The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/246097
McGary said. "That was something I considered, because I rehabbed for such a long time and tried to play through it. Overall, I wanted to get it over with, put it in the past and work on getting 100 percent again." For Michigan, a 5-0 Big Ten start, including an upset win at then-no. 3 Wisconsin, showed the team may be headed on the right track. "Are we rebuilding? Are we restructuring everything?" Beilein said. "No, but we are now taking our offensive and defensive plans and changing them to better suit a team without Mitch McGary." A tall task, but one — so far — they've been able to pull off. ❑ McGary's Future Status Remains In Doubt Will he stay or will he go? Sophomore big man Mitch McGary and his friend and teammate, Glenn Robinson III, stunned some when they chose to return to Michigan for another season rather than take their chances in the 2013 NBA Draft. Both were projected as first-round picks — but McGary, specifically, cited wanting to "be a kid" for another year as a big reason he stayed. Outwardly, McGary doesn't voice any regrets. The question now, though, is where he'll play next year. He's expected to make a full recovery, and Michigan would certainly benefit from his return in 2014-15. "I'm not a doctor, so I can't comment on how bad it is," former Michigan big man and current NCAA and NBA analyst Tim McCormick said. "I have no idea the extent of what they found, they damage he has in there." At the same time, he added, he's seen a lot of players take a long time to recover after back surgeries. "It has to do with your core, the middle of your body," he said. "The abs and back are so important because everything you do — running, jumping and twisting, going up to get rebounds, passing the ball — all has to do with the core part of your body." McGary knows how important returning at 100 percent will be to his future, and he has no plans to rush it. While McGary hasn't given any hints about his future, McCormick believes the sophomore could be back in a Michigan uniform next year. "I would be really surprised if he would leave after having back surgery, especially because this is one of the deepest drafts we've seen in the last 20 years," he said. "It would make complete sense from my perspective if he came back, got really healthy and had a dominant season. Next year's draft will be much less impressive, so I would be very surprised. "As a matter of fact, even before the back surgery, I felt in my mind he should come back next year." Time will tell if McGary and his support group feel the same way. — Chris Balas