Jon Sanderson, Michigan basketball's longtime strength and conditioning coach, resigns

One of the longest-tenured members of the Michigan men’s basketball staff has officially left the program.

Jon Sanderson, the longtime strength and conditioning coach who played a key role in transforming bodies and turning numerous Wolverines into NBA Draft picks, is no longer working at the school.

The news was first reported by The Athletic on Friday and confirmed by the university in a statement to The Detroit News.

“Jon Sanderson has resigned his position with the University of Michigan Athletic Department, effective March 1. We appreciate Jon’s contributions over the years and wish him the best going forward,” the statement read.

Sanderson’s departure comes nearly three months after he had a non-physical confrontation with coach Juwan Howard at a practice in early December.

The altercation reportedly stemmed from a disagreement between a trainer and senior forward Jace Howard, Juwan’s son. Some reports suggested Juwan Howard and Sanderson had to be separated.

Sanderson stopped working with the team following the incident and Mike Favre, Michigan’s strength and conditioning director, replaced Sanderson on the bench at games in December.

The university conducted an internal review and cleared both Howard and Sanderson of any wrongdoing on Dec. 15.

“Based on a thorough internal review, nothing was found to warrant disciplinary action for anyone involved,” athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement at the time. “As such, we will move forward with a focus on our team and our season.”

Howard never publicly shared his version of what happened. When asked about the incident in December, he referred to Manuel’s statement, which he said was “clear” and “precise.”

According to The Athletic, Sanderson reached a settlement with the university and a non-disclosure clause was part of the agreement.

Sanderson, who played at Ohio State and Ohio, was hired by former coach John Beilein in 2009. Since his arrival, he played a vital role in the program’s player development and success over the last 15 years.

His offseason “Camp Sanderson” workouts became a staple and helped develop physically underwhelming prospects like Nik Stauskas, Caris LeVert, D.J. Wilson and Moritz Wagner into first-round picks.

“Coaches get way too much credit for any success we’ve had. Jon Sanderson is a huge part of this,” Beilein said back in 2017. “And all these NBA Draft choices we’ve had, Jon Sanderson is a huge part of that as well.”

When Howard took over the program in 2019, his first staffing decision was to retain Sanderson. At the time of that announcement, Howard called Sanderson "an integral part of the program."

Now, Sanderson no longer is.

jhawkins@detroitnews.com

@jamesbhawkins