The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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46 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2022 MICHIGAN BASKETBALL back," Jones chimed in. "You could see in the first half we came out with a lot of energy, we got our coach back. So I'm mad that we didn't get the W for him." — Anthony Broome THREE WOLVERINES EARN ALL-BIG TEN HONORS The Michigan basketball team won some big games down the stretch to secure an NCAA Tournament bid, and some of its players were rewarded for their efforts. Sophomore center Hunter Dickinson and fifth-year senior shoot- ing guard Eli Brooks both made All-Big Ten teams announced by the confer- ence, while forward Moussa Diabate made the All-Freshman team. D i c k i n s o n ea r n e d s e c o n d - tea m honors from both the coaches and the media, while Brooks earned honorable mention honors from the media. Dickinson, a first-team All-Big Ten selection from the media and second team by the coaches last year, led Mich- igan with 18.4 points per game in 32.0 minutes per contest (28 games) during the regular season. That's up from 14.1 points a year ago. He also averaged 8.5 rebounds (up from 7.4) and 2.3 assists per game (up from 0.9 a year ago). Dickinson's best game came March 1 against Michigan State when he domi- nated the Spartans with 33 points on 13- of-19 shooting in an 87-70 blowout win. He was a second-team Associated Press and USA Today All-American a year ago. Brooks, a two-time captain, averaged 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He shot 38.9 percent from three-point range and 90.0 percent from the free throw line. He was also Michigan's representative for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. One player per team receives the honor. Finally, Diabate earned his spot on the All-Freshman team by averaging 9.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He moved into the starting lineup earlier in the year and burst on to the scene with 28 points in a win at Iowa. — Chris Balas PHIL MARTELLI PRAISES U-M'S RESILIENCE IN TOUGH SITUATION The U-M men's basketball program was put in a tough position on Feb. 20 with head coach Juwan Howard's con- frontation at Wisconsin and the five- game suspension that followed. That threw associate head coach Phil Mar- telli into the big chair for two weeks at a critical time for the team's postseason chances. Martelli and the Wolverines turned the page quickly, beating Rutgers 71-62 on Feb. 23 after an emotional few days. He was quick to praise the work that Howard's other assistants did in helping the team move forward. "I am here to tell you Saddi Wash- ington and Howard Eisley just coached their backsides off," Martelli said. "I knew when I spoke to many of you [pre- viously], I was confident that I could manage a game. Those two guys are just absolutely extraordinary. What you're seeing there are two future head coaches. America needs to know that." Michigan athletics director Warde Manuel had to act swiftly to get How- ard's discipline set and name a tempo- rary head coach. He and Martelli shared an emotional moment in the Crisler Center tunnel after the game, and he reflected on the role he was asked to fill. "I would put it to you this way, I'm here to serve," Martelli said. "To be ac- knowledged for serving is very much ap- preciated. But I will share this with you, and I shared this with the players, the last statement I made to them before I went on the court. Warde Manuel did not ask me to try to coach the team. Right? Not try. He said to do it. So I did it. "And I don't mean that singularly. Like, we did it. And the players did it. Because no one said try. They asked us to do it." Martelli's run at the helm ended with a 75-69 win at Ohio State on March 6. It was the final leg of a 3-2 stretch un- der his leadership, but U-M's fight and mentality throughout the process stood out the most. "They're resilient, and that there was an easy excuse to not play well against Rutgers, right? That was easy," Martelli said. "And then to come back after Il- linois. That was physical. That was a physical challenge, Illinois. And yet we came back and we had this energy. And I think besides being resilient, I would say adaptability, because there are some things that I do differently. It's a small thing. I don't use a whistle in practice. I would rather train them to listen to my voice. I would rather coach them to listen to my voice. Juwan uses a whistle. That was different. "So they were adaptable and they al- lowed us to coach them, and they al- lowed us to direct. No excuses, right? Had we walked out of here, instead of 3-2, 2-3 — no excuses. We weren't good enough those two nights. We weren't good enough. But I would say resiliency and adaptability." — Anthony Broome MICHIGAN AND KENTUCKY SET DATE FOR RESCHEDULED GAME IN LONDON Michigan and Kentucky will square off in London after all. The Wolverines and Wildcats were originally set to face off Dec. 6, 2020 at the Basketball Hall of Fame London Showcase, but the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The two teams will now battle Dec. 4, 2022 at the O2 Arena in London, Eng- land, U-M announced Feb. 28. This season's contest between Mich- igan and Kentucky in Ann Arbor was postponed with no make-up date, while the two teams are also scheduled to play in Lexington during the 2023-24 season. Sophomore Hunter Dickinson averaged 18.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game en route to earning second- team All-Big Ten accolades from both the coaches and media. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL