Less than a week after being hired by the Brooklyn Nets as the team’s new head coach, Jordi Fernandez has landed a big-name assistant.
Former University of Michigan head coach Juwan Howard is joining the Nets bench, first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday.
The two-time NBA champion played for 19 years in the NBA before spending six seasons as an assistant coach with the Miami Heat. Following his time in the professional ranks Howard made the move to his alma mater, spending five seasons with the Wolverines before he was fired last month.
Michigan went to a Sweet 16 and Elite Eight early on under Howard’s leadership but hadn’t been able to match that success in recent seasons. After the Wolverines finished with an 8-24 record this past year, the school decided to move in a different direction.
According to Wojnarowski, Howard’s initial success had him in contention for a couple of NBA head coach openings but he opted to remain with Michigan, where he went on to coach his sons Jett and Jace Howard.
Howard joins assistant Steve Hetzel, who left the Portland Trail Blazers after three seasons, as the newest member of Fernandez’s coaching staff.
