The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1061540
JANUARY 2019 THE WOLVERINE 15 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Last Year's Squad Nearly Won It All By Brandon Brown This year's version of Michigan basket- ball is extremely impressive. Head coach John Beilein has adapted and U-M looks different from his past teams, but it is still very efficient on offense and understands how to score with a lot of three pointers. Assistant coach Luke Yaklich has made a world of difference on the defensive end and the Wolverines are one of the stingi- est teams in the country. Even with all of that said, last year's group is still the better team. If you want to make it really simple, the only way this year's unit can be better than last year's squad is by winning the national championship. Obviously it's still early and possible, but winning a title is extremely hard to do. Last year's group got close with Moritz Wagner, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Duncan Robinson leading the way, and now all of those guys are getting paid to play ball. This year's group has guys like freshman Ignas Brazdeikis, sophomore Jordan Poole, juniors Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske, and redshirt junior Charles Matthews leading the way. While they look very complete, they haven't lived up to last year's group yet. They might actually look better during the first quarter of the season, but it's not how you start, it's how you finish. The Wolverines Are Even Better Than Last Year By Chris Balas It takes a lot of good fortune to win a national championship … heck, even to get to a Final Four. Head coach John Beilein admitted as much when he acknowledged it took a lucky (but great) shot by then- freshman shooting guard Jordan Poole, a 30-foot contested triple, in a round of 32 game just to beat Houston a season ago. There's no discounting what U-M ac- complished last year in getting to the na- tional championship game, following a second straight Big Ten Tournament title. This year's squad, however, has jelled much earlier and is a legit threat to win Big Ten and NCAA titles. The defense is literally the best in the country, and it's a team effort. There aren't a ton of pros on the roster, but there's enough offense (and it's only going to get better), a budding superstar in fresh- man forward Ignas Brazdeikis and emerg- ing three-point threats like sophomore forward Isaiah Livers. Last year's Wolverines were solid defensively, but this group is elite, and that's the difference. Defense travels, as they say, and can lead to wins even on nights when the offense is struggling. As long as this team stays healthy and perhaps adds another freshman or two to the rotation by Big Ten season, it's going to be a favorite to win the Big Ten and make a long NCAA run. POINT ❙ COUNTERPOINT WHICH MICHIGAN BASKETBALL TEAM IS BETTER, THIS YEAR'S OR LAST YEAR'S? Men's gymnastics fifth-year senior Marty Strech came to Michigan with quite the résumé, competing on the U.S. National Team from 2011-15. Strech has continued to find success at U-M, finishing 29th on floor at the 2018 NCAA Event Finals. Here are a few other interesting facts you may not have known about the Fountain Valley, Calif., native: Nickname: "I actually don't really have one. I don't think my teammates call me anything other than my name." Favorite restaurant in Ann Arbor: "Ruth's Chris or Blue Tractor." Best meal he can cook by himself: "A steak dinner or my mom's chili." Hobbies: "Photography and hanging out with my family. I'm from California, so going to the beach has always been a hobby of mine." Favo r i t e T V s h ow : "'G a m e o f Thrones.'" Favorite movie: "'Dead Pool 2' or 'Up.'" Dream vacation: "I'd like to go through Europe and do a whole three- week trip there." Favorite place he's been to: "My family's river house in Arizona. It's in a small city called Ehrenberg, and it's right on the border of California and Arizona." Favorite professional athlete: "Derek Carr, the quarterback for the [Oakland] Raiders." Role model: "My dad." Why he chose Michigan: "Because of the academic and athletic opportu- nities for me to succeed in the future." What he hopes to do after gymnas- tics: "I'm looking at interning with the NFL right now and maybe getting my contracting license back in California." His overall experience at Michi- gan: "It's been life changing. I never thought I would learn this much out- side of school, like growing up as a person and how to manage people and situations in a real-world setting." — Austin Fox Getting To Know Men's Gymnastics Fifth-Year Senior Marty Strech Strech qualified for the NCAA Event Finals in the floor exercise and vault last year. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY John Beilein led his team to the national championship game a year ago, but his latest squad is off to a 10-0 start. U-M started 7-3 last season. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN