The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1529264
DECEMBER 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 37 ❱ MICHIGAN BASKETBALL to earn a tough-fought win af- ter Michigan went the last 3:48 without a field goal. Gayle scored 11 to lead U-M while Donaldson and Cason added 10 each, but the Wolverines shot only 34.5 percent in the second half. "I felt we got a little bit stag- nant," May said on the postgame radio show. "We weren't cutting well off the ball. The ball wasn't moving quite as much. We fell down and slipped on the floor a few times in inopportune situa- tions." Wake Forest also slowed the Michigan break, limiting the Wol- verines to 8 fast-break points. "They forced us to play half court, and we didn't have great pace and execution in the half court," May said. U-M was slated to return to ac- tion at home Nov. 15 against TCU, then to play four more nonconfer- ence games before opening the Big Ten slate at Wisconsin on Dec. 3. — Chris Balas RUBIN JONES MAKING 'INVISIBLE PLAYS' FOR U-M One of the most understated roles on this year's team could come from graduate transfer guard Ru- bin Jones, who missed the season opener against Cleveland State before returning in the loss to Wake Forest while coming off the bench. He finished with 9 points and a rebound in that Nov. 10 matchup. When head coach Dusty May was at Florida Atlantic, he saw a lot of the for- mer North Texas guard when they were conference foes in the American Ath- letic Conference. He thinks Jones can be a tone-setter for this team. "The new term in basketball is invis- ible plays," May said. "They used to be winning plays, they used to be intangi- bles, whatever you want to call it. Rubin makes a lot of invisible plays that may not be assists, but those deflections in the gap turn into a layup for Will Tschet- ter. Taking the ball out quickly after a made basket, the response after a make could be something where you don't get a stat for it. "But when you watch the film, and usually the championship-level teams I've been a part of, there's usually a couple guys immediately after the game, think- ing, man, he just played OK. Then you go back and watch the film, and you say, wow, he made so many invisible plays. He made the quick swing instead of trying to beat his man every time. Or he crashed the glass and took on two guys, and there- fore someone else got the tip in. Just those things that the casual fan or in the flow of the game, you may not notice every time, but when you watch the film, Rubin makes a lot of those plays." After spending four years with the Mean Green, Jones was among the first players targeted by May while he aimed to shape the Michigan roster. Jones is coming off a career season, averaging 12.1 points per game with 3.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 39.6 percent from the floor and 41.6 percent in 2023-24. He is a career 36.6 percent three-point shooter but shot 40.6 per- cent during his freshman year. — Anthony Broome DUSTY MAY DISCUSSES SCHEDULING PHILOSOPHY Following a tough 72-70 loss to Wake Forest Nov. 10 on a semi- neutral floor in Greensboro, N.C., Dusty May's U-M squad expe- rienced its first taste of defeat. There was no shortage of things to improve or clean up, and perhaps that's the biggest silver lining to come out of an early-season set- back against a prospective tourna- ment squad. "Everything's a slight concern, at least," May told the media dur- ing his Monday session back in Ann Arbor Nov. 11. "So, yes, we've got to fix it. But once again, we're fortunate that we're being ex- posed in these areas now because we have an opportunity to fix it. "In basketball, we play so many games, and in football now, it's not catastrophic to lose a game. But if we choose to respond the right way, then it will be worth it. If we continue down the same path, then we'll learn the hard way." The showdown with Wake For- est was the first in a two-game se- ries between this year and next. The Demon Deacons will make a return trip to Michigan next sea- son with a neutral site game set for Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. But in the more immediate future, TCU comes to town Nov. 15 for the first of a home-and-home series, and May will continue to schedule in this manner. "For us, I don't really care what my wiki record is or whatever," May said. "I have no idea how many games we've won or we've lost. I know that we lost our last game. "These games are good for the game of basketball. They're good for our players. They're good for television. They're good for our universities. They bring attention and eyes. They're good for recruiting. And so, why wouldn't we play them? The NCAA Tournament has proven that if you play as competitive a schedule as possible, they're going to give you the benefit of the doubt. "All those things add up to it being wise for us to play as many games as we can like this. And you know, at the end of the year I may be kicking myself, but Grad transfer Rubin Jones missed the season-opener with a minor leg injury but came off the bench to contribute 9 points and a rebound in the loss to Wake Forest Nov. 10. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS