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.

