Teske Admits U-M's Confidence Is 'Through The Roof' Heading To Louisville
The Michigan Wolverines’ basketball team could not have put on a much more impressive display last week in the Bahamas, taking down Iowa State, North Carolina and Gonzaga en route to the Battle 4 Atlantis title.
The Maize and Blue received contributions from almost every athlete on the roster during the three-game victorious stretch, with the bench players consistently providing good minutes and making sure no dips in play occurred when the starters weren’t in the game.
“[Our confidence is] through the roof,” senior center Jon Teske admitted this afternoon. “[Sophomore center] Colin [Castleton] played really well, [sophomore guard] Dave [DeJulius] played well and [sophomore guard] Adrien [Nunez] played well.
“That goes a long way when we get guys off the bench to play that way.”
The confidence is clearly soaring for the 2019-20 Wolverines, with the club already having improved leaps and bounds since the season-opening triumph over Appalachian State a month ago.
Head coach Juwan Howard has played a huge role in the added confidence boost for several of the players, including junior guard Eli Brooks, who is averaging 12.9 points and shooting 50 percent from three through the club’s first seven games.
“People have done a good job instilling confidence in me, and shots going in goes a long way too — that plays a big factor,” he said today. “Coach Howard is all about trust — trusting people and the work they put in.
“I don’t remember what game it was, but when Adrien started slow from deep, he told him they were good looks and insisted he keep shooting. That went a long way with Adrien and the other people on the team.”
“He has told me to be more patient in the post,” Teske added, when asked what valuable lessons he learned from Howard. “When I get the ball, he tells me not to go up too quick, and to get in the middle of the lane with the jump hook.
“I ask him for tips because he played basketball for so long and has so much knowledge of the game.”
A third straight top-10 opponent awaits the Maize and Blue, as they travel to Louisville tomorrow night to take on the No. 1-ranked Cardinals. UL vaulted to the top spot in the AP Poll today following Duke’s shocking loss to Stephen F. Austin last week, while Michigan skyrocketed from unranked all the way to No. 4.
“We don’t really care about that, because we just have to do our business, and we handled it down there,” Teske insisted. “It’s about one game at a time, and that’s how you get to the championship game.
“We’re ranked now, but we don’t really care about that.”
“[We need to keep] doing what got us here and not do anything different,” Brooks added. “We need to continue buying into our roles like we have been, and keep listening and staying locked in to the coaches.”
Tomorrow night at the KFC Yum! Center will be the first road game of the year for the Wolverines, and will actually be the only non-conference road game Michigan plays in 2019-20.
“Controlling their runs and not letting the fans get into the game [will be keys to winning],” Brooks explained. “There’s 10 people on the court, and we need to let them dictate the game.
“It’s fun when you’re in a different arena with different fans and they’re not cheering for you — I enjoy it.”
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