The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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44 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2022 BY CHRIS BALAS E very four years, NCAA basketball programs are allowed to embark on a trip overseas to partake in ex- hibition games. Juwan Howard and his first Fab Five squad (1991-92) headed to Europe after their freshman seasons. Thirty years later, Howard took his team to France and Greece as the Michigan head coach for three exhibition contests and a fantastic worldly experience. Michigan assistant Saddi Washington said the trip was a success in that respect, noting the basketball was a positive resid- ual. Fellow assistant Phil Martelli, speak- ing to play-by-play man Brian Boesch on his "Defend the Block" podcast, added that was the goal. "That's really what we're in this busi- ness for. We're in this business to create memories for a lifetime, to help young people grow into full adulthood," Mar- telli said. "So, some of the decisions they make, even — their shopping, bartering, counting on each other to move around through different areas they had never been before in Paris, Athens, Mykonos … that's what the value is." They were tight before they left and just as much so when they came back, he added. On the basketball front, Michigan went 2-1 on the trip, losing its first game to Fos Provence Basket, 86-68, before winning its last two contests. That in- cluded a 95-62 victory over Olympiacos U22 and a shortened game (two quar- ters) and 49-38 victory over Mykonos. In the first game, U-M went with a start- ing lineup of graduate point guard Jaelin Llewellyn, sophomore guard Kobe Bufkin, freshman wing Jett Howard, junior for- ward Terrance Williams II, and junior center Hunter Dickinson. The Wolverines shot 39.7 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point land and struggled to take care of the ball, notching 23 turn- overs to just 14 assists. Fos shot 55.2 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from long range. Thirteen players suited up for U-M, and only two did not play — Duke transfer and shooting guard Joey Baker, recover- ing from a hip procedure, and new frosh addition Youssef Khayat, who joined the team for the first time. Dickinson led Michigan with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, in- cluding one made 3-pointer on two at- tempts. He added 10 rebounds and 2 as- sists with 4 turnovers. Llewellyn added 15 points, making 6 of his 13 shots and 3 of 7 triples. Frosh Dug McDaniel, likely Michigan's back-up point guard this year, Washing- ton noted, played 17 minutes and scored 6 points (3-of-6 from the field) with 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals but 5 turn- overs. One thing stood out, Washington added. While McDaniel continues to work on finishing, he's got some Zavier Simp- son-type qualities on both ends. "His ability to get two feet in the paint anytime he wanted to," Washington said. "On defense … you can tell he takes pride in it." Only one other Michigan player — Howard — scored in double figures along with Dickinson and Llewellyn. He put up 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting and 2-of-5 from deep. Sophomore guard/ forward Isaiah Barnes played 15 minutes off the bench and hit both of his 3-point attempts. Michigan jumped out to an early 10-point lead on Olympiacos in game two, saw it dwindle to 3 in the second quarter, but finished with a 13-0 run at the end of the quarter to take command. The run ended 17-0 and with U-M lead- ing 59-38. Michigan shot 49.3 percent from the field (34-of-69), including 52.2 percent from 2-point range (24-of-46) and 10- of-23 from long range (43.5 percent). The MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Overseas Trip Strengthens Men's Basketball Team's Bond Heading Into 2022-23 Season Junior center Hunter Dickinson averaged a double-double — 12 points and 10 rebounds — in the first two international games this summer. The third game, in Mykonos, Greece, was cut short by a power failure in the gym. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY