Michigan associate head coach Phil Martelli served as head coach on Sunday as the Wolverines faced Penn State at The Palestra in Philadelphia. The temporary elevation came after head coach Juwan Howard asked his legendary assistant to take the reins in a sentimental nod to Martelli as he returned to his hometown and venue he coached in for years while leading the Saint Joseph's program.
The return did not result in a storybook ending, however, as Michigan blew a double-digit lead in a 79-73 loss to Penn State. The Wolverines dropped their fourth straight game and dropped to 1-3 in Big Ten play as concerns surrounding the program continue to mount.
Martelli served as an assistant at Saint Joseph's for a decade and later was hired as Hawks coach, where he coached from 1995-2019. He finished his coaching career there with a 444-328 record before being fired and later landing on his feet at Michigan.
The sentimentality of the elevation came with a fun twist as Michigan faced a Penn State program that employs Martelli's son, Jimmy, who is an assistant under first-year coach Mike Rhoades. Jimmy played at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania before finishing his college career at Dickinson College in 2005. He most recently served as VCU's Director of Operations under Rhoades before a promotion and new job with the Nittany Lions last offseason.
Martelli served as Michigan coach earlier this season as Howard recovered from surgery. Howard returned to the bench in late December, though the Wolverines had gone 1-3 -- including three-straight losses -- since his return.
