The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532537
64 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MARCH 2025 BY JOHN BORTON D anny Wolf beamed with a combination of satisfac- tion, retribution and antici- pation. His team just rallied to take down Purdue, 75-73, to scramble to the top of the Big Ten standings on Feb. 11, in a packed Crisler Center full of wildly appreciative fans. The turnaround proved nothing short of shocking. Less than three weeks earlier, the Boil- ermakers obliterated the Wolverines at Mackey Arena, 91-64, Wolf joining his teammates in a disheartening struggle. He scored 4 points on 1-for-7 shooting against an opponent that buried Michi- gan nearly from the opening tipoff. This time around, the Wolverines turned the tables, with their 7-foot, 250-pound junior big man leading the way. Wolf paced Michigan with 15 points and 9 rebounds, adding 2 assists and a pair of blocked shots. One of the most crucial pieces of the puzzle coach Dusty May assembled in the offseason knows the race is far from over — but the turn- around still carried championship vibes. "We went into their place and got our butts kicked, to say the least, and it was a wake-up call," Wolf said. "I don't want to say this was a revenge game because it only means so much. But I thought we played with a great edge, and guys knew what we were playing for. And it was not to prove anyone wrong, it was to prove to ourselves how good we can be. "Coach says it all the time, that no one outside of our locker room knows what we're capable of and knows how good we really are. The exciting part is we're nowhere near where we can be, and this is just one step in the right direction be- cause we have really big goals. "It was a very important win because we don't have another shot at Purdue until potentially the Big Ten Tourna- ment. We want to hang a banner, and this was just one step." The step Wolf took to Ann Arbor, fol- lowing two seasons at Yale, might be the biggest May generated in building a Big Ten contender in mere months. Wolf's length, aggressiveness, versatility and will to win have shifted the Wolverines into a different gear all season long. Through Michigan's 19-5 start, he aver- aged a double-double — 12.8 points per game, 10.0 rebounds. He shot 37.1 per- cent (26-for-70) from three-point range and 51.4 percent overall. He stood second on the team with 86 assists, with a team- leading 38 blocks and 20 steals. Wolf can go from handling the bas- ketball at the top of the circle to backing a big man down low on the same pos- session, and that's a rare combination, according to Michigan basketball radio play-by-play man Brian Boesch. "He has a unique blend of freakish athletic skills for his size, coupled with a high level of basketball intelligence," Boesch said. "To me, that is the quintes- sential Dusty May piece to the puzzle. It's been fun to watch him, not just with better teammates but also against better competition. "Danny's a smart dude, and he's super talented and really athletic. Sign me up for that." May signed Wolf up, adding rocket fuel to his budding first-year collection of U-M talent. "Danny's played really, really well," May offered. "His ability to track the BIG-TIME TALENT Danny Wolf Deftly Shifts From Ivy League To Big Ten Sequoias Through the Feb. 11 win over Purdue, Wolf was averaging 12.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, shooting 37.1 percent (26-for-70) from three-point range, and had totaled 86 assists and 38 blocks. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL