The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1371232
JUNE/JULY 2021 THE WOLVERINE 41 MICHIGAN BASKETBALL produced 17 double-figure scoring games with two 20-plus-point tilts. He led U-M with 34 steals and was second with 41 three-pointers. During his sophomore year in 2020-21, he helped lead Michigan to a 23-5 record, an outright Big Ten regular-season title, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and an ap- pearance in the Elite Eight. The All- Big Ten second-teamer averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, led U-M with 35 steals and was second with 29 blocks. Wagner racked up individual ac- colades and drew plenty of personal praise during his career, but he was most proud of the team accomplish- ments and what his two years did for the program and its future. "One thing I'm really proud of from my college career is how we showed people that Michigan basket- ball is here to stay," he wrote. "After [former head] Coach [John] Beilein left, there were a lot of doubters. Peo- ple were questioning whether Michi- gan was about to take a step back. And I feel like Coach Howard and our vets, like [former guard] Zavier [Simpson], they just got us locked into this mentality where we weren't going to let that happen. It became like a mission: Not only were we re- fusing to take a step back — actu- ally we were going to push things forward." While he had an extremely strong career throughout his time at U-M, it ended on the wrong note against UCLA in the East Regional Final, a game in which Wagner shot 1 of 10 from the field and missed two shots with less than a minute to play that could have given the Wolverines the lead. Instead, it was a 51-49 loss. Wagner chose to follow in his brother Moritz's footsteps by com- ing from Germany to U-M. While he surely wishes he could change the outcome of some plays along the way and his final game in a Michigan uniform, he doesn't have a lot that he'd go back and revise. "After months of going back and forth in my head about it (and against the advice and expectations of almost everybody at home), that's what I did," Wagner wrote of his original choice to join the Wolverines. "Not because Moe did it — but because I wanted to do it my way. I took a leap of faith. "I decided to enroll at Michigan. "It's the best decision I ever made." Now, he's hoping his decision to go pro will work out the same way. While it may be an easy choice for many prospects that are projected to be picked in the first round to leave school, it wasn't that way for Wagner. "I think it was tough for me for pretty much one reason: I love Michi- gan," he wrote. "Man … I've just truly loved being a part of this Michigan thing with you all. "So that's why I wanted to write this letter. I didn't want to just do some quick 'see ya later.' I wanted to say thanks, for the time of my life. "I don't know what the future will hold for me there … but I'm excited to find out. And it's like I said — I'll always know one thing for sure: I'm proud to be able to call myself a Michigan Wolverine." — Clayton Sayfie EARLY TOP-25 LISTS ARE HIGH ON MICHIGAN FOLLOWING BROOKS' RETURN Early top-25 lists for next season were updated soon after senior guard Eli Brooks announced his decision to return to Michigan for a fifth year, and prognosticators are quite high on the Maize and Blue once again head- ing into 2021-22. Three of the biggest analysts in the industry — Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today, Gary Parrish of CBS Sports and Jeff Borzello of ESPN — all placed U-M No. 11 or higher in their top-25 rankings following Brooks' announcement. No. 7 — Jon Rothstein, College Hoops Today (May 1) No. 10 — Gary Parrish, CBS Sports (April 27) "This ranking is tied to the idea that [sophomore guard] Franz Wag- ner will enter the NBA Draft, while [center] Hunter Dickinson returns for his [second] season at Michigan, where he'll likely be the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year. "Eli Brooks' decision to play an- other season for the Wolverines provides [head coach] Juwan How- ard with an additional experienced piece to pair with the nation's top- ranked recruiting class featuring five-star prospects [small forward] Caleb Houstan and [power forward] Moussa Diabate." No. 11 — Jeff Borzello, ESPN (April 29) "I was probably a little low on Mich- igan in the first edition of the rankings [when listed at No. 17], but there were real questions about the Wolverines' backcourt at the time. Now, senior Eli Brooks has announced he's return- ing for another season in Ann Arbor, which gives them experience and one of the best defenders in the Big Ten. They're loaded up front, assuming Hunter Dickinson returns for his [sec- ond] season. "Five-star frontcourt prospects Caleb Houstan and Moussa Dia- bate can start right away, although I think [junior forward] Brandon Johns will also fight for a spot. The return of Brooks and [the addition of Coastal Carolina transfer guard DeVante' Jones] also improves their depth, as Michigan's inexperienced guards won't be thrown into the fire too soon." — Austin Fox CHAUNDEE BROWN REFLECTS ON HIS LONE YEAR IN ANN ARBOR Michigan senior guard Chaundee Brown announced April 10 he would be departing Ann Arbor after one season with the program, choosing not to take advantage of the NCAA's free year of eligibility. Brown was a key part of the Wol- verines' Big Ten regular-season championship and their run to the Elite Eight, averaging 8.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, while shoot- ing 41.9 percent from deep. "It was pretty hard [not to return for another year]," he admitted April 20. "I was back home with my family for a week or so [after the season] and came to the decision to move forward." While reflecting on his year in Ann Arbor, Brown admitted he wished the team would have gone further than the Elite Eight, but neverthe- less still called it "the best year of his life," both on and off the court. "It was a wonderful season with a wonderful group of guys," he said. "Off the court, we were like a fam- ily. The coaches all got along, and so did the players. We were like a big, happy family." — Austin Fox