The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Most Michigan fans would easily understand the pro sports affinities, and even share some of them, par- ticularly when it comes to the Patri- ots. They'd just as quickly cringe over Smotrycz's boyhood idols on the col- lege basketball court. "I hate to say it, but I grew up being a huge Duke fan," Smotrycz admitted. "I was never really a Boston College basketball fan. Duke and Arizona, for some reason, stick out in my mind as teams that were at the peak of their collegiate glory while I was growing up. Thankfully, I grew out of loving Duke." And into loving Michigan, once his knowledge grew regarding Beilein's building project. Smotrycz harbored a mild affinity for Michigan basketball because of the Fab Five days, but the Wolverines were no longer on top of the basketball world when his recruit- ment began. Michigan recruited him from New Hampton Prep in New Hampshire, which he attended for two years after three varsity seasons at Reading Me- morial. U-M coaches sold him on his ability to fit into what they were con- structing in Ann Arbor, and Smotrycz admitted they didn't steer him wrong. "It's just a great fit for me," he said. "I've always seen myself as a skilled four man, who can handle the ball, pass, score the ball, help the team in a bunch of different ways. There is no place that really allows a guy like me, with size, to do that like this program. "Most systems won't run a four- out, sometimes a five-out offense. You have traditional big guys, down on the block. I didn't see myself as that. This is perfect for me, as far as playing style." As far as location, Boston to Ann Arbor requires more than an 800-mile drive. It's not an insignificant distance for someone who lived his whole life in the same house and maintains a tight, supportive circle of family and friends. Such gaps can be overcome. Just ask "Z." Zenon Smotrycz, Evan's dad, goes by the "Z" handle. He's an athletic footwear designer who racks up so many frequent flyer miles on business trips to China he can set aside more than enough to get to Ann Arbor for games. Smotrycz's mom, Charleen, has her own marketing company. Together, they reared Smotrycz and 52 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2012 As a freshman last season, Smotrycz started 24 out of Michigan's 35 games, averaging 6.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN his older sister, Erica, a 2010-11 co- captain on the Northeastern Univer- sity swim team and now an intern at Priority Sports in Chicago. The dis- tances shrink rapidly when the skies are friendly. "This is just such a perfect situation for me, in terms of what I wanted in a school," Smotrycz said. "Basketball- wise, it really fit me. I've been fortu- nate enough that my parents have been in a position where they could come to most home games and some away games. I see them a lot more than the average player. "My sister comes out here. Family- wise, I get to see them, which is good. Friends I don't see as much, but there's so much like Facebook and Twitter that we stay in contact." When Smotrycz heads back home in the summer, he sees them all, and knows he's going to be well fed. He gained 36 pounds this past summer, bulking up for the rigors of the Big Ten while enjoy- ing every bit of his mom's culi- nary artistry. "It's one of the top reasons I love going home," Smotrycz said. "She knows all my favorite stuff. I can just relax with all my friends and have all my favorite foods. She does a great job of really staying focused on what I'm eating, making sure it's good and not junk. She works hard for me." Smotrycz also loves the summer- time competition between old friends. He ran with an active, athletic crew that loved basketball and whiffle ball, not necessarily in that order. The competitions were fierce and remain so to this day. The summer Smotrycz prepared to come to Michi- gan, one sport — at least temporarily — affected the other. Plenty of Michigan basketball play- ers have come and gone. Only one, to the best knowledge of the crack research staff covering the Wolver- ines, ever came to Ann Arbor slowed by a whiffle ball ca- tastrophe. "That was a freak in- jury," recalled Smotrycz, who broke the little toe on his right foot. "I get a lot of grief for