8A — Thursday, April 13, 2017
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Offseason report: ‘M’ could lose up to four starters

A year ago, the Michigan 

men’s basketball team lost four 
players — one to the NBA and 
three to transfers — and coach 
John Beilein had to rebuild part 
of the team that would eventually 
win the Big Ten Tournament and 
make the NCAA Tournament 
Sweet Sixteen. 

But the Wolverines’ success 

has brought about some changes 
in the current makeup of the 
team, which may force Beilein 
to 
rebuild 
in 

Ann Arbor once 
again.

The 
Daily 

breaks down all 
of 
Michigan’s 

roster movement 
so 
far 
this 

offseason 
and 

potential moves 
the Wolverines 
have been linked 
to so far.

The Departed:
Leaving the team is a class of 

five seniors in guards Derrick 
Walton Jr. and Andrew Dakich, 
forward Mark Donnal and wings 
Sean Lonergan and Zak Irvin.

Walton 
and 
Irvin 
played 

significant minutes as four-year 
starters and will both look to 
get their names called when the 
NBA Draft comes around. Irvin 
was invited and will attend the 
Portsmouth Invitational, an NBA 
Draft showcase, this weekend.

Currently, in multiple mock 

drafts, neither is projected to be 
picked.

Donnal and Dakich each have a 

year left of eligibility after Dakich 
redshirted this past season and 
Donnal redshirted his freshman 
year. Both are looking at graduate 
transfer opportunities to play one 
more season of college basketball.

The Almost Departed:
Monday, 
both 
sophomore 

forward Moritz Wagner and 
redshirt 
sophomore 
forward 

DJ Wilson declared for the 
NBA Draft. The stipulation is 
that neither hired an agent and 
returning to the Wolverines is a 
possibility.

Both big men likely played 

themselves into the NBA Draft 
with their exceptional play in the 
postseason, showcased by Wilson 
averaging almost 16 points per 
game and Wagner putting up a 
career-high 26 points against 
Louisville.

The duo both showed an ability 

to 
stretch 
the 

floor with 3-point 
shooting, and it’s 
a trait that has 
made Wilson and 
Wagner attractive 
options for NBA 
teams.

The 
declared 

draftees will have 
until May 24th to 
make a decision 
about whether to 

stay in the NBA Draft or not.

Incoming Recruits:
The Wolverines currently have 

three players in their incoming 
freshman class in guards Eli 
Brooks and Jordan Poole and 
forward Isaiah Livers. Poole is 
the highest ranked of the three, 
coming in at No. 88 nationally, 
and will look to push junior guard 
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rakhman 
at the ‘2’ for playing time.

“I think he’s gone from 20, 

30-something assists to 40 or 50, 
now 60 or 70 — I forget what his 
final number was,” said Michigan 
coach John Beilein. “… But yes, he 
can play there, he can guard that 
position.” 

Brooks will slide into the 

position freshman point guard 
Xavier Simpson played this year 
as backup point guard, but could 
push for starting minutes if 
Simpson struggles.

 “Eli (can) definitely (play) 

point and ‘2’,” Beilein said. 
“Jordan can play probably more 
‘2’ or ‘3’, but could be a back up 
point in time. He’s got to work 
on some areas there, but he can 
pass.”

Livers 
recently 
won 
Mr. 

Basketball in Michigan and will 
add depth to the Wolverines’ 
depleted frontcourt.

Michigan is also still in the 

running 
for 
5-star 
forward 

Mohammad 
Bamba. 
Bamba, 

who is the No. 3 prospect in 
the country, has shown himself 
to be dominant inside with a 
long wingspan that makes him 
versatile on both ends of the 
floor. Additionally, the 6-foot-11 

forward has shown the ability to 
shoot from beyond the arc.

Currently, Bamba is down to 

four schools: Duke, Kentucky, 
Michigan and Texas.

If Bamba decides on another 

school, the Wolverines could 
turn to 6-foot-4 guard Shakwon 
Barrett. Barrett has not been 
offered a scholarship yet.

Possible Transfers:
With Wilson and Wagner both 

leaving, their departures will 
leave two more roster spots open. 
One way Beilein could fill the void 
is with graduate transfers who 
would be able to play right away.

Michigan has been linked 

with three such players so far 

in Pittsburgh guard Cameron 
Johnson, Wright State forward 
Mark Alstork and Howard guard 
James Daniel III.

Johnson averaged 11.9 points 

per game last season with the 
Panthers and has a long list of 
suitors including Ohio State, 
Arizona and South Carolina, 
among a multitude of other 
schools. Johnson would have two 
years of eligibility left.

Alstork put up 19 points, 4.7 

rebounds and 3.5 assists per game 
last season at Wright State, and 
there is some familiarity with 
assistant coach Billy Donlon, who 
coached the Rowdy Raiders last 
season.

Alstork has emphasized that he 

is focusing on the NBA Draft first. 
But if that doesn’t pan out, he will 
go the graduate transfer route. 
And if he does, he’ll have a full list 
of interested teams from across 
the country looking for his ability.

Daniel is the most recent 

player Michigan has been linked 
to. While Daniel missed all but 
two games of the 2016-17 season, 
including a loss in Ann Arbor 
back in early November, he has a 
proven record. During the 2015-
16 season, Daniel led the NCAA 
with 27 points per game.

Daniel is down to a final four 

schools of DePaul, Michigan, 
Ohio State and Tennessee. 

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Michigan coach John Beilein will have a busy offseason after DJ Wilson and Moritz Wagner saw their NBA Draft stock rise during the NCAA Tournament.

MINH DOAN

Daily Sports Editor

Wagner and Wilson choose to test NBA waters, leave Beilein with possibility of only one returning starter

“He can play 
there, he can 
guard that 
position.”

Kemp prepared to capitalize
on return to natural position

Carlo 
Kemp 
joined 
the 

Michigan football team as an 
early enrollee in January 2016. 
Though he was just 18 years 
old and playing defensive end, 
new defensive coordinator Don 
Brown decided to try him out at 
linebacker instead.

The idea didn’t exactly pan 

out.

As the rising sophomore 

explained after spring practice 
Tuesday, his first week as a 
Wolverine was ‘pretty rough.’

“I would have traded him 

away for two used footballs,” 
Kemp recalled Brown saying 
about him a year later.

Added Kemp: “I probably 

would have done the same.”

Coming out of high school 

as the No. 42 defensive end in 
the nation according to the 
ESPN300 
rankings, 
it 
was 

expected that he would be 
called upon to play his natural 
position.

Without 
proper 
training 

at linebacker, Kemp simply 
couldn’t keep up.

“I was kind of thrown into 

the fire,” Kemp said. “I didn’t 
really 
know 

anything 
that 

Brown 
was 

saying: ‘Follow 
the 
pulling 

guard, 
watch 

the 
tackle, 

stare into the 
backfield.’ 
… 

I’m 
used 
to 

looking at the 
tackle 
and, 

when he moves, 
I go.”

He came to Michigan at 

260 pounds — the weight of 
a forceful run stopper on the 
line — and had to drop to 250 
in order to play the more agile 
linebacker role. He did it in a 
week.

The weight loss didn’t fix his 

core issues, though. With his 
first few days as a Wolverine 
not going according to plan, 

doubt began to creep into his 
mind. 

“To say (it) didn’t would 

be a lie,” Kemp said. “There’s 
moments where 
you just keep 
messing up in 
practice 
and 

you just don’t 
feel 
like 
you 

can get it.

“But 
you’ve 

got to silence 
your own voice 
and just keep 
coming out to 
practice every 
day and get a 
little bit better 
at something. You’ve got to pick 
one thing every day, and that’s 
how I got through it.”

With his struggles in the first 

year of spring practices, Kemp 
didn’t last long as a linebacker. 
Seeing 
his 
apparent 
flaws, 

Brown switched him back to 
defensive end before last season 
even began.

While he saw action in just 

two games his freshman year, 
Kemp has rediscovered his 
comfort zone at the anchor 
position on the defensive line. 
And in his second year, he has 

shown just how 
valuable that is.

Enjoying 

what 
Michigan 

defensive 
line 

coach 
Greg 

Mattison 
described 
as 
a 

‘very, very good 
spring,’ 
Kemp 

has 
shown 

signs of steady 
growth. From his 
comfort level to 

his understanding of Brown’s 
defense, Kemp has impressed 
the Wolverines so much that 
Brown joked he didn’t even 
recognize the old Kemp.

Expecting to back up Rashan 

Gary this season, Kemp has used 
his fellow rising sophomore as a 
model to improve his level of play.

“He goes in there and sets 

the tempo,” Kemp said. “For 

me backing him up, I want to be 
as close as I can that there’s no 
drop-off. Rashan — we already 
know what he can do. And when 

I come in, I try to 
mimic his game a 
lot so that when 
he’s in and I’m 
in, it almost looks 
the exact same.”

The pair will 

be relied upon to 
help 
Michigan 

replace 
its 

starting defensive 
line 
from 
last 

season — fifth-
year seniors Chris 
Wormley, 
Ryan 

Glasgow and Matthew Godin 
and senior Taco Charlton. Gary, 
part of the backup rotation for 
that quartet, will be expected 
to jump into their vacated 
spots, along with fifth-year 
senior defensive tackle Maurice 
Hurst, rising senior defensive 
end Chase Winovich and rising 
senior defensive tackle Bryan 
Mone.

Behind those four regular 

contributors, much is yet to be 
determined for the Wolverines. 
Kemp has a strong opportunity 
to emerge as a key part of that 
second rotation this season.

“I think that’s the feeling, 

especially across the board, at 
a lot of defensive positions, as 
well as offense,” Kemp said. “A 
lot of guys graduated and you 
can see it now, they’re all in 
the (NFL) Draft getting ready 
to start playing on Sundays. 
This year, spring ball has been 
a good competition of, ‘Who are 
we going to see on Saturdays?”

Back in his original position, 

Kemp is now poised to play an 
important role this season. He 
always had the potential, but 
now he has a shot to bring it to 
fruition in the right position.

“If I was able to get a 

scholarship 
here, 
there’s 

something that at one point 
(former defensive coordinator) 
Mattison saw that gave me the 
scholarship,” Kemp said. “It’s 
just, ‘Make it come true now.’ ’’

BETELHEM ASHAME

Managing Sports Editor

“I didn’t 

really know 
anything that 
Brown was 

saying.”

“I would 

have traded 
him away 

for two used 

footballs.”

