The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FEBRUARY 2021 THE WOLVERINE 11 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Michigan basketball assistant coach Howard Eisley hasn't been heard from much since he arrived in Ann Arbor as an assistant coach, but he's made an im- pact. The second-year assistant recently talked about his time under Juwan How- ard at U-M. The Wolverine: You coached in the NBA for nine seasons. What's it been like coaching at the collegiate level the last two years? Howard Eisley: "It's different than what I'm used to, but I've really enjoyed it. Once you step between the lines, bas- ketball is basketball. Things outside the court are really different, but it's sort of what I expected. "I really enjoy the aspect of teaching, having an opportunity to impact these guys' lives. I think that was something very important to me. I'm happy to be here, and I'm looking forward to continu- ing to do that." The Wolverine: Where have you seen Juwan evolve as a coach over these two seasons? Eisley: "His in-game maneuvers, I think, have been improv- ing. One of the things that we talk about in our culture is everybody being one percent better each and every day. He embraces that. We all embrace that. It's something we talk to our players about … also with our staff. "We are constantly looking to improve and being able to help our guys get better, which in turn helps us become better coaches as well." The Wolverine: How have you taken to recruiting? Eisley: "It's something I haven't had to do before … again, part of all of our one percent. It's something I've got to get better at just from not having the expe- rience of doing it. I'm embracing that, continuing to work at it." The Wolverine: Coaching the back- court, what have you seen from your seniors, Mike Smith and Eli Brooks? Eisley: "The thing that jumps out is that they're both willing passers; they're both willing to give to the team and to the group. The thing that has really helped them and helped us is that they're both experienced players. Mike Smith coming in here still has a chip on his shoulder. I feel like he has a lot to prove. He has re- ally bought into our culture and doing the things that we are trying to get our team to do. "Eli is probably one of the best on-ball defenders I've been around. The fact that he's able to get into the ball and very rarely does he ever get screened … he does an excellent job on that end of the floor." The Wolverine: What has surprised you about Smith since he transferred from Columbia? Eisley: "I don't think people really expected Mike to be the playmaker he has been because he wasn't called upon to do that at Columbia. He's more of a scorer. He's definitely, as you see, capable of making plays for others. "Again, he has a chip on his shoulder and he's aware of what people have said about him or what he couldn't do at this level. So I think he's still out looking to prove people wrong. One of the things he brings, which is a value to us, is the ability to shoot the ball. He gives us an opportunity to spread the ball even more." — Chris Balas Eisley, a four-year starter at point guard for Boston College and 12-year NBA player, coached in the league for nine seasons before joining Juwan Howard in Ann Arbor. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Sitting Down With Men's Basketball Assistant Howard Eisley Michigan basketball senior for- ward Isaiah Livers is automatic from the charity stripe, and he might just be the best free throw shooter in program history, even though he doesn't show up under the category in the re- cord book. Livers has attempted 135 free throws, with 118 makes, in his U-M career that has spanned three and a half sea- sons. However, 150 attempts are required to qualify for the top-10 list in the official led- ger. The Kalamazoo, Mich., na- tive is on pace to surpass the minimum threshold and not just find himself on the list, but shoot all the way to the top of it. After 14 games this season, Livers is shooting 87.4 percent from the free throw line for his career, which is al- ready a better clip than former U-M guard Louis Bullock (1996-99), who posted a career mark of 86.18 percent. A closer look indicates that Livers will shatter that record even further, with the marks- man pouring in free tosses at a 94.4 percent rate this season and a 95.1 percent clip over the past two campaigns. He has missed just four foul shots over that period. Here is a look at the top 10 qualified free throw shooters in U-M history, and how Liv- ers compares. — Clayton Sayfie Rk. Player Percentage Years Played 1. Isaiah Livers* 87.41 2018-Present 2. Louis Bullock 86.18 1996-99 3. Derrick Walton Jr. 83.66 2014-17 4. Nik Stauskas 83.16 2013-14 5. Lester Abram 82.93 2003-07 6. Cazzie Russell 82.79 1963-66 7. Manny Harris 82.74 2008-10 8. Bernard Robinson Jr. 81.36 2001-04 9. LaVell Blanchard 81.33 2000-03 10. Dion Harris 80.42 2004-07 11. Glen Rice 79.74 1985-89 *Has not reached the minimum of 150 attempts to be included in the record book IS ISAIAH LIVERS THE BEST FREE THROW SHOOTER IN PROGRAM HISTORY?