The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1533441
52 THE WOLVERINE ❱ APRIL 2025 BY ANTHONY BROOME W hen former U-M men's bas- ketball head coach John Beilein went to a prep school gym in Massachu- setts during the 2012 recruiting cycle, little did he know he would stumble upon a foundational player and future star in guard Nik Stauskas. The seeds of his eventual arrival at Michigan were planted that day for the four-star recruit and top-75 prospect. "I remember Coach Beilein came out, and we had this thing called an open gym," Stauskas said of his one year at St. Mark's School in Southborough, Mass. "We had it twice before the season started. All these college coaches, scouts and recruits were there to watch us play five on five. Two of my teammates were in the ESPN Top 10 in Alex Murphy and Kaleb Tarczewski. Coach Beilein was there, and also Coach K [head coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke] and John Cali- pari [head coach at Kentucky]. Those big names in college basketball were there to recruit those guys. "I was just happy to have the oppor- tunity to play in front of those coaches and get my name out there. Being from Canada, I never had opportunities like that back at home. There were no events or tournaments that I could go to where I could get that kind of exposure. "As far as I remember, I played really well, and that was the day that my life changed as far as it went with schools being a little bit more interested. Sure enough, Beilein offered me a scholarship after that, and it didn't take long for me to commit." The fit at Michigan was like a glove. The Wolverines had a pair of stars in guards Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., and some minutes in the rotation that had opened up alongside them. Joining the Wolverines in a class that also in- cluded a pair of blue chip prospects in Glenn Robinson III and Mitch McGary, it felt like the bones of a potential con- tender were there. "The stars just seemed to align with it being the right fit with Zack Novak and Stu Douglass leaving, and some minutes opening up at the guard spot," Stauskas said. "Glenn had already committed at that point. Tim Hardaway was still there. I said, 'This team could be really good.' Trey Burke was kind of up in the air of whether he would still be there. "I just remember thinking to myself, 'Wow, I have a chance to be part of a re- ally good team that plays my style of bas- ketball, and I might have an opportunity to play as a freshman.' "That was all I could ever ask for. It was truly an easy choice." Stauskas' freshman year was about as fruitful as it could have been. U-M roared out to a 16-0 record to start the year and at one point was ranked No. 1 in the country. The team would go on to make a run to the national championship game, where it lost to Louisville on the final night of the season. "I think unanimously, everyone's like, "Those were the best years of our en- tire life,'" Stauskas said. "I know they were for me. It just felt like everything was clicking at the right time. We got on campus and all the freshmen were ex- cited to be there. We felt like there was a buzz and an excitement around the bas- ketball team, especially when Mitch got on board. "At the time, the football team was a little bit down. Everything was very new and exciting for us. We came in and started practicing with the team, and ob- viously, going up against guys like Tim and Trey every day in practice was hum- bling for us. But it also was exciting be- cause we were like, 'Yeah, we're going to be pretty good.' "I remember seeing Trey in practice and being like, 'Man, this guy does not belong here on a college basketball court.' He was just far beyond any of our talent at that time. I just remember heading into that season feeling very confident about where we stood and what we could do." Stauskas made a leap from rotational player to alpha dog during his sopho- more season in Ann Arbor, averaging 17.5 points per game and winning Big Ten Player of the Year honors and a second- team All-America designation. ❱ WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Former Hoops Star Nik Stauskas Reflects On Michigan Career Toward the end of his nine-year run in the NBA, Stauskas started a career in broadcasting, calling Raptors playoff games on TSN while he was home in Toronto. Here he is (left) working alongside play-by-play man Pat Boylan at an NBA G League Winter Showcase game this past December. PHOTO COURTESY PAT BOYLAN