The sensory overload that collaborates with Senior Night is astonishingly visible to the naked eye.
Fans on their feet with their cell phones in hand ready to take a photo with the right angle of players who worked tirelessly for four or five years. Framed photos and jerseys of said players perch on a three legged centerfolds surrounding the center court logo, while bouquets of flowers are nestled in the hands of the players' mothers and wrapped around the folds.
Reporters and photographers nudging one another to capture the moment in real-life for those who couldn’t be there in attendance. All this wrapped together to make a celebration fit for players who devoted their college years entertaining those yearning for basketball.
But on Thursday, when Michigan gave its gentle appreciation to the six seniors in line for the deserved celebration, it was acting head coach Phil Martelli whose mind was centered on one particular day almost a decade prior.
Martelli remembered when he was sitting in his office at Saint Joseph's when a ninth grader named Eli Brooks walked in to make his formal introduction. A Spring Grove, Pennsylvania native in search of that dream of playing college basketball.
Now, with that nine-year journey taking both Martelli and Brooks to Michigan, the road filled with trials and tribulations for the pair ended at the Crisler Center on Senior Night.
“I said to (Eli’s) mother on the court, ‘who would have thought this?’" Martelli said. "But here I am on the last home night (for Eli). I don’t think that Eli’s legacy or mark on this program will be the wins or the points, it’ll be that he’s the epitome of a captain. We’re better for having Eli in our lives and in this program.”
The Captain
Brooks returned to Michigan for his fifth-year for a couple of reasons.
Of course, it was about the goals the Wolverines for this season. Not only to capture another Big Ten Championship but to cross the threshold of the Elite Eight that held them down in a COVID-19 stricken campaign.
But Brooks had something to ratify in his final run with Michigan. To live up to the captain honor that he rightfully earned from Juwan Howard and the coaching staff and prove that it was fitting for someone of his leadership. To be that player that everyone could say, 'he's our guy.'"
Outside of the game, Brooks is finishing up his master's degree to be a social worker, working with the less fortunate and to extend a helping hand to those in search of a light that never beamed before.
It's a telling parallel to who Brooks is both on-and-off the court. Being that face that can be depended on and be worthy of ungodly amounts of trust. For him to be the glue that holds Michigan together in times of faith and sorrow through playmaking ability and a winning mentality, it provides assurance that Brooks' impact will continue be felt once he hangs up the laces.
“With Eli, he’s a champion," Martelli said. "He’s just a champion. He brings a championship mentality to everything that he does. Whether it’s in the weight room, if he’s getting extra shots, his approach to understanding not just where his four guys are standing but also understand where the five guys on the other team are supposed to be.”
Walking Away Without Regrets
It might not have been the moment that Brandon Johns Jr. expected when reflecting upon his four years at Michigan immediately following the 82-71 loss to Iowa, but it was a real chance to give some perspective on his experiences since arriving from East Lansing.
The sorrow look of falling short on Senior Night in what could be his last time dressing up for a game at home, barring any postseason hoopla next week, gave a physical indication of how Johns felt about the rewritten climax. Why now? Of all nights could this have happened?
The mad reality of things not going the right way – hence losing on Senior Night – holds similarities to the belief of some of how Johns' career at Michigan played out. He would even admit to the media that people might think different of how his time in Ann Arbor transpired since signing in 2017. But the truth is, according to Johns, the last four years were nothing short of triumphant.
"I think it was a very productive and successful four years here," Johns said. "Not matter what – whether positive or negative – I really learned from my coaches and my team. Just in a variety of different things that I would never thought I’d be able to say that I learned. In my eyes, it was a very successful four years.”
Learning Under The Veterans
Sure, Michigan entered the season with the top-ranked recruiting class nationally with two five-stars and three McDonald's All-Americans. Sure, the lofty assumptions were held higher than a sub .500 record and an NCAA Tournament berth remaining in question.
But for a group of teenagers heralded as bonafide NBA starters before they even stepped into a college arena, there needed to be some guidance from the guys who've trudged through the beaten path before.
Much like how Brooks will be the shoulder to lean on as a social worker, him and the rest of the senior class did the same for the freshmen. For someone like Caleb Houstan, along with others like Moussa Diabate and Frankie Collins, going to war with veterans in Brooks and Johns for an entire calendar year means a steadier direction towards development and virtue.
It also means that they now understand the power of being the star leader should they decide to play four years of college. As if they don't know already.
“They mean a lot by just being leaders," Houstan said. "Guys who’ve been there before – especially for us freshmen – as it’s our first time going through everything. It helps a lot to have guys like that to teach you the ropes and tell you things that you don’t know. Just having confidence knowing what they’re doing and that’s been a huge help for me at least.”
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