Friday, November 10, 2017 
 
 TIP OFF 2017
5B

dad, has a tendency to show 
itself on the basketball court. He 
pounded his chest and stuck out 
his tongue after big plays. After 
big scoring outputs in games 
against Purdue and Wisconsin, 
his fans were hooked.

“One of my former coaches 

in Germany told me once that 
he thinks I see the basketball 
court as a stage,” Wagner said. 
“That kind of sums it up pretty 
nicely. I really enjoy that type 
of spotlight. I think it’s just my 
thing.”

That increased 

tenfold 
in 
the 

postseason. 
After 
a 
miracle 

run to the Big 
Ten Tournament 
Championship 
and 
a 
shootout 

victory 
over 

Oklahoma 
State 

in the first round 
of 
the 
NCAA 

Tournament, 
the 
Wolverines 

ran into their toughest test: No. 
2-seed Louisville. The Cardinals’ 
size figured to be a problem for 
Wagner, who had struggled on 
defense at times.

But Wagner exploded again. 

He led his team with 26 points, 
further cementing himself as a 
force for Michigan.

Fans weren’t the only ones 

who took notice. Suddenly, NBA 
scouts were watching, and at the 
end of the season, Wagner was 
invited to the NBA Combine. 
Thanks to new rules, he was 

allowed to work out for NBA 
teams and still be eligible to 
return to school.

Right up until the decision 

deadline, Wagner was on the 
fence.

“Even the day he made his 

decision, people had no idea, even 
us close to him,” Hibbitts said. 
“Unless he told us personally, we 
had no idea.”

Added Wagner: “I talked to 

a lot of people, but I kept the 
inner circle as small as possible, 

just because it’s my 
decision.”

Ultimately, 

Wagner 
decided 

to come back for 
one 
more 
year. 

The criticisms he 
received from NBA 
scouts were similar 
to the ones he’d been 
getting all season. 
He 
was 
told 
he 

needed to improve 

his rebounding, his defense, his 
strength and explosiveness. Even 
Wagner admits “it isn’t really big 
news.”

So back to work he went. He 

had been given advice on specific 
skills to improve, but Wagner 
didn’t let that faze him. He was 
more focused on improving his 
game in every facet.

“I hate when people come 

and say, ‘I worked on this all 
summer,’ ” Wagner said. “Like, 
no you’re not, because you’re 
going to shoot too. I always want 
to improve in everything. So, yes, 

I have those things in mind, but 
I know about that type of stuff. 
I just work out like I always do, 
and I focus on certain things, but 
it’s not a huge deal.”

Something 
else 
changed, 

though. There was more attrition 
coming, 
and 
the 
spotlight’s 

intensity was about to increase.

***

Wagner didn’t go to the NBA 

Combine alone. Forward D.J. 
Wilson went too. The difference 
was 
that 
Wilson’s 
feedback 

was positive enough for him to 
make the decision to enter the 
NBA Draft. He was taken by the 
Milwaukee Bucks with the 17th 
pick. Add that to the graduation 
of forward Zak Irvin and guard 
Derrick Walton Jr., and Wagner 
is one of the most experienced 
returning 
players 
for 
the 

Wolverines.

Not 
only 
does 
that 
mean 

heightened 
expectations 
from 

people on the outside, but it 
means he’s expected to take on a 

leadership role on the team, too.

“Now I’ve seen a couple of 

things,” Wagner said. “I’ve been 
to two NCAA Tournaments, and 
I’m one of the more experienced 
guys on the team. I think people 
listen to me and trust me too, just 
as much as I trust them. I think 
I’m one of the vocal guys that 
has to step up his leadership. 
Last year, I was a leader, too. But 
when I made a mistake, it kind 
of slipped under the table a little 
bit. This year, if I make a mistake 
I get held accountable for it, 
because I am one of the leaders.”

Wagner 
still 
has 
all 
his 

aspirations 
in 
front 
of 
him. 

The NBA will still be there 
next season, and his dream of 
opening a Chipotle in Germany 
is attainable from there. But for 
now, he will focus on the little 
things that will get him to that 
point.

That means slightly shifting the 

emotions that have made Wagner 
so beloved — he says he wants 
to cut down on complaining, not 
just on the basketball court, but 
in his entire life.

It 
means 
continuing 
to 

improve his body to make him 
more successful and continuing 
to develop the skills that have 
gotten him this far.

But Wagner is no stranger to 

adapting to change. He did it as 
a freshman, taking the leap to a 
foreign country to play college 
basketball.

He did it as a sophomore, 

thriving 
in 
a 
role 
no 
one 

anticipated he’d have.

Now, the man who calls the 

court his stage is ready to begin 
his third act.

The spotlight is brighter than 

ever. That’s just the way Wagner 
likes it. 

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Junior forward Moritz Wagner has always thought of the basketball court as his stage, and now he has a bigger spotlight than ever to put on a performance for Michigan.

SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily

Junior forward Moritz Wagner will become the focal point of the Wolverines’ offense after an offseason of attrition.

I really enjoy that 

type of spotlight. 

I think it’s just my 

thing.