The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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break a little more, things like that." Walton insists Irvin just looks more comfortable all around, not dwelling on mistakes like he might have a year ago. That makes sense, when there's more time to atone for them. There's no doubt he enjoyed a solid beginning to his career as a Wolver- ine. It should only get better, his teammates agree. "That's always something every- one is curious about. How is every- thing going to fit?" junior guard Spike Albrecht said of Michigan's mix last year. "You can't satisfy everyone, and have them happy with their minutes played and things like that. "But Zak had a great attitude last year. He came in and did his job. He was a huge part of our success." His rise could be part of Michi- gan's continued success, Albrecht predicted. " Yo u c a n t e l l h i s b o d y h a s changed," Albrecht said. "He's got- ten stronger and more athletic. He's more than just a spot-up shooter this year. He was putting the ball on the floor in Italy and making others bet- ter. "I'm excited for him. He's going to have a great year for us." ❑ Tracking The Previous Five Indiana Mr. Basketball Winners If you ask folks from Indiana, James Naismith culled his peach baskets from a grocery store in French Lick or Montezuma. The state is identified with basket- ball like Hawaii with paradise. So if someone out of the prep ranks snags the title of Mr. Basketball in any given year, it should be a success predictor beyond anyone's star rankings. Here's a look at how that's worked in the five seasons prior to Michigan sopho- more wing Zak Irvin staking claim to the honor in 2013. Mr. Basketball 2012, Gary Harris — Harris certainly didn't besmirch the title. At Michigan State, he played his way to 2013 Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, earning second-team All-Big Ten status by averaging 12.9 points and 2.5 rebound per game. He bumped those numbers to 16.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in leading the Spartans to the Elite Eight as a sophomore. He also became a first-team All-Big Ten performer, an honorable mention Associated Press All- American and the No. 19 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, chosen by Chicago. Mr. Basketball 2011, Cody Zeller — Zeller didn't venture far to perform in college, becoming an instant standout at Indiana. He spent two years as a Hoosier, averaging 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as a true freshman while shooting 62.3 percent from the field. The seven-footer could have jumped to the NBA right then as a potential top-10 pick, but chose to return to IU for one more year. He led the Hoosiers