The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/299859
it in my basement and root for him when I watch him play," assistant Bacari Alexander added at the April 16 Michigan basketball banquet. They were sincere in their well wishes, just as they were when guards Trey Burke and Tim Hard- away Jr. left last year for the NBA, and Darius Morris and Manny Har- ris before them. The former two are among the NBA's best rookies, while Morris and Harris have enjoyed time in the NBA along with stops in the NBDL and overseas. Churning out two- or three-and- dones wasn't the plan when Beilein arrived in Ann Arbor seven years ago, he admitted, but he and assis- tants Meyer, Alexander and LaVall Jordan have adapted to field some of the country's best, young teams. They could well have to do it again. Should McGary leave — as of April 22, he still hadn't declared his intentions but had started more physical workouts following back surgery that ended his season in December — the Wolverines would have to replace three projected start- ers from last year 's squad in addi- tion to Horford and senior starter Jordan Morgan, one of last year 's great success stories and another pro hopeful. "I don't even think about it one bit," Beilein said of the question Stauskas mulled over before his deci- sion — 'What if they had all decided to come back?' "It was like the guy after the Tennessee game that asked me, 'What if you would have lost that game? How would you have felt?' I don't want to answer that question! Why do I have to answer that question? "So no, I don't even think about it. It is about who have we got — let's go! And I'm excited." HARD WORK AHEAD At the same time, Beilein acknowl- edged, it won't be easy replacing the Big Ten Player of the Year in Stauskas and one of the nation's top athletes in Robinson, both projected by many as likely first-round draft picks. Staus- kas averaged a team-best 17.5 points and a team-leading 3.3 assists per game, while Robinson added 13.1 points and 4.4 rebounds. McGary averaged 9.5 points and 8.3 rebounds in only eight games due to his bad back, and many be- lieve he'd be a candidate to average a double-double if he returned healthy, while Horford takes 3.8 points and 4.2 rebounds with him. "It's a challenge," Meyer added. "We are thrilled for these guys and they represented us so well, but we also feel really good about the kids we have coming back, the culture we have developed and the kids we have signed to come in. "But with the departures, we've obviously got work to do in the com- ing weeks on how to move forward as a staff on Michigan basketball." Part of that involved finding at least one more scholarship guard in 2014, and they did, picking up a pledge from Allentown (Pa.) Central Catholic's Muhammad Ali Abdur- Rahkman (6-4, 180, Rivals.com three- star prospect) the weekend of April 18. They also hosted and offered