The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1482097
NOVEMBER 2022 THE WOLVERINE 41 2022-23 BASKETBALL PREVIEW Dug [McDaniel]. Do you have the ability to have success at the wing? That's where college basketball is trending. The NBA has already gotten there. "If you have switchable, two-way wings, it goes a long way. Michigan has got some candi- dates. It's a matter of who can actually fulfill that and be a really big-time of- fensive and defen- sive star at the wing." Where that goes in Jett's freshman year remains to be determined, Boesch stressed. "The starting lineup? Who knows," Boesch said. "That's a question for a little bit closer to the season. But he's going to be a factor, I think. [Freshman forward] Youssef [Khayat] coming in is a factor. "If those two can combo and be effec- tive in that spot, it would go a long way for Michigan. We know about [junior forward] Terrance Williams, and [Duke grad transfer] Joey Baker is going to play a pretty sizable role on this team. "There are some candidates, but as we've seen from Coach Howard since he's been in Ann Arbor, that rotation tends to really get condensed as the seasons rolls on. What might be a 10-man rotation in November, we've seen seven-man rota- tions from him in the postseason." Jett has a shot, Boesch stressed, and the freshman says he's locked in on making the most of the opportunity. He insists he wants to be "just someone who can create, and make big plays, knock down open shots and guard some of the best players in the conference, and be a great teammate." Asked if he feels any pressure — given that his dad's success is certainly associ- ated with his own and that of his team- mates — Jett appeared unruffled. "I don't," he said. "I just take it like I'm up for the challenge. I know I'm capable of doing it. My dad kind of took the pres- sure off me. He told me, 'Just go out there and play.' If we lose, we lose, as long as we play hard." Jett insisted his tough-minded dad has made it easier on him in other ways as well. Not easy, by any means. But com- fortable enough that although Jett was much sought after in the recruiting process, he knew the best place for him to end up. "He kind of keeps a healthy balance of not pushing too hard, being too hard on me," Jett acknowledged. "These are important years of my life, so him being able to guide me in the right direction as opposed to me being some- where else is good. I like being near him, because he has a lot of knowledge. "I felt like he knew my game the best out of everyone in the world. He knows my game the best and he knows my style of play. He wouldn't guide me in the wrong direction. I guess he feels I fit within the system. "I understood that, and I understood he has my best interests at heart at the end of the day." ❏ Head coach Juwan Howard, on having his sons on the U-M roster "I'm going to coach them. At times, there's going to be some hard, tough love. Am I coaching them harder than their team- mates? Maybe, maybe not. But they're going to get coached." As a senior at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., Howard averaged 13.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists and was rated as the No. 40 player in the nation and an On3 Consenus four-star recruit. PHOTO COURTESY IMG ACADEMY