Big Ten Basketball

Bob Knight is heading back to Indiana—not in a coaching capacity, however.

The legendary college basketball head coach reportedly bought a home with his wife, Karen, just three miles away from Assembly Hall, where the Indiana Hoosiers play basketball, according to Dana Hunsinger Benbow of the Indianapolis Star.

Per that report, the Knights "signed property records last week for a 4,840-square-foot home in Bloomington in the Shadow Creek subdivision across from College Mall on Moore's Pike, according to Monroe County Assessor's records."

The 78-year-old Knight coached Indiana for 29 seasons, going 659-242 with three national titles and five trips to the Final Four from 1971 to 2000. He was a legend with the Hoosiers, though his return to Indiana will perhaps send shivers down the spines of chairs everywhere in the state.     

Returning to Michigan as the men's head basketball coach turned into an emotional experience for Juwan Howard. 

At the start of his introductory press conference Thursday, Howard stood alone at the podium for more than 30 seconds wiping away "tears of joy" while taking in the moment:

Following John Beilein's surprise departure to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Wolverines were left in a difficult spot trying to find a new coach. They went back to their past, bringing Howard back 25 years after he left the program to begin his NBA career.

Howard arrived at Michigan in 1991 as part of the famed Fab Five recruiting class that also included Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. 

Michigan also holds a special place in Howard's heart because he made a pledge to his grandmother, who died the day he committed to the school, that he would graduate from college. The one-time NBA All-Star earned his degree in communications in 1995. 

Jennifer and Jaidyn Moore, the wife and daughter of Wisconsin men's basketball assistant coach Howard Moore, died in a car accident Saturday, according to ESPN.com.

Moore and his son Jerell were also in the car and were injured in the accident but survived and are expected to recover.

Badgers' head coach Greg Gard released a statement:

"There are no words to describe how devastated we are for Howard and his family. Our basketball program is an extremely close family and we are all grieving for the Moore and Barnes families. Howard is so much more than a colleague and coach. He and Jen and their children are dear friends to everyone they meet. Their positivity and energy lift up those around them. We will miss Jen and Jaidyn dearly and we will put our arms around Howard and Jerell and the entire family, giving them love and support during this unspeakable time."

Moore's family later issued a statement through the school, noting Moore is in "stable condition" and his son Jerell is "up and walking around."

Many coaches and programs around college basketball sent messages of support to Moore:

According to ESPN's report, the Moore family was driving on the M-14 freeway in Michigan when a car driving in the wrong lane struck them. According to authorities, the 23-year-old female driver of that vehicle, Samantha Winchester, died in the crash.

According to Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Moore was in a coma early Saturday after sustaining non-life-threatening injuries, while Jerrell Moore suffered minor injuries. 

"Jennifer was a sweetheart," Wisconsin men's hockey coach Tony Granato told Potrykus. "I would see her at events, around the Kohl Center and in the community. She always had a smile on her face and was always upbeat."

"He is one of the most down-to-earth persons that you’ll ever meet in your life and that is exactly what Badger athletics is all about," Granato added regarding Moore. "To have to watch him and all that he has suffered through in the last few hours, it is one of those days in life you try to figure out how this type of thing could happen."

Juwan Howard was hired as Michigan's head men's basketball coach to bring Final Fours and championships to the school, but he's already brought something else—unity among his former Fab Five teammates.

ESPN's Jalen Rose appeared on Thursday's episode of Get Up and said that the hiring of Howard "squashes any drama or any beef" Rose has with Chris Webber. He also said the Fab Five is going to "come together like Voltron."

Michigan announced the hiring of Howard with a video montage featuring some of his playing days on Wednesday:

Rose released a book titled Got to Give The People What They Want in 2015 that revealed he and Webber hadn't spoken in five years and grew apart over time, as the latter didn't participate in as many group activities or take part in a Fab Five reunion or the 30 for 30 documentary.

Charles Curtis of USA Today's For The Win summarized a dramatic back-and-forth in 2018 in which Rose suggested Webber's decision to be an honorary captain for a Michigan football game was to bolster his Hall of Fame candidacy by appealing to media members.

Webber fired back, saying Rose only talked about him to further a media career. Rose denied the idea he needed to talk to Webber at all to advance in his career.

Their former teammate is the one who will apparently bring them together, as Howard will attempt to establish some of the dominance the trio brought the Wolverines in the early 1990s.

The Big Ten program went to back-to-back national championship games during the Fab Five years before it was forced to forfeit wins and take down banners for NCAA sanctions.

Michigan experienced plenty of success under John Beilein—who left to become the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers—as well. It reached two of the last seven national title games, meaning Howard will be under plenty of pressure to continue winning in his first head coaching job.

He at least knows both Webber and Rose will be there to support him if Thursday's comments were any indication.

Juwan Howard signed a five-year contract as the Michigan Wolverines' next head basketball coach, the school announced Wednesday. 

According to the school's release, Howard will earn upwards of $2 million annually with a base salary of $400,000. 

Howard replaces John Beilein, who left after 12 seasons to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 46-year-old Howard was famously a member of the Fab Five, spending three seasons in Ann Arbor before embarking on a 19-year NBA career.

Howard retired in 2013 and immediately transitioned into a coaching role with the Heat. On Tuesday, he received strong endorsements from two stars he coached in Miami: Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.

The Detroit Free Press' Nick Baumgardner and David Jesse reported Monday that Michigan was set to meet with Howard and Providence head coach Ed Cooley as part of its coaching search. Cooley removed himself from consideration Tuesday, confirming he will remain with the Friars.

Howard is clearly a sentimental favorite among Wolverines fans after helping guide the program to back-to-back title games in 1992 and 1993. That support could serve him well in the event Michigan takes a step backward early in his tenure.

Beilein leaves massive shoes to fill. The Wolverines reached the NCAA tournament nine times under him and were national runners-up in 2013 and 2018. Beilein raised the standard of Michigan to heights it hadn't experienced since Bill Frieder and Steve Fisher in the 1980s and 1990s.

While Michigan presents a major test for Howard in his first head coaching opportunity, one can understand why the potential to bring his alma mater its second national championship was too good to pass up. 

NBA legends LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have thrown their support behind former Miami Heat teammate Juwan Howard's candidacy for the University of Michigan head coaching job.

James and Wade reacted on Twitter after Miami Heat Beat reported Tuesday that Howard is in line to lead the Wolverines program:

Howard spent the final three years of his playing career in Miami, winning back-to-back NBA championships alongside James and Wade in 2012 and 2013 before immediately joining the Heat's coaching staff ahead of the 2013-14 season.

The 46-year-old Chicago native, a Michigan alum, has spent the past six years working as an assistant to Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and could take over one of the top jobs in college hoops.

John Beilein, who'd led the Michigan program since 2007, left to become the new head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. It's his first NBA job after more than four decades in the collegiate ranks.

The success Penny Hardaway is having at the University of Memphis is surely going to get more schools to consider former players in their coaching searches.

Hardaway guided the Tigers to a 22-14 record and an NIT berth during his first year in charge. More impressively, he's attracted the top-ranked 2019 recruiting class with two 5-star and five 4-star prospects, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

Former players, many of whom the current recruits likely watched growing up, possess a special appeal on the recruiting trail.

Between Howard's connections to Michigan, a 19-year NBA playing career, the time on the Heat bench as an assistant and the support of marquee names like James and Wade, he has all the makings of a home run hire for the Wolverines.

Providence head coach Ed Cooley has reportedly "emerged as a primary candidate" to replace John Beilein as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team. 

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reported the news, noting Cooley is scheduled to meet with Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel to discuss the opening after the Cleveland Cavaliers hired Beilein.

Rothstein said Miami Heat assistant Juwan Howard is another leading candidate.

Cooley coached at Fairfield for five seasons before accepting the Providence job and finished with a 92-69 record and one MAAC regular-season crown.

He has been with the Friars the last eight seasons and sports a 162-110 overall record and seven straight winning records after he was just 15-17 in his first year at the helm. He led the team to a Big East tournament championship in 2014, which kicked off a stretch of five straight NCAA tournament appearances.

It marked the first time Providence made the Big Dance since 2004.

As for Howard, this would be his first head-coaching experience. He has been an assistant with the Heat the last six seasons. He has an obvious connection with the Wolverines, though, seeing how he was a player as part of the Fab Five in the early 1990s and already earned the recommendations of former teammate Jalen Rose and ESPN’s Jay Williams.

Whoever takes over the program will have lofty expectations to fulfill after Beilein led it to the national championship game in two of the last seven years.