The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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8 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2020 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS TWO MICHIGAN BASKETBALL PLAYERS LAND ON ESPN'S 'NEWCOMER IMPACT RANKING' ESPN.com's Jeff Borzello released a list of the top 80 new- comers across college basketball that will have the biggest impact for their respective teams, and two Wolverines — freshman center Hunter Dickinson and fifth-year senior Co- lumbia graduate transfer guard Mike Smith — made the cut. Dickinson checked in at No. 23 among freshmen and No. 35 overall, with his playmaking ability with the ball in his hands being a big reason why. "Dickinson is a bit of an old-school big man, with his abil- ity to score with his back to the basket," Borzello wrote. "He's certainly not unskilled, though, as he is a high-level passer in the post and has shown range." A four-star out of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha, Dickinson was ranked as the No. 40 overall player in the class of 2020 and U-M's highest-rated signee by Rivals.com. The Gatorade Player of the Year for his home state as a senior, Dickinson averaged 16.0 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game while leading the No. 3 team in the country, per MaxPreps, to a 30-3 record and a conference title. While Dickinson will soon get his first taste of college bas- ketball, Smith has already competed at the level, though transitioning from the Ivy League to the Big Ten will still be a significant challenge. A two-time second-team all- conference selection in 2018 and 2020, Smith started 91 of 92 career games for Columbia and closed with 1,653 career points, which ranks fourth all time at the school, while his 393 assists are the second most in program history. Before the end of last season was canceled, he ranked sixth nationally in scoring at 22.8 points per game. Smith, who appeared at No. 74 on ESPN's countdown, said recently that he is practicing at both point guard and shoot- ing guard, while head coach Juwan Howard and others have lauded his high-level shooting ability in practice. "There are questions about how Smith's numbers will translate from the Ivy League to the Big Ten, but he will give Juwan Howard experience and playmaking at the point guard spot," Borzello opined. KWITY PAYE IS HIGH ON PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS' MIDSEASON DRAFT BIG BOARD Pro Football Focus (PFF) has tabbed Michigan senior de- fensive end Kwity Paye as the No. 15 pro prospect in the country on its midseason big board for the 2021 NFL Draft, which was released Oct. 29. In its synopsis, the website actually said "don't be surprised" if Paye is the No. 1 edge defender selected in the spring. A few days later, in its early November mock draft, the outlet predicted Paye to be just that, becoming the second defender off the board and going No. 8 overall to the Los Angeles Chargers. Through three games, Paye had notched 12 total tackles, including nine solo and four for loss. Per PFF, he had pres- sured opposing quarterbacks 19 times, with two sacks and nine hurries. His single-game pass-rush grade of 88.7 in the opener at Minnesota was a career high, and he tied that mark two weeks later against Indiana. Among the 382 edge defenders in college football that played 100 snaps through Nov. 16, Paye ranked No. 6 with an overall grade of 88.6. Also appearing on the top 100 big board from Michigan were No. 38 defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and No. 95 linebacker Cameron McGrone. MICHIGAN BASEBALL PITCHING COACH CHRIS FETTER HIRED BY DETROIT TIGERS New manager A.J. Hinch and the Detroit Tigers announced Nov. 6 that they had hired Michigan pitching coach Chris Fetter to hold the same position within their organization. "We are thrilled for Chris and this unique opportunity to be a major league pitching coach," U-M head coach Erik Bakich said in a release. "Chris has had a Mount Everest-size impact on Michigan baseball from his playing days to leading our pitching staff to the College World Series Finals in 2019. … We will be forever grateful and look forward to following his career in the big leagues." Before coaching at Michigan, Fetter was an All-American and three-time All-Big Ten standout for the Wolverines. He ranks first in Michigan history with 332⅓ career innings pitched, third with 28 career wins and third with 281 career strikeouts. While mentoring the pitching staff over the past three sea- sons, Fetter has seen nine of his players ink deals with Major League Baseball organizations, with the most significant being Jeff Criswell coming off the board in the second round at No. 58 overall in the 2020 draft. "This decision is bittersweet because of my love for U-M," Fetter said in a statement. "The relationship I've built with A.J. over the years certainly added to this great opportunity and I look forward to helping the Tigers organization." — Clayton Sayfie Michigan freshman center Hunter Dickinson appeared at No. 35 on ESPN's countdown of college basketball newcomers that will make the biggest impact this season. He was the 23rd-highest- ranked rookie on the list. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK