Wednesday, September 16, 2020 — 17
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Yost through the eyes of the equipment manager

The dull whir of the skate

sharpening machine sets a fitting
background noise.

Masked up in an empty Yost

Ice Arena, Long-time Michigan
hockey equipment manager Ian
Hume sits at his desk, a wall
of skates to his left. Before our
interview can begin, a visitor
arrives.
Freshman
forward

Phillippe Lapointe enters the
office, asking if his skates are
done.

It’s a simple question, but

there’s a lot more to it. Hume
works with Lapointe to figure out
how much extra steel he wants on
his blades.

Though a simple interaction,

Hume is doing what he does best:
getting to know his players.

“Now I know where to start

with him and we’ll go from
there,” Hume said. “It’s kind of
a feel thing. I’ll make a couple of
adjustments and try to get him
dialed in.”

Hume is a hockey guy through

and through. He grew up in
Canada, and like many Canadians,
hockey was his lifeblood.

“When I was growing up as

a kid, there were two seasons; it
was hockey and road hockey,”
Hume said. “You played road
hockey when the snow went away
and when the snow came back we
were in the rinks or outdoor rinks
or ponds or whatever. It was just
hockey, hockey, hockey.”

Hume got on Michigan’s radar

by working in junior leagues
in Ontario, an area in which
Michigan
recruited
heavily.

There, he got to know former
coach Red Berenson, and after
getting married, he and his wife
moved to Ann Arbor, where he
kept in touch with Berenson.

Then, he literally walked into

a job.

“I just happened to walk in (to

Yost) one day in July and they
were doing a kids hockey camp,”
Hume said. “I knew Red pretty
well by that point and I just

walked in to see how he was doing
and he said ‘You couldn’t have
come in here on a worse day.’ ”

Berenson
had
just
seen

multiple assistants, his video guy
and his equipment manager leave
the program for the University
Illinois at Chicago’s hockey team.
Ironically, that program no longer
exists.

Berenson asked Hume if he was

still looking for a job and Hume
told him he was. He was offered
the equipment manager position
on the spot.

“He
cleared
it
with

administration
and
31
years

later I’m still here,” Hume said.
“So I owe where I am and all my
experiences; I owe that to coach
Berenson.”

Hume
was
on
Berenson’s

coaching staff for nearly his entire
tenure, and he stayed on when
head coach Mel Pearson took over
in 2017.

“Red
wasn’t
necessarily

negative, but I would say that
Red was old school.” Hume said.
“(Mel’s) different then coach
Berenson. He wants it to be fun
for the players and I think he
wants it to be fun for us. There
can be enough negativity when
people aren’t playing well, and so
it’s pretty easy. He likes to be very
positive.”

Hume’s official role is to handle

all the equipment-related tasks.

He’s in charge of getting all the
jerseys, pads, helmets, decals and
anything else you could think of
ready for the players. The process
to pack all of that up for a road
game is relatively easy. What
takes a while is gathering and
replacing the extra equipment
that travels with the team all
season — including five sticks per
player for a road trip.

“We take enough stuff so that

if there’s a problem, we’ve usually
got it covered,” Hume said.

Talking to him, it’s clear that

he’s so much more than just the
equipment manager. Hume has
an open-door policy, and whether
players
want
to
talk
about

equipment adjustments or are
just tired of coaching and want to
chat, Hume is there.

“(Hockey’s) the longest college

season. It’s a long grind from
when you start in September and
you don’t end sometimes until mid
April,” Hume said. “It may not be
physically demanding as far as
the number of games you play, but
you’re practicing and it mentally
can wear you out. So you get guys
that come in and shoot the breeze
about whatever.”

Through those conversations,

Hume has gotten to know a lot
of players in the program in his
three decades at Michigan. He’s
noticed a trend. The less tinkering
a player does, the more success

they usually have.

“One of our sayings is it’s not

the tools, it’s the carpenter,”
Hume said. “Most guys are pretty
good, but some guys are finicky
and they don’t need to be.”

Former Michigan defenseman

Quinn Hughes exemplified this.
Hughes had an incredible career
at
Michigan
and
continued

to perform in his first year in
the NHL with the Vancouver
Canucks. He piled up 43 assists
and is a finalist for the Calder
Trophy — awarded to the top
rookie each year.

This instant success was no

surprise to Hume. Hughes went
through very few sticks and just
wanted his skates to be kept sharp.

“(He)
was
literally
no

maintenance,” Hume said. “The
kid just wants to play.”

At this point, Hume has seen it

all. Even in a pandemic, he’s still
going into work, checking in on
his players and keeping everyone’s
skates sharpened — extra steel
and all. But it’s not really about the
equipment. It’s that every guy on
the Wolverines can come in and
talk to Hume about anything. It’s
been that way for 31 years.

“Teams can change, personnel

can change, people can change,”
Hume
said.
“But
it’s
the

relationships you build that last
forever. I think that’s what’s
unique about hockey.”

Film Breakdown: What to expect from Austin Davis’s fifth year with ‘M’

Over breakfast with Michigan

coach
Juwan
Howard
last

February, Austin Davis’s fate for
this upcoming college basketball
season was sealed.

The
then-redshirt
junior

would be returning for a fifth
year in the fall.

It
wasn’t
too
long
ago

that
Davis
was
largely
an

afterthought. He struggled to
acclimate to the college game,
sitting out his first year and
playing sparingly over the next
two seasons — just twice did he
see double-digit minutes over
the course of 2017-18 and 2018-
19.

Last season seemed destined

for more of the same. Davis
started
off
as
the
third-

string center, leapfrogged in
the
rotation
by
sophomore

Colin Castleton. He sat on the
sidelines for seven of Michigan’s
first eleven games.

And yet he managed to turn a

corner. Davis flourished under
Howard’s tutelage, establishing
himself as the backup to Jon
Teske. In a Big Ten stacked
with viable big men, he was a
revelation.

“It’s great to have Austin

Davis on our side,” Howard said
after an 89-65 win over Indiana
last February, a game in which
Davis contributed 11 points.
“Austin is wired the right way.
He’s such a giver. Total team
guy. Never tried to go for his
numbers or do anything he’s not
good at. Come in with the right
attitude in practice, working
hard. Buying into the teaching
and the developing. And he’s
going out and having a great
carryover game after game.”

With Teske having graduated

in May, Davis’s importance is
magnified.
Michigan’s
other

true big man is freshman Hunter
Dickinson, and while Dickinson
is
talented,
the
transition

from high school to college
necessitates a learning curve —
just ask Davis.

The Daily took a closer look

at what went right for Davis
during his breakout campaign

and where there’s room for
improvement entering his last
go-around.

The pick and roll was more

integral to Michigan’s offense
than almost any other offensive
set
last
season.
According

to
Synergy,
the
Wolverines

averaged 28.5 points per game
off the pick and roll, the fourth
highest total in the nation.

Luckily for Davis, it’s an

element of the game in which he
excels.

In
this
clip
taken
from

Michigan’s February matchup
with Rutgers at Madison Square
Garden, Davis frees up the
ball-handler, Eli Brooks, with
a textbook screen. As Brooks
veers right, Davis’s defender
hedges out, leaving him in the
clear.

Brooks threads the needle

with a bounce pass and hits
Davis in stride. Rather than
force up an ill-advised shot,
Davis flashes his poise. He
possesses the wherewithal to
recognize the help defender
blitzing in from the far corner
to front him on the block.
Working
methodically,
he

gathers himself, takes a dribble
and ducks under the air-borne
defender.
When
a
second

defender closes in, he bides
even more time with another
successful fake, making for an
easy basket.

Davis’ actions on the court

are often coherent. It’s when he
rushes that his play deviates —
shuffled feet, forced shots. He
is at his best when he slows the
game down.

On this play, even after point

guard Zavier Simpson stumbles
with his dribble, Davis holds
his ground down low. The
patience pays off, with Simpson
squeaking
free
and
finding

Davis for the two-handed slam.

A portion of Davis’s pick

and roll success can surely be
attributed to Simpson’s ability as
an orchestrator. Now, Davis will
have to rely more heavily on the
trio of Brooks, graduate transfer
Mike Smith and freshman Zeb
Jackson to execute the two-man
game.

Second-chance
points
are

back-breakers, and no Wolverine
displayed a knack for securing
offensive rebounds quite like
Davis did last season. Out of his
62 total boards, 24 occurred on
the offensive end
— a 37 percent clip
that stood as the
highest mark on the
team.

This play begins

with
a
similar

sequence
as
the

prior
one.
Davis

sets a ball screen
and both defenders
chase
the
ball-

handler, collapsing
on David DeJulius.

DeJulius,
though,
isn’t

looking for Davis. On the other
side of the court, Brandon
Johns Jr. walls off Indiana’s
Rob Phinisee with an off-ball
screen, freeing Brooks for a
shot attempt. While not the

focal point, Davis nonetheless
strives to make an impact: he
beelines into the heart of the
paint, positioning himself for a
possible offensive rebound.

By
the

time
Davis’s

defender
leaves
DeJulius,
he’s too late
— Davis, as if
on defense, is
boxing
out.

When Brooks’
three-pointer
falls off, Davis
out-wills four

Hoosiers for the rebound, using
his 6-foot-10, 250 pound frame
to his advantage and finishing
off the move with a layup in
traffic.

If there’s a clear area where

Davis has room to grow, it’s
perimeter defense.

By all means, Davis is a

traditional big man. His scoring
radius is largely confined to
the paint. Jump shots, let alone
3-pointers, are absent from his
arsenal.

And
in
today’s
era
of

basketball, the stretch-‘5’ is a
hot commodity. A big man like
Davis can thrive in the paint on
the offensive end, but only so
long as he can venture outwards
on defense.

Against Ohio State, Davis

matched up against versatile
big man Kaleb Wesson. Here,
Wesson catches the entry pass
with his back to the basket
before
quickly
pivoting
to

face the hoop, leaving Davis
vulnerable to a dribble-drive.
Wesson lulls Davis with a few
jab-steps then darts right. A
slow first step dooms Davis, who
winds up on Wesson’s backside
and commits a foul.

In
guarding
the
inside-

outside big, Davis has to make
a concerted effort to be out far
enough to contest a perimeter
shot.
Last
year
against

Wisconsin, for instance, he was
a virtual non-factor due to his
inability to challenge three-
point threats Micah Potter and
Nate Reuvers along the arc.

Without Teske, Michigan will

need Davis to stay on the court
for long stretches and out of foul
trouble. Improved individual
defense is therefore all the more
imperative.

Last year, after spending

three seasons riding the bench,
Davis proved he could hold
his own among stiff Big Ten
competition. If he can continue
to make strides, he will not only
help ease Dickinson’s transition
to the college level, but also
make Michigan all the more
dangerous.

Drew Kendall in no rush

Drew Kendall was supposed to

be committed by now.

On Aug. 28, the four-star

offensive linemen — a top target for
Michigan in the 2021 class — told
247Sports that he’d be committing
in the next week. It would have
been the end to a four-horse race
between the Wolverines, Boston
College,
Duke
and
Stanford.

Instead, there’s been radio silence
from Dedham, Mass.

“He’s very open-minded and

he’s not rushing to make a final
decision,”
Panos
Voulgaris,

Kendall’s coach at Nobles and
Greenough School, said. “And I
think the fact that it doesn’t look
like we’re gonna be playing any
games, it hasn’t expedited the
decision at all.

“So he’s being patient and he

wants to have the most clarity on
making a final decision. So no rush
at this point.”

That may not be a bad thing

for Michigan. After losing four-
star guard Rocco Spindler to
Notre Dame last month, Kendall
seems to be the best remaining
option on the 2021 board at the
position. The Wolverines have
four offensive line commits for the
class — centers Raheem Anderson
and Greg Crippen, both four stars,
four-star tackle Giovanni El-Hadi
and three-star tackle Tristan
Bounds.

Kendall, a top-10 guard and

top-130 recruit on 247Sports’
composite score, would fit nicely
into that mix.

“I
think
athletically
and

technically, he’s gonna be ready
to go (in college),” Voulgaris said.
“It’s just a matter of being put in
an environment where there are
several other players at his level.
And getting used to that speed and
to the pace of practice and to what
Power 5 football demands. So it’s
just a matter of acclimating.”

Voulgaris said Kendall is over

265 pounds right now and could
develop to as big as 295. Even over
a summer marred by COVID-19,

he found ways to work out.

“He made a lot of gains in the

weight room, with his strength
numbers,”
Voulgaris
said,

“and also with his numbers on
the field as far as agility time,
explosiveness, speed, quickness,
all that stuff.”

Kendall’s father, Pete, had a

13-year NFL career as an offensive
linemen after a college career at
Boston College. He works on the
Nobles coaching staff now, and
Voulgaris credits him with much
of Drew’s development. Voulgaris
said Kendall has been exposed to
gap, man and zone run schemes in
high school, making his transition
to college easier.

In Massachusetts, it’s unlikely

there will be a high school football
season this fall. Coupled with a
recruiting dead period, that puts
situations like Kendall’s in limbo.
Instead of a season, there’s an
indefinite run of practices without
anything to practice for or any
college coaches coming through
town.

“Naturally he’s disappointed,

like everyone who’s a competitor,
by not playing in the games,”
Voulgaris
said.
“But
he’s

controlling what he can control,
and making sure that he takes
advantage of the practice time that
he has and this extra time in the
weight room and he’s gonna make
gains where he can.”

Even
in
those
practices,

Voulgaris sees Kendall leading
and
setting
the
tone,
other

players looking up to him. He’s
seen Kendall display that sort of
attitude since they first met, three
years ago.

“Even before I ever saw him get

onto the field, this is someone who
loves the game of football and you
see it in the way he communicates
about it, the way he interacts with
coaches,” Voulgaris said. “His
desire to learn the game, whether
it’s on the white board, in the
film room or when it comes to
the actual being on the field and
getting better from a physical
standpoint and a competitive
standpoint.”

JOSH TAUBMAN
Daily Sports Writer

COURTESY OF MICHIGAN ATHLETICS

Equipment manager Ian Hume has been working with the Michigan hockey team for 31 years.

FOOTBALL

ETHAN SEARS

Managing Sports Editor

JARED GREENSPAN

Daily Sports Writer

ALEXANDRIA POMPEI/Daily

Fifth-year senior center Austin Davis turned a corner last season after starting on the bench, behind Colin Castleton and Jon Teske in Michigan’s rotation.

It’s great to
have Austin
Daivs on our

side.