6A — Thursday, January 4, 2018
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Winovich announces his return to Michigan
Chase Winovich didn’t dream
of the NFL in high school.
Ask him if he always wanted
to play professional football, and
he’ll recount a memory from his
junior year at Thomas Jefferson
High
School.
Then-Florida
State
defensive
coordinator
Sal
Sunseri
approached
him, asking if he
wanted to play in
the NFL.
Winovich
told
him
yes,
but admitted in
November
that
he didn’t know what the future
held. He was just three months
removed from getting his first
college offer, had just switched
positions and was still “trying to
make it” in high school.
But he made it there. He made
it in college too, despite plenty of
obstacles that stood in his way.
Now, despite the opportunity
to
declare
for
the
NFL
Draft,
Winovich
announced
Wednesday, via Twitter, that he
will be returning to Michigan for
his final year of eligibility.
With the decision, Winovich
will spend 2018 finishing out what
has been a whirlwind career.
He
came
to
Ann Arbor to play
SAM linebacker
under
Brady
Hoke, moved to
tight end upon
Jim Harbaugh’s
arrival, hurt his
PCL in a ensuing
Spring
Game
and pulled his
hamstring during
the first week of
camp.
He found himself as the sixth
or
seventh-string
tight
end,
relegated to another year of scout
team snaps, before eventually
being moved back to defense
during Michigan’s 2015 Citrus
Bowl practices.
It was a move Winovich
once equated to LeBron James’
Cleveland homecoming. More
modestly, his teammates said
he had finally found a home at
defensive end.
It’s not an unheard of journey
in college football, but that doesn’t
make it any less difficult. How
Winovich turned that journey
into a potential
NFL
contract
is perhaps best
summarized
by
Matt
Thompson
—
a
former
Michigan
quarterback and
one of Winovich’s
best friends.
“I
think
the one of the
funniest
quotes
that I ever heard about Chase
was (when) I was talking to
my mom,” Thompson said in
November. “And she just met
Chase, she loved Chase. And she
said, ‘Too bad Chase wasn’t born
in another era, he could’ve been
the next Alexander the Great or
something.’ ”
Hyperbole
aside,
it’s
an
accurate summary of Winovich.
That sort of drive is what
prompted an honest, inward
inspection
from
Winovich
when he was asked what would
motivate him to return to Ann
Arbor on the Thursday prior to
the Outback Bowl.
“As a Michigan
football
player
there’s not a lot
of things that I
can really say we
did,”
Winovich
said then. “We
lost to Michigan
State this year.
Two
years
ago we lost to
Michigan State.
I could just go
on and on about those losses. And
we’ve just been so close. It’s just a
matter of, I don’t know, hanging
my hat on something.”
Hanging his hat on something,
however, may not be as simple as
wins and losses.
After all, Winovich watched
firsthand
as
Brady
Hoke’s
final season unfolded, and the
Wolverines finished 5-7.
He has been in Ann Arbor as
Jim Harbaugh helped revive the
program, even if this year’s 8-5
finish is a marked regression —
his role increasing all the way.
And it’s for those reasons that
a prior admission may offer a
more nuanced insight. Sitting on
the second floor of Schembechler
Hall
in
early
November,
pondering the question of what
he wanted to do after college if
the NFL wasn’t his primary focus
in high school, Winovich reached
one conclusion.
“I just wanted to be a Michigan
man and help make this program
great again,” he said then. “Even
if I don’t personally win a national
championship. I know damn
well that when I leave, Michigan
football is in a better state than
when I left it. That’s something I
can hang my hat on at the end of
the day.”
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Redshirt junior defensive end Chase Winovich announced his decision to return for his final season Wednesday.
Redshirt junior could have entered the NFL Draft, but opted not to
“It’s just a matter
of, I don’t know,
hanging my hat
on something.”
“Michigan
football is in a
better state than
when I left it.”
KEVIN SANTO
Daily Sports Writer
Wagner struggling since return from foot injury
There’s never an opportune
time for an injury.
That’s especially the case
when the injury happens to a
team’s second-leading scorer.
Yet,
when
junior
center
Moritz
Wagner
rolled
his
ankle Dec. 12 against Texas, it
seemed like it was coming at as
ideal a time as any. Michigan
overcame the injury to beat
the Longhorns, and then it
had matchups against Detroit,
Alabama A&M and Jacksonville
— games the Wolverines were
likely to win with or without a
healthy Wagner.
And Wagner returned to
action in a timely fashion —
just over two weeks after being
injured — against the Dolphins.
Now, it seems the injury has had
lingering effects. Wagner has
shown signs of discomfort with
a lack of production in his two
games since his return. In his
20 minutes against Jacksonville,
Wagner scored a season-low
seven points. Tuesday, against
Iowa, he beat that by scoring just
four points in his 16 minutes.
“He’s just not right after the
injury. He’s just not right,” said
Michigan coach John Beilein
after the game against the
Hawkeyes. “We’ve just got to
get back, and he’s got to get, you
know, when it’s your feet, he was
really
tender,
and
he
was
walking funny.
Now he’s fine,
but getting that
back.
“If
any
of
you have ever
had an injury to
your foot, and
then, when you
get that cast off,
you don’t even
know, it feels so funny. He’s just
not himself with his feet. He’s
way off balance. We’ve just got
to get back to basics with him.
And I’m concerned about it,
because this is something, we
need Moe Wagner.”
And the Wolverines will need
Wagner soon. After Michigan
hosts Illinois – one of the lesser
Big Ten teams – it encounters
Purdue and Michigan State,
arguably the two best teams in
the conference.
The
Boilermakers
and
Spartans also get a majority of
their production from their size.
Both have skilled big men who,
even with a healthy Wagner,
will likely pose a
problem for the
Wolverines.
So
there
is
a bit of a sense
of
urgency
when
it
comes
to
Wagner’s
recovery. Beilein
says
it
is
no
longer a matter of
time. Wagner is
healthy, but now
they just have to get him back
into the shape he was in before
the injury.
“I think we’re ready to dive
in right now,” Beilein said. “I
think he’s healthy, but it was
like, okay, yesterday in practice,
this was his first day that I felt
we could really go at him, but
we had a game the next day. So,
we’ve got to get him, tomorrow’s
a day off. Thursday, we’ve got to
get his cardio up, and we’ve got
to get his balance back. He’s off
balance. We’ve just got to get
him more fundamentally sound
again.”
If Wagner can revert to his old
form soon, then the point will be
moot. The last two games will be
looked back on as a blip on the
radar of an otherwise successful
season.
Sophomore center Jon Teske
has been able to relieve any stress
caused by Wagner’s slow return,
as he had seven points and six
rebounds against Iowa and has
been a key defensive mainstay
when he’s in the game. But as
Beilein said, Michigan needs
Wagner. It needs his 15.6 points
per game and 7.8 rebounds per
game he was averaging before
the injury.
Not only do the Wolverines
need Wagner to be himself
again, but with tough games
against the class of the Big Ten
on the horizon, they will likely
need it sooner rather than later.
RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily
Junior center Moritz Wagner has struggled in the two games since his return from a foot injury that he suffered in Michigan’s Dec. 12 game against Texas.
“I’m concerned
about it, because
... we need Moe
Wagner.”
MIKE PERSAK
Managing Sports Editor
Wolverines favored to
win against Wisconsin
Thursday,
the
Michigan
women’s basketball team has
another chance at history.
With 123 career victories,
coach Kim Barnes Arico sits
tied with Sue Guevara for the
most in the program history.
This will be the Wolverines’ (1-1
Big Ten, 12-3 overall) second
attempt to put their coach atop
the all-time list after losing this
past Sunday to No. 18 Iowa.
But No. 22 Michigan should
feel confident to do so against a
meager Wisconsin squad.
While the Badgers record
(0-2,
7-8)
isn’t
atrocious,
statistically, they’re a mess.
Wisconsin ranks dead last in
the Big Ten in points per game
(63.3), blocked shots (45) and
three-point percentage (.286).
They
also
rank
second-to-
last in free-throw percentage
(.664) and steals (90). To make
matters worse, they’re third
worst in turnover margin (-2.1),
scoring margin (0.1), field goal
percentage (.405). and three-
pointers per game (4.9).
And
despite
being
a
conference
matchup,
don’t
expect
much
support
from
the Badgers fans, who are as
reliable as the team is on the
court. Wisconsin is last in the
Big Ten in attendance.
Unfortunately
for
the
Badgers, the conference title
isn’t decided based on defensive
rebounding percentage, where
they rank first at .734. But
even this is nullified when
considering
that
they
rank
10th in offensive rebounding;
this deficiency should only be
amplified by Michigan’s first
ranked defensive rebounding.
These overall pitiful numbers
only project to be even worse
against a staunch Wolverine
team.
Under
the
leadership
of
senior guard Katelynn Flaherty
and
senior
forward
Jillian
Dunston,
Michigan
hasn’t
just been beating teams – but
dominating them.
The
Wolverines
have
outscored their opponents by an
astounding 17.5 points and have
won by a double digit scoring
margin in all but two victories.
Expect more of the same on
Thursday.
Look for scoring catalyst
Flaherty – who averages 22.8
points per game – to have a
field day against a poor Wisco
defense. Oh yeah, don’t forget
Hallie Thome. The junior center
has been tearing up defenses
down low, averaging 16 points
and 7.1 rebounds.
And
don’t
expect
the
deplorable Badgers’ offense to
suddenly come alive. Michigan’s
defense has been as good, if not
better, than its offense. The
Wolverines rank second in the
Big Ten in defense, allowing
just 58.7 points per game.
The
defensive
anchor
this season (and last) has
undoubtedly
been
Dunston.
The forward is fourth in the
conference with 9.9 rebounds
and 12th in steals with 1.8. What
makes
Dunston
particularly
potent is her ability to guard
multiple
positions.
Barnes
Arico has often pointed out
how Dunston usually defends
the other team’s best player
regardless of position.
So don’t be surprised to see
Dunston matched up against
guard Cayla McMorris. The
senior received a nod as a All-
Big Ten Honorable Mention in
2017 and is currently averaging
14.6 points.
But it would realistically take
a career day from McMorris
for Wisconsin to come out
triumphant.
Especially considering that
despite Barnes Arico finding
success in years prior, and
holding the program’s highest
winning percentage at .651, this
may be her best squad yet.
So yes, even coming off a
loss, the Wolverines should feel
buoyant in their ability to get
Barnes Arico that illustrious
win.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
HUNTER SHARF
Daily Sports Writer
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Loss to Ohio State still
on the mind of Michigan
After
Iowa
trimmed
Michigan’s 18-point lead to 12 at
halftime, nobody on the visiting
bench was comfortable.
That
discomfort
grew
exponentially
when
the
Hawkeyes began the second
half with a quick 5-0 run to
trim the once expansive lead to
just seven. Iowa forward Tyler
Cook was having his way down
low, the defense was beginning
to feed off the crowd and after
a blazing 8-for-11 start from
beyond the arc, the Wolverines
couldn’t buy a bucket.
It was déjà vu all over again.
Just four weeks prior — on
the road against Ohio State —
Michigan coughed up a 20-point
first half lead, scored just 18
second half points and left
Columbus winless and with an
identity crisis to repair.
“We couldn’t make a basket
and we couldn’t make a bright
play in that time,” said Michigan
coach John Beilein. “When
things got a little tough, we really
had trouble stepping up. So it’s a
big area we’ve got to work at. But
also at other times in the game,
when there are simple plays to
be made, we make them.
“I called every number I could
call, and it didn’t happen.”
This time, in need of a
spark, he called number ‘4’ and
freshman forward Isaiah Livers
answered the bell. Combined
with
a
commandeering
performance from sophomore
point guard Zavier Simpson
and nine key second-half points
from senior guard Muhammad-
Ali
Abdur-Rahkman,
the
Wolverines escaped with a 75-68
road win to push its conference
record to 2-1.
But when asked after the
game Tuesday about whether
the loss to the Buckeyes ever
came to mind during Iowa’s
comeback effort, Livers hardly
waited for the question to end.
Instead of shying away from
the most embarrassing loss of
the season, Livers and his team
have embraced it.
“That’s all we talk about all
season,” Livers said with clarity
and vigor. “That we can’t come
out here in the second half and
let them come hit us. We’ve got
to hit them before they hit us.”
A back-breaking loss like
that can send a team in either
direction. For some teams —
especially young teams like this
one — blowing a 20-point lead
against a conference foe can
send it into a downward spiral.
For others, it can galvanize a
response. Last season, after a
16-point loss at Illinois, Illini
forward
Maverick
Morgan
called the Wolverines a “white-
collar
team.”
Michigan,
of
course, blew Illinois out in
the first round of the Big Ten
Tournament, en route to a Big
Ten Tournament Title and a
Sweet 16 appearance. A clear
turning point in the season,
the Wolverines even posted the
quote throughout the locker
room and referenced the dig
several times throughout the
season.
That loss changed Michigan’s
season. Livers believes the loss
at Ohio State could have the
same effect.
The Wolverines have won
each of their six games since
that
collapse
in
Columbus,
and the win in Iowa was their
staunchest evidence that the
loss has been a motivator, not a
deterrent.
“I think that’s going to help
us going forward in the season a
lot,” Livers said. “I’m pretty sure
that’s a key point in our season,
is that loss. I’m not happy we
lost, but I’m kinda glad because
we can learn from (it).”
MAX MARCOVITCH
Daily Sports Editor