The Michigan Wolverines’ basketball team was dealt a tough blow today, when head coach Juwan Howard announced fifth-year senior forward Austin Davis would be out indefinitely with plantar fasciitis.
Granted, Davis was only averaging 12.4 minutes, six points and 3.6 rebounds per game, but was nonetheless a valuable part of Michigan’s rotation. More pressure will now fall on freshman center Hunter Dickinson’s shoulders, who will undoubtedly step into the team’s starting lineup and take over the starting role vacated by Davis.
“When a leader like that goes down, the captains have to speak up and be more vocal,” senior forward Isaiah Livers said this afternoon. “Austin has continued to be a leader and will find ways to talk to the bigs in ways that I can’t.
“He’ll communicate with Hunter, [junior forward] Brandon Johns], [redshirt junior] Jaron [Faulds] and T. Will [freshman forward Terrance Williams]. [Senior guard] Eli [Brooks] has been named our tri-captain, and his voice has been heard the whole time as well.”
Livers and Davis had been Michigan’s original two captains, but Brooks’ inclusion doesn’t come as a surprise. He has been a consistent contributor during his four years at U-M, and is once again proving to be a valuable part of the team by averaging 9.2 points and four assists per game.
“He’s our utility guard who can also rebound,” Livers exclaimed. “Eli is the fastest guy on the team and is athletic and can shoot the ball. You can put him at the one, two or three positions, and he can shut guys down.
“He won’t take the captaincy for granted and will come out and play hard every game.”
Michigan wrapped up non-conference play this week with a blowout of Toledo and will next turn its attention to league action when Penn State comes to town Sunday. The conference is expected to be an absolute grind due to the depth of the league, and will serve as a significant step up in competition from what was a fairly weak non-conference slate.
“It’s definitely the toughest conference [in the country],” Livers confirmed. “Last year, it was tough as well but I think this year will be tougher. Some guys came back around the league and teams are older now.
“It’ll be fun and an all-out battle. You can’t take nights off; there will be a lot of upsets, overtime games, and games that are tight at the end. We’re excited and looking forward to it because we never back down from a fight.”
Sunday against the Nittany Lions — and moving forward in general — is when we’ll truly find out whether or not Dickinson is ready for the spotlight in his increased role, with the Big Ten possessing some of the best centers in the country (Iowa senior Luka Garza, Illinois sophomore Kofi Cockburn, etc.).
“He’s a smart kid,” Livers said of Dickinson, not at all concerned about how he’s going to handle his added responsibilities. “He has defensive and offensive awareness, and is on top of it with a big future ahead of him.
“Austin was unselfishly coaching up a guy who could potentially take his spot — that’s the kind of kid Austin Davis is. The sky is the limit for Hunter because he works hard and just wants to win.
“He’s the most ready freshman I’ve seen, if we’re talking about the ones I’ve watched. Coach Howard got him ready and knew we’d need a big body down low. Big Ten play is a whole new monster because we’re playing for a championship and for the Big Ten outright.
“Our coaching staff put Hunter in with the starters once in practice just to see how it would go. It’ll be fun to see where he’s at now; he just needs to keep the same mindset he had coming off the bench, because it’s really the same thing.”
Livers was in a similar role as a freshman, originally coming off the bench before being inserted into the starting lineup in 2017-18 just as the grind of the Big Ten slate was kicking off.
“I don’t want him to overthink anything and want him to keep playing that seven-foot basketball he’s been playing,” Livers said. “Now Hunter will be setting the tone for Johns, Faulds and T. Will.
“I want him to just keep doing what he’s been doing.”
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