John Sanderson, the longtime University of Michigan basketball strength and conditioning coach and a mainstay on the staffs of two Final Four teams, has officially parted ways with the university after 15 years with the program.
The university confirmed Sanderson’s resignation in a statement. The Athletic“John Sanderson has resigned from his position with the University of Michigan Athletic Department, effective March 1. We thank John for his many years of service and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Mr. Sanderson’s expulsion will take place after a settlement is reached with the university, two people briefed on the terms of the agreement said. The agreement includes a confidentiality clause, sources said.
Sanderson’s resignation follows a Dec. 7 confrontation with Michigan head coach Juwan Howard that resulted in Sanderson no longer being part of the men’s basketball program. Sanderson has spent the past 12 weeks practicing primarily at the athletic department’s south campus complex with some of the school’s Olympic sports teams.
Mr. Sanderson’s attorney deferred all questions to the university. A text message to Sanderson was not immediately returned.
Mr. Sanderson has filed additional complaints about the show’s culture under Mr. Howard, unrelated to the Dec. 7 incident, according to people briefed on the matter.
The conflict between Howard and Sanderson stemmed from a disagreement between the athletic trainer and Juwan’s 22-year-old son, senior guard Jace Howard. At the time, Jace Howard had missed the entire season with a stress fracture and had doubts about the training staff who hadn’t cleared him to play yet.
According to documents obtained on December 8th, The AthleticSanderson shared his version of what happened next in an email to Michigan athletic director Ward Manuel.
Sanderson wrote that Jace Howard “reprimanded” the trainer and caused a “scene” that caused several players to stop and watch. Sanderson described the scene as “completely out of control” and said his trainer was trying to calm Jace Howard and discuss the matter privately. Noticing that the trainer was becoming increasingly desperate and “panicked,” Mr. Sanderson intervened and, from about 30 feet away, told Mr. Howard, “You’re a student-athlete and he’s a professional. I don’t talk like that. It’s disrespectful, and rightly so.” He said he repeatedly called the abuse “disrespectful.”
Sanderson wrote in an email to Manuel that he tried to de-escalate the situation and tried to turn his back and walk away. When Sanderson turned around, he said Juwan Howard came toward him, “angry and ready to fight,” and yelled at him repeatedly as players and staff held him back.
“He continued to pursue me aggressively while the players and staff did their best to contain him. He was out of control, it was an ugly sight. I had no choice but to stand my ground. I had no choice, I wouldn’t back down. Some of the players and staff also came in front of me to try to separate us,” Sanderson wrote.
Sanderson wrote that the players and staff were eventually able to contain Howard, after which the team began practice and Sanderson headed to his office.
Manuel emailed Sanderson the next day, Dec. 10, writing, “I am sorry to hear about the negative interaction between you and Juwan,” and wrote, “I am sorry to hear about the negative interaction between you and Juwan.” Tiffany Raymond announced that she would be taking the following steps: The case was reviewed the next day (December 11) “to understand more details and provide assistance”. Manuel also told Sanderson that he was going to speak to Juwan directly.
Among the emails received, The AthleticInformation from Raymond on Dec. 15 said Sanderson had no option to “openly share past grievances and concerns in order to clear the air and make a fresh start” or “to support other Olympic Games.” They said they would have the option to meet with Howard or a human resources representative to make the transition. This is a permanent team. ”
Sanderson told Raymond that he intended to remain with the basketball program and chose to attend facilitation sessions. In the email, Sanderson said his supervisor told him to avoid the team’s facilities and that Manuel did not want him to have contact with student-athletes on the men’s basketball team. Mr Sanderson said he wanted to ensure that he did not make any false statements to the media or the public about his absence.
“No one should indicate that it is voluntary,” Sanderson wrote.
On December 15, after a personnel review, the university cleared Howard of any wrongdoing in the Sanderson case. Professor Manuel said in a statement that the university investigated “an incident involving multiple individuals during a team practice” and that “based on a thorough internal investigation, nothing was found to warrant disciplinary action against those involved.” ” he said.
Mr. Howard has never publicly shared his account of the event. “I think it was clear,” he told reporters, referring only to Manuel’s statement. It was accurate. ”
Sanderson arrived at the University of Michigan in 2009 and joined John Beilein’s staff as strength and conditioning coach. He became a mainstay of the program, working with 17 NBA draft picks, including 11 first-rounders. He was one of the few holdovers from Beilein’s staff when Howard was hired in 2019.
Mike Favre, the University of Michigan’s director of strength and conditioning, has been replacing Sanderson on the bench since December.
Sanderson, who played at Ohio State (1997-99) and Ohio State (2000-2002), is one of the most highly regarded strength coaches in college basketball and has been recruited by other programs in the offseason. Acquisition is considered likely. His son, Jonathan Sanderson, is a 6-foot-2 point guard who is ranked as a top-50 player in the 2026 recruiting class. Jonathan is currently in his sophomore year at Saline High School outside of Ann Arbor and has scholarship offers from a number of major programs, including Michigan State.
Howard was placed on a no-tolerance policy by the University of Michigan following a postgame altercation following a loss to Wisconsin in February 2022. After the game, Howard exchanged words with Wisconsin coach Greg Gard in the postgame handshake line, which resulted in a skirmish that ended with Howard punching him. Inside the mind of Badgers assistant coach Joe Kravenhoft.
Howard, 51, went 87-69 overall and 49-46 in Big Ten play at the University of Michigan, including a Big Ten regular season title and a 2021 Elite Eight appearance.
Howard missed significant time earlier this season after undergoing heart surgery in September. In November, he returned to the UM bench as an assistant to Phil Martelli, who served as the program’s acting head coach during Howard’s recovery.
Howard’s contract runs through the 2025-26 season and was last extended in November 2021.
(Photo: Hannah Fountain/CameraSport, Getty Images)
