Michigan Wolverines Basketball: Franz Wagner Has Emerged As A Great Two-Way Player

Franz Wagner hasn't been lighting it up like many Michigan fans hoped he would, averaging 9.5 points per game and shooting 25 percent from long range through six contests. Head coach Juwan Howard has been extremely pleased with his sophomore, however, given how well he's playing on both sides of the floor.

Wagner's rebounding has gone up from 5.6 per game last season to 7.0 through six games, and he's shooting 50 percent overall from the floor. His assists have risen from 1.0 to 2.8, and few would argue he's been one of the Big Ten's best defenders in the early going.

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"He's been great. He's a two-way player, and that's something no one every discusses, talking about Franz being a guy that can guard the other side of he ball," Howard said. "Conversations before he arrived on campus were always about Franz was a talent ... he could shoot the ball. He's long; he's athletic.

"Now, Franz has grown into a guy that can rebound extremely well, one of our leading rebounders. He defends sometimes one through five and does a great job of doing that, and he's so smart. He knows the other team's sets because he spends time studying it. He also watches on film because we teach it and drill it in practice and he does an excellent job retaining info and also applying it."

Howard called him one of the best two-way players in college basketball. While he has yet to show it on offense, the German had an outstanding offseason after an offensive explosion at the end of last year in which he was U-M's most reliable scorer.

His role has changed and will continue to evolve, Howard predicted.

"Franz is utilized in situations of making plays for himself and others more this year than last year," he said. "A guy like [former point guard] Zavier Simpson, who was very smart, made great plays for us with the ball in his hands ... now you miss a guy like that. He's not here, so you have to tweak the offense to fit your personnel.

"Franz, with how he's grown as a player and other things he's added to his game ... one of the things he's added is being a playmaker. There are times he makes plays for himself and others. I see a lot of growth this year, see him having a great start of the year for us so far. But he's going to get better and better."

Last year, Howard noted, Wagner sometimes let misses affect his confidence. Now when the ball's not going in, he doesn't have the "I have to make it" mentality. Make or miss, he lives with the results knowing he won't get pulled if he makes a mistake or misses a shot.

Howard's message to him regardless of the situation: "be a basketball player."

"It's never scripted in games," he said. "There are different situations where things happen. You have to adjust on the fly and read time and situations. His second year, the game has slowed down. Last year was a new system, style of play. He has more experience and knows what to expect."

Wagner took only five shots last game, a win over Penn State, in 36 minutes. There will be other games like that this year, Howard predicted, given the depth and talent on this year's team.

But there will be others in which they'll need him to score more. He's put up 14-point games in wins over Ball State and Toledo, and there will be times they need even more from him.

Howard believes he'll rise to the challenge when his number is called.

"It's still early on. We've only played six games," he said. "This [Nebraska game on Christmas] will only be our second game in the Big Ten. You're going to see a lot of games with explosive numbers, some not. What does not show up on the box score is what he's done defensively for us; how he's affected the game and winning.

"As a coach, when I see that on film, the stat sheet doesn't always tell the story. When I go back and watch film, I'll say wow. That was big. That was a winning play for us."

In the end, Howard said, thats all that matters.

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