Michigan has been through six practices now, and though the Wolverines have big shoes to fill, head coach John Beilein likes what he’s seeing.
He told The Huge Show’s Bill Simonson Tuesday he rarely “loves” a team before February, but that there’s a lot to like about this year’s club in the early going.
“We’ve had six days of practice. I like some things,” he said. “Their energy is incredible, and they really work hard. Defensively right now they probably have both a will and a skill to be a better defensive team … we couldn’t have been much worse than we were last year at certain times.
“I love that part of us right now. We have a great connectivity as a team.”
Junior big man Moritz Wagner agreed, going so far to say he thought they looked ‘great.’ He also admitted he would never say his team looked bad because of the confidence he has in his teammates.
“I’ve never been a part of a team that is so committed to each other, which we have to be because 11 of our guys are either freshmen or sophomores,” he said. “So there has to be a certain determination and commitment.”
Still, there’s plenty to replace. Point guard Derrick Walton Jr. and wing Zak Irvin are gone, and finding someone to make up for their scoring and moxie will be paramount.
Enter Kentucky transfer Charles Matthews, who might just be the ‘X’ factor on this team’s ceiling. The redshirt sophomore brings athleticism and slashing ability that might have been lacking on last year’s squad, and he’s been outstanding in the early going.
“Charles Matthews has a lot of abilities,” Beilein said. “A little Tim Hardaway, a little Nik Stauskas in him. He didn’t get shots at Kentucky as a freshman. They were loaded with talent, and it’s nobody’s fault. He’s going to get shots here now. It’s going to be a great opportunity for him to grow.
“I love his defense and his rebounding, that will really help us.”
He’s been the team’s leading rebounder in every practice to date, assistant DeAndre Haynes added of the 6-6 standout.
“He’s going to surprise a lot of people in the Big Ten,” Haynes said. “He’s been really great on the floor and been watching extra film with coach, and he’s been surprising me a lot.
“He can put it on the floor. He’s blessed athletically to where he can just jump over guys. He’s really good.”
The other to watch closely — another transfer in former Ohio U. point guard Jaaron Simmons. He’s already providing some leadership and has been a perfect addition to the roster.
“He’s fit right in,” Beilein said. “He came in this summer and began working out with our team. He’s an experienced player.
"I just watch him grow every day. He’s got to learn a whole new system and has to do it in a shorter time, but he’s embracing many of those things.”
But in intangibles and experience, which comes with playing, Beilein said Simmons is right were he needs to be.
“There’s just basketball that everyone plays the same. Probably 80 percent of it is exactly the same, and maybe we’re 20 percent different than other people,” Beilein said. “That 20 percent, he’s getting better at.
“He’s a winner.”
“The one thing you can’t replicate is actual game experience and he has that,” assistant coach Saddi Washington added. “I think he and sophomore point guard Zavier Simpson] will play off of each other really well.”
Haynes has been working with the guards and has seen plenty to like out of the grad transfer.
“He’s really good. He can tear a team apart single-handedly, but he’s really mature and has a high IQ to where he knows the game,” he said. “To play here under a coach that’s really good with offense … once he figures out coach’s offense, then he can pick and choose his spots on the floor. He’s going to be a lethal player.”
Between those two and returning starters Wagner, senior guard Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman and fifth-year senior forward Duncan Robinson, the Wolverines have plenty on which to build this year, including potential depth the likes of which Beilein hasn’t often had during his tenure.
NOTES
• Matthews has added 22 pounds since arriving in Ann Arbor, strength coach Jon Sanderson said.
“He showed up at 6-6, 178 pounds and he currently weighs 200 pounds,” Sanderson said. “He’s a man. He’s always been explosive, but he’s more explosive, stronger and he’s balanced. He had a phenomenal summer and redshirt year.”
• Beilein said the freshman class might be one of the most ‘ready to contribute’ groups he’s had.
“Jordan Poole is a good athlete,” he said of the 6-3 shooting guard. “I wouldn’t say he jumps out of the gym, but he is shifty. He shifts gears and cuts as good as any freshman I’ve seen.
“Having a guy that can cut … a lot of young kids don’t know how to cut. We work at cutting, but this kid really can cut. He’s going to get open whether he’s cutting to get open or go backdoor.”
Power forward Isaiah Livers is even more athletic than he thought, he added.
“He could be athletic and with Sanderson, if he puts two to six inches of vertical jump more on him, that’s going to be something,” Beilein said. “His attitude has really been good.”
Freshman point guard Eli Brooks, too, could contribute.
“He really has a feel for the game,” Beilein said. “He can really shoot it.”
Don’t ask Simmons about what it means to move to the Big Ten or a new team, because it’s just hoops.
• If Simmons is intimidated by the bigger stage, he’s not showing it.
“I just look as basketball as basketball,” Simmons said. “I really couldn’t care less about the conference. It’s the same [to me]. You have to go out there and produce.”
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