Will The Vikings Acquire Watson?
After the game between Michigan and Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon, a brawl broke out on the court following an altercation in the post-game handshake line.
As both teams were passing by each other, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard and Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard got into a heated conversation that resulted in both men having to be separated. Then, quickly into the scuffle, things began to go south in a hurry. The increasingly heated conversation reached a boiling point as Howard was seen throwing an open-handed strike at Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft.
Juwan Howard throws a punch. pic.twitter.com/HiC3y7yKvG
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 20, 2022
See Also from RTI: Kodi Burns’ Lone Year Was Vital to Tennessee’s Early Success
Howard quickly became the center of the conversation on social media Sunday, with analysts and fans weighing in on the situation that occurred in Madison, WI.
On Monday morning, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes met with the media to discuss the week ahead but did close by talking about Howard.
Barnes spoke about the situation in a calm, respectful way, relating his own experiences as a coach and providing some background as to what that is really like for a coach.
“I can only tell you that I have made a lot of mistakes as a young coach,” Barnes said on Monday. “I did. I got myself too emotional, and it comes from being competitive. It really does. I’ve had a couple well-documented incidents that, honestly, I wish looking back wouldn’t have happened. I wish I would have been – some people might say maturer – I think it’s a competitive instinct. When games are over with, just like you guys, I have to come in and talk to you guys after a game. There are so many things going through your mind that happened in the game and it can be, sometimes, dialogue that you had with the officials. You’re just wondering where the communication broke down, when you feel this way, that way, where you have to learn to try to control your emotions until you can really step away from it. But, in the heat of the moment, sometimes it’s really hard to do.”
Barnes also spoke on his relationship with the Howard family.
“I’ve had a couple of situations in my career that I wish wouldn’t have happened,” Barnes continued on to say. “And I’m sure that – I have great respect for Juwan Howard. As you know, we recruited his son and know his family. I can just tell you, in the heat of the moment, there are a lot of things we would all like to do differently. I can tell you that. But that’s, again, I can’t pass judgment on anybody because, like I’ve said, I’ve made some big mistakes that I wish I could go back. I have. I’ve gone back and apologized to players in general that I coached that I didn’t think I coached the right way. I’ve had incidents with officials and other situations that I really wish wouldn’t have happened.”
Howard’s son, Jett Howard, is a four-star shooting guard in the 2022 class from IMG Academy in Florida. Last October, Howard made the announcement that he would be attending the University of Michigan to play for his father, Juwan.
Barnes’ full press conference from Monday in Knoxville can be found below.
