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It’s something you certainly don’t see everyday, and it’s certainly not something anyone expected on Sunday in Crisler Center.
As Michigan found itself struggling against the Oakland Grizzlies, turning the ball over 15 times in the first half en route to 20 turnovers overall, the Wolverines saw their lead slipping away in the first half. Coming back from the under-four minute media timeout, the Big Ten Network cameras found something interesting: team leader and senior forward Isaiah Livers and head coach Juwan Howard having a heated exchange near the bench areas as the maize and blue plotted what to do next.
In case you missed it, see for yourself:
Isaiah Livers and Juwan Howard going at it in the last timeout pic.twitter.com/iVrEgMq0tL
— Blue By 90 (@bluebyninety) November 29, 2020
Naturally, following the overtime win over Oakland, it was a hot topic in the postgame press conference, especially with Isaiah Livers being made available after the game. However, he mostly dismissed it as being any kind of a big deal, saying that it’s just how he and his head coach communicate, even in practice.
“Yeah, he was holding me accountable,” Livers said. “In the midst of the game, you’re emotional, take it the other way. Actually, I wouldn’t even say I took it the other way. He (was) just challenging me. That’s how me and Coach Howard, weirdly enough, that’s how we communicate. We argue at practice, we go at it during games, we go at it during scrimmages. It doesn’t matter. He just wants me to be a great player, and I respect him for that.”
As far as the content of what was said, Howard didn’t want to divulge any specifics, but noted that the approach worked, as Livers lit it up down the stretch. Ultimately, he led all scorers from either team in the 81-71 win.
“First, that’s between Isaiah and I,” Howard said. “Secondly, you look at his box score: 8-for-12, 5-for-7 from three, finished with 22 points, had four blocks, plus-minus was seven — I think it was a nice little spark plug he needed to respond with the performance he did tonight. It’s great, man, that I get an opportunity to empower young men, to go out there and be the best version of themselves. And Isaiah rose to the occasion.”
Though Howard didn’t want to share what was said, Livers was happy to. Noting later that the bristly exchange is normal for father figures in his life — he has both a dad and a step-dad, but also says that Howard is like another father to him, as well — that the jawing back and forth is par for the course with the leading men in his life.
Ultimately, he says, it’s what helps him become a better player.
“He told me to play harder, get on the ground, grab the 50/50 balls, rebound,” Livers said. “Little things like that. I guess in the middle of the game, got challenged, that’s how we go at it. I said, ‘I got you coach!’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘Wassup?’ ‘Yeah, I got you.’ ‘Trust me.’ Stuff like that. I know he trusts me a long ways, wants me to be a great basketball player, that’s it.”
Whether that was the content or not, it clearly worked. Up next, Michigan basketball will be off until Wednesday, when it takes on Ball State at 7:00 p.m. EST at Crisler Center.