The Wolverine

November 2017*

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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44 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2017 2017-18 BASKETBALL PREVIEW BY CHRIS BALAS O ver the past several years, Michigan head coach John Beilein has gone in many different directions with his big men. He played 6-4 Zack No- vak at power forward on many oc- casions from 2008-12 and won a Big Ten championship doing it. He groomed projects like Jordan Morgan (2010-14) into outstanding frontcourt leaders, and long and lanky underclassmen like D.J. Wilson and Moritz Wagner into future pros. He's also had his share of bad luck. Prep All-American Mitch McGary (2012-14) was limited by injury and only provided a glimpse of his vast potential at Michigan, while Wilson blossomed into an NBA first-round pick after blowing up late last year, leaving the program with two years of eligibility remaining. Just thinking how good the Wol- verines might be this year had Wil- son returned has many Michigan fans playing the "what might have been" card about the 2017-18 season. Beilein, though, isn't among them. He's seen this film before, hav- ing lost a number of underclass- men (seven to be exact) to the NBA over the last five years. And when his teams are healthy, which they weren't the two seasons previous to last, they're usually right back in contention for some kind of cham- pionship. Last year it was the Big Ten Tour- nament title, followed by a run to the Sweet 16. The Wolverines have to replace Wilson in the frontcourt, but Wagner's return provides a great start on which to build and the hope of competing for titles. "It's a developing team, without question," Beilein said. "You can't lose what we lost last year … we lost a lot, but hopefully we've been able to develop in some areas. "And our new guys will be able to fill in some of those spots and then start developing again like we did last year, so we're playing better at the end of the year than we are in the middle." Wagner envisions it, excited about the mix of veterans and youth the Wolverines will employ. The 6-11, 245-pounder worked out for some NBA teams after declaring for the draft, but he knew he wanted to re- turn for his junior year. He'll be ex- pected to man the center position in- side and out the way he did last year while averaging 12.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and shooting 39.5 percent from three-point range. His postseason included a 22-point first half in a Big Ten Tournament win over Purdue and a 26-point showing to oust Louisville in the NCAA Tour- nament's round of 32. "I've never been a part of a team that is so committed to each other, which we have to be because 11 of our guys are either freshmen or sopho- mores," Wagner said. "There has to be a certain determination and com- mitment." They also need leadership, and Wagner has provided plenty of it. Beilein said it's come so naturally to his junior, adding he has the it fac- tor needed to lead and excel and the focus to be great. "Now we have NBA scouts at al- most every practice, not just because of Moe … We've done it for years at Michigan," Beilein said. "Now it's how did you get to this point, Moe? You didn't get to this point by thinking about the NBA. You got to it by thinking about individual growth, and now that you're on their radar, don't stop what you're doing. "D.J. [now with the Milwaukee Bucks] was not thinking about the NBA. He was thinking, 'I've got to get better.' Nik Stauskas [currently with the Philadelphia 76ers] was the greatest example. "Nobody wanted him to go to those NBA camps after his freshman year, but he had the growth mindset and all of a sudden there he is, a lottery pick. "Moe seems to have that Trey Burke [currently with the New York Knicks] mindset right now that he just wants to get better. My job to is keep him on course for that." Behind him, two second-year play- ers will battle for minutes, and both need to improve. Sophomore Jon Teske (7-1, 255) played sparingly last year, averaging 3.1 minutes in 20 games of action, while Austin Davis (6-10, 245) redshirted. Though both have great potential, Beilein said they're currently "going around 211 degrees, and they've got to get to 212." "Both of them are skilled, and it's the same thing with each — they changed their bodies, and now they need to develop the mind of that gritty, tough big man," the coach con- tinued. "I think in football you call it a 'motor always running' type. "Jon has grown, but he's got to con- tinue to work. He has the ability to play; now he has got to see himself in that role instead of deferring. He's got a tendency to be a really good kid, who wants to be a great team- mate and pass to somebody else if he's open." It's only a matter of time before he's looking for his points, Beilein pre- dicted. "We've seen it before with other players, like we saw it with [point guard] Derrick Walton last year. We'd tell him, 'Derrick, you're our best shooter. Please shoot the ball, we're begging you.' Jon is really good shoot- ing, so please shoot it. "But he's rebounding better, doing a lot of good things. He is a full 7-1 and one of finest young men I've ever been around." They're coming along at a grad- ual pace, Michigan assistant and big man coach Saddi Washington added. BIG ASPIRATIONS Michigan's Centers And Forwards Blend Experience And Youth Junior Moritz Wagner began to blossom last season, averaging 12.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 39.5 per- cent from three-point range. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

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