The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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DECEMBER 2020 THE WOLVERINE 39 deep his final year at Michigan) was after making 31.1 percent of his tri- ples a year ago, but he's already come a long way this fall. "Franz is a gym rat. One of the things I see he's improved on is shooting," Howard said. "He already shot the ball well last year, but just watching him in the gym working hard, he is always here before prac- tice, after practice, getting up shots. "Also, I'm seeing a lot of the work he's doing on film from watching and seeing how he can get better. It shows a lot about a guy who has that growth mindset to do whatever he can to help the group." In that respect and many others, Wagner doesn't act like a typical sophomore, Howard added. He's like a "seasoned vet," the way Howard and his teammates were in their sec- ond seasons in the uniform after an amazing first run with the Fab Five. Watching him shine in practice has been one of the highlights of the fall, Livers said. "His jump shot; his leadership," Livers said when asked where he'd seen his teammate improve. "You know Franz has tenacity, willing to never give up. I think with Franz, the No. 1 thing about him is he plays hard every time he steps on the floor, and a lot of us — even me — can learn a lot from that, because of the value he brings to a team. "His versatility, everything he can do … he worked on his game in the offseason, obviously. His touch, his ball handling, his defense — what's not to like about the guy? He's 6-10 and can move around like a guard." He's getting better each year and his ceiling is incredibly high, Livers concluded, making Wagner one of U- M's many special talents on the floor. It remains to be seen how they'll jell, but Howard loves what he's seen in the early going. "Even though some are new guys, some haven't played together — like it was last year when we had 'X' [Simpson] and Jon Teske — we pretty much have a team that's familiar with one another, so that's good," he said. Good and getting better, thanks in large part to Wagner's surge. If it's the German wunderkind's last season in a Michigan uniform — and it could well be — he's deter- mined to make it a great one, and he's off to a great start. ❏ Michigan's Sophomore Surges A look at the five Wolverines who made the biggest leaps in their second seasons in a Michigan uniform over the last 15 years: DeShawn Sims (2007-08): Sims com- mitted to Tommy Amaker and played a season with him, averaging 3.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game as a freshman and starting twice. He then posted one of the largest one- season turnarounds among all Big Ten players, averaging 12.3 points per game (12th in the league) and 5.4 rebounds (leading the squad) as a sophomore, earn- ing honorable mention All-Big Ten notice. Sims wasn't drafted after his senior year, but he's gone on to a long professional career, primarily overseas. He's currently playing with Pistoia in an Italian league. Darius Morris (2010-11): Morris aver- aged 4.4 points per game as a freshman playing in the shadow of Manny Harris, the primary ball handler on the 2009-10 team, and earned U-M's defensive player of the year honors. He also averaged 2.6 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game. He took off the following year, becoming team MVP and a third-team All-Big Ten selection in leading U-M to a sweep of Michi- gan State and 21-14 record. He averaged 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game — the latter number led the Big Ten and ranked fifth nationally. Morris declared for the NBA Draft after his second season and went to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round with the 41st overall pick. He's currently playing in France. Nik Stauskas (2013-14): Stauskas went from spot-up shooter in his freshman year, where he'd usually camp out in a corner, to a dominant on-the-ball wing in his second, earning Big Ten Player of the Year and All-America honors in taking his scoring from 11 points per game to 17.5. He shot 44 percent from three-point range as a frosh and 44.2 as a sophomore, leading the Wolverines to an outright Big Ten championship in his second year. Stauskas went to Sacramento No. 8 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, and spent several seasons in the league with different teams before ending up in Spain in 2019. Moritz Wagner (2016-17): Wagner averaged only 2.6 points per game as a true freshman and shot just 16.7 percent from three-point range. He blew up in his second season to the tune of 12.1 points per game and 4.2 rebounds per contest, shooting an impressive 39.5 percent from long range. Wagner dominated in the 2017 NCAA Tournament and returned for his junior sea- son to lead the Wolverines to the national title game before declaring for the NBA Draft. He went to the Los Angeles Lakers with the 25th pick overall and is currently playing for the Washington Wizards. Zavier Simpson (2017-18): At one point, Michigan coaches thought they might have to recruit over Simpson, worried he might not develop into the point guard they needed. He averaged 1.6 points and 1.0 assist per game as a freshman playing behind Derrick Walton in only 8.7 minutes per contest. He also shot only 26.3 percent from long range as a rookie. Instead, he developed into a great leader and led the Wolverines to the 2018 NCAA championship game. His numbers — 7.3 points, 3.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game — didn't tell the entire story of his impact on the 2017-18 squad. He became the heart and soul of the team for three straight years. Simpson is currently playing professionally in Germany. — Chris Balas Forward Moritz Wagner went from averag- ing 2.9 points and 1.6 rebounds per game as a freshman to 12.1 and 4.2, respec- tively, in a breakout sophomore season. He became a first-round NBA Draft pick after his junior campaign. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL