'All I Know Is Grind': Michigan's Isaiah Barnes Was 'Built For' The Big Ten
Michigan Wolverines basketball freshman guard/forward Isaiah Barnes was a late riser in the recruiting process. The Chicago native didn't blow up until his junior year, when Kansas was the first big-time school to offer, but he stayed true to the process. It paid off, and he ended up the No. 105 player in the country according to Rivals.com with plenty of choices.
Michigan just happened to be the right decision, and after a few months on campus taking summer classes and participating in team workouts, he's still comfortable with the move he made.
"It’s just a feeling that you get. It’s like a family. It’s not all about basketball — it is basketball, but it’s not all about basketball," Barnes told Brian Boesch on the Defend the Block podcast when asked to reflect on his commitment. "The first thing that we talked about was how they’re going to make me better as a person. They genuinely care.
"We didn’t really start talking about basketball until after I signed. That’s how you know that there’s that family atmosphere there."
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Barnes liked Michigan's basketball pitch as well, and he loved his communication with the staff, which kept in contact more than other programs.
"A thing that came up a lot was versatility," the 6-7, 185-pounder said. "They see me being versatile, being able to guard and play multiple positions, and that really stood out to me.
"I was talking to a coach like every day, and not only the assistants, but [head] Coach [Juwan] Howard as well. A lot of schools don’t do that. They don’t really talk to you every day or get to know you, they just hope that you commit without even trying to build a relationship."
Barnes admitted he didn't get to watch Howard much when he was a player in the NBA, but being from Chicago with a dad who loves basketball, he knows the head coach's story.
While it remains to be seen how much playing time Barnes will receive as a newcomer on a loaded roster, he insists he'll be ready when he's called upon. Growing up in the Big Ten footprint, he knows what the league is all about, and he fits right in.
"All I know is grind, man," Barnes said. "This is really nothing new to me. My journey speaks for itself. It was a really tough journey for me. I didn’t really receive any attention until my junior year in high school, so what do you think I was doing between my middle school years to then? Just nothing but being in the gym, constant work, grinding. I’m definitely built for it, and I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t think I was — if I didn’t know I was."
Michigan head strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson has been a big help in the short time Barnes has been on campus. He already feels he's much more ready than he was coming into the process.
"He’s great, man. He has transformed me, in many ways, in the matter of six weeks," Barnes said. "I feel a difference when I shoot the ball, when I’m just running up and down the court. Even my jumping ability, I feel really strong and really stable and comfortable."
Last week, associate head coach Phil Martelli said that he's already seen Barnes adjust to the pace of the college game, just by nature of going through summer workouts. Barnes has felt the same thing.
"I felt that as more time went on, the more comfortable I was getting with the pace and everything," Barnes said. "At first, I can agree that I was a little bit excited, felt like I needed to go 100 miles an hour, but that’s not college basketball. You’ve got to pick your spots; you’ve got to know how to think. You’ve just got to move at your own pace and not let your excitement or anything take over you being yourself."
When fans get to watch him either at Crisler Center or on national television, Barnes said they'll "see me playing hard, knocking down shots, trying to get my teammates involved, getting to the rim. Really just bringing that grit, versatility. I like to try and do everything I can and bring that to the table."
Similar to standout Michigan wings from the past.
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