Tuesday, November 6, 2018 // TIP OFF 2018
6B
Players, assistants, opponents reflect on Beilein ahead of 800th win
Tuesday night against Norfolk
State, Michigan coach John Beilein
will begin his 37th season as an
NCAA head coach. Along the way,
he has collected 799 career victories,
from Division III Nazareth College
to his current 11-year tenure with the
Wolverines. Ahead of his 800th win,
The Michigan Daily spoke to former
players, assistants and opponents to
learn about their experiences with
Beilein.
Patrick Beilein, son; guard,
West Virginia, 2002-06; graduate
assistant, Michigan, 2008-10
I would just remember always
being excited to go to the gym
with him for practice or a game. I
remember if I couldn’t go to a game
with him because it was too late on a
school night, I would give him a toy,
one of my favorite toys that I thought
would give luck, and he would put
it in his suit. So that was just big
growing up, we looked forward to
the basketball season because we
would be able to go to the games,
practice but also be around the game
that I obviously grew up to love.
Once I got older, once I got into
high school, I was able to play with
the University of Richmond guys in
the summer and in the spring. So
that was good for my development.
But at a young age, my brother and
I, we would just be there at the gym,
and we’d be on the side, whether
dribbling a ball or chasing each other
around, getting into trouble. So that’s
how it was.
***
It was great (playing for him),
I called him ‘Dad’ on the sideline
all the time just cause that was
the
relationship
we
had.
My
favorite moment, like kinda a son-
father moment, was going into
my sophomore year, he pulled me
aside. And I thought I had a decent
freshman year, he had brought in
new guys, and I was kinda going
through the motions to begin the
start of sophomore year because I
played my freshman year, I thought
I was a big shot. He pulled me to
the side and said, ‘When’s the last
time you’ve taken a charge, dove for
a ball, boxed somebody out so hard
that they fell over? Would you stop
being a pretty boy and play the game
the way you were taught to play?’
After that, I know that practice, I
had blood everywhere it seemed like.
’Cause he was my father figure at the
time and said, ‘You’re better than
this,’ and that I disrespected him. So
that was my favorite moment, and I
never looked back from that.
Isaiah
Livers,
forward,
Michigan, 2017-present
Coach (Beilein) is an amazing
coach. I’ve never met any coach like
this, especially on the visit, how he
carries himself and what he stands
for. He cares about the players so
much to the point where, if you
make the decision to stop playing
basketball, just give him a reason —
just give him a good, constructive
reason, and he’ll support you all
the way no matter what. That’s
just insane to me, like he cares
more about your school than your
basketball career.
(The first time I met him), we
talked about baseball. I was a
huge baseball fan. I loved baseball,
baseball was my first love. And
I think when we connected on
baseball, that took our relationship
to another step.
Ignas
Brazdeikis,
forward,
Michigan, 2018-present
He was exactly the same (during
the recruiting process) as he is now,
that’s the one thing I absolutely
love about him. Everything he said,
everything he told me was the same
and he was just an honest guy. Like
really, really honest and he never lied
and I felt like I could trust him.
Saddi Washington, assistant
coach, Michigan, 2016-present
Man, it’s been awesome (working
with Beilein). I think that the biggest
thing that you learn under coach
Beilein is just, he’s an excellent CEO.
But even more than that, he’s just
a great person, you know? And I
think the genuineness that he treats
everybody with and the authenticity
that comes across when he engages
not just our players or recruits but
our kids, our spouses and everybody
in between. And I think, if anybody
is deserving of the accolades that he
gets, certainly it’s coach Beilein.
His attention to detail in every
aspect of the program is like none
other. And I think that’s why we’re
able to operate with great efficiency,
both on and off the court. I think
that’s a huge strength of his that I
hope that I am able to absorb and
acquire moving forward.
Austin
Davis,
forward,
Michigan, 2016-present
It’s really been amazing (playing
under Beilein). I feel like he’s one
of the few coaches that genuinely
focuses on bettering each one of us
as a man, not just as a player but as a
man, and for the rest of our lives. He
really, really instills a lot of our core
values into us and makes sure that
we always consider those and live
every day by those. So I think he’s a
great coach to play for and wouldn’t
have wanted to play for anybody else.
Moritz
Wagner,
forward,
Michigan, 2015-18
He was always really hard on me,
and I — something I felt I was the
blame for everything. But after my
sophomore year, I understood that
was the way he wanted to get me
better. … It was for my sake. He sees
the potential in you, and eventually
I committed to that and said, ‘Ok,
whatever. I know what you’re doing,
so let’s work together.’ I don’t really
know if I have a specific story but
that’s just what I’ve experienced.
Coach Beilein really cares about
his players. I still have a really good
relationship with him, try to talk to
him as much as I can. And yeah, it
was the best decision of my life to go
there, 100-percent.
DJ Wilson, forward, Michigan,
2014-17
He’s a great person. That’s one of
the sole reasons why I chose to go
to Michigan, just him and his staff
at the time. I just felt like they were
genuine people, me and my family
both got that vibe, it was kinda just
natural. Then, just playing under
him, he stuck with me when he
coulda went elsewhere, he had other
players to recruit. He never really
recruited over me, he just stuck with
me and everything worked out for
the both of us. So that speaks to his
character and the type of person he
is.
I thought he was a great guy, I
thought he was real genuine. Like I
said, that’s something that I kinda
observed. Especially, you know,
going into college, as far as what I
was looking for in a coach because,
I don’t know, it’s kinda like you plan
on being with that coach for the next
four years so you kinda just want
to look for somebody that you can
relate to and be real down to earth.
Because you’re gonna spend a while
with them so that’s a vibe I got from
him.
I think it’s just all around with
everything that he does. He plays by
the rules, he never does anything in
any grey area, he’s honest, he’s a man
of his word. And then, I just talked
to a few players at Michigan at the
time when I was on my visit and they
kept it real, they kept it honest with
me, and they had nothing but good
things to say about him.
Spike
Albrecht,
guard,
Michigan, 2012-16
I played AAU with Mitch McGary
and Glenn Robinson, and they were
both already committed to Michigan
at the time. So my AAU coach, when
he started catching wind of this Trey
Burke situation, he reached out to
coach Beilein like ‘Hey, I got a guy
you should look at for a point guard,
just like insurance policy, basically,
if Trey leaves. And he was like ‘Hey,
he doesn’t really look the part but
you should go give him a call or go
see him.’ Coach Beilein told me I
didn’t pass the eyeball test, is what
he told me. He still tells a story, when
he came in, he did an in-home visit
with me back at my house in Crown
Point and he got out of the car and
was walking up, I came outside to
come say ‘hi’ and greet him, welcome
him into my house. But, like, my
driveway’s kinda on a slant so he,
like, got out, and I was on the low
end, and he was looking at me, and
he was like, ‘Holy shit, who is this
little dude. Like, I can’t believe I’m
gonna recruit this kid to play in the
Big Ten.’
THEO MACKIE
Daily Sports Writer
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Michigan coach John Beilein has collected 799 career wins over 36 seasons as a head coach, 11 of which have been at Michigan.