The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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OCTOBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 9 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan head coach Juwan Howard already has a Big Ten championship and an Elite Eight appearance under his belt in his two years on the job, and some believe it's just the start of more to come. Athlon and Lindy's preseason magazines, in fact, both picked the Wolverines to re- peat as Big Ten champions. In addition, Lindy's tabbed Michigan the No. 3 team nationally, while Athlon puts U-M at No. 5. "While Michigan is replacing four of its top six scorers in Year 3 for Howard, the Wolverines should keep rolling," Athlon writers predicted. "The Final Four is the goal, and the top recruiting class in col- lege basketball is joining a roster headlined by national player of the year candidate Hunter Dickinson and a handful of expe- rienced pieces. "… Big Ten defenders will have to deal with [Dickinson] again. Transfer DeVante' Jones was the best guard in the Sun Belt. With [fifth-year senior guard] Eli Brooks and the nation's top recruiting class, the Wolverines will chase another No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed." Both publications ranked Dickinson in the top 20 nationally on their top individ- ual player lists, Lindy's at No. 6 and Athlon No. 17. Last season's Big Ten Freshman of the Year averaged 14.1 points and 7.4 rebounds in his debut. Jones, the Coastal Carolina graduate transfer, checked in at No. 25 per Athlon, while five-star fresh- man wing Caleb Houstan was listed No. 54. Houstan is also tabbed as both publica- tions' Big Ten Newcomer of the Year after he helped lead Montverde (Fla.) Academy to a national title last year. Dickinson ap- peared on the Athlon preseason All-Big Ten first team, while Houstan made Lin- dy's second team. Both were Athlon pre- season All-Big Ten second-team picks. Rounding out the Big Ten predictions, Athlon has Purdue No. 2, Ohio State No. 3, Illinois No. 4 and Maryland No. 5. Big Ten Network analyst Shon Morris agreed with those picks when we caught up with him recently. "Aaron Wiggins moving on [to the NBA] hurts Maryland a little bit, but they're go- ing to be a nice team," he said. "Michigan is going to be very good. Purdue is going to be very good, and I like Illinois and Ohio State." He believes Michigan State will be bet- ter (Athlon has the Spartans sixth) and that Indiana can be a sleeper after add- ing Miller Kopp, a transfer forward from Northwestern. "Indiana is kind of bubbling under the surface," he said. "They could be kind of dangerous. Getting [forward] Trayce Jackson-Davis back, and then Kopp going over there … it's not going to make a whole lot of national headlines, but the one thing that team could not do last year is shoot. That kid can shoot. "With a post like Jackson-Davis, you put Kopp on one side of the floor with him, you're going to have to give up something." But he loves what Michigan has accom- plished under Howard, and he sees big things for the Wolverines not just this year, but also in the future. "The one thing that has impressed me … obviously, their on-court success, but a lot of people aren't comfortable enough in their own skin to go hire a guy like [long- time head coach] Phil Martelli," Morris said of Howard and his associate head coach. "To me, when he went out and did that, I thought that was a great sign. "In my opinion, the smartest people are the ones that know what they don't know and say, 'Hey, you know what? I know the game. I've been in the system, I've done all these things, but if I have an opportunity to get a guy as a former head coach who can help me not only develop my own pace of skill, but draw on that knowledge …' "A lot of people aren't that confident in themselves and comfortable enough to say, 'I want the best.' And he did. I give him a ton of credit, because a lot of people won't do that." Between the outstanding staff, return- ing players and stellar recruits incoming, Morris sees Michigan as a potential con- tender in the Big Ten for years to come. ❑ Inside Michigan ATHLETICS Publications Tab Michigan Basketball A Favorite To Win The Big Ten Sophomore center Hunter Dickinson, who is considered to be a national player of the year candidate, and the Wolverines are pro- jected to be a top-five team in 2021-22. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN