The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/432566
MICHIGAN BASKETBALL heavily in that role. He's not forcing anything, either. He was shooting 45.3 percent from the floor and 48.9 percent from three-point range through the Dec. 9 game with Eastern Michigan. He was also shoot- ing 83.3 percent from the free throw line. "Offensively right now I think he understands the sweet spots to his game," Beilein said. "He's very con- fident of both his range and his mid- range game. He's getting better every day, and I still love how he's seeing the floor and playing really unselfish. "There's been no doubt about [him being a team player]. We talk to them all the year long about that. There's only one way if you want to get to the NBA — you have to be a really good college player. If you're a really good college player, that will take care of itself." LeVert and fellow junior guard Spike Albrecht have also elevated their lead- ership, calling a team meeting the day after the stunning loss to NJIT. "It's about effort throughout the whole game, especially on the de- fensive side of the ball," LeVert said. "They beat us to a lot of 50-50 balls. But it's not about the [NJIT] game. It's how you respond to it." ZAK IRVIN HONES SHOOTING MOTION Michigan sophomore forward Zak Irvin started out the season scorch- ing from three-point range, knocking down seven of his first 11 tries. That couldn't continue, but Irvin persists in refining a stroke that's increasingly less unorthodox. Irvin came into Michigan out of Hamilton (Ind.) Southeastern High looking like a man throwing toma- hawks at the basket. But they were chopping down opponents, his 62 three-pointers last year ranking second on the team. Only Big Ten Player of the Year and top-10 NBA Draft pick Nik Stauskas chucked in more from long range (92), and those fell in 713 more minutes of action than Irvin enjoyed. Irvin's roommate, fellow sophomore Derrick Walton Jr., noted it doesn't take long to appreciate the bottom line with his classmate. "The only thing I notice is the ball is still going in the net," Walton said with a grin. "The first couple of times you see it, it kind of throws you off, but the result is something you always want to see. People are starting to become familiar with it." People are actually starting to get a gander at a more refined Irvin shoot- ing motion. It's not necessarily pretty yet, but it's smoother than it was a year ago. Irvin hit some bumps in the road following his torrid start. He went a combined 4-of-23 in Michigan's three losses through the first nine games, 1-of-7 against Villanova and 1-of-8 against NJIT and 2-of-8 versus Eastern Michigan. Obviously, Irvin's shooting impacts Michigan's offense as a whole. He connected on 37.7 percent of his threes through those first nine games. While certainly respectable, Irvin knows he's capable of more. Head coach John Beilein quips