Michigan coach Juwan Howard takes swing at Wisconsin assistant coach

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#326      
Gard placed his left hand on Howard's right arm and appeared to be about to offer his right hand. It looked like a conciliatory gesture to me. Like he was going to shake hands.

Some are saying Gard 'put his hands on Howard'; which is an attempt to place blame on both sides and is inaccurate. Some even say Gard grabbed Howard.
trying to make my way thru the comments but decided to chime in .... in the 10-20 seconds beforehand, Gard is shaking each MI player's hand and also places his left hand on their right shoulder as he says something. Other than Howard not accepting the offered handshake, Gard's left hand placement appears to be the same as with the players and not a grab. Gard did "force" the handshake exchange on Howard
 
#327      
When did I make excuses for anyone? I think people get on these message board high horses, have incorrect legal takes and then want to denigrate people's character which is classless. I spoke only to the facts of what was shown in the video. I never called either coach or their players a name. I only highlighted what they could've done to avoid the mayhem that followed.
Regarding "high horses" I haven't seen much of that here. I've seen lot of people, me included, who note that it's probably desirable to have a high standard of conduct for an adult man leading a group of postadolescent athletes routinely appearing on a national stage having a substantial following, and that the ability to govern emotions, especially when provoked, and refrain from physical violence toward another player or adult is equally desirable. I don't understand how anyone who watches any amount of college basketball can fail to discern that Juwan has an unusual hair trigger temper and has behaved inappropriately within the norms of the game and the culture on several notable occasions, even by the debased standards we accept today.

If that's a high horse, I'm happy to saddle up on it, deploy my spurs on its hindquarters, and head off into the hills.

As for incorrect legal takes, it seems to me that the law is well beside the point, and an intellectual distraction here. The fundamental issue is behavior: self-discipline, providing a positive role model for the young men who look up to the coach (esp a coach who was a college and NBA star), and instilling values that will help them lead productive, full lives. I shouldn't need to point out that a not-inconsiderable fraction of players come from challenging circumstances in which boundaries are sometimes blurry or nonexistent, and their lives have been chaotic and sometimes dangerous. They are especially in need of a strong role model and rigorous structure in their lives. If they don't get it at this age, they're likely doomed. In fact, I recall distinctly the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on the Fab 5 in which Howard or Webber (IIRC) noted with bitterness that Krzyzewski wouldn't deign to recruit him because of perceived behavioral instability based on his origin.

Is my take Pollyannaish, sanctimonious BS detached from reality? I don't think so. It seems to me to be the bedrock underlying the matter.
 
#328      
I just watched an unedited, up close video from a sideline reporter. It showed a few more players throwing punches on both sides. I would be surprised if both coaches (and a few staff) aren't suspended for two games. I believe I heard Tate say on the radio this morning that the B1G can only suspend for two, and it would be up to the member schools to dole out anything additional. That said, I believe I saw three separate Wisconsin players throwing punches. Sorry if this is posted already:
On this one you can here Gard say something like “if you’re gonna press”. Gard was probably trying to explain why he called that timeout.

“I’ll remember that …”

“Yeah well remember why I called the timeout too, because you were pressing”

Then Juwan started after like a 4 year old with the “don’t touch me, don’t touch me” stuff.
 
#329      
In my opinion:

Howard should be fired for his actions, but will not be.

If he’s kept, I do believe this will impact Michigan’s ability to recruit.

The Michigan fans are saying it won’t because “Howard simply had his player’s backs”.

But did he?

Howard continued to press because of his ego.

Howard got upset at Gard based on the time out because of his ego.

Howard blew by Gard and shared words because of his ego.

Howard saw red because Gard touched his arm because of his ego.

Howard hit the assistant coach because of his ego.

None of those actions had anything to do with the best interest of the players.

If anything, Howard continuing to escalate the situation only put his players in more danger.

The kids he’s recruiting might not see it that way, but I bet the parents and the coaches will
 
#330      
There's no world in which I won't expect two groups of young men (led by groups of grown men) to be able to shake hands with each other after a game of basketball. That's what's so great about sports: you're allowed, heck, even encouraged to hate the crap out of the other guy, but at the end of the day, you still have to respect that you're both playing the same game with the same goals.
Exactly. Think NHL playoffs. They've been kicking the crap out of each other for 80 games and when its over you get in line and shake hands.
 
#331      
It's very relevant because you're not grasping the proper legal theory. For starters, let's get the facts straight. Howard didn't want to stop and shake his hand. Gard did grab him and pull him in to try and tell him something. Secondly, the fact that he's saying "don't bleeping touch me" highlights his presence of mind that he was being assaulted which would help him. Thirdly, the most damaging aspect of this is that he was separated from the perceived threat for several seconds and then slapped another party. The interaction with Gard is the red herring with respect to Howard's problems. Gard grabbing Howard may bring about a small infraction for him and can be viewed as the catalyst similar to Ben Wallace's suspension for starting the malice at the palace.
How about the fact that Howard spoke to Gard first sayin “I’ll remember that bleep”. ? I’m not a lawyer either, but to me the fact that he spoke to Gard first is a counter rob the enoses that he didn’t want to engage with Gard.

Gard did nothing unreasonable, Howard engaged with Gard verbally, Gard attempted to respond relatively reasonably, certainly within the confines of expected behavior in a handshake line.

Then Howard grabbed his shirt, stuck his finger in Gard’s face, (maybe making contact, I’ll have to watch again) while saying don’t touch me.
 
#332      
I don't understand why people don't grasp this concept. If every single person kept their hands to themselves we'd be talking about nothing.V
This is virtually impossible in a handshake line. Hundreds of games are played during the season where coaches come up to each other, put their hands on the others arm or chest, shake hands, and exchange words, sometimes friendly, sometimes not so. It's extremely rare that it breaks out into punches being thrown.

I can't believe people people are seriously making these justifications.

If someone could start swinging every time someone put their hands on them, this would be a really dangerous world. Kofi gets mugged every time he gets the ball down low and he doesn't start swinging (I know it's a different context).
 
#333      
When did I make excuses for anyone? I think people get on these message board high horses, have incorrect legal takes and then want to denigrate people's character which is classless. I spoke only to the facts of what was shown in the video. I never called either coach or their players a name. I only highlighted what they could've done to avoid the mayhem that followed.
lol "incorrect legal takes" its basic human decency and having basic manners and common sense (which Juwan has none of )
 
#335      
Losers are players on both teams and the BIG’s reputation. Feel especially for WI as they are tied for the lead and may lose players and coaches via actions they did not initiate. If the conference leadership does not recognize this we have politicians not leaders.
 
#337      
Exactly. Think NHL playoffs. They've been kicking the crap out of each other for 80 games and when its over you get in line and shake hands.
Hockey is awful. That they let the fighting go on the way they do is awful (I'm assuming they still do this as I've refused to watch it for decades).
 
#340      
i'll jump in...i don't think this is the most likely outcome, but i would not be shocked if some form of the following occurs: Mich/Big10 tell JH they'll go a little easier on him if apologizes and shows some genuine contrition, but JH (being JH) cannot fathom having to admit fault and ends up getting a much more severe punishment than he would otherwise have received. also, i think it's 50/50 at best that he's at Mich 18 months from now. i think after this incident, he's gonna look for an exit ramp back to the NBA.

edit - i also think the longer it takes for the punishments to be announced, the worse it'll be for JH
 
#341      
Lost in this was Gard’s admission that an official told him to call timeout to reset the ten second count.

Why is an official helping out a coach in a game he’s refereeing? Keep in mind for a program that’s had the biggest home court in advantage in the conference for a decade and generally makes more free throws than the other team shoots.

The BIG needs to be looking at that as well.
 
#344      
As the video above shows.....the interaction Gard began is absolutely a common, normal approach between coaches in the handshake line.

Anyone trying to defend Howard at this point needs to step back and look at his history and his remarks.

I hope he doesn't get fired now. Keep this scUM garbage pile smoldering.
 
#346      
I must say I am absolutely shocked by the Kohl Center fans. I thoroughly would expect food things to be thrown in the direction of the Michigan bench during all this. I couldn't see anything on any of the videos. Kudos to the them.

Very much off topic but who's bright idea were those Wisc jerseys. They were awful
 
#347      
I'd argue he shouldn't behave like that whether he's on TV or coaching at the local Y. There's just no room for that in sports.
agree. 100% of Big Ten games are on TV with national TV being irrelevant.
 
#350      
I see some people including Dick Vitale calling for getting rid of the handshake line. It's been a part of our college basketball culture for so long ...I think we've all lost if that happens. Maybe you need a short cool off period (as happens with hockey), but that is not going to happen with television time constraints. Essentially good sportsmanship starts in the home and grade school.
Yeah, I think it's a massive overreaction. I agree that maybe a cooling off period makes sense, but if you can't navigate a handshake line without punching somebody, the problem isn't with the handshake line.
 
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