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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