Phil Martelli expects to have a restless night tonight, but it’s not for the reason you might think.
He claims his impending insomnia isn’t a result of the swirling situation surrounding the Michigan men’s basketball program — in which The Athletic’s Brendan Quinn reports there’s an HR investigation into an alleged altercation between Juwan Howard and strength coach Jon Sanderson. Nor is it a result of uncertainty surrounding whether he will remain acting head coach or if Howard will fully retake the reins after taking a step back to recover from his September heart surgery.
Instead, tonight will be a sleepless night because of Eastern Michigan.
Yes, the 5-4 mid-major out of the MAC conference is consuming his time and energy, it’s his scout, after all. And after last year’s upset home loss to fellow MAC program Central Michigan — also coming during winter break, at a time when campus and Crisler Center are void of their usual energy — it’s no surprise that he isn’t overlooking the Eagles.
While Eastern Michigan isn’t the only storyline surrounding the team, it was the only one he was willing to talk about at his Friday Zoom press conference.
Because when it comes to the Juwan Howard situation, he’s steering clear of any direct commentary.
Not only did he deflect when asked to share his account of the incident — with reports claiming it involved discussion around Juwan’s son Jace Howard’s return from injury and a comment from Sanderson on the state of the program — instead saying that it’s all in Athletics Director Warde Manuel’s hands now, but he also declined to comment on Sanderson’s current situation.
When asked if it was Sanderson’s choice to not travel to the game at Iowa last Sunday, Martelli said, “I have nothing, I have nothing on that at all.” And when he was asked if Sanderson had been at practice this week, a question he certainly knew the answer to as the Wolverines’ acting head coach, Martelli went back to his usual line.
“Again, it’s all in Warde’s hands,” Martelli said. “I have nothing for you on that.”
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