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.