Brooks Talks Michigan's 4 Freshmen, Specifies What Each Of Them Do Well
Though the Michigan Wolverines will have a revamped basketball roster in 2020-21 with six new scholarship players on the team, the club nevertheless possesses two fifth-year seniors in center Austin Davis and point guard Mike Smith, and three seniors in forward Isaiah Livers and guards Chaundee Brown and Eli Brooks.
Brooks is expected to play a major role in Michigan’s backcourt once again this season after averaging 10.6 points per game last year, though his exact role remains a bit of a mystery.
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Smith transferred in from Columbia after posting 22.8 points per outing in 2019-20, and is expected to be the primary point guard if he’s able to translate successfully to the brutality that is Big Ten basketball.
“I’m confident playing either position,” Brooks told reporters this afternoon, referring to U-M’s point guard and shooting guard spots. “I told Coach [Juwan Howard] the first day he got here I’d play whatever gets me on the court.
“I get a lot of reps on both ends in practice, so there’s a lot of different combinations that could happen — with three guards or even one guard.”
How well Smith fits in at Michigan from an on-court standpoint won’t be determined until the Wolverines actually play a game, but the fifth-year senior has been a hit so far from a chemistry standpoint.
“Mike is very outgoing and is easy to get along with,” Brooks laughed. “He’s a good person and that’s part of the reason Coach Howard recruited him. We both can play on and off the ball and have the ability to shoot it.
“His shooting numbers in practice have been pretty impressive. He’s so easy to hang out with and is a funny person — conversations flow easily with him.”
Brooks was asked this afternoon if anything had stood out to him so far in U-M’s practices (which have been going on for about two weeks), and he singled out the team’s ability to shoot the ball.
With that being said, defense has been the focal point in the early going for Howard’s club, especially after it served as U-M's downfall in several of its 12 losses last season.
“We’ve spent a lot of time on defense because we lost a lot of games on the defensive end last year,” Brooks recalled. “We’ve made it an emphasis not to let people get to the free throw line.
“We’re also focusing on our own free throw shooting and have been shooting 50 free throws before every practice. We want to capitalize off of free points.”
Veterans in college basketball have had unique careers, with last year’s postseason getting canceled and the start of this season still filled with uncertainty. Brooks was asked this afternoon if he’s had a chance to sit down and take it all in in what could be final his campaign in the Maize and Blue.
“Our first practice was actually on my birthday, so that was kind of special,” he recalled. “Coach [Phil] Martelli came up to us veterans and told us to take a snapshot of this and write it down.
“It’ll be our first last practice. It still hasn’t hit me because it feels like I’ve been here forever. We’re making sure we’re taking the right steps to get to the championship. Everybody on the team wants a championship, so there’s an urgency for everyone; Coach Howard wants everyone’s last season here to be memorable.”
Notes
• Michigan signed a group of four freshmen in its 2020 recruiting class, in a haul that was rated as the third best in the Big Ten. The senior guard was asked today what he’s seen from the youngsters so far in practice.
“[Forward] Terrance [Williams] usually plays on my team and does a lot of good things,” Brooks explained. “The way he shoots the ball and is physical has been impressive for a freshman.
“A lot of freshmen don’t speak up, but [guard] Zeb [Jackson] has a voice in practice, so that’s been nice to hear. He’s keen on learning and watches a lot of film and asks questions.
“The first thing that jumped out about [center] Hunter [Dickinson] is how tall he is. He sees the floor very well and has a high basketball IQ, and can really pass the ball. It’s been fun to watch.
“[Guard] Jace [Howard] is eager to learn and brings positive energy to practice. He sets really good screens off the ball and sacrifices cuts a lot. He plays with a high motor.”
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