The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com Sports Wednesday, September 2, 2020 — 15 Matthew Beniers adds more elite playmaking ability An old school center, Hunter Dickinson built for Big Ten competition Here’s the thing — the Michigan hockey team didn’t need another forward in its incoming recruiting class. It already had two commits likely to go top 10 in the 2021 NHL Draft, and another two borderline first-rounders eligible for the 2020 Draft. Without Matthew Beniers, the Wolverines would have an elite class of scorers and playmakers coming in this season. With him it’s downright ludicrous. Beniers also projects as a top- 10 pick in 2021, and it’s easy to see why. His quick feet and puck skills helped him notch a team- leading 18 goals in 44 games for the U.S. National Under-18 Team last season, but he’s more than just a pure goal scorer. “His competitiveness on the puck, his willingness to win puck battles, to block shots, to do the dirty things that help you win hockey games really is what makes him special,” Seth Appert, a former U.S. National Team Development Program coach, said. “And then his talent combined with that makes him very unique.” Beniers’ quick hands give him an inherent advantage in one-on-one situations, and his positioning at the turnover was enough to create that scenario. But what makes this play impressive is that he wasn’t even the first to the puck — the replay clearly shows that the defender hacked at it first. From there, Beniers manages to collect the bouncing puck, push it through the defender’s legs and still control it enough to deliver a perfect pass to his teammate. In a span of seconds, he showcases impressive speed, puck control, vision and balance. It would have been the assist of the tournament if not for a ridiculous save from Sweden’s goalie. This is an example of two teammates perfectly in sync. From the moment he picks up the loose puck in front of his own goal, Beniers knows where he’s going with it. He waits just long enough for his teammate to get past the defense while still avoiding an offside, and then delivers a perfect puck for a golden scoring opportunity. The ability to see the play developing, identify a passing lane and send a flawless pass that quickly is invaluable at the collegiate level. That level of instinct and understanding can create odd-man rushes and, ultimately, goals. “(At the NTDP, we) try to get our players to play this aggressive, attacking, instinctual game,” Appert said. “He has a lot of those things innately as well, and I think those things were just enhanced here.” Again, Beniers knows exactly where he’s going with that puck, but this time, he’s deceptive about it. He uses his eyes to draw the defender toward teammate Dylan Peterson — No. 25 in the video — opening up space to hit fellow Michigan commit Thomas Bordeleau just outside the slot. Bordeleau casually undresses the defender, and the rest is history. When the season starts, college hockey will likely be an adjustment for Beniers. He’ll be playing against opponents that are older and more experienced, and he could be in for a rude awakening. But he’s been through that before. In 2019, at just 17 years-old, he was called up for the Under-18 World Juniors Championship, where he played alongside a certain Jack Hughes. “The beauty of him getting called up that first year is that he can slide in any role,” Appert said. “He’s skilled enough to play with Jack Hughes if there’s a spot on Jack’s line, but he’s also gritty enough to fulfill roles that the bottom six forwards have to fill.” Hunter Dickinson is comfortable in his own skin — all 7-foot-1, 255 pounds of him. In an era of basketball where the traditional post-up center is an endangered species, Dickinson’s bruising style of play makes for a refreshing throwback. “Hunter, he understands he’s a post player,” Mike Jones, Dickinson’s high school coach at DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Md., said. “He’s unique. He can shoot threes and pass the ball as well as anybody, but he also knows he can be extremely effective on the block close to the basket. A lot of bigs don’t want to do that. He’s very good at it.” The Wolverines need Dickinson, a four-star center and the 42nd-ranked recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings, to contribute right away. Two- year starter Jon Teske graduated in the spring, leaving Dickinson and fifth-year senior Austin Davis — who has yet to start in his collegiate career — as the only centers on the roster. To contend in the Big Ten, having a viable center is essential. The conference ran through the position a year ago, and figures to do the same in the upcoming season. No Power Five conference features a more potent collection of big men than the Big Ten. It’s a group headlined by first-team All-American and Naismith Award finalist Luka Garza, who comes back to anchor Iowa in his senior season. Kofi Cockburn, a 7-foot- 1, 290 pound wall of muscle, turned down the NBA to return to Illinois for his sophomore campaign. Micah Potter and Nate Reuvers make for a dynamic duo of stretch-fives at Wisconsin. Purdue’s Trevion Williams torched Michigan for 36 points and 20 rebounds last season. Trayce Jackson-Davis is a budding star for Indiana. The list goes on. It’s no easy task for an experienced center to tackle, let alone a freshman embarking on his first foray into college basketball. But if anyone is up for the challenge, Jones is confident that it’s Dickinson. “He’s always performed well against guys his size, guys with reputations,” Jones said. “When the bright lights come on, Hunter’s there. He’s a big-game player. He’s used to playing in big games with the spotlight on him, getting a ton of attention. I think he really thrives in that environment.” Playing at a perennial basketball powerhouse in DeMatha afforded Dickinson multiple rendezvous with premiere talent. In January, the Stags squared off against Rancho Cristian in a nationally-televised showdown on ESPN. The meeting pitted Dickinson against Evan Mobley, the nation’s third-ranked recruit and consensus No. 1 center. While Mobley poured in 22 points and 11 rebounds, it was Dickinson who stole the show, anchoring DeMatha with 28 points and three blocks in a 69-61 victory. BRENDAN ROOSE Daily Sports Editor JARED GREENSPAN Daily Sports Writer COURTESY OF RENA LAVERTY / USA HOCKEY’S NTDP Freshman forward Matthew Beniers and some teammates are projected to be top-ten picks in the 2021 NHL draft. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE JONES Freshman center Hunter Dickinson will bring post presence to Michigan, according to his high school head coach. Three positives for Akienreh Johnson’s fifth-year Meet Howard’s Herd: How eight guys made Section 130 fun again In a moment of pressure, Akienreh Johnson knows how to deliver. Johnson receives a pass out of the paint from Amy Dilk. She fires it around the three-point line to Haily Brown. Brown sinks the three. It’s the biggest assist of senior guard Akienreh Johnson’s career. With under 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter of the semifinals of the 2020 Big Ten Tournament against Northwestern, Michigan has just secured the win. Johnson delivered, and Michigan will need her to continue to deliver this season as a fifth-year senior. Johnson was granted a fifth- year by the NCAA in early April. She suffered from a season- ending ACL injury during her freshman year and petitioned the NCAA shortly for a fifth- year after last year’s season was canceled due to COVID-19. Last season, the guard dominated the floor, securing her spot as a starter for Michigan. As one of two seniors last year, the Wolverines counted on her to lead the team both on and off the court as the captain. This year, the Wolverines will continue to rely on Johnson’s leadership and versatility on the court. To better understand Johnson’s best assets, The Daily breaks down some film: Post-entry passes This clip, from Michigan’s Big Ten Tournament semifinal game against Northwestern, highlights Johnson’s crucial post-entry passes. She assesses her options, pivoting multiple times before committing to the pass in the paint. She finds then-freshman forward Naz Hillmon under the basket for an easy layup. Hillmon and Johnson have proven to be a formidable duo on the court. Their ability to read each other leads to multiple assists and points. Most of the time, Johnson’s post-entry passes lead to buckets. But it’s not just the passes that make Johnson useful in the frontcourt. Equally important is Johnson’s willingness to be selfless. Later in this game, she dribbles around the arc waiting for the opportunity to give it to Hillmon. She understands her role on the team, and had the third-highest assists last year with 76 — only one behind Hillmon. 3-point shooting Even with her high assist stats last season, Johnson dominated the three-point line all season. Here, she looks calm under pressure, with a Rutgers defender flying in her face. Last season she made 22 threes, with a .364 shooting percentage, the second-most on the team. Johnson’s ability to shoot makes her an even bigger threat offensively. It makes her challenging to guard. With her snappy post-entry passes as well as her impressive shooting, defenders have a hard time covering both aspects of her game on the offensive end. Height Johnson is tall for a guard, standing 6-foot. In NCAA Division 1, the average height of a women’s basketball player is 5-foot-6. Here, she bodies one of Rutgers’ guards, forcing her to make a bad pass. Johnson easily blocks the pass and takes the ball down the floor for an assist to then-sophomore guard Amy Dilk. Her height also factors into her high rebounding and steals stats. Last season, Johnson averaged 6.5 rebounds per game, with 208 on the season. In steals, she led the team with 49. Overall, it’s Johnson’s variability that makes her irreplaceable in the Wolverines’ lineup. Her shooting and passing ability, coupled with her height, make her virtually unstoppable on the court. Whether you’ve been to a Michigan men’s basketball game in person or watched one on TV, you’ve seen them. Perched in Section 130, eight individuals decked out in cow costumes jump up and down over the course of two hours, pumping up the Wolverine faithful and jeering opposing players. These costumed students, known as Howard’s Herd and previously known as the Bee-Line, have become one of the most visible and recognizable parts of attending or watching a Michigan game. Three years ago, Section 130 was a more relaxed alternative to the student section. Featuring cushioned seats instead of benches found in Section 129, where the Maize Rage student section resides, most fans seated in Section 130 spent much of their time sitting down and casually watching the game. But in 2017, the Maize Rage decided it was time to change the culture of Section 130. One meeting, the Maize Rage announced they were looking for eight members to attend every game in Section 130 to try and increase its spirit and engagement. For senior Drew Hirselj, the decision was a no-brainer. “I mean, getting free food vouchers and guaranteed seating?” Hirselj said, “It was one of the biggest no brainers of all time for me. I was sold right away.” Then freshmen, Hirselj and seven friends attended Michigan’s first game of the season against North Florida, where they led Section 130 in chants, distracted opponents taking free throws and wrote quips on a whiteboard to poke fun at Osprey players. The group had succeeded in energizing the section, but they still felt like they needed an identity to separate themselves from other Maize Rage members. “We were actually called the 130 Boys for those first few games,” senior Josh Goldstein said. “Then someone had the idea to have us dress up in bumblebee costumes to honor John Beilein and things really took off from there.” As Big Ten-play kicked off in 2018, so did the “Bee-Line.” Decked in bee onesies, the eight freshmen presided in the front row of Section 130 and served as one of the most visible figures of the Crisler Center crowd that saw Michigan start 15-1 at home. “In the first half, we’re doing what we can to help on offense,” Goldstein said. “In the second half we’re helping out on defense.” When the season came to a close, Beilein took the time to meet the group that paid homage to him at each game, giving them fist bumps and handshakes before posing for a photo. The moment served as validation for the Bee-Line, who were starstruck by their namesake’s support. ABBIE TELGENHOF Daily Sports Writer TEDDY GUTKIN Daily Sports Writer EMMA MATI/Daily Fifth-year senior guard Akienreh Johnson can help Michigan with her six-foot height and smart post-entry passing. ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily Howard’s Herd, previously known as Beilein’s Bee-Line, reinvigorated section 130 at Crisler Center. Read more online at michigandaily.com Read more online at michigandaily.com Read more online at michigandaily.com Read more online at michigandaily.com