Michigan's Juwan Howard Undergoes Heart Surgery, Out At Least 1 Month

Juwan Howard underwent heart surgery on Friday ... and, thankfully, it was a success -- though the Michigan head coach will now have to be away from the Wolverines for at least the next few weeks while he recovers.

UM officials said they discovered issues in Howard's ticker following a recent routine medical check ... but Dr. Himanshu Patel at the University of Michigan Health was able to fix it all.

Howard said after the procedure he was very grateful for the care.

"My wife, Jenine, and our family appreciate the world-class care that has been provided to us," he said. "Dr. (Kim) Eagle, Dr. (Himanshu) Patel, Dr. (Stanley) Chetcuti, and all of the staff at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center are so talented and performed like champions throughout this process."

According to Patel, it'll take Howard 6-to-12 weeks to fully recover ... but he'll be able to rejoin UM's men's hoops program in 4-to-6 weeks. The Wolverines open their season on Nov. 3.

"I am going to work very hard in my rehabilitation to be stronger than ever by the time our upcoming season is upon us," Howard said.

The school announced that while Howard is out, assistant Phil Martelli will step in as interim HC.

Howard became the Wolverines' head man in 2019 after signing a five-year contract ... and since his arrival, Michigan has been to two NCAA tournaments.

Prior to his coaching career, Howard played three years at Michigan ... starring on the school's famed Fab Five team.