The Sages of College Basketball: Older Coaches Helping Glory Day Hires

About a week before Michigan snatched the attention of the college basketball world with unexpected wins over North Carolina and Gonzaga at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas, the Wolverines assistant coach Phil Martelli was as concerned about the casinos there as he was about the basketball games.

Michigan’s new head coach, Juwan Howard, who had never coached in college before this season, was preparing for his team’s first trip. Martelli, who had spent the last 24 years dealing with college athletes as the head coach at St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia, wanted to know what the team’s policy would be on players entering the gambling halls in the resort where they were staying.

“I’m not sure that the question had even crossed his mind, since he is so used to dealing with grown men in the N.B.A.,” Martelli said of Howard, who was an assistant for the Miami Heat before taking the job in Ann Arbor. Howard ultimately decided that no players would be allowed on the casino floors, regardless of age.

“He thanked me for bringing it to his attention,” Martelli said. “It’s his program, so he doesn’t have to listen to me. But I feel heard, and that’s very important. It’s part of why I wanted to come here.”

Source: The New York Times

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College basketball • The Glory Day • Michigan • College basketball • North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball • Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball • Battle 4 Atlantis • NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament • The Bahamas • Michigan Wolverines football • Coach (sport) • Phil Martelli • Basketball • Michigan Wolverines men's basketball • Head coach • Juwan Howard • Phil Martelli • Philadelphia 76ers • Gambling • National Basketball Association • Miami Heat • Ann Arbor, Michigan • Casino •