The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2021 THE WOLVERINE 25 to in how to do things. Being a fresh- man, I didn't really know how Michi- gan basketball operated when I was coming in, so I was trying to emulate everything he would do. "He's been really good, not just for me but the other freshmen as a leader, somebody you can come to if you need help with something … like another coach out there on the floor. He's been great for my development on and off the court." Livers considers it "continuing the culture," and he's going to have to do even more of it as long as the boot remains on his foot. Howard assured he'd also be valuable in that role, adding he wouldn't take any chances with his senior's future. "Our player's health always comes first before any game," he said. "… Isaiah is very disappointed that he's not out there to help his teammates. But, being on the bench, having his presence, his leadership, his voice — he is helping." But there's no doubt he'll have a hard time watching from the side- lines. He had tears in his eyes when they played a senior tribute to him after the win over MSU, watching his family and coaches talk about what he'd meant to the program. As for what the program meant to him — he said he knew the morn- ing of the game against the Spartans he was going to kiss the block M at center court. "I knew it would be the last time I played at Crisler; I had to," he said with a grin. "I saw other seniors do it and I told myself, even when I was a freshman, I'm definitely going to kiss the floor. "That's how much love I have for the campus, the coaching staff and the journey here. Seeing my family, coaches and staff talk about me … it's real." And while it might take a miracle for him to play in the uniform again, he insisted he'd try. "I don't want people to write me off yet," he said. "I'm still in rehab, will work my butt off to get back to this team because I know we're going to make a run, and I want to be there for it." ❑ Isaiah Livers is one of many sharpshooters the Wolverines have had since 1986-87, the first season the three-point line was implemented in college basketball, and would rank among the top 10 U-M long-range shooters we've seen. But perhaps none were better than these five, whose accom- plishments are well documented: 5. Sean Higgins (1987-90) — The lanky forward got lost at times behind elite shooter Glen Rice, but he could stroke it, too. He shot 44.8 percent from long range in his three sea- sons (fourth in school history) and made 104 career triples. 4. Duncan Robinson (2015-18) — Robinson's numbers went down each year due in part to degree of difficulty. He was so prolific in his first season, making 95 triples (fourth most in a single season) on 45.0 percent shooting, that he became the focus of opposing defenses. He still shot 42.4 percent his second year before dipping to a still-good 38.4 percent as a fifth-year senior. Robinson ranks fourth all time with 237 three-pointers made in his career. He and Tim Hardaway Jr. (2011-13) are the only two in the top 10 who played less than four years, each having played only three. 3. Nik Stauskas (2012-14) — Despite being the focus of Big Ten defenses his second year, the Canadian made 44.2 percent of his 208 three-point attempts on his way to Big Ten Player of the Year honors. He became an all-around player, not just a shooter, and finished with 172 triples in only two years on campus. Stauskas made his mark as a true freshman and broke out with a 6-of-6 performance in an Elite Eight win over Florida and helped lead the Wolverines to the national champion- ship game. He set a rookie program record with 80 treys and stands fifth in program history with a career 44.1 percent success rate behind the arc. 2. Louis Bullock (1996-99) — The combo guard still holds the Michigan record with 339 three-point field goals made, and it's not close. Dion Harris (2004-07) is second with 268. Bullock also ranks seventh all time in three-point percentage (42.27 percent) and became the Big Ten's all-time three- point maker after hitting 75 in his senior year. Though he struggled a bit in his final campaign, shooting 37.7 percent from long range, he still rewrote the Michigan record books in his four years. He shot 47.2 percent from long range as a sophomore (fourth-best single-season mark in program history) and 44.9 percent as a junior, and still holds the record for single-season triples (101, 1996-97). 1. Glen Rice (1985-89) — Rice made 33 of 77 triples (42.9 percent) in 1987-88 as a junior and made an astounding 51.6 percent in the 1989 national championship season en route to a single-season program-record 949 points. He made 99 of 192 three-pointers that year and shot his way to an NCAA Tournament record that still stands today — 184 total points. His showing at the Lexington (Ky.) Regional was one of the best shooting displays in NCAA Tournament history, a 13-of- 19 outburst (34 points) in a Sweet 16 win over North Caro- lina in which he made eight triples, and a 13-of-16, 32-point performance over Virginia two days later that propelled the Wolverines to the Final Four. He is the best pure shooter in school history and still ranks second all time in career three-point percentage (48.04, only 0.04 behind the all-time leader). — Chris Balas Michigan's Five Best Shooters In The Three-Point Era Livers has developed into a consummate captain, showing the way for U-M's young players by example and as a mentor. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL