The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/418536
BY JOHN BORTON Z ak Irvin might have been the Big Ten's best-kept secret last year. Or at least as secret as someone can be while earn- ing Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors twice, shooting 42.5 percent from three-point range and surging with his teammates to the Elite Eight. Indiana's Mr. Basketball in 2013 could have started at programs across the nation as a true freshman. His 6.7 points per game in 15.4 min- utes of action projects to placing him among the conference's leading scor- ers with the 35-plus minutes played by say, a Nik Stauskas. The sweet spot for many strong programs involves preaching pa- tience to key newcomers on a loaded roster, and that's what head coach John Beilein & Co. hit in 2013-14. With three players headed for the NBA after the season, including the Big Ten Player of the Year Stauskas, they needed Mr. Basketball to be- come Mr. Role Player. Irvin did so, well enough to earn Michigan's Sixth Man Award in the postseason honors and finish second on the team with 62 three-pointers, while asked to heat Michigan up cold off the bench. Irvin's coaches poured on the praise for his efforts. Irvin fit into a lineup that ran away with the Big Ten title down the stretch. The true freshman never complained publicly, but admitted he faced an adjustment. "At first, it definitely was a tough transition for me," Irvin said. "In the end, I just wanted to be a team player, and wanted what was best for the team. That was going to the Elite Eight and winning the Big Ten championship. I wanted to help the team in whatever I could do." Just one winter earlier, Irvin lit it up for Hamilton (Ind.) Southeast- ern like a man tossing a Molotov Cocktail into a fireworks factory. He averaged 26.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, employ- ing a unique shooting mechanism to scorch squads across Hoosierland. At Michigan, he certainly wasn't averse to The Team, The Team, The RISING HIGHER Zak Irvin Aims To Soar On Experience And Enhanced Vertical