Beilein staying at Michigan

6/6/2018
BY KYLE ROWLAND
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
Michigan coach John Beilein gestures to his team during a game against North Carolina last season.
Michigan coach John Beilein gestures to his team during a game against North Carolina last season.

ANN ARBOR — The flirtation between John Beilein and the Detroit Pistons is over.

The Michigan basketball coach will return for his 12th season in 2018-19. 

Beilein, who interviewed for the Pistons’ vacant head-coaching job and met with team personnel multiple times, tweeted Wednesday, “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”

The 65-year-old is coming off a season in which he led the Wolverines to the national championship game and a school-record 33 wins. Beilein, the program’s winningest coach, has guided UM to two title game appearances. His current contract runs through the 2020-21 season, paying him $3.37 million annually, with a new extension expected in the coming days.

"We are thrilled that John Beilein will be our coach now and into the future,” athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. “We made it a priority to sit down shortly after our tremendous run in the Final Four to discuss and solidify his future at Michigan. Michigan has become home for John and Kathleen the past 11 years and we are excited they plan to stay for years to come."

Former Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey and San Antonio Spurs assistant Ime Udoka are the frontrunners for the Pistons opening.

Contact Kyle Rowland at krowland@theblade.com, 419-724-6110 or on Twitter @KyleRowland.