Sophomore center Moritz Wagner is always engaging with the media. He's now demonstrated he could join them once his playing days are done.
The big German whose 26 points helped sink Louisville and propel Michigan into the Sweet 16 has given his version of Michigan's airplane incident in depth. He unfurled it for The Players Tribune, in this article.
In it, Wagner describes the terrifying aborted takeoff at Willow Run Airport, prior to the Big Ten Tournament. Here is a snippet:
"I just see everyone … this plane full of my Michigan family … with this look on their faces that I don’t even recognize. It’s almost, like, an entire emotion that I’ve never seen before. I immediately turn back around. I lean over to look out the window.
"We’re careening off the runway and into a field.
"Oh no, I think. Oh, God. Oh no.
"This is actually happening.
"We actually might die.
"My memories from the rest of that plane ride are this weird combination — so vivid, and yet such a blur. One moment we’re bracing for impact, skidding down the runway at what feels like hundreds of miles per hour. And then, the next thing you know, we’re slowing down … and slowing down … until….
“'Evacuation! Evacuation!'
"We can tell from the sound of the pilot’s voice, and from how scared the flight crew seems, that we’re not out of the woods yet. It’s like: They don’t just want us off that plane.
"They want us off that plane — now."
Wagner goes on to tell of the aftermath of that incident, and of Michigan's run through the tournament thus far. He opens up about the euphoria he and his team are experiencing after each win, and the phenomenon that emerged from their March sojourn to this point.
He won't be thinking about any of that when he takes the court against Oregon tonight. But he'll certainly be after to add another chapter (or more) to an engaging tale.
More of The Wolverine's basketball coverage:
• Former Wolverine Tim McCormick Likes U-M's Chances
• John Beilein Shows Again Why He’s Elite In Out-dueling Rick Pitino
• Michigan Basketball Must-See Video: Beilein, Players At The Podium
• Video: Assistants Jeff Meyer, Saddi Washington On 'The Run' vs. Louisville
• Varied Respect In NCAA Re-seeding
• U-M Basketball Notebook: Big Ten Carries Some Swagger
• Michigan's Win Over Louisville Is Sweet Indeed
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