The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
November 30, 2015 — 3B
A journey from
boys to men
John Beilein, having just
watched his team suffer a
16-point loss on its home floor,
offered
a fairly
damning
assessment
of the reason
for the
opponent’s
superiority
Nov. 20.
“They
looked
like men
out there,”
Beilein said, referring to the
Xavier squad that sent fans
packing early from Crisler Center
with a dominant, 86-70 victory.
“Their bodies are strong. They’re
quick. They went right at us.”
If Xavier looked like a group
of men — calm, collected,
physical, confident — Michigan
looked like anything but. The
Wolverines knew what was
coming that night but couldn’t
stop Musketeer big men Jalen
Reynolds and James Farr.
Those two might as well
have walked the crowd through
a PowerPoint presentation
detailing the multitude of
reasons Michigan wasn’t ready
to compete down low. Their
performance ended up being
even more demonstrative.
The Wolverines’ bigs — a
motley crew of Ricky Doyle,
Moritz Wagner, D.J. Wilson and
Mark Donnal — are “trying to
learn to play hard and smart,”
Beilein said. Against Xavier,
they were neither. None of the
four has more than a year’s
experience in college basketball,
and it showed. Michigan was
outrebounded, 47-29. Farr
and Reynolds combined for
23 points. Donnal and Doyle
were plagued by foul trouble
throughout.
The same was true
Wednesday against No. 18
Connecticut, a team that relies
less on scoring in the paint
but proved just as capable of
outmuscling the Wolverines.
In its 74-60 loss, Michigan was
outrebounded, 42-31.
The Wolverines were already
in the Bahamas for that game,
the first round of a remarkably
competitive Battle 4 Atlantis
tournament. As it turned out, all
they needed to right the ship was
a few more days in paradise.
Maybe it was a few rounds on
the water slides, an afternoon by
the pool or a hearty Thanksgiving
meal, but by Thursday night,
the Wolverines had shaken off
the loss. They played like men
Thursday, taking Charlotte to
task in a 102-47 laugher.
No, Charlotte isn’t close to the
caliber of opposition provided
by Connecticut or Xavier. But
Michigan survived on the boards
and maintained its composure
against a physical, talented
Texas team the next night, too,
and telltale signs of the growth
Beilein discusses so often
appeared left and right.
For a 6-foot-10 athlete,
Wagner looks young — younger,
if it’s possible for someone
his size, than his 18 years. But
his boyishness disappeared
against Charlotte. The German
freshman scored 19 points on
Thursday, and added seven more
the next night against Texas.
More importantly, he made
progress on the glass, pulling
down four rebounds in the first
season he’s ever spent actually
thinking about rebounding.
“Europeans, all they do is
teach everybody to play like a
guard,” Beilein said. “He’s got
such great intuitions for the game
that he should be able to figure
out where some of the basketballs
are coming off. Four rebounds
today is big for him. As he grows,
we need him to keep doing that.”
It won’t be until after the
coming offseason — when
Wagner has time to focus on
bolstering his slender 225-
pound frame — that he’ll be able
to match up physically with
Big Ten forwards. Until then,
Wagner can continue to use his
creative, energetic style in the
paint to provide a change of pace
that, if nothing else, will make it
tougher for opponents to adjust
to Doyle when he checks back in.
Doyle, of course, is plenty big.
He’s 25 pounds heavier than
Wagner, all of it muscle. He
needs to learn how to be physical
on defense without fouling, and
to play longer stretches in which
he makes a bigger impact on the
boards. He’s ahead of Wagner in
terms of physicality, but Wagner
has already surpassed him in
terms of craftiness in the paint.
It’s easy to envision the pair
growing into a lethal one-two
punch at center for Michigan.
Wagner’s speed and enthusiasm,
combined with Doyle’s size,
provide enough of a stylistic
difference to make the forward
play unpredictable. Even Wilson,
a redshirt freshman, caught
his coach’s eye Thursday with
a step-across dunk that Beilein
said typically gets blocked.
Add him for a few minutes per
game, and the Wolverines’ play
becomes three-deep and three-
dimensional.
Doyle spent the 2014-15
season proving that he could be
more productive than Donnal
at the ‘5’ spot. Why Donnal, and
not Doyle, started the season’s
first three games is something
of a mystery. Beilein used the
word “overmatched” to describe
Donnal’s performance against
Xavier. There’s not much else to
say, but Donnal and Michigan
learned an early lesson.
Beilein doesn’t seem to mind
too much. Among his preferred
sayings is this: “If you’re gonna
lose, lose early.”
The Wolverines are taking
the recommendation to heart,
as they did in 2013-14. They
started 4-4 that season and came
seconds away from an Elite Eight
win over Kentucky.
Michigan has plenty of work
to do before it reaches that
team’s level, or comes anywhere
close. Being a team that “looks
like men” is an obvious first step.
The Wolverines aren’t a team
that looks like men — yet. But
they’re farther down the road
than they were a week ago. Even
in paradise, there’s no better
motivator than getting beaten up.
Facher can be reached
at lfacher@umich.edu and
on Twitter @levfacher.
SIMON KAUFMAN/Daily
Ricky Doyle and the Michigan big men improved over three games last week.
LEV
FACHER
A ticket to paradise for fans
By SIMON KAUFMAN
Daily Sports Editor
PARADISE
ISLAND,
The
Bahamas — For a handful of
Michigan
fans,
Thanksgiving
turkey was served with a side of
college hoops this year.
Andy and Chrissy Schoonover
— both of whom graduated from
the University in 2005 — have
been attending the Michigan
men’s basketball team’s tropical
Thanksgiving-time tournaments
since 2011, when they went to the
Maui Invitational in Hawaii.
The couple went to watch the
Wolverines play in the Puerto
Rico Tip-Off tournament in
San Juan two years ago, and in
April of this year made plans
to catch Michigan play in the
Battle 4 Atlantis tournament
in the Bahamas. There was
only one problem: Shortly after
making arrangements at the
resort, Chrissy found out she was
expecting.
“We didn’t book a flight until
Thursday — this past Thursday,”
Andy said. “Because we didn’t
think our doctor would let us
come.”
Chrissy’s due date is Dec. 30,
but even the couple’s first child
wasn’t going to stop them from
supporting their first love: the
Wolverines.
“(Our doctor) wouldn’t give us
her blessing,” Chrissy said. “But
she said that I was healthy and
so was the baby, so that meant we
got a flight.”
So, bags packed, the couple
left from their home in Lansing
and headed to warmer weather
accompanied
by
Chrissy’s
mom and aunt. Chrissy’s mom
was sure to remind her that
“Grandma was going to be
here,” just in case there was an
early delivery.
With Michigan’s first two
games of the tournament tipping
off at 9:30 p.m., the family had
the opportunity to relax by the
pool during the day and even ran
into a few Wolverines around the
resort.
“(Andy) got a picture with
Spike
(Albrecht),”
Chrissy
said. “And I got a picture with
(Moritz Wagner) on the beach.
… He looked like he was more
surprised to get a picture with
me than I was with him. It was
so cute.”
Basketball in the Bahamas was
just part of a week of Michigan
sports
the
Schoonovers
had
planned.
The
couple
hoped
Michigan would win its first
game and play in the winner’s
bracket — guaranteeing an early
game Friday, meaning they could
watch all three games. They
booked their return for Friday
night so that they could be back
for the Michigan-Ohio State
football game on Saturday.
But
Michigan
lost
to
Connecticut on Wednesday, and
after a Thursday win against
Charlotte, it was slated for a 7 p.m.
tip off on Friday. So the couple
caught just the first two games,
and took off Friday night to make
it back for the football game.
They said they loved the
Atlantis Paradise Island Resort,
but their trip to Maui was tough
to top.
“Maui was better,” Andy said.
“We did a Nebraska football
game on Saturday, left Sunday
to go to Maui, had basketball
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
left Thanksgiving night to get
back for the Ohio State game
Saturday — won four of the five
games, so that’s ultimate.”
Not every Michigan fan had
the foresight to get back in time
for the football game on Saturday.
When Jay Clothier was planning
his family’s trip to the Battle 4
Atlantis, he didn’t think to check
the football schedule, so they
flew back Saturday during the
Michigan-Ohio State game.
“We got so excited and blinded
by this, I didn’t even realize it was
the same weekend,” Clothier said.
Clothier, who graduated from
the University in 1990, was part
of a group that traveled from
Michigan to the Bahamas for the
tournament.
The
trip
was
originally
his
nephew’s
idea.
Carson
Butterfield, 14, thought up the
vacation when he was watching
the Battle 4 Atlantis last year.
When the field was announced
for this year and Michigan was
included, Carson went to his
grandmother Gaye Butterfield
and suggested the trip.
Gaye,
a
1965
University
graduate, was on board. So were
her sons, Mike and Dave, who
graduated from the University in
1989 and 1991, respectively. The
trip quickly turned into a family
vacation with 24 aunts, uncles
and cousins in total.
Mike
Butterfield,
Carson’s
dad, was a student manager for
the 1988-89 NCAA championship
team and occasionally traveled
with the Wolverines, mostly to
other Big Ten cities, so getting to
watch Michigan in the Bahamas
was a special treat.
“This is a heck of lot better,” he
said. “Let me tell you.”
With two nightcap games, the
family had plenty of time to hang
out by the pool, ride the water
slides and spend a little time in
the casino.
For Gaye, it was the perfect
mix of family time and watching
her alma mater.
“I don’t get all excited about
whether they win or lose,” she
said. “It’s just nice to be there.”
LEV FACHER/Daily
The Bahamas hosted several dozen Michigan fans who spent Thanksgiving watching the Wolverines in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Wolverines beat Oral Roberts
Michigan’s offense
fails to ignite but
still wins sixth
straight game
By BRANDON CARNEY
Daily Sports Writer
The
Michigan
women’s
basketball
team
scored
119
points with ease last Monday,
but that same team struggled to
put up just 61 on Sunday.
The Wolverines put up their
lowest first-half scoring output
of
the
season
with
31
points, but
still managed to notch a 61-44
victory over Oral Roberts (3-3).
Michigan’s starting guards
—
junior
Siera
Thompson,
sophomore Katelynn Flaherty
and senior Madison Ristovski —
had trouble finding any success
from the field early. The trio
combined to shoot 2-for-14 in
the first half.
The starting trio’s scoring
began to pick up in the second
half, as they looked to drive to
the basket rather than strictly
taking outside shots. Flaherty,
Thompson and Ristovski scored
10 points from layups after the
half, and 26 of the Wolverines’
30 second-half points came in
the paint.
“We’re not just shooters,”
Thompson said. “We can go to
the basket as well. We thought if
the shots aren’t falling, we’ll get
points in a different way.”
Thompson did score points
from the free-throw line in
the opening half for Michigan
(6-0). The guard challenged
the Golden Eagles’ guard Bria
Pitts defensively, forcing Oral
Roberts’ leading scorer to the
bench when she picked up
her third personal foul with
6:30 remaining in the second
quarter. Thompson ended the
half leading all guards with
seven points, four of which were
at the line.
With Pitts off the floor, the
Wolverines held the Golden
Eagles to just six points in the
second quarter — forcing them
to go scoreless for more than
four minutes.
“It was a different game than
what we normally see from our
team,” said Michigan coach Kim
Barnes Arico. “Even though we
weren’t scoring and making
shots that we normally make,
the way that
we defended,
hung together
and
stayed
together (was
impressive). It
looked
more
like a regular
basketball
team
where
they’ve missed
some
shots
than
what
they looked like in the first five
games.”
Despite the low first-half
scoring mark, the Wolverines
did find some initial success
going through the low post to
freshman Hallie Thome. The
6-foot-5 center scored six of
Michigan’s first eight points.
Thome’s
inside
presence,
combined with stifling defense,
boosted the Wolverines to a 19-14
advantage in the first quarter.
Michigan forced Oral Roberts
sophomore
guard
Kaylan
Mayberry
into
committing
three turnovers in the opening
quarter,
and
sophomore
forward Jillian
Dunston
and
freshman
guard Boogie
Brozoski were
diving
for
loose balls and
making plays
that
initiated
fast-break
opportunities
on the other end.
Thome was the Wolverines’
most
consistent
source
of
offense Sunday, finishing with
14 points while shooting 7-for-
11 from the field. The freshman
also grabbed eight rebounds,
one behind Dunston’s total,
which led the team.
Despite
the
slow
start,
Thompson finished with a
team-high 16 points and was a
perfect 5-for-5 from the free-
throw line.
Flaherty
had
her
worst
shooting game of the season,
converting just 25 percent of
her shots from the field. She
failed to score any of her five
3-point attempts in a seven-
point performance — her lowest
scoring output of the season.
The Wolverines now head
into the most difficult stretch of
their non-conference schedule,
with a matchup against a quality
Pittsburgh squad and a road trip
to face a fringe-top 25 program
in Princeton in the next week.
Shooting 46 percent and making
only one 3-point shot will not
be enough to challenge its
upcoming opponents, and those
will be the primary problems
Michigan will have to address
in the coming week.
“It’s not just about scoring,”
Barnes Arico said. “Sometimes
you’ve got to be able to defend,
and tonight I was really happy
with the way that we defended.
We’re talking about how we
only scored 61 points, but we
held the other team to 44 points,
so I think we need to take the
positives out of that.”
RITA MORRIS/Daily
Junior guard Siera Thompson led Michigan with 16 points against Oral Roberts.
“We’re not just
shooters. We
can go to the
basket as well.”
BY THE NUMBERS
Michigan Women’s Basketball
1
3-pointer made out of 15 attempts
Sunday vs. Oral Roberts
44
Season-low point total allowed by the
Wolverines on Sunday
68.8
Percentage of Michigan’s points Sunday
scored in the paint
2011-12
The last time Michigan started 6-0, as
it has this season
ORU
MICHIGAN
44
61