Following Michigan’s win over Central Michigan Monday night, U-M coach John Beilein said that sophomore center Jon Teske played the best game of his career.
The 7-foot-1 big man scored four points — all of free throws, had one rebound, two blocks and a steal in 10 minutes of action.
He has established himself, at least as of now, as the backup to junior forward Moritz “Moe” Wagner, ahead of redshirt freshman Austin Davis.
“I’m just going out every day in practice and trying to get better each and every day,” Teske said. “Knowing that there are minutes available behind Moe, and competing with Austin, making him better, he’s making me better, we’re making Moe better. It’s a three-headed monster competing for minutes.”
Davis didn’t play against the Chippewa’s.
Teske says he’s become more aggressive and is communicating better while on the court this season. He picked up a lot while watching from the bench as a freshman.
Beilein said that while Teske is ahead in the backup big man battle right now, it can be ever-changing.
“He’s got to know he’s got another level of play,” Beilein said. “As we go through the years of teaching. There’s a time that they’ve got to understand, ‘wait a minute, I’ve been here for a year, I’ve got more in me.’ We really challenged him in that game and we’re going to challenge him every day. Sometimes as a coach I can be too much of a teacher and not demanding enough of people. I’ve been really demanding of Jon and Austin these last couple weeks.”
Simmons Slowly But Surely Picking Up Offense
It’s been quite the transition for Michigan fifth-year senior point guard Jaaron Simmons.
The Ohio transfer has had to learn an entire new system compared to what he ran the last several years — and it’s one that involves him having the ball in his hands less.
“He had the ball in his hands all the time,” Beilein said. “For example, if [redshirt sophomore wing] Charles Matthews gets a rebound, I do not want Jaaron to beg for the ball. I want him to run the court and let Charles take it up. It’s very difficult, we feel, to matchup with multiple push men. But he’s used to always going back to the ball and having the ball 90 percent of the time.”
Beilein said that Simmons will still have the ball more than others, but that’s by nature since the point guard is responsible for running the offense in most cases.
“It’s definitely slowed down as of late,” Simmons said. “When I first got here, it was a lot of concepts and terminology and things you have to learn. You just have to take it day-by-day and be patient and dive in head-first and be willing to learn.”
He doesn’t mind not being “the guy” at Michigan. He came here with his top priority being to win, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. He’s watched tape of former Michigan greats Trey Burke and Derrick Walton Jr. to help his transition.
“That’s how you get to the tournament, that’s how you make it far in the tournament,” Simmons said. “It’s not anything like ‘dang, I’m not the number one option’ it’s ‘let’s go, we can make plays, everybody can score, everybody can pass.’ Not to say that people couldn’t pass and score at my other school, but it’s just more balance. It’s a great thing.”
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