The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 43 2017-18 BASKETBALL PREVIEW both the two and the three. He came in a year ago from Kentucky and con- stantly bedeviled the Wolverines in practice. Now, he gets his crack as a redshirt sophomore who used an NCAA- mandated year away from games to get deeply grounded in Michigan's schemes. "His defense will be the biggest positive addition to the team," Beilein said. "Whether it's blocking balls, de- flecting shots, running through pass- ing lanes … he's very bright. We used to try and trick him last year [in prac- tice], with plays we'd run all the time and then counter. "He'd be sitting on it, more times than he wasn't. That's the biggest area, but his quickness and athleti- cism we've rarely seen here. It is ex- tremely unique." "He's special," Haynes added. "He's a special player. We spent a lot of one-on-one time with him in prac- tice. He gets it. He sees the success the team had last year. "He has a skill set that is at a high level. He's able to get his shot off, make threes, come off screens and turn, use his athleticism to get to the basket, rebound the ball. He's an all- around player that fits the system re- ally well." Jordan Poole (6-4, 190) is another freshman, one capable of playing the two or the three. He'll get a chance to develop and contribute as well on a veteran roster, Haynes noted. "He's a really great passer," the as- sistant observed. "He sees the floor really well. He can get to the basket at will. He has a nice shot. He's really crafty, really shifty with the ball. He's one of those guys who will be able to get into the lane and draw a lot of players to him, to where he'll be able to kick it out to our shooters. "We've got a lot of shooters around the arc, and he can get into the lane to make a play for himself or others. He's another one who can play three positions for us and be really special." Michigan also has a lot of players who came this close to the Elite Eight last season. According to one new- comer, the Wolverines are conceding nothing, despite significant personnel losses. "You get a sniff at it, and you feel it," Haynes said. "You want to get back there. Every day in practice, guys are talking. You want to win game by game, but you want to get back to that Elite Eight, Final Four, win a national championship. "That's what we want to do. That's what you hear around this building." ❏ Michigan's Top Five Transfer Performers Michigan basketball hasn't been awash in transfers into the pro- gram over the years. That's why graduate transfer Jaaron Simmons' arrival caused a stir. Simmons is hoping to make an immediate impact on a program that made the NCAA Sweet 16 and earned a Big Ten Tournament championship last year. Here is a quintet of Michigan transfers who made the most impact on the Wolverines over the past 40 years: 1. Rickey Green, G, 1975-77 — Green was devastatingly quick, covering the floor on a fast break like few others. He transferred in from Vincennes (Ind.) University and played two seasons with the Wolverines. In 60 games, he averaged 19.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game with 252 assists (4.2 average). Green guided the 1975-76 Wolverines to the NCAA championship game against Indiana. 2. Robbie Reid, G, 1997-99 — After playing two seasons at BYU, Reid came to Ann Arbor to perform in 65 games over two seasons. He averaged 10.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, with 212 as- sists and 70 steals. His 40.3 percent three-point shooting helped Michigan win the inaugural Big Ten Basketball Tournament in 1998. 3. Duncan Robinson, G/F, 2015-present — Robinson enters his fifth-year senior season averaging 9.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game over the course of two campaigns and 74 on-court ap- pearances for Michigan. He transferred in from Division III Williams College — he's actually believed to be the first to start at that level and move up to receive a major DI scholarship — and maintains a three-point shooting percentage of 43.9, with expectations of a strong final year. 4. Laval Lucas-Perry, G, 2008-10 — Perry had his ups and downs at Michigan, transferring in after spending just a semester at Ari- zona. But over the course of 58 games, he averaged 5.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game with 84 assists. A 72.3-percent free throw shooter, Lucas-Perry nailed his first three three-point shots in his Michigan debut. 5. C.J. Lee, G, 2007-09 — Lee transferred in from Manhattan in 2007, playing in 67 games for the Wolverines and serving as a co- captain on John Beilein's first NCAA Tournament squad at Michigan. — John Borton After transferring in from Vincennes (Ind.) University, guard Rickey Green helped the Wolverines get to the 1976 national championship game and averaged 19.7 points per contest in two seasons. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL