Michigan Wolverines basketball fifth-year senior point guard Mike Smith’s scoring numbers don’t jump off the page (8.6 points per game, which ranks fifth on the team), but the transfer from Columbia has nevertheless been one of the vital factors in the Maize and Blue’s rise to the sport's elite this season.
Smith’s 5.4 assists per outing lead the Big Ten and his 47.6 three-point percentage is the third best mark in the conference, but the veteran presence and mature mindset he provides are just as important as his on-court contributions.
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Head coach Juwan Howard has developed a selfless and egoless culture during his short time at Michigan, and Smith is one of the numerous contributors who have helped make that culture what it is today.
“I knew what I was getting into [when I came here],” he told reporters this afternoon on a Zoom press conference. “Everything Coach told me while I was being recruited has been the same— there haven’t been any setbacks.
“He’s the same person every day — he’s always energetic and isn’t ever in a bad mood. He practices what he preaches. I made a great decision coming here and I’m glad Coach reached out to me and recruited me.
“He gets angry when we don’t do things right, but it’s more along the lines of ‘I told you once, so let’s not let it happen again.’ He’s a player’s coach.”
Senior guard Chaundee Brown is another veteran newcomer who has done everything that’s been expected of him and more. Like Smith, Brown’s stats don’t necessarily jump off the page (8.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game), but his leadership and egoless attitude have been invaluable this season.
Brown had already been turning into a fan favorite during the first two months of the year, and the 6-5 Orlando native only strengthened that notion this past Sunday when he poured in 15 points and pulled down three clutch offensive rebounds in U-M's 92-87 win at Ohio State.
The senior’s energetic play was on full display in the second half especially, during a sequence when he pulled down a crucial board in a crowd of Buckeyes that eventually led to a layup.
“He’s like a weapon off the bench,” Smith exclaimed. “He’s the sixth man of the year and should win that award. Chaundee is a character and the type of person who wants what’s best for the team.
“He always changes the game whenever he comes in. He had those offensive rebounds on that one possession on Sunday, and you don’t see that very often from a guard. We’re both new here, so we’ve kind of stuck with each other.
“I’ve told him to be aggressive and to just play his game whenever he comes in.”
Smith has also developed an outstanding chemistry with freshman center Hunter Dickinson both on and off the court. Dickinson leads the team in scoring (15 points per game) and rebounding (7.8) this year, and has been aided in a big way by the fifth-year senior’s passes and offensive efficiency that have allowed his fellow Wolverines to be set up for ideal scoring opportunities.
There was one play in particular against Ohio State with only 4:16 remaining where Smith left his feet and was about to go out of bounds underneath the basket, before delivering a beautiful bounce pass to Dickinson, who subsequently slammed it home to give Michigan a three-point lead.
“That pass where Hunter got the dunk — I was hoping he was there because I was falling out of bounds,” Smith laughed this afternoon. “I was hoping he knew he was capable of getting that ball.
“Hunter made a play that opened my eyes to show he could do stuff like that. Our chemistry is due to how much we hang out outside of basketball. We play video games together.
“I can’t explain what it is, but I tell him to always be ready [on the court] because I’ll find him.”
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