exchange. Banners that Howard helped raise almost 30 years ago. Turgeon denied any reference in his postgame news conference.
Howard didn’t get into specifics about what Turgeon said, other than to say the Maryland coach told him not to “talk to him” after he complained to the officials that Howard stepped outside the coach’s box.
Howard was surprised Turgeon complained:
“I’m like, ‘come on man, this is what we’re doing today?’ You’re worried about my feet being out of the box?”
That it got so heated so quickly is partly the result of lingering tension from the first meeting between the teams in December — U-M won at Maryland. Freshman Hunter Dickinson made a comment that the Terrapins didn’t want him enough. And Maryland’s star defender, Darryl Morsell, suffered a facial injury in the game.
Turgeon also mentioned that he made an official complaint to the Big Ten office after the teams’ second meeting, though he didn’t say what the issue was. Howard wasn’t aware of the complaint, he said.
Whatever beef Turgeon had, whatever tension Howard may have felt, the coaches were fine until midway through the second half, when a timeout was called with U-M leading by 10. Howard hadn’t liked an out-of-bounds call and went to an official to let him know.
He stepped out of the coach’s box. Turgeon alerted the refs. Things escalated from there, ending when Howard was led off the court by his assistants.
The U-M fans in attendance cheered as Howard retreated into the stadium’s tunnel. His team, meanwhile, standing near the bench, raised its arms and encouraged the applause.
“I love how our guys stepped up and supported their coach,” said Howard. “Because they know that I’ll always support them.”
And yet?
“I’m always going to take ownership when I’m wrong and admit when I’m wrong. So that’s not the right way how to handle that situation."
He told his team this after the game. He apologized for losing his cool.
Under different circumstances, in a game of higher stakes, against a team with more talent, losing control might cost Howard a lot more. He understands this.
This is only the second year Howard has been a head coach. He is still figuring out how to work the officials and work the sideline, how to interact with all the moving parts to a big-time college basketball game.
Despite the learning curve, he is winning. Because he has injected the competitive juice he used as a player into his team. Because he has an agile mind with the grease board. Because he isn’t afraid to try new things.
As he did Friday, when he used a zone defense for longer stretches than he has most of the season. He wanted to “muck” up the court. He said it wasn’t easy calling for the zone. That it put him out of his comfort zone. Indeed, the move was a gamble that Maryland wasn’t going to keep making 3-pointers — it didn’t.
What’s too bad about the ejection is that it overshadows the countermoves he employed to get his team unstuck against the Terrapins — U-M fell behind by 12 late in the first half. Beyond the zone, he also used a small lineup that helped the Wolverines put together a 16-2 run to close the half.
The fracas also took away from a few stellar performances, including a record-setting assist day from point guard Mike Smith. The transfer from Columbia had 15 assists, the most ever in a Big Ten tournament game.
He, along with Brandon Johns and Franz Wagner and Eli Brooks and Chaundee Brown, blitzed Maryland in the second half, answering a couple of mini runs with timely 3-pointers and grinding stops. The way the Wolverines adapted, dissected and broke the Terrapins' spirit should be familiar to anyone who watches this team.
They reflect their coach.
The players know that they can’t afford to lose their coach as the stage gets bigger. But, for a day at least, they loved the fight and passion they saw, and understood where it came from.
One coach knew exactly where he was. And one coach knows exactly who he is.
