The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1310365
DECEMBER 2020 THE WOLVERINE 45 2020-21 BASKETBALL PREVIEW "They learned on the fly, but I wouldn't just say that by learning on the fly that they haven't been taught. They are taking their time during the process of accepting teaching along with what we've taught in practice. They've asked great ques- tions, and film sessions have been super active." More than anything, the coach said, they're great teammates. None of them have felt they're bigger than the team or deserve anything based on their past accomplishments. "We have guys that buy in because they want to be here," Howard said. "When you have a guy at a place they want to call home, they embrace it that way. It hasn't been hard for me as a coach to get guys to buy in as a culture. "We have a unique culture every- one has embraced, and it's great to see our guys despite some of them [being] new … they see our culture is real. That's why the transition has been smooth for our new guys." — Chris Balas AUSTIN DAVIS NEARING 100 PERCENT AFTER OFFSEASON SHOULDER SURGERY Fifth-year senior forward Austin Davis underwent right shoulder sur- gery in April, and he is on track to make a full recovery heading into his final season in Ann Arbor. "I'm back to full go, though it's been a long road to recovery," he revealed in October. "Our entire coaching staff has been tremendous working with me and rehabbing. It's unfortunate I had to go through it, but I'm thankful to have had the re- sources at a place like this. "I'm not back to 100 percent, but we're getting there. It's been feeling great in practice." The fifth-year senior is the most experienced center on the team this season. He and highly touted fresh- man Hunter Dickinson are the only two true 'fives' on the Wolverines' roster. After averaging 1.0 points per game in 3.7 minutes in 2018-19, Davis emerged as a key contributor dur- ing his fourth season in the program. The Onsted, Mich., native averaged 10.7 minutes per game off the bench last year, tallying 4.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. Davis has given much of the credit for his breakout season and increased role to head coach Juwan Howard, a former U-M and NBA big man. "Coach Howard puts so much ef- fort and energy into us every day, and it's contagious," Davis said. "He also has great attention to detail and is all-encompassing. "It has helped me tremendously and I've seen it with everyone else on the team, as well." With Jon Teske graduating and no longer the starter in the post, Davis acknowledges that he must continue to raise his game even more this sea- son, especially on the stopping side of the floor. "I still need to improve quite a bit on defense," he admitted. "Moving my feet has been a weaker area of mine for a long time. I need to re- main consistent as well and always be ready to fill the gaps and do what- ever is needed for the team." — Clayton Sayfie ZEB JACKSON LEANING ON FELLOW OHIOAN ZAVIER SIMPSON Freshman guard Zeb Jackson was a high school standout in Ohio, just like former point guard Zavier Simp- son, who played his last game for the Wolverines back in March. Jackson has known Simpson for years, and with his career in Ann Arbor just be- ginning, he's leaning on Simpson for advice on how to play in the back- court for head coach Juwan Howard and the Wolverines. "Me and him talk about it all the time," Jackson said. "After [Simpson] being here at Michigan, he knows a lot of things that Coach Howard teaches and a lot of things that other coaches teach. It's repeated. I talk to him a lot about the things that happened this year and how they're similar to when he was a player at Michigan." Jackson originally committed to for- After fifth-year senior Austin Davis scored just 44 points in 143 minutes his first three years on campus, he emerged as a key contributor in 2019-20 and tallied 117 points (4.9 per game) in 256 minutes (10.7). PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL