Michigan Wolverines basketball freshman center Hunter Dickinson was the story of the night in U-M’s 81-71 overtime win over Oakland at Crisler Center, wrapping up the evening with 19 points, four rebounds and four assists.
All 19 of his points came in the second half and in the overtime session, coming up with crucial basket after crucial basket to ensure the Wolverines’ victory. He frequently showed nice touch around the rim and served as the team’s “go-to man” down the stretch, proving the moment wasn’t too big for him.
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“He has a good touch and uses his body well,” freshman forward Terrance Williams exclaimed, who has known Dickinson the longest of any current Wolverine after playing with him during their prep days.
“I’ve been competing with him since third or fourth grade and have seen his improvement every year. A lot of big men don’t have a lot of touch, but he has it around the rim and around the three-point line.
“He’s played in these big games – we played close games in our high school conference and in the Nike Peach Jam. We were built for the moment and were just playing our role tonight.
“Hunter and I have had our chemistry doing this for a long time. That’s why we got our good high-low in and made the right plays and the right passes.”
“Coach [Juwan] Howard calls us the DM boys,” Dickinson added, referring to he and Williams. “We live together now and are together most of the day and have gotten closer. We’ve been playing together for a long time as well.
“Terrance and I provided a spark off the bench when our team needed it and it turned out very well for us.”
Williams’ stat line didn’t jump off the page, but he nevertheless gave the team valuable minutes down the stretch, wrapping up his night with seven points and four rebounds in 14 minutes of action.
“He has something I didn’t have as a freshman,” senior forward Isaiah Livers laughed, when asked what Williams brings to the table as a youngster. “He has a lot of grit and a lot of heart.
“That heart will take him a long way. He just loves the game of basketball.”
“I just wanted to learn,” Williams added while discussing the role he expected to have heading into the year. “Isaiah is my mentor and has been taking me along this entire time. I brought my game from high school — to grab rebounds, crash the glass, the little things.
“That’s why I got the minutes I got today.”
It’s no surprise to hear Livers has served as a mentor to Williams, especially when considering he’s one of two captains on the team (fifth-year senior forward Austin Davis is the other).
The 6-7 senior has been an outstanding leader during his time in Ann Arbor, and stepped up tonight when his team needed him most. His finished as the club’s leading scorer with 22 points, connecting on five of his seven shots from deep.
“Just being a leader,” he said when asked about the message he sent to the team when were things were looking dicey. “I wanted to inspire the younger guys and inspire this Michigan culture.
“It’s ok to be down. It’s all about getting a win. We weren’t playing our best and had 15 or more turnovers [they finished with 20], so I was just trying to be a leader as much as possible.
“I wanted to lead this team to a win.”
The cameras at one point caught Livers arguing with Howard on the bench, something that every fan likely has an opinion on regarding whether or not the senior was in the wrong.
We don’t know what was said by whom, making it an impossible situation to judge.
“He was holding me accountable,” the senior revealed. “He was challenging me. That’s how we communicate. He wants me to be a great player and I respect him for that. He told me to play harder and to get on the ground and get 50/50 balls.
“I said ‘I’ve got you, trust me.’ He trusts me and wants me to be a great basketball player. Me and Coach Howard go at it and butt heads. I butt heads with my fathers too; he’s a father figure and holds me accountable.
“Coach just wants me to be a great basketball player.”
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