On where the team is now vs. heading into the season opener

Today we were off so I spent time with our numbers and I try to look at what's happening with our wins and what's happening in the losses. In the losses, the defense is gone. The shooting numbers, our opponents are shooting 53% from two and their three-point shooting is over 50%. I was worried in the summer about our closeouts and our ability to break down and play one-on-one. That has stayed true. The other number that jumps out is our foul shooting is not to standard. Not to championship standard at all. I didn't see that in the summer. I thought we would shoot the ball better from three. We're starting to come out of it a little bit. I thought that, in the summer, we're going to be in a position where our depth is going to really help us. It's starting to. We need our bench to be more productive. Not just productive in eating up minutes but productive in performance. Concerns in the summer are still concerns. One-on-one defense, our ability to spread the floor in order for Hunter's primary, great skill, of passing the ball to be evident. I would say that individual development. Not just putting time in, which these guys do, they're in the gym all the time. Now, we have to make sure that it's a more productive time that we're spending. Defense is going to be—I'm an offensive guy. I like the ball going in the basket. I think for us to climb this league, we are really going to have to become better individual defenders and better team defenders.

On Dug McDaniel

He's a character. Let me just give you a story. In the summer, he and I were having a little pow-wow and I asked him if he missed football. He was the player of the year, now, it's a lower division, in the DC area. There's powerhouses in DC and there's a lower division. He was the player of the year in football in that lower division. We were outside the academic center and some of the freshmen football players were walking by. I said, 'You know, you're lucky you don't play football. That kid right there would break you in half.' He looked me dead in the eye and said, 'You're nuts. I could return punts in the Big Ten tomorrow and I would lead the country.' I said, you know, this is the reason I'm meeting with you and this pow-wow because I think you might be clinically insane. He had no change in his body. In his demeanor. He was anxious and I think that the extended play mattered to him. Maybe he's one of those guys that needs his name called and he could get started. I was really pleased at the defensive end of the floor. The first play of the game, he turns the ball over. He's trying to force a pass. They're not going to guard because they don't know if he can shoot. Then, they're coming back on the break and he comes down and just takes the ball. I thought that was really a great sign that he could just play through these mistakes. Playing point guard in this system, you have to be very, very cerebral. I thought he had a terrific night but he had terrific preparation. He is attached at the hip with Howard Eisley. The point guard whisperer has him. There's going to be nights where he's a freshman. He's not allowed to use that as an excuse. He's got to be able to bounce back in the middle of a game, the middle of a bad run. He's going to have to make sure he really focuses on as much as he can, build up his body because people are going to make runs at him. He's a freshman and he's a tiny guy, call it the way it is, he's a tiny guy. Hopefully, he's not listening, hopefully, he's somewhere studying really hard.

On Will Tschetter

Another little tidbit. When we were in London, Will got word that his grandfather had passed away. We didn't share that. He was in really, really, really tough shape. Again, this team came to him, his family was in touch. They told us exactly how they wanted it to play out. He carried a lot. I was surprised the students at Minnesota kind of riding a little bit. You know what had you wanted him, you coulda had him. Look, I said it the day that he committed and I stand by it. If he's good enough at basketball, that's a movie. I don't know if it's Hallmark of 30 for 30 but, come on. The kid had a 3.999 because he got an A- in sophomore Spanish. I am frequently on him about that. Seriously, sophomore Spanish, that was it? School band. How many kids playing in the Big Ten played in the school band? Takes up the discus and the shotput because he doesn't have spring basketball his senior year. Wins the state championship in the discus. Quarterback. Gets up at 5 o'clock in the morning and does chores. There are guys on our team that can't spell chore because that's the way it is today. We rack when they're 10 years old and, at 11, we're like, you're cool, don't think about picking up your own play. He does chores at 5 o'clock in the morning, had never until he came to Michigan, been to a social event i.e. a party. I think he's fascinating. When you come to a practice, there's a voice you will hear, above and beyond Juwan Howard's voice, you will hear Will. He talks on every single play. The three-ball going in, the offensive rebound putback. With a heavy heart and with all those people.

On bench minutes

If we're meeting two hours before practice, part of the conversation is who and why. Where do guys fit? A little inside baseball, the last thing we do before we walk on the court, Juwan will come out of the locker room and the last thing he does before he walks through the tunnel is he hands me the sheet. The sheet is the rotation. I've saved every one of them for four years because we have never followed that sheet. I just think that we're now to the point where it's just a ritual, not a superstition, it's a ritual that he's going to hand me the sheet. I'll look at the sheet, when he calls a name, I'll go, maybe it's on the other side of the sheet. There's rhyme and reason. In our meetings, you're asked to defend why you would go a certain way. It could be opponent specific, it could be a practice. It could be a head-to-head in practice because every practice is viewed more than once. There's really not a rhythm yet. With the change at point guard, you've got to figure out, well, Kobe is going to be the back-up point guard so when do you get him out to get his rest because he's not going to be a 40-minute guy. That's still evolving and I like the fact that the players are hungry for, you know what, when is my opportunity?

---

Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards

Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer

Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @DavisMoseley, @lucasreimink, @JaredHalus

Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify

Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube

Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram