The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 45 ❱ MICHIGAN BASKETBALL workout period, U-M associate head coach Phil Martelli said on the recent "Defend the Block" podcast. Reed's been working directly with Juwan Howard to improve all aspects of his game, and it's coming along. "Tarris has improved. I'll salute him the most and say he's improved the most," Martelli said. "His face-up jumper and his foul shot jumper have clearly improved. He did work when he was away from us in June, and now it's continued into July and August." Reed's also going to be even better de- fensively, Martelli added. "He is, will be, and can be an elite rim protector which, just going back, is dif- ferent than Hunter [Dickinson]," Martelli said. "Hunter was not going to be a rim protector. He was going to take up a lot of space. Tarris Reed, his body belies what he can bring athletically." If Reed can stay healthy and out of foul trouble, he could be one of the most im- proved players in the Big Ten. Point guard Dug McDaniel's freshman year was "more than we expected" Mar- telli said, because Jaelin Llewellyn, a grad transfer, got injured and McDaniel was thrust into the starting lineup in Decem- ber out of necessity. "I think that he is physically more of a grown-up now," Martelli said of the 5-11 sophomore guard who now checks in at 175 pounds, up from 160 a year ago. "His attention to practice is more that of an older guy. I have noticed that he is more vocal during these workouts. "At the same time, he's improved all areas of his game. He's become more of a connector within the program, not just on the court. "The one other area is his shooting — I see an improved shooter." Forward Will Tschetter (6-8, 245) also was thrown into the fire last year in his redshirt frosh season, and there were times it appeared he was in over his head. Martelli, however, has always been a big believer in the Minnesota na- tive, and he still is. He believes Tschetter has it in him to take a major step forward this season. "The guy that jumps out is Will Tschetter," Martelli said. "It's just amaz- ing. He puts the ball in the basket. You have to go back and say, he had that chance, six or seven games at the end of the year where he was the starter. Let's call it what it was. Was it stage fright? Maybe. "Now, that seems to no longer be there. He's been playing some backup big. He has the most energy … he's the most vocal on the defensive end of the floor. There are a lot of good things … and you hope not just for good things, but great things." Redshirt junior Jace Howard (6-8, 225) remains very vocal, too, Martelli said, and his body has changed. He can be a "glue guy" and bring some versatility, and there may be times they'll need him given the roster numbers. He's a captain, and his leadership will be key on a team with several new faces. Senior forward Terrance Williams II (6-7, 225) also returns as one of the lead- ers, and he has the potential to help this team more than he did a year ago. He struggled with his confidence at times, but he showed during his sophomore year he could be the jack-of-all-trades who could score inside and out, shooting 38 percent from long range. That would be a huge help this season on a Michigan team that needs shooters. "The first thing that jumps out is that he changed his jumper. It's not as long," Martelli said of Williams. "His foul shot is not as long. He's had success this July and August, so he's got to continue, and we do need him. "When you look around and say who has the most experience, he has the most experience. And it's different experience than Dug McDaniel and Tarris Reed, be- cause he won and played in really big games. He won the Tennessee game in the NCAA Tournament. So, T-Will has had a really good summer." Rising sophomore Youssef Khayat is another player who has put in the work in the weight room shaping his body. The 6-foot-9 forward is up to 215 pounds, from 195 when he arrived on campus last year. "Yo-Yo [Khayat] has had a couple bumps and bruises, so he's been held out a little bit [this offseason]," Martelli said. "What I notice about him is that he's clearly stronger, and he looks like a college player. Now we need to have him on the floor consistently." Martelli made sure to also bring up graduate student point guard Jaelin Lllewellyn, who's returning from a seri- ous knee injury suffered against Ken- tucky last year. "He needs to be discussed," Martelli said. "I'm not 'medical' to say he's where he should be or two days ahead or be- hind schedule … but to see him out there makes you tear up a little bit because he took quite a blow. He's out there, not banging against anybody, but certainly out there." The key for Michigan will be carrying this offseason growth and momentum into the 2023 campaign. MICHIGAN HOSTS JUNIOR COLLEGE TRANSFER Michigan basketball is still entertain- ing the possibility of adding a guard to the 2023-24 roster, having two spots available. The Wolverines hosted North Idaho College transfer Cobi Campbell the Aug. 5 weekend, and though he left without an offer, they're still keeping an eye on him. The 6-foot-2 guard played in 20 games with 19 starts as a freshman, av- eraging 16.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He shot 54.3 per- cent from the field and 54-of-103 (52.4 percent) on three-pointers. Campbell scored in double figures in 17 games last season, including posting a career-high 41 points while shooting 7-of-11 on threes in a 135-101 win over Lilac City Dec. 8. Prior to attending North Idaho, Campbell went to Elite Prep in his hometown of Seattle. ❏ MICHIGAN'S 2023-24 NONCONFERENCE SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time (TV) Nov. 3 Northwood TBA Nov. 7 UNC Ashville TBA Nov. 10 Youngstown State TBA Nov. 13 vs. St. John's* TBA Nov. 17 Long Beach State TBA Nov. 22 vs. Memphis^ 5 p.m. (ESPN2) Nov. 23 vs. Arkansas or Stanford^ TBA Nov. 24 TBA^ TBA Dec. 2 at Oregon TBA Dec. 16 Eastern Michigan TBA Dec. 19 vs. Florida# TBA Dec. 29 McNeese TBA * Gavitt Tipoff Games at Madison Square Garden, New York ^ Battle 4 Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas # Jumpman Invitational, Charlotte, N.C.