Wolverines Open Juwan Howard Era Hosting Appalachian State

Tuesday, November 5

Ann Arbor, Mich.

7:00 PM

Michigan

Appalachian State

Juwan Howard

Wolverines Open Juwan Howard Era Hosting Appalachian State

11/5/2019 12:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Tom Wywrot

» Michigan opens the 2019-20 regular season hosting Appalachian State.
» The game will be the regular-season debut of head coach Juwan Howard
» The Wolverines are led by seniors Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske. Simpson is on watch lists for the Bob Cousy Award and Naismith Trophy, and Teske is on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award watch list.
» U-M's Franz Wagner will not be available for the game due to a fracture in his right wrist. He is hopeful for a return in late November.

PROMOTIONS
• Nov. 5: Juwan Howard Bobblehead (First 3,500 fans)
• Full Promotions Schedule

• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

The University of Michigan men's basketball team opens the Juwan Howard era on Tuesday night (Nov. 5) when the Wolverines host Appalachian State at Crisler Center. The regular-season opener will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network at 7:01 p.m. with Brandon Gaudin and Stephen Bardo on the call.

Start of a New Era

• Tonight's game is not only the beginning of the 2019-20 season, it also will mark the debut of new head coach Juwan Howard. A member of the Fab Five, Howard spent the last 25 years (19 as a player and six coaching) in the NBA before returning to his alma mater.
• Howard replaced U-M's all-time winningest coach John Beilein, who left this summer to take over as the head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
• Howard has added two new faces to the coaching staff as 34-year veteran Phil Martelli (St. Joseph's) was named the associate head coach, while NBA assistant (Knicks) Howard Eisley was named an assistant. Howard retained Saddi Washington, who begins his fourth season with the Wolverines.

A Little Bit About Appalachian State

• Appalachian State comes to Crisler Center under new head coach Dustin Kerns, who spent the last two years at Presbyterian College, where he helped the Blue Hose record a 20-win campaign in 2018-19 and reach the postseason (CIT).
• Appalachian State basketball is celebrating its 100th season in 2019-20.
• Last season, the Mountaineers finished with an 11-21 record and 6-12 mark in Sun Belt play.
• Junior guard Justin Forrest heads up the Mountaineers after he was second in scoring (16.2 ppg) and led the team in assists (74; 2.4 apg) and steals (37; 1.2 spg). He drained 64 three-pointers a season ago led the team with 170 trips to the free-throw line.
• Senior forward Isaac Johnson also returns after posting 10.0 points and a team-best 8.6 rebounds per game. Johnson more than doubled the next Appalachian State player in rebounding from a year ago.
• Incoming freshman forward R.J. Wilson, who scored more than 1,000 points and grabbed 1,000 rebounds as a prep star, is one of four newcomers for the Mountaineers -- including forward Donovan Gregory, guard J.C. Tharrington and forward Kendall Lewis.

Preseason Honors

• Zavier Simpson was one of 20 players selected for the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, which is given to the nation's top point guard by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Simpson is one of four guards from the Big Ten to make the list, along with Ayo Dosunmu (Illinois), Anthony Cowan (Maryland) and Cassius Winston (MSU).
• Simpson also was named one of 50 players on the watch list for the Naismith Trophy, which is awarded annually to the national player of the year. He was one of eight Big Ten players on the preseason listing.
• For the eighth straight season, U-M had a representative on the preseason All-Big Ten team after Simpson was selected to the 10-player team prior to the Big Ten's Media Day.
• Jon Teske was one of 20 players selected for the preseason watch list for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, which is given to the nation's top center by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Teske is one of three centers from the Big Ten to make the list, along with Luke Garza (Iowa) and Matt Haarms (Purdue).

This And That

• Zavier Simpson has yet to miss a game in his career. He has played in 116 straight for the Wolverines. Classmate Jon Teske should play in his 100th career game tonight as he has played 78 straight games over the last two seasons.
• U-M will be without the services of freshman guard Franz Wagner, who suffered a fracture in his right wrist in practice. Wagner should make his return in late November.