2B — Monday, April 2, 2018
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
In the biggest moment of the season, a leader was born
SAN ANTONIO, Texas —
After the game, Jordan Poole sat
by his locker with the radiant
smile that hasn’t left his face
since February.
A television reporter asked
Poole what he’ll say to himself
when he looks in the mirror
Saturday night, knowing he
was going to the national title
game. For the uber-confident,
ever-boisterous Poole, this is his
favorite type of question.
“I’m gonna be like, ‘I look
good,’ ya feel me?”
There isn’t much with Jordan
Poole you don’t see.
His excitement comes across
with every highlight-reel play.
His personality shines through
with every interview and every
new water-related pun that
surfaces by the day. When he
smiles, you see his clear braces,
a
fresh
reminder
that
the
18-year-old’s exuberance is still
very much youthful. When he
gets straddled to the bench for a
careless turnover or ill-advised
shot, you see the frustration.
When he hit the shot, you saw
him run into the Wichita night.
But as his team headed to the
locker room down, 29-22, in
the national semifinal, stifled
by a swarming Loyola-Chicago
defense
and
frustratingly
listless offensive showing, it was
Poole who stepped up.
This time, behind the scenes.
“We
work
so
hard
and
everybody on this team is a
really good player,” Poole said.
“We work behind the scenes and
we know what we’re capable
of doing. Sometimes, if things
aren’t going our way, I know
how really good players think.
You kinda get down, and you can
be a little bit negative. But at this
time, it’s bigger than yourself.
You know what I’m saying?”
Twenty minutes from an
aggravating ending to a magical
run, halftime would seem the
opportune time for a veteran
leader to take a vocal stance.
Instead, Poole took initiative in
the downtrodden locker room.
“Jordan is not a veteran at all,
actually,” said junior forward
Brent
Hibbits.
“But
Jordan
Poole went through each player
at halftime and said, like, what
they were gonna do better in the
second half.”
Added
fifth-
year
senior
Jaaron Simmons:
“He
really,
literally,
went
around
each
player, especially
the starters,”
He
approached
fifth-year
senior
Duncan
Robinson.
Duncan, you haven’t been
shooting well this first half, but
you’re going to come out in the
second half and make shots.
Robinson, a team captain in
his own right, scored all nine
of his points in the second half,
including two key 3-pointers in
the late comeback.
Next was Charles Matthews.
Charles, keep being aggressive.
Land on two feet in the paint.
Just take over.
Matthews
finished with 17
points on 7-of-
12
shooting,
a
continuing
resurgence from
the
redshirt
sophomore who
has been vital
to
Michigan’s
postseason
success.
Then came Moritz Wagner,
the junior responsible for half
of the Wolverines’ first-half
points.
Moe, keep being a beast down
there, they obviously can’t stop
you.
And they didn’t stop Wagner,
who
danced,
dunked
and
dominated his way to just the
third Final-Four performance of
20 points and 15 rebounds.
Next, Poole went straight
to
Zavier
Simpson,
the
comandeering
point
guard
who
entered
the
halftime
locker
room
as
frustrated
as
anyone,
going
0-for-
3 in the first
half with three
turnovers.
X, you’re going to lock the
other team’s point guard up the
entire second half.
The freshman told senior
guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-
Rahkman to just relax, that
his shots would come. He told
Isaiah Livers, his roommate, to
get involved in the game, to be
aggressive in his minutes and
to continue doing the simple
things.
In
the
second
half,
the
Wolverines
scored 47 points,
shooting
57
percent from the
field to win 69-57.
They forced an
overwhelmed
Loyola
squad
into 10 second-
half
turnovers,
holding
the
Ramblers to just
22 points.
Michigan will play Villanova
on Monday night for a national
title, and it has a second-half
blitz — and some halftime
words of encouragment from a
confident freshman leader — to
thank for that.
“It’s impressive, it really is,”
Hibbits said. “Such a big stage,
and such a young kid. I mean,
he’s only 18 or 19 years old.
Obviously he’s never been here
before. But for him to have a
perspective about it himself
really helped the older guys
realize, you know, Jordan Poole,
this outgoing, emotional, young
dude is having a lot of confidence
going into the second half. We
should, too.”
This
was
more
than
a
teammate
offering
words
of
encouragement
for
his
struggling
team.
It
was
a
freshman growing into a role he
knew he could own.
“It’s leadership,” Livers said.
“He can be a natural leader, and
he can be a natural freshman.
I think at this stage now, he’s
going to obviously take that
leadership (role). He may even
be a captain next year. … I won’t
be surprised.”
Poole played four minutes in
the first half, just the eighth-
most
on
the
team,
before
offering an on-court spark with
six second-half points of his
own. Poole’s role has fluctuated
as much as anyone throughout
the
year,
with
Saturday’s
national semifinal being no
different. That didn’t stop him
from taking the reigns of a team
20 minutes from its end.
It’s a moment that won’t
accompany
his
game-winner
on this year’s “One Shining
Moment” but may well be just
as important. You can quantify
a
shot.
You
can’t
quantify
leadership.
“I don’t think I played too
much in the first half, but I
know that Moe was going to
start hitting shots and (Abdur-
Rahkman) was going to start
getting to the basket,” Poole
said. “If you go out there with
a positive mindset and speak
it into existence, everything is
going to go well.
“That’s what happened when
we went out for the second half.”
With Michigan trailing Loyola-Chicago by seven at halftime,Jordan Poole gave a speech that reinvigorated his team
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Freshman guard Jordan Poole took initiative at halftime and approached each teammate with advice — a move that resonated with the Wolverines.
MAX MARCOVITCH
Daily Sports Editor
“... We know
what we’re
capable of
doing.”
“He can be a
natural leader, and
he can be a natural
freshman.”
This only comes around so often
G
ood morning, Ann
Arbor.
If you haven’t heard,
your Wolverines won another
basketball
game Satur-
day night.
They only
have one
more left. It’s
kind of a big
deal.
Just how
big of a deal?
Well,
the Ann
Arbor Police
Department closed down South
University Avenue after the
game. People were rioting.
Police cars were out and about.
Someone climbed a light pole
outside Cantina.
I, for one, was at Skeeps
again. After the game ended, I
watched five grown men take
their shirts off. They had a sur-
prising lack of chest hair.
But I’m not planning on mak-
ing you suffer through another
detailed account of my own
drunken escapade. Instead,
I’d like to provide a predictive
anecdote.
A chance to experience a
national championship in men’s
basketball only comes around
so often (unless you go to North
Carolina). I want to make sure
you do this thing right. So, shall
we begin?
***
9:30 a.m. — Wake up. What’s
that? You slept through your
8:30? That’s ok I’ll cut you some
slack. It’s basically a national
holiday.
9:35 a.m. — Just so we’re
clear, the United States isn’t
recognizing today as a national
holiday. That means your pro-
fessors won’t either, unless they
do, in which case I’d like to
know their name. I’ll buy them
a small gift.
Anyway, you can’t be a com-
plete degenerate. Get in the
shower. You’ve gotta make
your 10 a.m. Sing “One Shining
Moment” if you want to set the
mood.
10:09 a.m. — You get to the
MLB. You wonder how this
building hasn’t been con-
demned yet. You take your seat
in a lecture hall. The professor
asks if people will be watching
the game tonight. Everyone
rolls their eyes.
The only thing keeping you
alive is the thought of Jordan
Poole’s buzzer beater against
Houston. Literally. You’ve
watched it 177 times in this lec-
ture alone.
11:35 a.m. — Your class
should be over, but your profes-
sor has zero respect for Michi-
gan Time. They joke about
making sure that paper is done
by tomorrow morning. No one
is laughing.
11:40 a.m. — This is where
it gets tricky. There are two
types of people.
Choose wisely:
Person
A. You have
another class.
You’re already
late, so you
don’t go. Or you
couldn’t focus
in the last one,
so you don’t
go. Or lunch
sounds really
good right now,
so you don’t go.
But really, your friends have
been texting in your group chat
all morning and are going to
(insert bar here) at noon. Either
way, you’ve missed your second
class of the day.
Person B. You go to the sec-
ond class. Your next professor
makes the same
jokes. You go to
the gym after,
and plan what’s
next. Person A is
already drunk.
They might not
remember the
game. Keep that
in mind.
1:00 p.m. —
Regardless of
your path, you’ll
need to do some
pregame reading.
What’s that? You don’t know
what to read or where to go for
it? Lucky for you, I know some
people.
Read about Michigan being
an underdog. Read about Zavier
Simpson’s matchup with Jalen
Brunson. Read about the losses
that the Wolverines took to get
here. Read about how Michigan
knows it took a bit of luck to
reach the title game.
Read it all on michigandaily.
com. Shameless plug.
2:00 p.m. — Get lunch. Buy a
coffee. You’re gonna be up late
tonight.
4:00 p.m. — If you’re Person
A, you’re already drunk. You
look outside and see a line of
people down the street who
will never make it into the bar
for tip off, or will have to pay
to do so. You smile to yourself.
Skipping that class was worth
it. You reward yourself with
your second — or 11th — pitcher.
If you’re Person B, you
scramble fervently to finish
your schoolwork. You didn’t go
out Friday. You wanted to save
money so you could skip the
line.
5:00 p.m. — Person B throws
on some Michigan gear. You
get to (insert bar here), and pay
that line-skipping fee. As you’re
walking inside, you see some-
one stumbling out of the bar
with the help of two bouncers.
That’s Person A.
8:00 p.m. — Person B is with
their friends, getting settled
in for the game. Person A
wakes up in a panic. They can’t
remember what happened, but
they’re oddly buzzed. They
walk to their friends’ house for
a viewing party.
9:00 p.m. — Go to the bath-
room. Get a beer. No, you can’t
do both at the same time. I
know those two things are
counterintuitive, but this is the
last chance you have before
halftime. Don’t risk it during
the commercials, especially if
you’re Person B.
9:20 p.m. — The game starts.
Breathe.
11:50 p.m. — I’m estimating
here, but the game is over.
Maybe Michigan wins. You
riot and don’t go to bed.
Maybe Michigan loses. You
riot and then you go home and
wonder what could have been.
Regardless of if you’re at a
bar, at a viewing party or sitting
in your bed, you just watched
something you’re never going
to forget.
So again: good morning, Ann
Arbor.
You want the truth? It
doesn’t matter what you do
tomorrow.
You’re going to remember
this for the rest of your life.
Santo can be reached at
kmsanto@umich.edu or on Twitter
@Kevin_M_Santo. Just remember,
the couches have families.
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Ann Arbor residents flooded South University Avenue on Saturday night after Michigan defeated Loyola Chicago to advance to the national championship game.
KEVIN
SANTO
You’re going to
remember this
for the rest of
your life.