“Don’t sleep on the big fella.”
We’re paraphrasing here, but that’s what Michigan head coach John Beilein told us about a year ago during a postseason one-on-one in which we asked him about the center position.Teske was considered a “project” by many when Beilein recruited him out of Medina (Ohio) High, and he played like it in his first season. He had some skill and moved well for a 7-footer (almost 7-1 now), but it was clear he was lacking confidence.
As fans do, many wrote him off after a freshman season in which he averaged more fouls per game (.5) than points (.3). He started opening eyes last year, especially in the Big Ten Championship game against Purdue in which he scored 14 points and posterized Boilermakers big man Isaac Haas late, but nobody — again, except for John Beilein — would have expected him to become one of the key players on a 16-0 team this year.
