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.”