The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 37 BY JOHN BORTON S hot after shot after shot fell through the net, like David DeJulius was chucking grape- fruits into the Grand Canyon. Five three-pointers, six and then seven. In those heady moments — even in a closed scrimmage against the Uni- versity of Detroit, away from prying outside eyes — Michigan's sopho- more guard felt it. Swish after swish transported him back to East Eng- lish Village High in Detroit, where he reigned as king of the court. The second-year Wolverine who av- eraged 26.3 points, 8.1 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game as a prep senior absorbed a cold slap of college reality last year. He scored 14 points total as a Michigan rookie, about half a game's worth in high school. He felt like a failure, he assured. But his 21-point outburst in the pre- season scrimmage, under the watch- ful eye of new head coach Juwan Howard, injected rocket fuel into the sophomore's hopes. "It felt very good getting into a zone, into a rhythm, especially since I felt like I haven't had that rhythm since high school," DeJulius said. "It was just a testament to all the hard work, the two or three workouts a day I did in the offseason. "It really felt good to see how ex- cited my teammates and coaching staff were to see me succeed. It really just gave me even more confidence." Confidence, he insists, stands at the heart of his journey toward success. DeJulius' swagger took a major hit his first season at Crisler. He found himself buried on the bench, averaging 3.8 minutes per game, afraid to make mistakes that would even further lessen his chances. "It's just the feeling I had last year," DeJulius said. "It was sort of a failure. I knew I didn't want to feel that any- more. That was my mindset through- out the spring and the summer." He admits his dreams of how that first season would go might have out- raced the odds. "I had high expectations for my- self," he said. "I sort of listened to others as well for those expectations. I felt I really didn't get an opportunity. At times, I felt like I deserved one. "I'm all about controlling the con- trollables. I felt like I was working so hard, and I just couldn't control if I was on the court or not. It was very, very frustrating." A NEW BEGINNING That's no knock on then-head coach John Beilein, whose record speaks for itself, DeJulius assured. But the sopho- more has taken great hope from the "open, candid conversations" he's en- gaged in with the new boss. "He tells me he's not going to hand- cuff me or anything," DeJulius offered. "He wants me to just be as aggressive as I can, and understands I'm going to be an intricate part of the team. "In order for me to feel confident, he knows he has to put that in me, as well as just allow me to be me. It's really refreshing, to know he's going to let me play my game. It speaks for itself so far." Howard allows players' natural abilities to flourish, DeJulius indicated, and that's what he's seeking. "It just feels great," he said. "I'm feeling more confident, not worrying about mistakes, just going out and playing my game. He has that trust in me. He let me know from the start, even when I wasn't playing as good as I am now. That's what helped lead me to where I am now." DeJulius' minutes in Michigan's sea- son opener against Appalachian State skyrocketed to 28:52, a far cry from last year. While part of that involved senior point guard Zavier Simpson's foul trouble, the sophomore's run cer- tainly went beyond immediate need, Howard noted. "David has played extremely well — all summer, preseason," Howard said. "He had the scrimmage game versus [University of Detroit] and had a phe- nomenal game. He's working hard. "He's very locked in, ready to com- pete. We all trust that when David's out there, he's going to do something special to help the group. He's a com- petitor. He's passionate, and he wants to do whatever he can do to contribute to the team's victory." Former Wolverine and longtime NBA player Tim McCormick knows all about DeJulius' passion. As a prep per- former, DeJulius attended the basket- ball analyst's Michigan Elite 25 Camp for four straight years. "I've become a really big fan of Da- vid DeJulius," McCormick said. "I've watched him grow up. I know how much he cares." DeJulius cared enough to grind all summer long, when his non-athlete friends were traveling, going to the beach, etc. Every day, he'd haul out of bed, putting in time making shots and doing drills at Michigan's Player Development Center. Then he'd submit to whatever Mich- igan strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson had for him, in the way of physical development. DeJulius in- sists he experienced dramatic gains there. "First and foremost, I knew I had to get confidence, because confidence is everything," DeJulius assured. "With that, I had to make sure I stayed in the gym. I stayed, worked out with Sand- man, increased my vertical by three inches [from 35.5 to 38.5], my speed, my lane agility. "I worked out with Sandman, and then I worked out later. About four out of the seven days, I ended up coming back at night, finishing off with more shots at night." DeJulius quickly waves off any no- tion of extreme sacrifice, because of his burning desire to make his second season as a Wolverine a breakthrough year. "It really wasn't that hard," he said. "I knew I didn't want to have the feel- ing that I had last year. Me, being from Detroit, being from Michigan, going to the University of Michigan, I've got a lot of people from my home state look- ing up to me, looking at me. "I knew, with this fresh start, a fresh FRESH START David DeJulius Sees His Opportunity Beckoning DeJulius made seven three-pointers in U-M's closed scrimmage against Detroit prior to this season. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL