The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/510942
BY JOHN BORTON J ohn Beilein's Michigan teams have produced a number of NBA performers, including lot- tery picks. Every one of those players left Ann Arbor before their collegiate eligibility ended. Beilein has a breakthrough on his hands in senior guard Caris LeVert, who announced his return to Michi- gan on April 21. If he stays healthy and becomes a first-round NBA Draft pick as expected in the spring of 2016, he'll become the first Wolverine under Beilein to play in his senior season and then in the NBA. LeVert offered many versions of the phrase Michigan fans were waiting to hear, assuring he'll be at Crisler Cen- ter come fall: the NBA can wait. "For starters, it would have been tough leaving a great university like this when I'm so close to graduating," LeVert said. "I'm a couple of semes- ters away. "Second of all, this is a great team coming back. We have a lot of experi- ence at a lot of positions. You saw a lot of the young guys grow up last year throughout the season. I'm really excited about joining that group next year. "A chance to be a senior [leader] on this team, that's just a blessing. I'm really humbled to be in that situation, with Spike [Albrecht] as well. We're ready to take on the challenge." They could be ready to get right back to challenging for a Big Ten title, after an attrition- and injury-filled plummet from an Elite Eight squad in 2014 to getting shut out of postsea- son play in 2015. With LeVert (broken foot) and rising junior guard Derrick Walton (turf toe) sitting out most of the Big Ten season, the 2014-15 cam- paign became a year of near misses, hard lessons and depth developed. Freshmen such as forwards Ricky Doyle and Aubrey Dawkins, as well as guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur- Rahkman, made dramatic strides throughout the season. Sophomore Zak Irvin learned to play with a target on his back, and to lead forcefully in the latter portion of the season. Albrecht played on hips that re- quired surgery after the season, and the Wolverines simply did the best they could — which wound up being 16-16 overall and 8-10 in the Big Ten. Most figure that will change in a hurry, given a lineup that could fea- ture LeVert, Walton, Irvin, Dawkins and Doyle, with backup firepower in Albrecht, transfer redshirt sophomore Duncan Robinson, a deadeye shooter, redshirt freshman D.J. Wilson and more. Senior SAVVY Caris LeVert's Return Is A Huge Boost For The Wolverines