The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/402034
BASKETBALL14-15 but also on the perimeter," he added. "There are situations where the ball screen has evolved so much in the college game, you're going to have to learn to work in concert with the perimeter players. There's timing to that, and a chemistry to that you only get from those repetitions." TRIAL BY FIRE Morgan showed flashes even in his redshirt year of being a capable de‑ fender in practice, and it carried over into games during his first season on the court. Though Bielfeldt has been in the program for three years, he hasn't had the luxury of good health to aid in his own progress. He's suffered from a number of injuries that have limited his development, including a recent hip surgery that prevented him from playing on the team's four‑game Italy exhibition in August. The redshirt junior played in only 19 games last year, averaging 0.8 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. "The hip surgery allowed him to come back and appear to be more mo‑ bile," Alexander said. "Now once he gets his conditioning levels back, we can get into a true evaluation of Max. "He has a reputation on the prac‑ tice floor as a reliable scout team guy, a formidable post player who can also stretch defenses to the three‑ point line. Now we want him to bring some of those skills to carry over into a much greater role, whether it's game, spot or role minutes." He started practice with no restric‑ tions, Alexander added, and was look‑ ing "pretty good" in the early going. There are three very talented fresh‑ men, though, who are also vying for minutes, and all will likely play. There won't be any pressure on the collective group to carry the load — more a "by committee" approach that will allow different guys to shine on various nights. "The way we look at the position, the best way to set it up is we really like to look at all of those guys as a committee," Alexander said. "If we can set a goal for ourselves to get 15 points and 15 rebounds out of that position, that's going to be the goal. "I think it takes a lot of pressure off guys that are inexperienced. If you do the math, say each guy is going to try to bring six points and three rebounds to the table when he's in there, now we're cooking with gas." Both Doyle and Donnal had their moments in Italy. Doyle led the big men with 11.5 points and 8.0 re‑ bounds in four games despite being shut out on the glass in his first con‑ test — a goose egg that didn't sit well with his coach. "That was interesting," Alex‑ ander said with a chuckle. "In my mind, there's no reason you should go through a game and not get a rebound. I haven't witnessed or re‑ searched a game in history where both teams shot 100 percent, so that's one of the non‑negotiables we like to start our young big guys out with … not only the desire to rebound, but the purpose behind it. "We understand when we get clean rebounds on the defensive glass, that starts the offense for us, gets us into our transition game, which is one of our strengths."