Michigan assistant Saddi Washington: 'Phil Martelli is the legend'

After Michigan basketball’s 71-62 win over Rutgers Wednesday, associate head coach Phil Martelli did what he does — he praised others. He’d filled in admirably for suspended head coach Juwan Howard and managed the game, but he lauded assistants Saddi Washington and Howard Eisley after the win.

RELATED

All the reasons Juwan Howard hired Phil Martelli were on display in win

Wolverine TV podcast: Michigan basketball win over Rutgers, matchup with Illinois, spring football and more

What the Big Ten Tournament field would look like if it started today

Their praise was deserved, of course. They’ve proven time and again how valuable they are to Howard.

At the same time, Martelli has been around the block a few times, and he’s called “The Godfather” for a reason. He’s been Howard’s right-hand man, and the former St. Joseph coach is extremely respected.

“Phil is the legend … that’s what he does,” Washington said Friday. “Yes, the circumstances were not ideal. But to Phil’s credit, this isn’t his first rodeo, you know? And he stepped right in very seamlessly. I don’t even think it was an adjustment for any of us because again, one of the things that’s great working for and working with Coach Juwan is that he really empowers us as assistants to coach.”

It’s also been one of the reasons for Howard’s success in his first three years, including a Big Ten title. He’s got a huge playbook and isn’t afraid to use it, Martelli noted Wednesday. He also leans on his guys and isn’t afraid to share credit — on the contrary, in fact.

It’s why the three Michigan coaches were able to rally the troops when the Big Ten suspended Howard for five games. They all have respect for the boss, and they all respect one another.

“I believe our staff just has great synergy amongst us,” Washington continued. “Phil did a tremendous job of leading us, and our guys did a tremendous job of following the game plan [against Rutgers]. And that is really how we’ve been wired since day one.

“Coach Juwan has put us all in positions to be successful as coaches, as players, and we have that mentality. We try to practice what we preach, and no different. Next man up — it applies to our staff, as well.”

But it still takes a leader, and Martelli is now that guy by default as the staff veteran and associate head coach. He’ll gladly move back to the second seat when Howard gets back, a “servant of the program,” as he likes to say.

Yet Washington and Eisley are every bit as important and capable, too. Martelli made that clear the other night in singling out his colleagues as two guys who deserve head coaching opportunities.

He wasn’t just blowing smoke, either.

“Yeah, I heard them,” Washington said of the comments. “That that speaks to Phil and who Phil is. He’s been a great colleague, a great mentor, a great friend throughout our three years here.

“But again, it’s definitely a collective effort. And as much as we appreciate the sound byte from Phil, we’re all hands on deck around here and we’re going to do everything we can to support Coach Juwan. We’re going to do everything we can to support Coach Phil in his role in the interim, and we’re definitely doing everything we can to keep as seamless a transition as we can for our players until we get back to … the normalcy of Coach Juwan coming back.”

None of them would have it any other way, the Michigan assistant added.

“That’s our job. That’s what we’re hired to do,” he said. “We’re hired to do our jobs and do them well.

“Like I said to start, we just have great synergy within our staff. Hopefully, that was reflective the other night.”

Nobody who saw it would argue otherwise. They’ve got four more games to get through without their boss, but the Michigan program appears to be in great hands.