Former Michigan Basketball Player Nik Stauskas Took To Instagram To RIP Juwan Howard's Program After A 32 Point Loss To Purdue
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It is genuinely stunning how little people care about Michigan basketball right now. I've always been aware that Michigan is a football school, but I've seen their basketball team be the toast of the town before. Now that the football team has returned to elite status (I don't know if you know this, but they just won the national championship), it doesn't even feel like people are paying attention to this basketball team. I wish I could be upset by that, but the people going out of their way to avoid watching this team are probably making the smart move. The Juwan Howard era has become a disaster.
It really is sad. This train is totally off the rails. People can act like they don't care, but IT'S STILL REAL TO ME DAMMMIT! I love Michigan basketball. Last night, they went on the road and lost by 32 against Purdue. This was by no means of surprise. I can't even call it rock bottom. We are talking about a team that got their shit pumped at home by McNeese State earlier this year, But they are looking like a team that is on the verge of giving up on their coach. Last night, Michigan basketball great Nik Stauskas had enough. He went to the Instagram comment section to rip what he'd seen.
You know what? Good for him. I like it when former players do stuff like that. Guys like Nik Stauskas worked too fucking hard to make Michigan basketball relevant again, and it probably makes their stomach churn having to watch this crude matter every single game. It makes me feel old that there's probably a group of college basketball fans who aren't familiar with Nik Stauskas' game, but the guy's sophomore season was transcendent.
He helped Michigan get to the national championship in his freshman year, putting on a legendary performance in the elite eight against Florida, but his sophomore season was ridiculous. The Big Ten was stacked that season, and he came away with Big Ten Player of the Year. He went pro after his second season, and while his NBA career might not have been what he hoped it would be, I'll always love the guy. He's one of my favorite Michigan players ever.
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I'm glad to see someone turning up the heat on Juwan Howard and Michigan basketball. Say what you will about the football fans, but they pushed and demanded better until we finally got better at Michigan. I want the same thing to happen with basketball. I'm not content with Michigan basketball just being a thing that exists until we get to spring football.
I've seen this program play for two national championships in my lifetime. This can be a wonderful program under the circumstances, and what is frustrating is that I don't believe it's a talent issue. I wish the roster was better, but there's enough here for this team to at least be competitive. That's what's amazing. They don't compete. These games in the Big Ten aren't even close. They feel like preseason games.
I was not a huge fan of the Juwan Howard hire when it happened. After year two, it seemed like it was an overwhelming success. The guy won National Coach of the Year. Things have greatly fallen off ever since then. I didn't think that it was out of the realm of possibility that his tenure wouldn't work, but this team is maybe the worst Michigan basketball team I've ever seen. I didn't expect them to sink that low. I hate to say it, but something has to change.