The past week has been a whirlwind
for Michigan Athletics. From elite
talent leaving the campus in Ann Arbor
to promising young stars entering it,
there has been a lot to smile about for
the Wolverine faithful.
It seems fitting that an academic
year
filled
with
excitement
for
Michigan teams would feature a
similar level of off-season drama. This
past year, Wolverine squads performed
miraculous postseason runs, strung
together awe-inspiring win streaks and
even boasted a national champion.
There’s no doubt that this level of
sustained success has inspired current
and future generations of Michigan
fans and student-athletes. And that
inspiration has played out in a flurry
of off-season news. The Daily breaks
down the five events in five days
that defined the upcoming season of
Wolverine Athletics.
June 21st: Moe Wagner drafted
25th overall
Further filling the Michigan-to-
NBA pipeline is now-former Wolverine
guard Moe Wagner. The 6’11” German-
native was selected by the Los Angeles
Lakers with the 25th pick in the draft.
Wagner has had a dream career
with Michigan, leading his teams to
back-to-back Big Ten titles in 2017 and
2018 and an appearance in the national
title game.
Wagner led the team with 14.6
points and 7.1 rebounds per game in his
final year with the Wolverines. His elite
blend of post moves and three-point
ability made him a unique talent that
the Lakers just couldn’t pass up.
Wagner’s
first-round
selection
makes him the seventh first-round
selection in the last six years from
Michigan under head coach John
Beilein, further cementing the elite
status of the men’s basketball program
in collegiate circles.
As Wagner now looks to undertake
bigger and better things, the new
wave of talent entered Crisler Center
this week as well. A highly-touted
recruiting class will now play under
Beilein featuring top-tier in-state
talents Brendan Johns and David
DeJulius who hope to hear their names
called at the draft some day.
June
22nd:
Quinn
Hughes
selected 7th overall
Not to be shown up, Quinn Hughes
wanted to represent Michigan well at
the NHL Draft where he was selected
7th overall by the Vancouver Canucks.
Hughes was the second defenseman
taken off the board, coming in behind
the No. 1 overall pick Rasmus Dahlin
who is largely touted as a once-in-a-
generation defenseman.
Projected to be selected in the No.
4 - No. 8 range in the draft, Hughes fell
a few spots before the Canucks stole
Hughes at No. 7.
As a freshman and the youngest
hockey player in the NCAA, Hughes
anchored an elite Michigan defensive
line with his unrivaled speed and vision
for the game. Using his famed skating
ability, Hughes thrives in transition and
will look to quarterback Vancouver’s
defensive line of the future.
Scoring five goals and 24 assists in
his first season with the Wolverines,
the only downside to Hughes’ game
appears to be his size. Coming in at 5’10”
and 175-lbs. Hughes will undoubtedly
need to bulk up before he’s ready for
the bruising size of the average NHL
player.
From here, Hughes’ future is
uncertain. His next step will either
be to play another year at Michigan
to develop his game or see if he’s truly
ready for the next level.
June 22nd: Chris Webber accepts
invitation to return to Michigan
On
Friday,
former
Wolverine
basketball
legend
Chris
Webber
agreed to return to Ann Arbor to be
an honorary captain for the Michigan
football team next season.
Since his time on the Fab Five in
the early 1990’s, Webber has yet to set
foot on campus or reunite with his
old teammates since he was banished
from Michigan for 10 years. The exile
came after Webber committed NCAA
violations during his time in college and
an illicit involvement with booster Ed
Martin — a scandal that saw Webber
plead guilty for criminal contempt in
2002.
After the ban was lifted in 2013,
Webber’s return marks the beginning
of healing for a period of Wolverine
history mired in regret.
“I want every player that ever
played here to feel like he’s a part of the
building, including Chris and anyone
else,” Beilein said. “And we’re a part
of your program, and that’s the never
ending quest with every player, not just
Chris and the Fab Five. We’re really
looking forward to the day we get him
back here.”
June 24th: Michigan football
lands three big recruits
For a team struggling to find NCAA
success and desperately trying to will
itself into the playoffs, it all starts with
recruiting. Particularly, getting high-
level recruits to choose your program
over the likes of your biggest rivals.
And that’s exactly what Michigan
accomplished on Sunday.
The Wolverines hauled in three
recruits highlighted by four-stars Mazi
Smith and Zach Charbonnet playing
defensive tackle and running back,
respectively.
Both
coming
from
in-state
programs, Smith and Charbonnet add
to an already stacked 2019 recruiting
class and bring Michigan coach Jim
Harbaugh’s in-state recruit total to
seven.
Now, according to 247sports.com,
the Wolverines have the fifth-ranked
2019 recruiting class and the highest-
ranked class in the Big Ten.
Joining Smith and Charbonnet in
committing to Michigan on Sunday
is three-star tight end Erick All Jr.
who will add even more depth in the
Wolverines’ locker room.
Prior to the surge of commits, the
recruiting tone was set early that
weekend with three-star safety Joey
Velazquez committing to Michigan to
play football and baseball, bringing the
weekend commitment total to four.
June 25th: Wolverines add yet
another recruit
But Harbaugh wasn’t done there.
The very next day, three-star
cornerback D.J. Turner III announced
his intent to play with Michigan via
Instagram. The commitment brought
the Wolverines’ recruiting rampage
total to five on the weekend and
elevated their ranking to fifth overall.
From
Thursday
to
Monday,
Michigan was gifted with good news
after good news from the old to the
new. From watching its stars go to the
pros or watching new ones come in, this
weekend will certainly be referred to as
a turning point for Michigan Athletics.
12
Thursday, June 28, 2018
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS
JACOB KOPNICK
Summer Managing Sports Editor
DESIGN BY JACK SILBERMAN