The University of Maryland told Big Ten that the Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard allegedly threatened the Terps coach Mark Turgeon During a verbal altercation that broke out during the second half of the teams’ game in Friday’s Big Ten quarterfinals, a source with knowledge of the situation told InsideMDSports.
Howard, according to Maryland communications to the conference, said to Turgeon, “I’m fucking going to kill you,” during a high-pitched game that saw the two coaches move towards each other in the middle of the court and resulted in the expulsion of Howard at Wolverines’ final victory 79-66. Turgeon did not mention this statement during his post-game conference.
“This has been going on for three games. I have been doing this for 34 years and I called the conference office. I called the commissioner about what happened in the first two games. And I said I would not take it in the third game. And then I defended my team, I defended myself, “said Turgeon later, referring to the complaints Maryland had made about Howard making disrespectful comments to the Maryland bank during the first two meetings between the two teams this season.
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Michigan freshman Hunter Dickinson insulted the Terps bank repeatedly during Michigan’s victory in Maryland on New Year’s Eve, but according to the source, Howard also directed comments towards him during the two regular season meetings, leading to formal complaints. In general, it is expected that coaches and players do not directly address the coaches and the other team’s bench. Maryland did not file a complaint today, but informally informed the Big Ten about Howard’s alleged threat. Hours later, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said no action would be taken.
“We have incredibly passionate coaches, incredibly passionate players, incredibly passionate fans. As with all these things, our office reviews this from the point of view of sports policy, what we did after the game. And there will be no more action. officials dealt with the situation properly in court and spread the situation, “he said.
“Everything I said [today] is don’t talk to me. Don’t talk to me … I never gave up, I just stayed there and said don’t talk to me. That’s it. The league is well aware of what happened in the first two games and they will deal with it from here, “said Turgeon.” But I was, I thought, the most professional I could try to be at the time, defending myself, 34 years of doing it the right way and for basketball in Maryland. So that’s all I did, I defended myself and defended the Maryland program, and I said don’t talk to me. “
pic.twitter.com/iN5H6ea6bc – Wes Brown (@ W_Brown21) March 12, 2021
Howard, who had to be restrained by a technical assistant, said he felt threatened by Turgeon, who he said was “attacking” him.
Here is the full streak that led Michigan head coach Juwan Howard to be kicked out during the last media timeout. pic.twitter.com/iN5H6ea6bc
– Wes Brown (@ W_Brown21) March 12, 2021
“And right there, I don’t know how you were raised, but as i was raised by my grandmother and also by chicago, because i was raised by chicago and grew up on the southside, when the guys charge you, it’s time to defend yourself. Especially when an adult man charges you, “Howard, 48, former NBA star six feet tall, said about Turgeon, 5-10 and 56 years old.”And right there, I went into defense mode, forgetting exactly where I was. Because this is not the right way to deal with the situation when you charge someone. I did not accuse him. So when he attacked me, I reacted, and I reacted out of defense. So that’s it, words were exchanged, and then I was thrown. “
Both sides agreed that it all started with Turgeon complaining to the referees that Howard was out of the training area.
“I am going to tell the truth how it all happened. I realized that [Galin] Smith attempted an offensive rebound, but got out of his hands last. But the referee called the ball out of bounds and I think it was their possession. And I’m like, ‘No, that’s not how I saw it. So, I was out of the coaching box and went down to explain that it’s outside of Smith and it’s difficult to communicate when you’re tall and you’re wearing masks, ”said Howard,
“So Turge saw that I was out of the box and was telling the referee to look at my feet, I’m out of the box. And I said, ‘Come on, man. That’s what we’re going to do today – Are you worried about the fact that my feet were out of the box? And he said, ‘Juwan, I’m not going to let you talk to me. You’re not going to talk to me again,’ “Howard said.
Clearly, Turgeon still held a grudge from the start of this season, when the freshman from Michigan Hunter Dickinson, a native of North Virginia who starred a few miles up the Maryland road in DeMatha (Md.), called Turgeon, saying he did not recruit him hard enough. Then, when the two teams met in College Park on New Year’s Eve, Dickinson repeatedly faced Turgeon and the Maryland bench after scoring, eventually receiving a technical foul.
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After that game, he went to Turgeon again.
“I hope I showed you that the guys on Madison Street are very good and that they should go there someday [to recruit]”Said Dickinson. “I wish we had fans … I could have received a real reception from fans in Maryland.”
Howard had no problem with Dickinson’s antics, saying later: “That was one of the biggest reasons I recruited him … Because I love the fact that he loves basketball, he is a great person, a hard worker and a competitor. “
But based on his comments during the recruitment, it looked like Maryland was seriously the 2.13 meter Big Ten freshman of the year.
“I like Hunter and his family. His parents and I had a great relationship,” a former Maryland assistant. Dustin Clark told the Washington Post in January. “It was crazy to hear him say he was not recruited by Maryland, because it just isn’t true. He was recruited with the same dedication as any student we have already recruited for Maryland. “
Turgeon refused to respond to Dickinson, except to praise Dickinson’s talent after his 26-point, 11-rebound performance in that game.
“He was a possessed man,” said Turgeon. “We doubled a little, but he is also an excellent passer, now and they scored against double teams and sometimes he scored against double teams … He was fantastic. He mistreated our guards there.”
Howard apologized to his team on Friday for being expelled.
“I apologize to my team, what I did in the locker room for my actions. This is not the way you deal with situations like this in adverse times. I cannot let your emotions get the best of you … I will always assume the responsibility when I’m wrong and admit when I’m wrong, so that’s not the right way to handle the situation. “