8 — Tuesday, December 11, 2018 Sports The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Jon Teske growing at center spot When Frank Martin got to Crisler Center for South Carolina’s practice on Friday, he saw junior guard Zavier Simpson and pulled him aside. “Listen, I was watching the film from two years ago,” the Gamecocks’ coach recalled saying. “You and (Jon Teske) were like two kids. … Now, I’m watching you guys play. You guys are like, unbelievable how much better you guys are and how different you look.” Two years ago, as the Michigan men’s basketball team found itself on an improbable run to the Sweet 16, Simpson and Teske — both freshmen — largely rode the bench. The latter played all of three minutes per game, a 7-foot-1 kid whose basketball acumen could be boiled down to 85 inches. Even last season, as Teske stepped into a role backing up Moritz Wagner, he grew noticeably, but that archetype remained, in large part, correct. Teske affected shots at the rim, threw down the occasional lob and usually managed to keep the Wolverines afloat when Wagner was sitting. Questions as to whether he could replace the since-departed German in full remained. Just over a month into this season, Teske has put those questions to rest. Michigan might be better off with Teske starting instead of Wagner. The junior hasn’t just affected shots at the rim, but all over the court. He has turned into an example that strength coach Jon Sanderson will hold up for every big-man recruit that walks through the Wolverines’ door for his strength and athleticism improvements. Toward the end of the first half Saturday, with the Gamecocks still hanging around, Teske charged through an open lane to put back a miss from Simpson. Seconds later, he found himself on the perimeter, defending South Carolina’s Maik Kotsar. He stayed in front of the big man on a drive, then blocked his shoot like a dad defending his kid in a driveway. That’s a sequence Teske might have been capable of doing once in a blue moon last year. Now, it’s the norm. All told, he finished Saturday with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, to go with nine rebounds and three blocks over 29 minutes. That’s more than he played in any single game last year. It’s also the fourth time he’s hit the 29-minute benchmark this year. That, in part, is a matter of necessity. Michigan has yet to find a viable backup at the ‘5,’ with redshirt sophomore Austin Davis struggling and freshman Brandon Johns tied to the bench. More importantly, it’s a matter of growth. Wagner wasn’t the only reason Teske never played 30 minutes in a game last year. Teske simply wasn’t capable of doing so, even when Wagner was hurt. After Saturday’s win, the 10th straight to start the season for the Wolverines, sophomore guard Jordan Poole was asked whether he thought there would be a transition period in the wake of last season’s Final Four run. He didn’t hesitate in his answer. “No,” Poole said. “Only because, where has Michigan dropped off in the last couple years? Guys leave all the time. These coaches do a really good job preparing the next guy, next man up. That’s our mentality. And being able to have guys step into the role, it’s just normal. Of course you got a Final Four run, we had guys who left for the NBA. But we’ve been practicing against those guys all last year. I feel like they set us up for success.” No player exemplifies that more than Jon Teske. “I think it’s just the type of kids (Michigan coach John Beilein) recruits,” Teske said. “He knows he can develop them into good players after a couple seasons if kids are willing to work hard, stay here in the summer and work on their game. “I think that’s what happened to me.” Positive attitude keeps Gingell working toward dream When college athletes talk about how much they love their school, it usually comes across as canned or cheesy — almost like it was the kind of thing they were encouraged to say, not their true feelings. But when Jake Gingell tells you how much he loves Michigan hockey, it’s clear he means it. Sitting in Yost Ice Arena discussing his journey, the normally confident, emphatic freshman defenseman turns quiet. In a voice much softer than usual, he’s happy to talk about what the Wolverines mean to him. “I still wake up sometimes and feel like it’s a dream,” Gingell said. “I love every second of it.” Gingell’s journey to play at Michigan started in Sept. 2013, when he committed to play for Mel Pearson, then head coach at Michigan Tech. But in the fall of 2017, just a few weeks before Pearson began his first season at the helm of the Wolverines, Gingell flipped his commitment to Michigan. “(Pearson’s) the main reason why I came here,” Gingell said. “(Pearson) and (Michigan assistant coach Bill Muckalt) were both coaches that recruited me originally to go to Michigan Tech, so once they came here, I just thought it would be best that I came here with them as well when they gave me that opportunity.” What made Gingell’s decision to join the Wolverines even sweeter was the fact that he’s a native of Dexter, Mich., which is just about 20 minutes away from Ann Arbor. After playing four years of junior hockey in the USHL — two years in Omaha, Neb. and two years in Youngstown, Ohio — Gingell was ready to be closer to home. And the proximity to home wasn’t the only thing drawing Gingell to Ann Arbor. His cousin, Jason Gingell, was a kicker for the Michigan football team from 2005-07. “I always grew up watching Michigan hockey,” Gingell said. “My cousin played football here, so I’ve just always been a fan of Michigan. He’s a lot older than me, too, so it’s been for a long time.” When Pearson first started recruiting Gingell, he was impressed with the young player’s attitude. And throughout his junior career, Gingell continued to display the attitude that caught Pearson’s eye. It was one of the biggest reasons Pearson gave Gingell the chance to come to Michigan with him. “First and foremost, it’s just the character,” Pearson said. “He’s just dripping with character. He’s a hard-working, honest, humble young man. And then to put on top of that, that’s how he plays the game of hockey, too. He plays with some grit and determination. He’s an honest hard worker, and he’s a leader.” That hard- working character has been tested somewhat this season as Gingell has dressed for only one game, which was on Nov. 3 against Lake Superior State. He was listed as the seventh defenseman — the one who plays without a partner and doesn’t have consistent shifts. But behind the scenes, in practice, his work ethic hasn’t wavered. It’s taken Gingell a bit of time to adjust to college hockey, perhaps because of the two years he spent in Omaha playing in the USHL. On that team, his coach largely used him as an old-fashioned enforcer. The majority of his time on the ice — which wasn’t much — was spent fighting. In 106 games for the Lancers, Gingell totaled 196 penalty minutes. “He plays tough,” Pearson said. “He plays honest. He plays physical, and consequently, you get a lot of penalties. He’s a strong player. He’s probably, if not our grittiest player, he would be right there.” Now, at Michigan, Gingell is expected to play with a bit more nuanced style. He’s spent the majority of the season working on his skating and puck-handling in practice. Keeping a positive attitude when you aren’t getting in games is hard, but Gingell has stayed committed to making himself the best player he can be. “You’ve just gotta try to improve in some way every day,” Gingell said. “Instead of feeling down on myself, I just try to pick something to improve on in practice every day. I think I’ve been doing that. I’ve been making crisper plays and been better with my hands and feet, and I just feel a lot better about practices.” And his hard work is not going unnoticed. “He’s made really good strides,” Pearson said. “He’s made some tremendous improvements so far. He had to get a little bit quicker, had to work on his hands and just handle the puck and do things a little bit faster and quicker and smoother with that, and he’s made tremendous strides in both those areas.” Saturday morning, Pearson watched Gingell skate before the Wolverines’ game against Minnesota. He was struck by how much more comfortable Gingell looks on the ice. “Sometimes, it just takes a little bit longer for some players than others,” Pearson said. “But he’s got all the intangibles you lo for.” ETHAN SEARS Daily Sports Writer BAILEY JOHNSON Daily Sports Writer ALEC COHEN/Daily Jon Teske has played 29-plus minutes in four different games this season. KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily Michigan coach Mel Pearson recruited freshman defenseman Jake Gingell to come to Michigan after Pearson accepted the coaching job in the fall of 2017. “(Pearson is) the main reason why I came here.” “He plays tough. He plays honest. He plays physical.” “First and foremost, it’s just the character.”