The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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38 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2020 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE T he last decade took Michigan basketball to exciting and historic heights. The Wolverines won their first Big Ten regular-season title in 26 years, sharing the 2011-12 championship with Michigan State and Ohio State. Later, U-M added two more conference regular-season titles (2012 and 2014) and a pair of Big Ten Tournament titles (2017 and 2018). In the last 10 years, the Wolverines made eight NCAA Tournaments, where they reached five Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights, two Final Fours and two national title games. John Beilein was the head coach for U-M through the entire decade until May 2019, when Juwan Howard took over. From 2010-19, U-M produced 11 NBA Draft picks, eight of which were first-rounders. Here is The Wolverine's All-Decade starting five with a sixth man: Tim Hardaway Jr., Shooting Guard (2010-13) The son of a former NBA star made an immediate impact for the Wolver- ines, coming out of Miami. He averaged 13.9 points per game in his debut and was picked to the Big Ten All-Freshman team after earning four Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards throughout the year. He was an All-Big Ten third-team selection as a sopho - more, and averaged 14.6 points per game while the Wol- verines won a share of the Big Ten regular-season title. Hardaway continued to excel in his junior year, be- coming even more of a complete player. He aver- aged 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest, and earned All-Big Ten first-team honors. He and Burke made up one of the top backcourts in school history during their two years together. Hardaway ranks 19th in program annals for points scored, with 1,532. Hardaway left school after his junior season, and was selected No. 24 over - all in the 2013 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks. He has since played for the Atlanta Hawks and currently is a starter for the Dallas Mavericks. Nik Stauskas, Shooting Guard (2012-14) The Mississauga, Ontario, native was touted as a three-point shooter coming out of high school, but turned out to be an all-around star for the Wolverines. In his freshman campaign, Stauskas started 33 of the team's 39 games, and averaged 11.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He shot 44.0 percent on his three-point attempts, and made all six of his treys in the Elite Eight to help U-M past Florida. With key departures on the team heading into his soph - omore season, it was Staus- kas' turn to lead. He upped his clips to 17.5 points, 3.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds an outing, and shot 44.2 percent from three. Staus - kas earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors, and willed the Wolverines to their first outright Big Ten regular-season title since 1986 and second straight Elite Eight appearance. After two years in Ann Arbor, he left for the NBA and was se - lected No. 8 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. The 6-6, 205-pounder has also played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Portland Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers, and he cur - rently plays for Kirolbet Baskonia of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. His career three-point percentage mark (44.1) ranks No. 5 in school history. Trey Burke, Point Guard (2011-13) The Columbus (Ohio) Northland High School product and Rivals.com's No. 142 overall recruit in the class of 2011 outplayed his ranking from the start. Burke burst onto the scene as a freshman, replacing NBA Draft early entrant Darius Morris as U- M's starter at the lead guard spot. In his rookie season, Burke averaged 14.8 points, 4.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and was the Big Ten Fresh - man of the Year, while helping lead the Wolverines to a share of the Big Ten regular- season title. After wrestling with the decision to stay at U-M or to go pro, Burke decided to play one more year as a Wolverine. In his sophomore campaign, he was the consensus National Player of the Year and Big Ten Player of the Year. He av - eraged 18.6 points, 6.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game, and led the Wolverines to their first Final Four and national championship game since 1993. He may be best remembered for his deep three that sent the Sweet 16 game against Kansas into overtime, before U-M pulled out the win. He had 23 points and 10 assists in the victory. Burke finished his two-year career with 416 assists, which ranks ninth in U-M history, and 1,231 points, the 36th-best total in program annals. Burke was chosen No. 9 overall in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, before being traded on draft night to the Utah Jazz. He's since played for the Washington Wizards, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks. He's currently playing for the Philadelphia 76ers in his seventh NBA season. THE BEST OF THE BEST Michigan's All-Decade Team From One Of Its Most Successful Stretches Ever STARTING LINEUP PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN