The Wolverine

January 2021

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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44 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2021 he added, was keeping the players healthy and able to play at all. None of the Wolverines had missed a game due to COVID concerns within the team and none had gotten sick as of Dec. 28. That was as important to him as anything. "When we wake up and we're knowing that no one has tested positive for COVID, that's a win," he said. "Basketball is the last thing on my mind. It's all about keeping our kids, our players, our student- athletes, as well as the staff, safe and healthy. "I'll be honest with you — it's been very stressful. There has been less sleep. There have also been moments where I get a text from my trainer, I'm afraid to even open the text. There are moments where he calls, I'm afraid to even answer the call because you just never know." But the Wolverines have responded well, and Howard and his staff have put them in great position early for a solid season. "Our kids want to play basketball, and we're going to do whatever we can to help follow their wish," he said. "I'm going to do whatever I can to help lead them." SHARING THE LOAD It's been 'so far, so good' in that re- spect, due in large part to the team's balance. Four players led the scoring in the first seven games — Dickinson, senior wing Chaundee Brown and senior guard Isaiah Livers topped the box score in two games each, while sophomore guard Franz Wagner had done so once — and they had gotten legitimate contributions from nine players. Dickinson had been even better than advertised, the four-star fresh- man averaging 15.3 points per game for second on the squad behind Liv- ers (15.4) and pacing the team with a clip of 8.4 rebounds. Wagner (11.0), Brown (10.4) and senior guard Eli Brooks (9.3) have also come up big offensively. Wagner was also second on the team in rebounding with 7.3 per game, while starting point guard Mike Smith — a lights-out scorer at Columbia last year — had run the offense extremely well, averaging 8.1 points and 5.0 assists per game. Junior forward Brandon Johns, fifth-year senior center Austin Davis and freshman forward Terrance Wil- liams all had roles as well, though Davis' foot injury suffered in a win over Toledo Dec. 9 — which will keep him out several weeks — was one of December's few disappointments. "It's very hard for other teams to keep up with a nine-man, 10-man rotation that when somebody goes off the court there's really no let-up," Wagner said in mid-December. "And I'll be honest — it keeps everybody on their [toes]. You've got to be on your 'A' game because if you don't bring it, there's a guy right after you Senior forward Isaiah Livers leads the way for a balanced U-M offense that had four players averaging double-digit points through the team's first seven contests. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL

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