Friday, November 13, 2015 // Tip Off
8B
Wolverines deep at every position

By KELLY HALL

Daily Sports Writer

Michigan men’s basketball coach 

John Beilein has a lot of options at 
guard. Well, he has a lot of forwards, 
too. This team has no shortage of 
depth. 

Unfortunately 
for 
the 

Wolverines, though, it’s going to 
be difficult to figure out who goes 
where.

 “It’s like, one day somebody 

looks like a million bucks and the 
other guy doesn’t look (as good), 
and then they just switch spots the 
next day,” Beilein said. “Sometimes, 
(having) 
too 
many 
(players) 

makes it more difficult. If there 
was a bunch of veterans and a few 
freshmen, that could distinguish 
who plays because the freshmen are 
so far down the line. But that’s not 
the issue right now.”

 Coming off of a 16-16 season in 

which the Wolverines went 8-10 
in the Big Ten, No. 25 Michigan 
is looking to make a splash after 
failing to make the tournament less 
than a year ago. 

 If all goes to plan, and that’s a big 

“if” considering the injury-plagued 
roster of 2014-15, then Michigan 
will finally have a chance to display 
the talent on its roster. 

 

Point Guard

 
After a toe injury from late 

November caught up to Derrick 
Walton Jr. in January, the then-
sophomore was sidelined for the 
rest of the season. Now, the 6-foot-1 
junior is back, and emphatically so: 
against Le Moyne, he shot 5-for-6 
for 13 points in the 20 minutes that 

he played. 

Though Walton will start for the 

Wolverines, it would be unfair to 
forget about senior Spike Albrecht. 
The 5-foot-11 captain took the reins 
in early 2015, shooting 40.4 percent 
from the field and playing 30-plus 
minutes in 18 games. 

 Having Albrecht is essential 

to Michigan’s roster, and the 
experienced combination of Walton 
and Albrecht will be hard to stop 
in Beilein’s two-guard offense. For 
now, Albrecht is still recovering 
from his offseason hip injuries, but 
you can expect a great deal from 
his senior season. Beilein doesn’t 
expect Albrecht to be at full force 
for a few weeks, at least, but he will 
be playing spot minutes until then. 

Behind Albrecht and Walton is 

Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, 
who will have to fight for minutes 
after playing plenty last season in 
the wake of injuries to the starting 
backcourt. The 6-foot-4 sophomore 
had four double-digit scoring games 
last season and averaged 19 minutes 
per game. Against Le Moyne, he 
went scoreless and played just 12 
minutes.

 

Guard/Forward

 
Caris LeVert is finally back after 

breaking his foot in the beginning 
of the 2014-15 season. Against Le 
Moyne, the 6-foot-7 senior showed 
exactly why he could have left 
Michigan for the NBA, scoring a 
team-high 22 points and shooting 
4-for-9 from beyond the arc. LeVert 
is obviously a lock at the shooting 
guard position. 

Multiple players could see time at 

the small forward position during 

the beginning of the season. Against 
Le Moyne, 6-foot-6 sophomore 
Aubrey Dawkins started but failed 
to impress, shooting just 1-for-11 
from the field. Dawkins was given 
a chance after having a breakout 
freshman season that included 
a career-best 31 points against 
Rutgers in March. 

 Adding even more depth is 

redshirt 
sophomore 
Duncan 

Robinson, who already appears 
to be a fan favorite as a Cinderella 
story from Division III Williams 
College. The lean, 6-foot-8, 210 
pound Robinson doesn’t hesitate 
before throwing up 3-pointers, 
attempting (and sinking) his first 
shot as a Wolverine from beyond 
the arc just a minute after getting 
on the court. 

 

Forward/Center

 
Zak Irvin is still recovering 

from an offseason back surgery. 
According to Beilein, the junior 
has been given the green light to 
play but won’t against Northern 

Michigan on Friday. Beilein is 
waiting for the 6-foot-6 junior to 
give him the go-ahead. Irvin was 
the only Wolverine to start in all 32 
games last season, averaging 14.3 
points per game and 4.8 rebounds. 

Kam 
Chatman 
had 
a 

disappointing 
freshman 
season 

after losing his place in the starting 
lineup, but he has been repeatedly 
commended for his work ethic this 
offseason. The 6-foot-8 sophomore 
started in place of Irvin during 
exhibition but didn’t make much of 
an impact. He’s looked good in other 
preseason practices, however, and if 
he lives up to his coaches’ hype, he’ll 
be in competition for a starting job. 

Freshman Moritz Wagner has 

gotten almost as much attention 
as Robinson this preseason, even 
if it’s mainly because of his accent. 
The lanky, 6-foot-10 German has 
put on nearly 20 pounds of muscle 
this summer, but he still might take 
a redshirt this season. A year of 
conditioning for Wagner could be 
beneficial for the Wolverines, but 
Beilein insists that Wagner will 

earn playing time if he continues to 
perform like he has in practice. 

 After starting 19 games during his 

freshman year at center, Ricky Doyle 
started the exhibition on the bench 
behind junior Mark Donnal. The two 
6-foot-9 big men have been battling it 
out all summer, and Donnal appears 
to have won this round. Doyle is still 
stronger than Donnal, however, and 
has a reputation for his dunks and 
defense. It would surprise most if 
Donnal actually starts for most of the 
season after losing the job last year. 

Redshirt freshman D.J. Wilson 

will need to find his place on the 
court if he wants minutes this 
season, but there’s a decent chance 
he’ll be fighting for time at both 
stretch forward and center. Beilein 
has credited Wilson with picking up 
things at both positions quickly, but 
admits it’s much easier to perform 
when you only have to know one. 
The redshirt freshman has added 
25 pounds of muscle in the past 
year, and is a threat at 6-foot-10. 
Wilson will most likely get the bulk 
of his time backing up the big men. 

GRANT HARDY/Daily

Junior guard Derrick Walton Jr. is healthy again after an injury-riddled 2014-15 season and will run the point for the Wolverines.

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