Michigan Wolverines basketball head coach Juwan Howard had some discouraging words regarding his club’s defensive efforts following tonight’s 72-63 loss to Penn State, most of which involved a lack of communication amongst the players on the court.
The players themselves did not shy away from that notion in the postgame, with both sophomore forward Brandon Johns and junior guard Eli Brooks admitting it was/is an issue.
“A lack of communication [is what led to our missed assignments],” Brooks confirmed bluntly. “We just have to talk.”
“I think our communication could have been better,” Johns added. “We get in our heads, and it causes us to stop talking. We need to be consistent and talk.”
The defensive struggles were present from the get-go tonight, with star Penn State senior forward Lamar Stevens scoring seven of the club’s first nine points to grab a 9-2 lead less than two minutes into the game.
Michigan clearly didn’t have the same intensity and energy out of the gate that PSU had, and Howard was forced to call an early timeout as a result.
“Not being ready to play and not being locked in to play [was the issue],” Brooks said. “The energy wasn’t there. We have to do a better job starting games and not falling behind.
“It’s tough when you see a guy come down and hit five shots in a row [Stevens], but you have to overcome it.”
Senior guard Zavier Simpson has long been viewed as the leader of the club and the voice who provides the team with its energy, though getting others to also do so has apparently become an issue.
Junior forward Isaiah Livers has fallen into that category at times as well, though he obviously hasn’t been able to be a leader on the court during the prolonged injury that has kept him out for the last month.
“We really rely on X [Simpson] to get us going and bring the energy,” Brooks admitted. “We can do a better job moving forward as a team bringing that fire.
“Some people just don’t lead that way, and I think we need guys to step up and lead that way. I’m a lead by example and do the right thing kind of guy, but I could be more vocal.
“Seeing X do it really gets guys going.”
“Isaiah and X are really harping on us,” Johns revealed. “We need to be better and more connected.”
The Wolverines will have to do so in a hurry, seeing as how their schedule doesn’t get any easier moving forward. A home date against a red-hot Illinois club awaits on Saturday, followed by a road trip to Lincoln to take on a Nebraska squad who has improved immensely since the start of the season.
“[Losing at home is] big,” Brooks explained. “You have to win at home to win the Big Ten. Since I’ve been here, you’ll be in contention if you win all your Big Ten home games.
“It’s just about people buying in — we can’t forfeit the games coming up. We’ll have to fight through it and take pride in it.”
Notes
• The usually upbeat and positive Johns was asked what the mood in the locker room was like after the game, and he didn’t mince words to describe it.
“It wasn’t the greatest,” he said disappointingly. “We don’t like losing. Everybody wants to find solutions, and something has to give.
“Talking more and communicating on defense [is a solution].”
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