Michigan head coach Juwan Howard gave his side of the story of his ejection during the Big Ten Tournament in an appearance on Jalen & Jacoby on Thursday, explaining that Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon told Howard to sit down in a threatening way. That, coupled with Turgeon’s presence near the Wolverines’ bench, made Howard feel as if he had to defend himself and his team.
“I would never, ever react the way that I did unless I felt like I was being threatened,” Howard said.
Michigan men’s basketball coach @JuwanHoward explains the scuffle with Maryland’s Mark Turgeon to @JalenRose and @djacoby. pic.twitter.com/CUcVXGLZLt
— Jalen & Jacoby (@JalenandJacoby) March 18, 2021
Howard is notoriously calm and poised, which only made his ejection during a Big Ten Tournament game more puzzling. Rumors swirled that Turgeon had commented on the Fab Five’s banners coming down in the arena, but Howard set the record straight with his former Michigan teammate, Jalen Rose.
“I’m looking forward to moving on from that situation,” Howard added. “I think now there’s a true understanding that I’m not going to allow anything like that to happen.”
The Wolverines went on to win the game and claim a No. 1 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament bracket, so Howard got the last laugh. There’s an outside chance that the two Big Ten rivals could meet again in the Elite Eight, but it seems like Howard wants to put the issue to bed.
