Miami Heat assistant and former Michigan star Juwan Howard has reached agreement on a five-year contract to be the next head coach of the Wolverines, a source told ESPN.
Howard will replace John Beilein, who left Michigan last week to become the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Beilein was with the Wolverines for 12 seasons, leading them to two national championship games.
Howard met with Michigan officials earlier this week, sources said, and became the front-runner once Providence’s Ed Cooley withdrew from consideration and announced he was returning to the Friars.
Howard, 46, was a member of Michigan’s Fab Five recruiting class in 1991, along with Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. During Howard’s three seasons in Ann Arbor, he helped lead the Wolverines to two national championship games and an Elite Eight appearance. He averaged 15.3 points and 7.5 rebounds during his Michigan career.
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Howard then played for 19 seasons in the NBA, spending time with eight franchises. He won two NBA championships with the Heat, in 2012 and ’13, and earned NBA All-Star honors in 1996.
Since retiring in 2013, Howard has been an assistant coach with the Heat under Erik Spoelstra. He interviewed for multiple NBA openings this spring, including those of the Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers.
Several current and former NBA players backed Howard’s hiring at Michigan after news of his interview surfaced earlier this week.
“Talk to me nice. Say it is so!!!? My guy deserves this opportunity. This will only be right,” former Heat star Dwyane Wade wrote on Twitter.
Added LeBron James on social media: “Man WHAT!!!!?? Absolutely the right choice and i hope it becomes a done deal ASAP!! One of my favorite people I’ve ever met at the age of 16 and been around since then.”
With Howard’s agreement, Michigan is now the only current Division I school to have alums coaching both the football (Jim Harbaugh) and men’s basketball programs. He also will be the seventh coach in Michigan history to coach at his alma mater, and first since Bill Frieder in the 1980s.
Multiple outlets reported Howard had reached an agreement in principle with the Wolverines earlier Wednesday.
Information from ESPN’s Jeff Borzello was used in this report.
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