The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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BASKETBALL14-15 "There will be times when Caris will be asked to do either. Nik had to do the same thing. It just adds to his versatility. It's almost like a good receiver — you can put him in the slot, put him out wide, maybe throw him in the backfield, and keep people off balance." Speaking of wing forward, Ir- vin completes the Core Four with a hugely talented presence, after patiently waiting his turn as a sixth man last season. The 6-6 Irvin as- serted himself in Italy, leading the team with a 20.8 scoring average, while averaging 7.3 rebounds and shooting 66.7 percent from three- point range. The former Mr. Basketball from Indiana might have been overshad- owed early, but Michigan coaches knew it wouldn't take long for him to rise. "For him to step into a program last year, recognize that Glenn, and Nik, and Caris were all, obviously, very elite-level players, accept his role, and fulfill that role consistently, was a reflection of his character," as- sistant coach Jeff Meyer offered. "Now that Glenn and Nik are gone, Zak has really blossomed. There's so much ahead of him, and we recog- nize that. "Zak is still shooting the ball very, very well from three. He was 9 of his first 10 over two games in Italy. He has expanded his skill set, being able to drive the ball and make plays and finish plays. Those are areas he's re- ally focused on, and done a good job with. We can put him in ball screens, and for us, that's a litmus test. When you can do that, it opens up the world for everybody on the court." Once again, Sanderson made a dif- ference here, Meyer pointed out. That will show up in Irvin's rebounding effectiveness. "He's added weight and added five inches to his vertical. He's just got a mindset to go rebound the ball, that perhaps a year ago he did not have, just because of the nature of his body," Meyer said. Michigan's guards draw depth from Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rah- kman, a 6-4, 190-pound freshman backcourt player out of Allentown, Pa. Rakhman averaged a solid 10.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game in Italy, and provides a speed element. "He's a great, great kid, a great teammate," Jordan said. "He's used to winning. He prioritizes making the winning play. That's always good. He can get in the lane, because he's got great speed, especially going north-south with the ball in transi- tion. He's fast. "He can find other guys. He'll have to continue to work on being on balance and running under con- trol. He'll put forth the effort, and he picks up things really quickly, which is encouraging. "He's a ballhandler, a guy that can make plays, make shots. Defensively, he'll be able to provide a spark. He's quick, and he's got good hands. He can be disruptive on the defensive end." As for the wing forward, a host of newcomers could fit in there, including 6-6, 190-pound Aubrey Dawkins, son of former Duke great