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Thursday, June 27, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS

Jordan Poole selected in first round by Golden State Warriors

BROOKLYN, 
N.Y. 
— 
When 
Jordan Poole declared for the NBA 
Draft after just two seasons, he had 
his fair share of detractors.
People said Poole was being 
rash. That he was leaving too 
early. That he would benefit from 
another year in college, that he 
was dooming himself to a career in 
Europe or the G League.
On Thursday night, Poole took 
the first step towards proving them 
wrong. The Golden State Warriors 
selected Poole with the 28th 
pick in the draft. He’ll be playing 
alongside Stephen Curry next 
season, making nearly $2 million 
on a guaranteed contract.
“I think it was just being able 
just to trust myself, follow my 
deams,” Poole said. “Just having 
hope and faith. That’s all I’m going 
to really say on that. Being able to 
be in the position I’m in now, I feel 
like I made the right decision.”
Poole is John Beilein’s last first-
round pick at Michigan, and by 

getting into the first round, extends 
Michigan’s streak to four years in a 
row with a first-round pick. Ignas 
Brazdeikis was also drafted, going 
to the Knicks in the second round. 
Charles Matthews slipped out of 
the draft after suffering an ACL 
tear during a workout.
At Michigan, Poole left a legacy 
by hitting a game-
winning 
shot 
against Houston in 
the second round 
of March Madness 
in 
2018. 
That 
win 
eventually 
propelled 
Michigan to the 
Final 
Four, 
and 
etched 
Poole’s 
name into program 
lore.
In his second year with the 
Wolverines, 
Poole’s 
play 
was 
marked by its inconsistency. He 
shot 36.9 percent from 3-point 
range, a key part of a team that set 
a program record for consecutive 
wins to start the season, but 
that number dropped to 32.7 

percent in conference play. In 
big games, particularly the Big 
Ten Tournament final against 
Michigan State, Poole struggled, 
and frustrated Beilein.
Any NBA team could have looked 
at Poole and seen an inconsistent 
gunner, or a gifted player who can 
play with or without the ball, and 
shoot it, too.
The 
Warriors, 
evidently, saw the 
latter.
“It’ll 
definitely 
be amazing,” Poole 
said 
of 
playing 
alongside Stephen 
Curry in Golden 
State. “Being able 
to know at the 
same time we’re 
out there doing the 
same thing, and they’re definitely 
going to teach me some stuff right 
away and they’re definitely going 
to invite me into the league.
“Being ready for all challenges, 
but more than anything just 
coming in ready to get to work and 
be excited.”

ETHAN SEARS
Managing Sports Editor

Fraisse promoted to assistant coach following Byron’s departure

After spending 15 months as 
a volunteer assistant, Jerome 
Fraisse has been named the 
Michigan volleyball team’s third 
full-time assistant coach since 
2015.
The move comes in conjunction 
with the departure of previous 
assistant coach Sean Byron, who 
agreed to become Marist’s new 
head coach in April.
“We are really excited to add 
(Fraisse) full time,” said head 
coach Mark Rosen in a statement. 
“He has a great skill set in terms 
of 
his 
coaching 
knowledge 
working with the setters. His 
personality and view of the game 
match our staff really well and 
makes him a great fit for our 
program.”
As a volunteer member of the 
staff in 2018, Fraisse crafted 
drills for the team’s setters 
and 
developed 
data-oriented 
gameplans. 
He 
crunched 
numbers and watched film on 
Data Volley and VolleyMetrics 
— two of college volleyball’s 
popular analytics services — 

to 
prepare 
the 
Wolverines’ 
scouting reports. From a modern 
analytical standpoint, Fraisse 
understands the numbers that 
go into running a successful 
offense.
As Rosen alluded to, Fraisse 
will 
assume 
Byron’s 
former 
role as the program’s setters 
coach. He inherits one of the 
Big Ten’s best setters in rising 
senior MacKenzi 
Welsh, who has 
tallied 
3,881 
career assists and 
an All-American 
Honorable 
Mention selection 
during her career.
The promotion 
marks 
Fraisse’s 
first 
full-time 
NCAA job at any 
level. That’s not 
for a lack of coaching experience, 
though, 
as 
he 
boasts 
an 
impressive overseas background.
Prior 
to 
arriving 
in 
Ann 
Arbor last year, Fraisse spent 18 
seasons coaching in France — 
three as the men’s head coach at 
Grenoble Volley University Club, 
five as an assistant with L’Asul 

Lyon Volleyball Club and 11 
between L’Arago Sète Volleyball 
Club, Volleyball Romans and 
L’ES Meylan Volleyball Club.
In addition to his coaching 
tenures 
with 
five 
separate 
clubs, Fraisse brings a wealth 
of national team experience to 
the Wolverines’ staff. While 
coaching 
for 
L’Asul 
Lyon 
Volleyball Club, he worked under 
former 
Italian 
national 
team 
head 
coach 
Silvano 
Prandi 
for five years. He 
managed tryouts 
for France’s U17 
and U20 programs 
in 2017 and 2007, 
respectively, and 
has 
coaching 
experience 
in 
Canada.
While coaching in France, 
Fraisse spent time recruiting 
European players interested 
in 
playing 
volleyball 
in 
America. This could bode well 
for Michigan’s international 
recruiting efforts, and with 
Byron gone, Rosen may not 
hesitate to call upon Fraisse in 

that regard.
As a player, Fraisse enjoyed 
a three-year professional stint 
with the Grenoble Volleyball 
Club from 1997-2000. Though 
he only saw time at middle 
blocker 
and 
outside 
hitter 
during his playing days, his 
20-plus seasons around the 

game make him a good fit to 
work with Michigan’s setters.
After losing Maddy Abbott 
to graduation, Fraisse will 
primarily work with Welsh, 
rising 
senior 
Katerina 
Rocafort 
and 
incoming 
freshman Madison Dowd in 
2019.

DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer

We are really 
excited to add 
(Fraisse) full 
time ...

NATALIE STEPHENS/Daily
Former Michigan guard Jordan Poole was drafted in the first round by the Warriors

... more than 
anything just 
coming in ready 
to get to work ...

MILES MACKLIN/Daily
The Michigan volleyball team added Jerome Fraisse as a full-time assistant coach

