The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1178918
NOVEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 33 2019-20 BASKETBALL PREVIEW year and will be asked to improve those numbers, as well. "He had a great year last year, and I expect Jon to have another year of high- level basketball," Howard said. "We like the way he competes on the inside and his basketball IQ, making plays at that size, being able to hit an outside shot, communicating our defense. "I'm big on our bigs as far as com- munication. They have to be the loud- est in the gym." His teammates respect Teske, the coach said, and they'll rely on him to be the quarterback of the defense. Redshirt junior Austin Davis might be U-M's best pure post scorer, but he's struggled to grasp concepts on both ends of the floor, having averaged around a point a game the last two seasons in limited action. Sophomore Colin Castleton, how- ever, has made huge strides and might be one of the team's most improved players. "I love him. Colin is talented," Howard noted. "I watched part of the Maryland game last season. Colin came in and gave the team a big lift off the bench. "Coach Beilein told me 'You're going to like this surfer-looking dude that we have,' talking about Colin. Now I've got a chance to work with him, and I see the talent level. He's long, athletic and has good ball skills for his size, and is shooting the ball better from the outside." In short, he'll play, and how much depends on him. All told, there's plenty of talent here and a chance for the big men to help lead the Wolverines back for another NCAA Tournament run. ❏ Five Major Question Marks Heading Into The 2019-20 Season Here are five major questions Michigan will face in its quest to contend for a Big Ten title this season: 1. Where are the points coming from? The Wolverines lost more than 55 percent of their scoring from last year when Jordan Poole, Ignas Brazdeikis and Charles Matthews left to chase their NBA dreams. Senior center Jon Teske is the team's top returning scorer at 9.5 points per game, followed by senior point guard Zavier Simpson (8.8) and junior forward Isaiah Livers (7.9), then junior guard Eli Brooks is next at 2.5. They'll all need to improve their totals and get help from guys like frosh wing Franz Wagner, who must first recover from a broken wrist, to make up for the loss of buckets. 2. How much different will the offense and defense look, and how long will it take the players to adjust? Make no mistake — this year's team will look different than John Beilein's squads on both ends of the floor. The offense will be more up tempo with NBA principles, while the defensive focus will be on "ic- ing" all wing ball-screen action, meaning the guard on the ball exaggerates his stance to the inside shoulder so much that the ball handler can't use a screen to the middle, forcing action to the baseline help. This is a smart group Beilein brought in and should pick it up quickly. 3. Can sophomore Brandon Johns be a significant contributor? Johns, a former four-star prospect, has the skills to be an outstanding Big Ten player, but he admitted his confidence hasn't caught up with his physical gifts yet. The Wolverines are going to need a face-up four to run the kind of offense Howard would like to employ, and there's hope that Livers can excel at the wing (three) spot. Someone would have to step up at power forward, then, and Johns is the best candidate. In addition to his outstanding-looking outside shot, the 6-8, 235-pounder also has the ability to put the ball on the floor and score. He needs to figure things out defensively, though, before he sees the floor regularly. 4. How often will the two-big offense be employed, and do they have the scorers down low and depth to make it work? Howard admitted there would be times he would have two bigs on the floor at the same time, and one (of course) figures to be Teske. Redshirt junior Austin Davis (6-10, 250) has the body for it, but he has to be more aware and under control on the defensive end, especially. That means sophomore Colin Castleton (6-11, 235) would likely be the next best option. Castleton, Rivals.com's No. 89 player in the nation as a prep senior, is getting good reviews, but he and Teske are not proven post scorers, and they'll need to score down low if they're going to be on the floor together. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. 5. How will the coaching staff adapt during games? Assistant Phil Martelli has been around a long time, decades as a head coach, but he's the only one — including Howard — who has that experience. It's different being 'the man' in charge of a program on the sidelines during a game, and Howard has never had to make changes on the fly like he'll need to now. The first-year mentor has plenty of basketball experience, so it's not as if he's not capable, but even the elite X's and O's guys have a hard time in the Big Ten at times. This is a league of outstanding coaches, and there could be a learning curve. — Chris Balas Howard calls junior forward Isaiah Livers a big guard "because of the way he shoots the ball, the way he moves out there on the floor." PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL