The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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40 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2019 best to help the team. "Coach B knows what he's doing, so I'm going to trust his process." Beilein noted Livers experienced some ups and downs in that process, but that he's in position to signifi- cantly help what's shaping up to be a special squad. "It was really good at the begin- ning," Beilein said. "I thought he took a step backwards for a couple of days, where it really sunk in on him that he may be coming off the bench the whole year, and he's got to play three different positions. "He's the only one we have that can do that. That's why we chose him to be the guy to come off the bench. I think he understands the Duncan Robinson role is really important for us, and if he can embrace that, it will really help us." Former Wolverine and basketball analyst Tim McCormick likes the way Livers appears to be adjusting to what he's being asked to do. McCor- mick knows there will be plenty out there, as a long season continues on. "That's where chemistry is so important," McCormick offered. "You develop trust and authenticity where you can express your concerns to coaches and to teammates, and they've got your back. "It's accountability. It's whatever role they give me, I'm going to em- brace it and do the best I can. "At some point, someone's going to have an injury. Someone's going to have early foul trouble, and Isaiah Livers is going to be the guy that's going to have to play big minutes and highly productive minutes." Michigan's start obviously shows Beilein and the Wolverines are do- ing something right. Ironically, this crew began coming together while the head coach wasn't available. SPANISH SECRET SAUCE Livers traces some of Michigan's early success all the way back to Spain and the Wolverines' preseason excur- sion to play there. Beilein was still re- covering back in the states from heart surgery, and his team found its way under assistant coaches in Europe. On and off the court, the players were developing the cohesiveness that would turn into a very hot start to the season. "That was a big help for our chemis- try," Livers insisted. "The media over- looks that we got a chance in Spain to play against three really good groups of professional players, experienced players. As we were doing that, we were all bonding as a group." Not all bonding grows out of tightly executed pick-and-rolls and fast breaks where the basketball never touches the floor. In some cases, humorous mo- ments of shared adjustment to differ- ent surroundings go a long way. That's how it was when Livers, Brooks and some of their younger teammates dined at a seafood estab- lishment in Spain. While he's more than willing to look a defender squarely in the eye before nailing a three over him, Livers prefers no such stare-down with his food. "We went to this fish place, and they had a bunch of raw fish," he recalled. "I don't like fish when I can see their eyes. That's not for me. "I couldn't eat it. I ate a bunch of calamari." He wasn't alone, and all got a good laugh out of it. Mostly, two of the sophomores got a better handle on the rookies, and a group of freshmen were welcomed in. Livers noted the message from the sophomore class — deeply ingrained after a Final Four freshman season — went out clearly and succinctly. "Work hard and play as a team," Livers said. "We didn't get there with- out playing as a team last year. It's ob- viously a team-first mentality." That's an attitude Livers needed to embrace with action in addition to words. He also had to face a second straight campaign involving an ankle Livers' 51.6 shooting percentage from three-point land leads all U-M players who have attempted more than one shot from deep in the team's first 10 games. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN