Julio Cortez / Associated Press
Maryland claimed that Michigan men’s basketball coach Juwan Howard threatened to kill Terrapin coach Mark Turgeon during his verbal altercation in Friday’s Big Ten tournament clash.
The Terrapins told the Big Ten that Howard shouted, “I’m going to kill you”, when the two coaches were shouting at each other Jeff Ermann of 247Sports. Howard was expelled from Michigan’s 79-66 victory in the incident.
“This has been going on for three games,” said Turgeon. “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 was not going to play the third game. And then I stood up for my team, I defended myself. “
Ermann noted that Maryland complained that Howard made disrespectful comments to the team’s bench during regular season meetings. The Terps also said freshman Hunter Dickinson scoffed at his bank.
Howard explained the reporters what happened from his point of view:
“(Mark) Turgeon saw that I was out of the box, he sent the referee to look at my feet, I’m out of the box, I’m like, come on man, is this what we’re doing today? Are you worried that my feet are out of the box? Then he said to me, ‘Juwan, I am not going to let you talk to me. You never speak to me again. ‘ And he charged against me.
“I don’t know how you were raised, but how I was raised by my grandmother and also by Chicago. I was raised by Chicago, I grew up on the South Side, when the guys attack you, it’s time to defend yourself.”
Assistant Phil Martelli, a former coach of Saint Joseph’s, took over from the Wolverines after Howard was expelled.
Michigan will face rival Ohio State in the first game of the Big Ten semifinal on Saturday. You will probably get a No. 1 seed in Big Dance, regardless of how you do against the Buckeyes, who won in their only regular season game.