The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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40 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2018 Yaklich pointed out that college- level defense will affect Brazdeikis at both ends of the court. He's learn- ing to play it, while also figuring out how to play against it. "The quickness at which plays happen, at both ends of the floor, is different," Yaklich explained. "The shot you got in high school is going to be contested by a 6-7 guy a little bit faster this year. At the same time, the rebound he got that was uncontested last year, that he could dribble down the floor, requires a box-out. "Iggy really has a sharp IQ for the game of basketball. He's one that can take whatever you teach in the film room and really improve and hone in on that in the next practice. His learning curve has been good so far. "The difference is going to be him just being able to do everything he needs to do on both ends of the floor, and be a step quicker and a step more efficient. "The rate and the level of play against him has gone up as well. The great thing about him is he under- stands that." Sophomore guard Jordan Poole, who himself knows a bit about fresh- man confidence, sees Brazdeikis as someone whose determination will produce some early breakthroughs. "He's extremely aggressive," Poole said. "He's going to get to the basket. When he's got his mind made up, he'll definitely get there. "He likes to shoot the ball. He has a lot of confidence. He has a lot of swag, and I feel that's something you need as a freshman." THE LONG ROAD TO ANN ARBOR His journey to the No. 13 Michigan jersey began in Kaunas, Lithuania, where Brazdeikis was born and lived two years. Sigitas and Diana Brazdei- kis made moves with their kids from there to Chicago for a year, on up to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and then to two different spots in Ontario. Brazdeikis' last stop in Canada oc- curred when was only around six. He eschewed the local hockey obsession, instead falling in love with a toy rim and backboard. "No one in my family really played basketball other than me," he said. "I just fell in love with the game. My dad forwarded that passion and made it realistic for me." The natural right-hander looks like a lefty on the court, the result of an early inclination. "I write with my right hand, brush my teeth and eat with it," he said. "I play a lot of sports with my left — baseball, hockey, basketball. It came naturally to me. I just started shooting with my left. Ever since then, I liked it, so I never changed." Everything else changed in his life after he left Lithuania at such a ten- der age. He's only gotten to know his extended family — many who will become long-range Michigan fans — via trips back to Europe. "I have a really big family," he noted. "I got to meet all my cousins, all my aunts, all my uncles, my god- mother and my godfather, everyone. It really reconnected me to home." They're connected to basketball in the USA as well, but more in the NBA sense. From Arvydas Sabonis to Jonas Valanciunas and beyond, they take great pride in Lithuanians that have made it in the top basketball league in the world. One day, they might see Brazdei- kis there. For the time being, they're learning about the significance of the level he's undertaken right now. "At first, I don't really think they understood the magnitude of what I'm doing," he said. "But now they've got a good sense of it and my poten- tial of playing in the NBA. Everyone knows what the NBA is, even in Lith- uania. They know all about college basketball now." While aware of the Lithuanian greats, Brazdeikis grew up dreaming of becoming like the Los Angeles Lak- ers' Kobe Bryant. However, he didn't hear anyone making that comparison. In fact, the early jabs about his abili- ties drove him to get better. "People would tell me, early in my high school career, that I was unath- letic," Brazdeikis said. "I couldn't jump, I couldn't play defense. "That really drove me to prove ev- eryone wrong. Now I feel I'm one of the most athletic players out there. I never really doubted myself." Stauskas noticed his fellow Cana- dian's efforts before Michigan ever began recruiting the newest Wolver- ine. Of course, Brazdeikis knew about Stauskas and Michigan's 2013 run to the national championship game long before he became a Wolverine. "Ever since Nik started playing for Michigan, I got involved in it," Braz- deikis said, explaining the beginning of his Ann Arbor interest. "I started watching it more and more, and I liked the system and the offense. "It was a crazy run. I remember Trey Burke hitting spectacular shots, Tim Hardaway, Nik, guys that are now NBA players. That was a very special team." Beilein recalled: "Nik Stauskas told After the first two regular-season games, Brazdeikis leads the Wolverines in scoring (15.5 per game) and ranks third in rebounding (5.5 per game). PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL