Michigan Wolverines basketball needed some unexpected contributions to get out of the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
The most notable was senior guard Chaundee Brown Jr., who dropped a season-high 21 points — 14 in the second half — and hit three shots from beyond the arc in a thrilling win over LSU. Junior forward Brandon Johns Jr. also acquitted himself well in his second and third starts of the season, scoring seven points in victories over Texas Southern and LSU.
But another Wolverine stepped up as well — freshman forward Terrance Williams II. The Clinton, Md., native played a total of 20 minutes over the two games and gave the Maize and Blue some nice production, tallying four points in each contest and totaling five assists and four rebounds.
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Senior forward Isaiah Livers, who is out indefinitely with a stress injury to his right foot, has served as a mentor for Williams ever since the freshman stepped onto campus in June. The two play the same position (power forward) and share a similar mentality. When Williams received the news two weeks ago that Livers will miss extended time and potentially the rest of the season, he — like the rest of the team — was devastated.
"It was sad at first, because he’s been dealing with injuries throughout his years at Michigan," Williams told Brian Boesch on the 'Defend The Block' podcast. "And especially not having a tournament last year, to take him out for his senior season last tournament and the middle of the Big Ten, but before March Madness, I think it was just sad."
Livers it out of the lineup, but he's not disengaged. The 13-point-per game scorer is still all in, and trying to propel his team to a national championship in any way he can.
"He’s just still been himself off the court," Williams said. "He’s telling everybody where they need to be, really, what they can do better because he’s seen it now from the bench — he can see what’s going on on the offensive and defensive end.
"He’s just been telling others in the huddle what they’re doing or what he sees, he’s even told [head] Coach [Juwan] Howard what he sees and how he can make some adjustments during a game. And he’s also telling me and Brandon if we have any questions for the four position to come to him.
"He’s definitely been himself off the court and he’s showing support. A lot of people can be mad or sad for themselves because they’re not in the tournament and not playing, but that’s not him. He’s being a leader and being himself, and I love that about him."
Williams knew that when Livers went down, the Wolverines would need more out of him and others if they wanted to still make a run in March.
"All hands on deck," "next man up," and "stay ready so you don't have to get ready," have been staples in the vocabulary of Michigan players and coaches ever since Howard took over the program. Williams, who has been in and out of the rotation all season long, has followed those mantras to a t.
"I work hard in practice every day, I work out in my off time, so when my moment comes and I’m in the game and my opportunity comes, I’m ready," Williams said. "I just trust the hard work that I put in, Coach Howard trusts the hard work that I put in, and he puts me out there in positions for me to be successful.
"I stay ready on the bench, because my mind’s always in the game, watching to see what’s going on, see how the game is flowing, see what I need to do to get in. I’m not always in to make the superhero, home run plays — I’m just in to get momentum going, sometimes give B. Johns a rest, sometimes it’s get Hunter the ball in the position that he needs. So I’m just doing whatever my job is in that game, and I can see that from the bench, and that’s how I stay ready."
That mentality helped Williams step up in two of the team's biggest games of the season. His self-awareness allowed him to stay poised and do his job — he didn't force the issue, he knew the mission.
"It's just a blessing to be in March Madness," Williams said. "It’s my first time, as a freshman, and we’re in the Sweet 16. I plan on going further, but for right now, we’re in the Sweet 16 — that’s a big accomplishment for my freshman year.
Even though there’s [not many] fans and it’s limited capacity, it still feels like a big March Madness game.
"It’s kinda like a dream come true for me. I remember sitting at school, like mid-day, the teachers would put on March Madness. I used to ask my teachers, ‘Can you put on March Madness? Can you put on March Madness?’"
Now, there's kids watching him on national television on the biggest stage, and it's all because he was ready when opportunity came knocking.
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