Saddi Washington Discusses The Improvements Of Johns And Livers, More
Saddi Washington was the lone Michigan Wolverines basketball coach who was retained from John Beilein’s staff last year, with Luke Yaklich departing for Texas and DeAndre Haynes for Maryland.
While head coach Juwan Howard and first-year assistants Phil Martelli and Howard Eisley are undoubtedly still familiarizing themselves with Michigan’s roster, Washington has the luxury of already knowing the players’ tendencies, strengths and weaknesses.
Howard admitted there is still plenty to learn about his players during a sit down lunch with the media this afternoon, while Washington was able to provide an in depth look at several specific players and what he expects from them in 2019-20.
Hailing from Lansing, Washington was first asked about another fellow Lansing native in sophomore forward Brandon Johns, and explained what he expects from the 6-8, 225-pounder next year.
“He’ll have to take some steps forward,” the staffer admitted. “He has worked hard this summer and fortunately for him, there will be some opportunities to put himself out there and perform.
“He needs some more gusto to be able to really help us. Brandon and I have talked a lot throughout the summer, and I compare his maturation process to D.J. Wilson’s.
“I’m not saying he’ll have that type of year, but he needs to be trending in that direction. Brandon needs to understand that he doesn’t need to live up to expectations, but just be the best player he can be.
“He has put the work in this summer, and we’re confident he’ll be a guy we can lean on more than we did last year when he was a freshman.
“Guys like [sophomore guard] Dave [DeJulius], [sophomore guard] Adrien [Nunez] and [sophomore center] Colin [Castleton] will also need to take a few steps forward in order for us to be good next year.”
Johns, DeJulius, Nunez and Castleton will obviously still be youngsters in 2019-20 and not necessarily the core guys of the team — that role will belong to the unquestioned veteran leaders in senior point guard Zavier Simpson and senior center Jon Teske, along with junior forward Isaiah Livers.
The latter enjoyed a nice sophomore campaign that saw him average 7.9 points and 3.9 rebounds last year, but will be expected to step into a prominent role as a potential go-to player next season.
“He played a reserve role last year, but we now need him to be more of a Batman than a Robin in terms of his ability to be a starter,” Washington explained.
“He has come off the bench a lot in his career, but he now needs to assert himself and bring his versatility, because his ability to play a few different positions is a huge strength for us.
“The combination of his confidence and consistency will really help us. None of the developments in his game have surprised me, but it’s also encouraging to see him play with the confidence of a veteran guy.
“Isaiah won’t only play a large role, but we expect him to lead in a big way as well. Charles Matthews was a very good leader for us and X [Zavier Simpson] does a tremendous job too, but Isaiah can also assert himself and show others his voice.”
Washington has worked with the Wolverine big men during his time at U-M, and has helped Teske take monumental leaps each of his three years in Ann Arbor, culminating with the seven-footer turning into a defensive menace last year.
What Teske has in store for an encore as a senior remains to be seen, but Washington admitted he’s excited about what the Ohio native might do after he averaged seven boards and two blocks per game last year.
“I think it’ll be more of the same from Jon,” Washington said. “He does have to take some steps forward in terms of his presence on the floor though.
“Last year was great for his confidence, because he was ‘the guy’ in the post and did a tremendous job of stepping up.
“It’s crazy to think that he’s already a senior, because I remember when he, X and [former U-M guard] Ibi [Watson, who has since transferred to Dayton] had just gotten here, because it was my first year here too.
“X, Jon, Isaiah and [junior guard] Eli [Brooks] are our core group of guys who will lead this program.”
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