The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2023 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Student-Athlete Of The Month Men's Basketball Sophomore Will Tschetter The 2022-23 season has not gone as planned for the Michigan men's bas- ketball squad, but one does not need to look far to see where the future leaders might come from. Redshirt freshman forward Will Tschetter has been a spark for the Wolverines coming off the bench. Tschetter, who is enrolled in the College of Literature, Sciences and the Arts with an undecided major, did not see game action last season and made his way on the scout team. This year, he has emerged as a fiery presence and key rotational piece at forward. "I feel like [over the course of the season], I've definitely been able to be more comfortable out on the floor," Tschetter said. "Defensively, offensively, just being able to find a niche on this team. "I was a very below-average de- fender and communicator in high school. Last year in my redshirt year, I took a lot of time to develop more on the defensive side of the ball, but the communication didn't really come in until this fall. It was one of those things they said I needed to do to be able to find my spot, so that was something I really took to heart." Associate head coach Phil Martelli sees Tschetter growing into his own, especially as a young leader for U-M. He does what the staff asks of him and has put in the work to see more court time as the season progresses. "The game is slowing down for him," Martelli said. "I'm surprised how vocal he is defensively. Offensively, it's starting to get slower. He still has to slow down, " He puts in work and work and work. His stroke is pure. It's not just his shot — he looks at the offensive patterns, he understands the scouting report. The future is bright for him." Tschetter is averaging 2.6 points and 1.0 rebound in 9.2 minutes per game, but he was called into action to make his first career start on Feb. 14 at Wisconsin. He finished with 4 points and 5 rebounds in 26 minutes in the 64-59 loss. Head coach Juwan Howard was pleased with the en- ergy he saw and his ability to stay ready. "It's no surprise to me because the young man has worked extremely hard," Howard said postgame. "He's been very patient waiting his turn but also at the same time, just feeding life to the team. This year, he is getting an opportunity to play more. "I always say this: 'Next man up and stay ready.' He showed that tonight. He made some really good plays. Also, some aggressive plays to the bas- ket. He accepted that challenge, which was no surprise to me, the staff and the team. I love coaching Will." The expanded audition was a long time coming for Tschetter, who has become a folk hero of sorts within the fanbase. The U-M faithful have al- ways responded positively to players who bring an energy that others can feed off. He appears to be the next man up for this program in that regard. "I try to stay off of social media as much as possible, especially during the season," Tschetter said. "It's great to have that kind of support for the program, the team, people that really care and just hoping that can continue." — Anthony Broome Tschetter's consistent energy and hustle helped him earn his first career start in a game at Wisconsin on Feb. 14. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS Water polo freshman Riley Chapple: She was named Col- legiate Water Polo Association Player of the Week Feb. 16, af- ter registering 5 goals and 12 assists to help the Maize and Blue to a 3-0 weekend at the Bucknell invite with wins over Bucknell, Saint Francis and No. 21 Long Island University. She recorded 3 goals in the win against Saint Francis, along with 8 assists to tally 11 points, both of which are single-game highs by a U-M player this season. Men's tennis fifth-year senior Andrew Fenty: In Michigan's 4-0 vic- tor y over Cal Poly Jan. 28, Fenty notched his 100th ca- reer doubles win, becoming the first Wolverine to reach the century mark. He then won both of his singles matches the following day — one over Cal Poly's Colter Smith (6-0, 6-1) and another over Northwestern's Simen Bra- tholm (6-2, 6-2) — to bring his career victory total up to 195, making him the winningest player in program history. He was named Big Ten Athlete of the Week Feb. 1. Women's track sophomore Savannah Sutherland: She was named the Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week Jan. 25, following an in- credible performance at U-M's Simmons-Harvey Invitational. Her teammate, graduate So- phie Isom, fell on the first leg of the 4x400 meter relay, set- ting the Wolverines back. But Sutherland re- bounded with a time of 54.01 — which ranked first in the Big Ten and fifth in the NCAA for the distance at the time — in the second leg. That was three seconds faster than any other runner in the second leg, giving the Maize and Blue a chance to win the race they ultimately won. Women's basketball fif th-year senior Leigha Brown: The guard was included on the Naismith Player of the Year Midseason Team Feb. 7. At the time, she led U-M in scoring with 17.7 points per contest on 55.8 shooting from the field, adding 5.7 assists and 5.1 re- bounds per game. Brown was the only player in the country averaging 17 or more points per game on 50 percent shooting with at least 5 assists and 5 rebounds per game. She also had 20 dou- ble-figure scoring games on the season, high- lighted by 11 20-plus-point outbursts.