The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/246097
ability to rebound and outlet, sometimes even lead the break. His prowess on the offensive glass, though, might be toughest to replace. He still ranked tied for second on the team to redshirt junior Jon Horford (28) with 23 offensive rebounds through 17 games as of Jan. 18. "For us, any Mitch is a good Mitch," sophomore point guard Spike Albrecht said. "He always brings a lot of energy and goes out there and plays hard. Whether or not he is able to go … we have other guys who need to step up and make plays. Jon [Horford], Jordan [Morgan] and Max [Bielfeldt] are capable, and it's going to be an opportunity to be the next guy up." That's exactly how they approached it from the first day it became clear how much more had been added to their responsibilities. It wasn't completely foreign, though, especially to Morgan. The fifth-year senior was the starter on a Big Ten championship team, Beilein reminded, and was instrumental in helping the team reach the NCAA Tournament a year earlier. There's plenty of talent around them, too. Sophomores Nik Stauskas (18.0 points per game as of Jan. 18) and Glenn Robinson III (13.9) are future pros, perhaps sooner than later. Stauskas and Morgan, in particular, have developed a rapport on the pick and roll similar to the one Morgan enjoyed with point guard Darius Morris, now in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers. "The trust level has been growing each and every game with regard to how often they look to those guys," said assistant coach Bacari Alexander, who coaches the big men. "Nik has gotten into the lane the last couple games, and he'll find a rolling J-Mo or Jon Horford for layups. "The numbers they are producing are sizzling. Jordan passed the 70-percentile mark in field goal percentage. Jon got up over 50. That's an encouraging trend." Morgan was shooting an amazing 85.0 percent (17 of 20) in conference games during U-M's 5-0 Big Ten start, while redshirt junior Horford stood at 70.8 percent (17 of 24) after U-M's Jan. 18 upset win at Wisconsin. The two combined for averages of 15.1 points and 10.1 rebounds in the seven games following the McGary announcement. Alexander stayed away from challenging his veterans; he only reminded them that they were partially responsible for the program's first Big Ten championship in 26 years and a Final Four run. "They are battle tested," he said. "They competed in the Big Ten conference before, during and after Mitch's arrival. An injection of pride through the reminder of who they are was sufficient. "We set a barometer for those guys. Prior to Mitch McGary joining the program, we'd tell Jon and Jordan back then, and Blake McLimans, that those guys collectively as a group had to come up with 15 points and 15 rebounds each night. I don't care how they get it, but if they exceed that, now we're cooking with gas. But that was the goal, and they've done a marvelous job so far."