Donlon brings intensity on ‘D’
Meet Billy Donlon, Michigan’s
new defensive coordinator.
And before you start to fret,
don’t worry, Don Brown still has
his job. Instead, Donlon is one
of the latest additions to John
Beilein’s staff — filling the void
left by LaVall Jordan and Bacari
Alexander’s departure last April.
Donlon comes to the Michigan
carrying
ample
coaching
experience, most recently as the
head coach at Wright State.
At the Wolverines’ team media
day Monday, Beilein put trust in
that experience, explaining that
his new assistant will essentially
be taking the reigns on the
defensive end of the floor.
“I’m giving him a lot of
responsibility for the defense,”
Beilein said. “He’s got my eye and
the detail we do in offense, I think
he’s got a similar eye for defense. …
I’ve tried to really sit back. When
(you allow teams to) score 47
percent like we did last year, we
had to have a different mindset in
practice and our players needed to
have a different mindset.”
Donlon’s path to Michigan
started
long
before
April,
and perhaps long before he
considered the possibility. In
fact, it started 20 years ago as a
point guard at North Carolina-
Wilmington, where he competed
“mostly unsuccessfully” against
Richmond when Beilein was a
coach there.
Beilein recalled how difficult
it was to score against the
Seahawks,
and
his
respect
for Donlon’s coaching ability
stemmed from the way Donlon
was
coached
himself.
They
stayed in touch ever since UNC-
Wilmington faced the Spiders
in the 1998 Colonial Athletic
Conference
Tournament
championship game.
Fast-forward to last March,
and Donlon had been fired by
Wright State despite leading
his team to the Horizon League
championship game for the third
time in four years. And then he
got a phone call from Beilein.
There
weren’t
any
job
opportunities at Crisler Center
yet. Beilein called as a friend,
but when Jordan and Alexander
accepted
coaching
offers
at
Milwaukee
and
Detroit,
respectively, the stars aligned.
“To be honest with you, it just
shows you the kind of person
Coach (Beilein) is because I didn’t
play for Coach,” Donlon said.
“At that time he didn’t have any
openings yet. …I called him when
an opening happened and we just
started talking.
“All those phone conversations
from there were very little about
the job. His passion for the game
is off the charts. You can be on the
phone with him for a great amount
of time just talking basketball.
That’s really what we did.”
Now
coaching
alongside
the man he played against,
Donlon’s respect for Beilein is
evident. He was quick to say
being the Wolverines’ defensive
coordinator is an overstatement
— and that Beilein is still calling
the shots for this team, which
he undoubtedly is. But Donlon’s
comments may have had a bit too
much humility.
Beilein estimated that Wright
State was ranked around 100th
nationally in transition defense,
while Michigan was roughly
100 spots lower. And last season,
Donlon’s Raiders were ranked
37th nationally in team defense,
allowing 65.8 points per game.
The Wolverines didn’t crack the
top 50 in the same category.
Without a doubt, there is
a discrepancy in the level of
competition between the two
programs. It didn’t help that the
Wolverines were without one of
their best perimeter defenders
in Caris LeVert, either. But that
doesn’t mean Donlon’s approach
can’t be effective in Ann Arbor.
While the Wolverines won’t
be going through a complete
overhaul, Donlon’s experience
running the “pack line” variation
of
the
man-to-man
scheme
at Wright State will certainly
add a new wrinkle to Beilein’s
defensive playbook.
“We’re a gap team, and the gap
really is very similar to the pack
line,” Donlon said. “The pack line
is a little lower. In the gap, you’re
a little closer, in terms of you’re
up the line a little bit more. So
you’re one step off the line of the
ball and your man versus maybe
two steps in the pack line.
“…The great thing about both
of those, you can easily go from
the gap to the pack line and then
back because they’re so similar. ”
The emphasis is on more than
just defensive sets, though. Beilein
hopes he and Donlon can find a
middle ground when it comes to
fouling on defense. Last season,
Michigan averaged 15.6 fouls
while Wright State averaged 22.1.
It’s not every day you hear a
coach say he wants to foul more,
but for a team that has been
occasionally dubbed as soft, a touch
of physicality in the right situations
could go a long way. If the coaching
duo can strike that balance, the
Wolverines could change that
reputation, and quickly.
Though
Donlon
has
been
tasked
with
recalibrating
Michigan’s defense, he will also
serve as a coach for the Wolverine
backcourt. With senior guard
Derrick Walton Jr. leading the
charge, freshman Xavier Simpson
and
junior
Muhammad-Ali
Abdur-Rahkman,
he
certainly
has plenty of ammunition to work
with.
But
more
than
anything,
Donlon is caught in a game of
catch up, trying to bring the
Wolverines’ defense up to par
with
its
perennially
potent
offense. It’s no easy task.
But if someone is going to
achieve it, it seems the guy who
shut down John Beilein’s team in
1998 is the man for the job.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
KEVIN SANTO
Daily Sports Editor
8 — Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
‘M’ needs Kile more than ever
W
hen Alex Kile came to
Michigan, he wasn’t
expected to be a leader.
He entered
his freshman
year side by
side with JT
Compher and
Tyler Motte,
two forwards who donned ‘C’ and
‘A’ patches on their jerseys in their
tenures and now find themselves
in NHL training camps.
His sophomore year, all of
the buzz surrounded Dylan
Larkin, a player who is now an
All-Star forward for the Detroit
Red Wings. And as a junior, his
fellow recruiting class members
— Compher and Motte — were
joined by Kyle Connor to form
the most lethal offensive line in
the country. Connor won the Big
Ten Player of the Year award,
and, you guessed it, has now
moved on to the NHL.
After Sunday’s exhibition win
against Windsor, the Wolverines
announced that they will be
without even more talent from
last season. Sophomore forward
Cooper Marody, the team’s
second leading returning scorer,
has been deemed ineligible for
the first semester of the season.
But Kile remains. And on a
team that is laden with freshmen
and questions of where production
will come from, he has been
thrust into the spotlight — named
co-captain along with senior
defenseman Nolan De Jong. Now
is his time to take center stage.
Kile has taken on the role with
grace. The senior is clearly aware
that he is being watched more
closely now — and not just by
outsiders waiting to see what the
Wolverines can do this year, but
also by his own teammates.
“The biggest thing for me is
just leading by example on the
ice and off the ice,” Kile said last
Thursday. “I feel like these guys
all look up to me, and they look
up to all of the seniors. So you
just have to bring it every single
day — work hard in the weight
room and work hard on the ice.”
And it’s not as if the senior isn’t
physically equipped to take over
his heightened role. Last season
was the best of Kile’s career at
Michigan. He appeared in 38
games for the Wolverines and
notched 34 points in total, good
enough for fifth-best on the team.
But Kile certainly has a
different cast around him now.
The senior is flanked on the first
line by freshmen Will Lockwood
and Jake Slaker, a line that head
coach Red Berenson knows is
vital to the success of the team.
“I think it’s really important
who he plays with because he
has to be a factor in this year’s
team — a big factor.” Berenson
said after the team’s exhibition
win against Windsor Sunday.
“And we thought the best fit right
now was for him to play with
these two freshmen: Slaker and
Lockwood. They’re coming in
with a lot of momentum, a lot
of confidence, and they seem to
have fit with Alex Kile.”
Even if Lockwood and Slaker
are able to surpass expectations
and make strong contributions,
they will surely need some
time to adjust to the speed of
college hockey. And Kile will be
expected to aid in their transition
and anchor the first line while
the freshmen get comfortable.
The line had a fairly good debut
against the Lancers. Though they
weren’t involved in either of the
team’s goals, Kile, Lockwood
and Slaker combined for 12 of
Michigan’s 36 shots on goal.
But that performance won’t
be enough to quell the concerns
of where the Wolverines will
replace last season’s production.
For without former classmates
Compher and Motte, without
former leading scorers Larkin
and Connor, and now without
Marody, Alex Kile is the face of
the program.
And if he is unable to fill
those shoes, the Wolverines
will be once again searching
for somebody else to produce —
something the team likely can’t
afford to do.
MIKE
PERSAK
On Ice Hockey
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Alex Kile will be relied upon to carry Michigan’s scoring load early this season.
GRANT HARDY/Daily
Michigan assistant coach Billy Donlon will be tasked with revitalizing the Michigan basketball team’s defense.
New season beckons for ‘M’
Back in March, the Michigan
men’s basketball team’s season
ended with a crushing loss in
the first round
of the NCAA
Tournament.
Seven months after that
70-63 loss to Notre Dame,
things are drastically different
around the program.
Gone from the team is Caris
LeVert (who ended up with the
Brooklyn Nets after being taken
20th overall in the NBA Draft),
a trio of then-sophomores in
Aubrey Dawkins, Ricky Doyle
and Kam Chatman (all of whom
transferred to other schools),
and Spike Albrecht, who left
the program to join Big Ten
rival Purdue for his final year
of NCAA eligibility.
Also
gone
are
assistant
coaches Bacari Alexander and
LaVall Jordan. In their places
are Billy Donlon, a former
head coach at Wright State,
and
Saddi
Washington,
a
former associate head coach at
Oakland.
But Michigan coach John
Beilein has stayed put, and he’s
ready to lead the Wolverines
in their quest to return to the
NCAA Tournament.
COMPETITION
DOWN
LOW: Going into the new
season, one of the biggest
questions is who will play
down
low
for
Michigan.
While freshman center Jon
Teske and freshman forward
Austin Davis could eventually
get minutes down low, the
competition for the starting
spot at the ‘5’ will be between
senior forward Mark Donnal
and
sophomore
forward
Moritz Wagner.
While the duo combined for
just over 10 points per game
last season, they will be relied
on heavily to contribute on
both ends of the court.
Additionally,
sophomore
forward
D.J.
Wilson
and
redshirt junior guard Duncan
Robinson will duke it out for
the starting role at the ‘4.’
And while one player will
pull ahead and take the starting
slot, there is no question that
the depth behind them will
be experienced — something
that cannot be said at guard,
where freshmen Ibi Watson
and Xavier Simpson will be
relied on.
“We have experienced depth
with the bigger guys,” Beilein
said. “That’s really good to
have veteran depth, guys who
have played for a year, at least.”
LEADERSHIP
SHIFT:
Four years ago, senior guards
Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak
Irvin came to Michigan as
heralded recruits. Both played
instantly and made a sizable
impact
even
as
freshmen.
Now, in their last season at
the University, their role has
changed quite a bit.
Irvin and Walton have taken
a larger leadership role, not
only as players who lead by
example, but also in their vocal
presence in the locker room.
And it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“Ever since this summer,
I’ve seen tremendous growth
in (Zak and Derrick) in being
able to lead and speak and
push and encourage with the
younger guys,” Beilein said.
Added Robinson: “They both
kinda realize that it’s their last
year here. There’s more of a
sense of urgency, and they
understand that we have the
capabilities to accomplish a
lot of great things. As seniors,
they’re trying to put us in
the best position to make it
happen.”
MINH DOAN
Daily Sports Editor
NOTEBOOK