Howard Talks Livers', Simpson's Career Nights, Previews Battle 4 Atlantis
The Michigan Wolverines’ basketball team put on an impressive display tonight at Crisler Center, destroying Houston Baptist in every facet, 111-68.
Junior forward Isaiah Livers enjoyed a career night, pouring in a personal-best 24 points in only 24 minutes of action. Perhaps even more impressively, though, was the fact that the junior shot 4-of-5 from deep and 9-of-10 overall from the floor.
RELATED: Howard, Players Discuss 111-Point Outburst
RELATED: Michigan Destroys Houston Baptist in Every Facet, 111-68
“I love the fact that he’s a smart player,” head coach Juwan Howard exclaimed in the postgame. “I was trying to run some pin screens for him to get him some catch and shoot opportunities, while also getting him downhill and into the paint to make plays for himself or for others.
“He did an excellent job adjusting, because he’s a basketball mind — he doesn’t just play the game, but knows how to play it.”
Livers wasn’t the only Wolverine who stuffed the stat sheet tonight, with senior point guard Zavier Simpson recording a double-double with 22 points and 14 assists, to go along with five boards.
“His defensive activity actually impressed me most,” Howard revealed. “That’s what generated his offense — getting into passing lanes and grabbing steals.
“Zavier made great plays for his teammates, and I respect his level of competitiveness.”
Sophomore center Colin Castleton outshined senior center Jon Teske tonight, with the former pouring in a career-best 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting in just 14 minutes of action (Teske only scored three points, but pulled down 12 boards).
Again, however, it was Castleton’s defensive efforts that caught Howard’s eye.
“Colin did an excellent job protecting the basket,” the U-M head man noted. “There were times where we got beat on the offensive end, but he covered up for his teammates’ mistakes.
“His length, activity and rebounding were all big for us. He also did an excellent job scoring points, but I was more impressed with his defense.”
Some may scoff at the notion that Michigan impressed tonight, citing that a 43-point margin of victory should be expected over a now-0-4 Houston Baptist squad.
For the Wolverines to do what they did under a head man who was in just his fourth-ever game as a head coach, however, was impressive nonetheless.
“What we can take away from tonight is that we played hard,” Howard explained. “They defended very well — our opponent only shot 36 percent from the field, so that says a lot about our defense and how active we were.
“Our scout team and coaching staff did a great job all week of preparing us for tonight’s game.”
Bigger tests now await, with the club departing on Monday morning at 6 AM for Paradise Island in The Bahamas, and the annually-loaded Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
A Wednesday showdown with Iowa State first awaits in the 3,500-seat Imperial Arena, before the Maize and Blue square off with either Alabama or North Carolina on Thanksgiving, and then one of Gonzaga, Oregon, Seton Hall or Southern Miss on Nov. 29.
“I’ll be looking for our team to be a competitive group,” Howard previewed. “It’s beautiful when you go on the road, because it helps your team form a mental toughness and a togetherness.
“It’s a perfect opportunity for us to bond and get to know one another. Yes, our goal is to take it one game at a time, and we know every opponent we’re going to face is good, just like the ones we’ve seen here at home.
“It will prepare us for the Big Ten season, which is right around the corner. It will be a business trip though, and it’s that simple.
“The Bahamas are a beautiful vacation spot for many, but we’re approaching it like we’re taking care of business, and taking it one game at a time.
“We can’t be hanging out at the beach and enjoying the fun in the sun. We’ll have practice once we get there and start locking in for our opponent.
“We’re going to start preparing for Iowa State on Sunday.”
Notes
• Freshman guard Cole Bajema enjoyed the best night of his brief collegiate career, setting new career-highs in points (five), rebounds (two) and minutes (13).
Granted, the 6-7 guard had only appeared in one previous game (Elon), but showed off a smooth stroke by connecting on one of his two shots from deep.
“I told Cole I was proud of the effort,” Howard revealed. “He deserved to play, because he had played well throughout practice.
“You can see the confidence growing in him, and you can see the trust his teammates have in him. He’s buying into the new way of playing — he’s a freshman, and yes, we’ve seen freshmen hit the ground running and perform at a high level; I’m not saying Cole hasn’t, but it takes time.
“He will be an integral part of helping us become a winning team.”
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