2B — January 26, 2015
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
asked Hatch about his
relationship with Beilein,
the man who honored his
scholarship knowing full well
he might never contribute on
the court. Hatch didn’t mince
words.
“Obviously, he’s a great
coach,” he said. “But I would say
he’s 10 times the man that he is a
basketball coach.”
Saturday morning, John
Beilein the man was on full
display. Saturday night, it was
John Beilein the coach’s turn. He
didn’t disappoint.
In his eighth year at
Michigan, Beilein has become
a fan of the mix-and-match
lineup, especially in light of
junior guard Caris LeVert’s
season-ending injury. He can
use both of his point guards at
once. He can play the hot hand.
He can go big, or he can go
small.
He can even use the players
nobody expects him to use.
Sometimes he’ll even do it in
the first half of one of the most
important games of the season,
because he wants to send a
message.
“I want to make a point,”
Beilein said. “I think it’s really
good for our team and for
chemistry for those guys who
work so hard to see playing time.
Even if it’s short.”
Sophomore guard Andrew
Dakich had never played a
meaningful minute for Michigan
before Tuesday’s 54-50 win over
Rutgers. Sophomore forward
Sean Lonergan’s career high in
scoring is two points.
That didn’t stop either from
appearing on ESPN in the first
half of a back-and-forth clash
against the No. 6 team in the
country.
“I want to get them in there,”
Beilein said. “Those two guys are
so respected by their peers and
everybody wants them to do so
well, it could be a catalyst for us
in some games.”
Hatch’s presence and his
energy are catalysts in and of
themselves. But Hatch, of course,
isn’t nearly ready to see the
floor against Wisconsin. For the
time being, that doesn’t seem to
bother him or Beilein.
“I’m a part of a miracle right
now,” Beilein said of Hatch, his
career, his very presence on
planet Earth.
Beilein’s
role in that
miracle is
made obvious
by his tears,
his sighs, his
reassuring
squeeze of
Hatch’s arm.
And the
reason he
played a role
in that miracle is evidenced
by his confidence in a pair of
players in whom he has been
given little objective, in-game
reason to be confident.
Andrew Dakich and Sean
Lonergan were on the floor with
the game tied against Bo Ryan’s
juggernaut Wisconsin team. And
that says everything about John
Beilein, the man who has stuck
with Hatch every step of the
way and the coach who believes
as steadfastly as anybody in the
world that hard work, effort
and sheer desire deserve to be
rewarded.
John Beilein the man and
John Beilein the coach are
obviously not separate entities.
Both of them have the
unlikely trio of Ricky Doyle,
Mark Donnal and Max Bielfeldt
containing Wisconsin’s Frank
Kaminsky, one of the country’s
premier big men, for 45 minutes.
Both of them sat alone at a
table until they were sure there
wasn’t an NBA draft selection
to accept on Jordan Morgan’s
behalf. Both trusted Derrick
Walton Jr. with the improbable
game-tying
3-point shot
that sent
Saturday’s
game to
overtime.
With LeVert
gone, the
man and the
coach might
be reaching
a limit. One
has to keep an inexperienced
group of teenagers emotionally
intact as they face the pressure
of living up to consecutive
Final Four and Elite Eight
appearances. The other has to
coax as much production as he
possibly can out of the same
group.
Beilein has proved time
and time again the two aren’t
mutually exclusive. He wore
both hats Saturday, and he wore
them well. In Austin Hatch, in
Andrew Dakich and in Derrick
Walton Jr., everything that is
good about Michigan basketball
was on full display.
Five-point loss aside, you can’t
ask for much more.
Facher can be reached
at lfacher@umich.edu or
on Twitter @levfacher.
BEILEIN
From Page 1B
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
John Beilein’s contributions run far deeper than the product on the floor.
SPORTSMONDAY COLUMN
A quiz on the state of
Michigan athletics
I
have a midterm in a class
already next week, and
sorry mom, but I have yet to
study. Maybe it’s because I’m a
Communication Studies major,
but I haven’t
exactly had
a ton of
practice with
this whole
exam thing.
Perhaps
I could use
Michigan
athletics to
help with
“studying,”
though. With so much going on
around the world of Michigan
sports, sometimes it’s hard to
keep track of everything.
So here’s a test on the state of
Michigan athletics to begin the
year 2015, to see how well you
can keep up with the changes.
The answer key is at the bottom,
and there can be more than one
right answer.
But you won’t receive a grade
if you get them all correct. You
may reward yourself by going to
Rick’s. And if you fail, you may
still go to Rick’s.
1: MAAR is an acronym
for…
A. … Michigan Alien
Abduction Research, the newest
concentration at the University
for students.
B. … Muhammad Ali Abdur-
Rahkman, a freshman guard for
the Michigan men’s basketball
team, vying for starting time in
Caris LeVert’s absence.
C. … Meerkat Attack and
Assault Report, the only
report completed by this year’s
Congress.
2: After starting the season
2-5, the Michigan hockey
team…
A. … Has won 12 of its last 14
games, now sitting alone at first
in the Big Ten standings.
B. … Is the No. 1 offense in the
country, having scored at least
six goals in the last four games.
C. … Is on track to return to
the NCAA Tournament after
missing the last two years.
3: In the last week,
Michigan football coach Jim
Harbaugh…
A. … Played the piccolo with
an enthusiasm unknown to
mankind.
B. … Picked up three
commitments with enthusiasm
unknown to mankind.
C. … Finally filled out the
rest of his coaching staff
with enthusiasm unknown to
mankind.
4: Awarded to the best
college hockey player in the
nation each season, the Hobey
Baker Award…
A. … Has the most legendary
name. Seriously, Hobey? There
are probably seven guys in the
world with that name still.
B. … Has been given to two
players in Michigan program
history, Brendan Morrison and
Kevin Porter, both of whom
carried their teams into the
NCAA Tournament.
C. … Is poised to go to senior
forward Zach Hyman, who is
exceeding Porter’s scoring pace
after bringing his season total to
16 goals and 19 assists in a series
sweep of Wisconsin.
5: The number 19.5 is….
A. … The average age of the
Michigan men’s basketball team,
struggling with experience this
season.
B. ... The amount of time, in
minutes, I have spent exercising
this year.
C. … The over/under on the
number of readers for this story.
6: John Beilein is…
A. … A mastermind of a
basketball coach, nearly leading
a team of inexperienced players
to an upset of the No. 6 team in
the country.
B. … Vigilant about the PSI of
his balls.
C. … A coach who believes
in his players so much that he
played two walk-ons, Andrew
Dakich and Sean Lonergan,
even when his team trailed the
Badgers.
7: Sitting at 12-6, the
Michigan women’s basketball
team…
A. … Still has a better record
than the men’s team.
B. … Is on track to qualify for
the NCAA Tournament, having
beaten the likes of Michigan
State, Ohio State and Penn State.
C. … Plays two games at
Crisler Center this week, where
it has lost just once this season
and is worth your attention.
8: Without LeVert, the
Michigan men’s basketball
team’s biggest offensive
threat now…
A. … Scored fewer points on
Saturday than the hockey team
did goals this weekend.
B. … Is sophomore forward
Zak Irvin, who is struggling to
stay consistent, according to
Beilein.
C. … Would be Jim Harbaugh,
if he had a year of eligibility left,
who said on College GameDay
that he averaged 19.8 points per
game in high school.
9: Wrestling in the
heavyweight class, captain
Adam Coon…
A. … Has pinned four of his
last five opponents in the Big
Ten conference as a sophomore.
B. … Might be the only man
who could defeat Jim Harbaugh
in a match, but would never get
him to fall (Get it?).
C. … Is ranked No. 7 in the
country according to InterMat
Wrestling, suffering just his
third loss of the season Friday to
the No. 3 wrestler in his class.
10: Michigan hockey coach
Red Berenson, having won
two national championships
in his 31 years at the helm,
said Saturday after his team
scored 13 goals over the
weekend…
A. … “Right now in recent
weeks, we’ve looked like the
team we had in 1997. But we’ve
got a long way to go. Right now
it’s good.”
B. … “Bill Belichick doesn’t
quite understand how funny he
sounds when he uses the word
balls so frequently.”
C. … “Jim Harbaugh averaged
just 19.8 points per game? That’s
cute.”
11: Athletic Director Jim
Hackett…
A. … Hasn’t publicly spoken
in nearly a month, a welcome
change from statements and
controversies involving the
athletic director from the fall.
B. … Has to be smiling with
the direction his department is
heading.
C. … Is still celebrating the
hiring of Jim Harbaugh.
ANSWERS: 1) B. But how
awesome would it be if A were
true? 2) A, B and C. 3) A, B and
C with enthusiasm unknown
to mankind. 4) B and C. But I’m
still curious about A. 5) A. And
unfortunately, B. 6) A and C. 7)
A, B and C. You can watch the
team play Illinois on Monday
and Maryland on Thursday.
8) A and B. Irvin scored 12
points on Saturday, shooting 33
percent from beyond the arc. 9)
A and C. Though B would also
be accepted. 10) A. High praise
from the man who recently
won his 800th game earlier in
January. 11) A, B and definitely
C.
Garno can be reached at
ggarno@umich.edu or on Twitter
@G_Garno. He’ll see you at Rick’s.
GREG
GARNO
JAMES COLLER/Daily
Jim Harbaugh made an appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday.
“I would say
he’s 10 times the
man that he is a
basketball coach.”