The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1242051
MAY 2020 THE WOLVERINE 25 MICHIGAN BASKETBALL meanor, integrity and character that I love even more. [His parents] Beate and Axel have raised two wonderful young men." AUSTIN DAVIS UNDERGOES SHOULDER SURGERY The University of Michigan also announced April 23 that center Aus- tin Davis, who will be a fifth-year senior next year, underwent offsea- son shoulder surgery April 20 and is recovering at his home in Onsted, Mich., before beginning rehab. The 6-10 big man is expected to make a full recovery and should be able to make an "early October return." Davis averaged 4.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game for the Wolverines in 2019-20, while connecting on 69.3 percent of his shots as senior Jon Teske's backup. The veteran is expected to battle freshman Hunter Dickinson for U- M's starting center job next season. MICHIGAN'S RETURN TRIP TO OREGON SET FOR NOV. 14, WHILE THE LONDON MATCHUP WITH KENTUCKY IS 'UP IN THE AIR' Michigan received some significant news in late March regarding two of next season's biggest non-conference games. CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein first revealed March 20 that the Wol- verines' trip to Eugene, Ore., to face Oregon will occur Nov. 14 in what will be the completion of the home- and-home series with the Ducks (Or- egon won a 71-70 overtime thriller in Ann Arbor this past season). The meeting will be the fourth between the two clubs since the start of the 2014-15 season, with the Ducks hold- ing a 2-1 advantage during that span. The other significant news regard- ing U-M's 2020-21 non-conference schedule occurred March 25 when Kentucky head coach John Calipari revealed during a teleconference that his team's Dec. 6 showdown with Michigan in London is "up in the air" due to the coronavirus. "Where is this thing going?" Cali- pari said. "We probably have until about June to make that decision." When asked if it would be pos- sible for the Wolverines and Wildcats to square off in a different location instead, Calipari admitted that "it's being thought of." The game will be the first meet- ing between the two programs since the 2014 Elite Eight, when UK guard Aaron Harrison nailed a three-pointer with only 2.3 seconds remaining to send his squad to the Final Four. Rothstein also reported that U-M would host Oakland Dec. 21. The only other aspect that is known about Michigan's non-con- ference schedule is that it will head to New York six days after its trip to Eugene to play in the Empire Clas- sic pre-conference tournament from Nov. 19-20, with Baylor, North Caro- lina State and Villanova as the other three participants. The matchups for the Big Ten/ ACC Challenge have not yet been an- nounced, but U-M is expected to host a home game in the annual event (it lost at Louisville last season). ❑ Juwan Howard's team was expected to play a marquee non-conference game with Kentucky in London next year, but Wildcats head coach John Calipari said March 25 it is "up in the air" due to the coronavirus pandemic. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL DAVID DEJULIUS AND COLIN CASTLETON TRANSFER OUT Michigan sophomores David DeJulius and Colin Castleton had different experi- ences during their second years on campus, and some would say they both went unexpected directions. DeJulius elevated his game to become a key contributor, while Castleton — ex- pected to emerge as senior center Jon Teske's backup — played sparingly after redshirt junior Austin Davis improved enough to take his minutes. Both, however, ended up in the same place at the end of the season, in the transfer portal and expected to head to other schools. DeJulius eventually chose Cincinnati over Iowa State, Marquette and Missouri, while Castleton was still weighing his options as of April 24. The guard DeJulius, a Detroit native, announced his intention to transfer April 6 via social media and his destination 10 days later. He played 20.9 minutes per game last season, appearing in all 31 contests, and averaged 7.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. He shot 42.0 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from three-point range, and scored 20 on the road at Maryland in his last game at Michigan, arguably the best performance of his career. Cincinnati finished 20-10 last season under head coach John Brannen to earn a three-way share of the American Athletic Conference regular-season title with Houston and Tulsa. DeJulius will join them next year, but per NCAA rules, he can only practice with the team and will not play until the 2021-22 season. Castleton, meanwhile, averaged 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds while playing 7.9 minutes per game in 25 contests. He played a critical role in the Wolverines' win at Rutgers Feb. 19, coming off the bench after his teammates got in foul trouble to score five points and grab four rebounds. His big three-point play helped turn momentum in the game. The 6-11 post player's career-high 14 points came against Houston Baptist Nov. 22. He had appeared in 19 games as a true freshman, averaging 1.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in 3.4 minutes per contest. Castleton, Rivals.com's No. 89 overall player nationally in the 2018 class, chose the Wolverines over Florida, Georgia, Clemson and others due in large part to his relationship with former Michigan assistant Luke Yaklich, who had recruited him for Illinois State before leaving for U-M. Per GatorCountry.com, more than 50 schools reached out to Castleton, before he decided to return to his home state and suit up for Florida. Like DeJulius, Castleton will have to sit a year before playing in games and will have two years of eligibility remaining. — Chris Balas