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Wojo: In Michigan basketball's coaching search, safer is smarter

(Photo: Lon Horwedel / Special to The Detroit News)

Ann Arbor — After a highly successful 12-year run under John Beilein, Michigan basketball can afford to be selective, can afford to pay what it costs for a good coach. That doesn’t mean it can afford to gamble.

This is the pressure-soaked conundrum Warde Manuel now faces, his first signature moment in three years as Michigan’s AD. The problem is, there’s no perfect candidate, at least not one attainable, and it’s far from perfect timing. As Manuel interviews people this week, factions will tug him in different directions, and his difficult task is to choose wisely and delicately, influenced only by the issues that matter.