Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
8 — Wednesday, October 20, 2021

During one of Michigan’s 

September home games, J.J. 
McCarthy glanced towards the 
student section and saw a group 
of fans with “I heart JJ” painted 
across their chests. 

For McCarthy, that level of 

devotion is almost ordinary. A 
five-star freshman quarterback, 
McCarthy stayed committed to 
Michigan last fall even amidst 
the throes of the Wolverines’ 
2-4 season, while the program 
floundered 
and 
uncertainty 

swirled. McCarthy and Donovan 
Edwards, a five-star freshman 
running back, were heralded 
as the duo that would rescue 
the program from the depths 
of the abyss and bring it back to 
national relevance. 

All of that hype seemingly 

places McCarthy and Edwards 
in an odd in-between. Michigan, 
6-0 and ranked eighth in the 
country, is off to its best start 
since 2016. A year that began 
with minimal expectations has 
quickly stirred the imagination. 

So 
for 
McCarthy 
and 

Edwards, 
undoubtedly 
the 

pillars of the future, the present 
situation requires a whole lot of 
patience. 

“I know eventually my time 

will come,” Edwards said on 

Tuesday. “And then when my 
time comes, I just can’t look back 
at other things from the past. 
Just gotta stay in the present 
moment and stay focused.” 

McCarthy 
likened 
the 

situation to a story he heard 
from his pastor in chapel. The 
tale goes as follows: A kid brings 
a guitar pick to a 15,000-person 
concert for one of his favorite 
bands. Mid-concert, the band 
stops playing and asks the 
audience if anyone knows one of 
their songs. The band then picks 
the kid out of the crowd, inviting 
him onstage to play the song — a 
feat he can accomplish because 
he brought the guitar pick. 

“That analogy to me really 

stuck, 
because 
we’re 
doing 

everything here we possibly 
can do to get in the game, but 
we’re not expecting to get in the 
game,” McCarthy said. “We’re 
ready to go no matter what. 
We’ve got our guitar pick in our 
pocket and we’ll be ready to go 
when our number is called.” 

McCarthy and Edwards are 

taking the initiative to make 
their words stick. Two weeks 
ago, after Michigan returned 
to Ann Arbor following its 
thrashing 
of 
Wisconsin, 

McCarthy and Edwards, along 
with freshman receiver Andrel 
Anthony, went to the practice 
field to run routes and build 
chemistry. They did so again 

this past week, at 4:30 in the 
morning after getting back from 
Lincoln, Neb. 

“I even took a picture of 

it, it meant that much to me,” 
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh 
said on Oct. 4. “It’s that kind of 
group.” 

Added Edwards: “We just 

want to get better. Whenever 
our time comes, we want to be 
prepared for the opportunity 
and seize the moment.” 

That 
moment 
has 
come 

infrequently for the pair this 
season. McCarthy has seen more 
playing time as of late, emerging 
as a complement to junior 
quarterback Cade McNamara, 
entering the game as a run-
first option that gives opposing 
defenses a different look. 

“We’re 
blessed 
to 
have 

really talented players who 
can play at a high level,” 
quarterbacks 
coach 
Matt 

Weiss said on Oct. 6. “I think 
(in) a lot of places, J.J. would 
probably 
be 
the 
starting 

quarterback, but we have the 
luxury where we don’t have 
to throw him in the fire right 
away. And we are trying to 
play him whenever we get that 
opportunity so that he can 
develop. Obviously, we want 
our backup quarterback ready 
to play whenever he’s called 
upon. The best way to do that 
is to play him when we can.” 

The 
same 
applies 
to 

Edwards. 
He 
remains 
a 

distant third in the running 
back rotation, trailing the 
talented duo of sophomore 
Blake 
Corum 
and 
senior 

Hassan Haskins. And yet, the 
coaching staff has emphasized 
a need to make Edwards a 
more prominent part of the 
backfield mixture. 

And for two players who 

have been in the spotlight 
their entire careers, the new 
roles require an adjustment. 
As McCarthy put it, he’s “been 
kinda the guy” all his career, 
from peewee football through 
high school. 

Now, though, he’s shifted 

his mindset. He’s taken a 
reverence 
to 
McNamara, 

emulating both his preparation 
and leadership. Edwards is 
doing the same with Corum 
and Haskins — attempting to 
mirror Haskins’s physicality 
and Corum’s explosiveness. 

So for now, nothing more 

than 
complementary 
pieces, 

McCarthy and Edwards bide 
their time until they are the 
faces of the program. The future 
is just that, and they’re OK with 
it. 

“We’re 
chasing 
greatness, 

that’s 
what 
we’re 
doing,” 

McCarthy said. “We’ve been 
chasing that since we were 
youngins.”

What Jett Howard brings to his father’s team 

and Michigan’s 2022 recruiting class

It’s not every day that a player in a 6-foot-

7 frame can do all the things that Jett 
Howard can. He profiles as a knockdown 
shooter, a two-way player, a three-level 
scorer and a more than capable playmaker. 

The son of Michigan head coach Juwan 

Howard and 37th ranked player nationally 
in the class of 2022, according to 247sports, 
Jett committed to the Wolverines from IMG 
Academy on Instagram Live Wednesday 
afternoon. The four-star prospect has 
shown he not only possesses all the tools to 
play at the collegiate level, but to flourish.

“He’s an elite playmaker,” IMG Academy 

coach Sean McAloon said. “He can make 
plays off the dribble, and he’s also an elite 
shooter. I think the thing that people don’t 
notice enough about him is that I don’t 
think there’s anybody (at his position) that 
passes the ball better than he does. The 
things that he sees, the way in which he 
sees them and how he delivers on time, it’s 
a special quality.”

It’s because of these qualities that 

Michigan has reason to anticipate Jett’s 
arrival next season. A versatile wing player 
that can make the extra pass or knock 
down a jump shot could find a spot on any 
college team in America.

And when Jett steps foot in Ann 

Arbor, he figures to be in contention for 
a starting role. McAloon believes that 
he is well-suited to play the ‘2’ in college 
and immediately make a difference on the 
Wolverines’ perimeter.

But, in order to become someone who 

could lead a college-level offense, Jett will 
have to find a way to take his game to the 
next level.

“Vocally, he’s not ready to put the pieces 

where they need to be,” McAloon said. 
“But, I believe he has the ability inside to 
(initiate offense at a college level) as long 
he’s willing to vocally put the pieces on the 
map … I’m sure that would be the next step 
in his growth.”

If Jett finds a way to elevate himself to 

that next level that McAloon suggested, 
then there’s no telling how high his ceiling 
could be.

For now, Jett is ranked 37th nationally, 

but with his senior season at IMG Academy 
still to come, his ranking could very well 
rise over the course of next year. McAloon 
certainly thinks there are areas to his game 
that scouts are overlooking.

“I think people don’t give him the 

credit he deserves,” McAloon said. “I 
think people miss on him, and they think 
it’s like, well, you know, it was given to 
him.

“Nobody gave him the ability to shoot 

the way shoots, and nobody gave him the 
ability to pass the way he passes, or the 
instincts that he has. Those are things that 
are worked on. And I think a lot of times 
people just see what they want to see as 
opposed to the time that somebody puts in 
the gym.”

And if Jett has his way, he’ll soon be 

recognized for being more than just 
Juwan’s son.

After earning the first Sweet 

Sixteen appearance in school 
history last March, this Michigan 
women’s basketball team is far 
from done. They’re just getting 
started. 

But the expectations that 

come with finishing at No. 11 in 
the nation aren’t getting to the 
Wolverines’ heads. In Ann Arbor 
this Thursday, Michigan coach 
Kim Barnes Arico made her 
approach to the upcoming season 
clear at Michigan’s media day:

“I think sometimes when 

you get caught up in what the 
expectations are, you forget the 
process,” Barnes Arico said. “We 
talk about that a lot as a program. 
Let’s just be the best Michigan 
team that we can be today.”

The culture of hard work that 

Barnes Arico has built at Michigan 
is paying off: her message has 
clearly resonated with the team. 
The effect of this humble and 
hungry philosophy was evident in 
her players’ attitudes.

“One of our things that we say 

here is that we’re the hardest-
working team in America,” said 
junior guard Maddie Nolan. “So 
we’re constantly trying to get 
extra shots up and get in extra 
workouts.”

Nolan averaged 4.5 points 

and 3.3 rebounds per game last 
season while shooting a team-
high 36.2% from behind the 
arc. She played 21.6 minutes per 
game last season, but could be 
seeing the floor more frequently 
this season after guard Akienreh 
Johnson’s graduation in the 
spring.

Forward Hailey Brown joined 

Johnson 
in 
graduating 
last 

season. Losing these two starters 
will hurt the Wolverines, but a 
strong senior class is stepping up 
to lead.

“One of the biggest things is 

leading by example,” said senior 
guard Danielle Rauch. “I’m a big 
proponent of that, because I don’t 
want to be someone that tells 
other people to do something 
that I wouldn’t do.”

Rauch 
wasn’t 
a 
major 

contributor last season, averaging 
16.2 minutes and 2.3 points per 
game. However, she did start five 
games, and this could indicate 
that she is headed for a bigger role 
on the court in her senior season 
in addition to her role as a leader 
in the locker room.

Rauch isn’t the only senior 

stepping up as leader. Senior 
forward Naz Hillmon is looking 
to build off of a successful junior 
campaign for both herself and 
the team.

“I 
want 
to 
do 
anything 

that I can to help my team be 
successful,” said Hillmon. “I 
know that if I’m putting 110% out 
there and doing my best, that’s 
the most you can ask for. But, I’m 
a competitor. I like to win.”

Hillmon was a tough problem 

for opposing teams last year, 
averaging 23.9 points and 11.4 
rebounds per game and earning 
Big Ten Player of the Year 
honors. Her dominance in the 
post was a constant, highlighted 
by a school-record 50-point 
and 16-rebound game against 
archrival Ohio State in Columbus 
last season.

Senior guards Leigha Brown 

and Amy Dilk join Hillmon as 
the returning starters from last 
year’s team. Brown averaged 
18.2 points per game last season 
while shooting an efficient 52.3% 
from the field. Meanwhile, Dilk 
led the team with 3.9 assists per 
game a year ago. This one-two 
punch of scoring and playmaking 
will continue to be a dynamic 
combination in the backcourt for 
Michigan.

After a successful campaign 

last season and with a lot of talent 
returning, the Wolverines appear 
poised to continue their presence 
in the national spotlight. But 
until that happens, it looks like 
Michigan will keep working 
hard and trusting the process.

“Everything that we had to 

go through and all of those little 
hurdles and obstacles that we 
had to overcome really brought 
us closer together,” said Barnes 
Arico. “And we were ready for 
the moment when the moment 
came.”

JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily 

Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico returns a talented team.

‘M’ learns to trust 
the process after 
historic season

JACK GLANVILLE
Daily Sports Writer

In Greece

Intrepid
Women
Travelers

Tuesday, November 2, 2021 | 4:00 p.m. | Michigan League Hussey Room

MARY NORRIS 

An American writer and former copy editor for The New Yorker. 

Author of Between You and Me:Confessions of a Comma Queen 

and Greek to Me.

GERALD F. ELSE LECTURE IN THE HUMANITIES

JARED GREENSPAN
Daily Sports Editor

SPENCER RAINES
Daily Sports Writer

BECCA MAHON/Daily 

Michigan freshman quarterback J.J. McCarthy is the leader of a freshman class that brings hope of a strong future for the football program.

McCarthy, Edwards continue to grow with an 
eye on a promising future for the Wolverines

MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily 

Michigan coach Juwan Howard snagged his four-star son, Jett, out of the IMG Academy.

