:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59974791/usa_today_10761202.0.jpg)
After a weekend filled with plenty of drama and a multitude of reports from a variety of media companies, John Beilein announced on Wednesday afternoon that he would be returning to coach the Michigan Wolverines after briefly flirting with the Detroit Pistons.
I love the University of Michigan and I am excited about coaching our Men’s Basketball Team next season and in the years to come ! Let’s go hang some more banners at “THE GREATEST UNIVERSITY IN THE WORLD “#GoBlue
— John Beilein (@JohnBeilein) June 6, 2018
There’s little doubt that Wolverine fans across the country are letting out a sigh of relief. Beilein has led the program to historic success over the last 11 seasons and looks poised to have one of his better teams coming back for the 2018-’19 season.
Most simply put, that’s not something fans were hoping to see leave town.
Since arriving on campus in 2007, Beilein has led Michigan to eight NCAA Tournament appearances and two regular season Big Ten titles. The Wolverines also made the Final Four in 2013 and 2018 and won the Big Ten Tournament in the last two years. Beilein’s overall record with the program sits at 248-143 (.634) since taking over at the helm.
Michigan made it to the national championship game in April and are returning several key contributors from that team, including Charles Matthews and Zavier Simpson. The Wolverines also add what looks like a loaded 2018 recruiting class to the roster.
Last weekend, reports surfaced that Beilein had interviewed for the vacant head coaching position with the Detroit Pistons. Several reports followed that initial news confirming that Beilein had met with the team multiple times and was a frontrunner for the job. However, Wednesday’s tweet put an end to that discussion.
It would have certainly been interesting to see what Beilein could do on the next level, but Wolverine fans have to be excited about keeping the program’s all-time winningest coach.