The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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that. There happened to be a fence on the first-base line. My toe caught it. We play barefoot, because the field at my house is next to the pool. You could catch foul balls in the pool, making diving catches. "Playing barefoot, looking back on Evan Smotrycz "I'm definitely happy with how I've been shooting. I can't think of a time it's felt this good as a shooter. Most shooters think every shot they take is going in." it, probably wasn't the best idea. But it is what it is. I still get a lot of grief for that. Poor timing — very poor tim- ing." In a way, Smotrycz timed his arrival at Michigan perfectly. The Wolverines were tabbed for the Big Ten basement, or thereabouts, by the forecasting ge- niuses, taking some expectations pres- sure off a very young team. When the Wolverines started the Big Ten season 1-6, plenty of folks were inclined to agree with the initial prog- nostications. "There probably was a point in there where I said, maybe we're not ready for this," Smotrycz admitted. "But there was also a point where we came together as a team and said, sure everyone did — 1-6 is not en- couraging. Thankfully, we were able to make that late run." That late run clawed the Wolverines to fourth in the conference, a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and one three-pointer shy of the Sweet 16, against Smotrycz's childhood favorite. This year, he's more ready for what's to come. The additional weight has helped him rebound, and he's adjust- ing to a temporary loss of quickness while getting stronger. He's shooting the ball better than he can ever remember, while trying to fortify his game well beyond the long launches. "I'm still trying to work on shot- fake, one-dribble, pull-ups, and get- Evan Smotrycz emerged from the first handful of Big Ten games as Michigan's season leader in rebounding. That's seems quite a stretch (and grab) for someone who secured an average of 2.3 stray shots per game last season. Smotrycz packed on 36 pounds in the offseason, but also worked hard to make certain he added good weight. Ac- cording to assistant coach Bacari Alexander — who works extensively with the U-M big men — that combination lends to a different on-court outlook. "Oftentimes, when you spend time in the weight room in the offseason, what it does to you psychologically is make you more confident in the physical aspects of the game," Alexan- der said. "To that end, Evan has come back with a new identity of being a maniac on the glass." His 6.3 rebounds per game has grabbed some attention, but not as much as three-point shooting that hovered around 45 percent into mid-January. Alexander noted the sophomore has picked his spots well, in terms of letting shots fly. "Shot selection has really spoken to his improved numbers," Alexander stressed. "Evan has done a great job through study- ing film of finding the opportunities where there is a good team shot. A good team shot makes him the beneficiary of those situations, which leads to step-in threes. "We all know the type of threes you get off of paint touches, whether it's via the drive-and-kick or the post pass and kick out. That's going to be huge for a guy's percentages. He's 'You know what? We can do this. How we're playing right now isn't accept- able. We're young, but forget that. We have a chance to do something spe- cial.' "There was definitely a point where I was getting down a little bit, but I'm ting to the rim," Smotrycz said. "It's a process, and I'm just working every day. "I'm definitely happy with how I've been shooting. I can't think of a time it's felt this good as a shooter. Most shooters think every shot they take is going in. "I truly believe that. Trey [Burke] and the guards do a great job of find- ing me on pick-and-pops, on penetra- tion and kicks. It feels good right now. I just need to learn to play off of that, so I don't settle." Beilein and Michigan's other coaches don't want him to settle for an emotional roller coaster, either. It's smoothing out, Smotrycz advised. "As a team, we're young," he said. "Guys are still maturing, learning how to play through rough patches, defi- nitely myself included. I sometimes relapse into being too hard on myself. "I've come a long way in terms of that. This season, especially, there have been times where my shots aren't dropping, but you've got to find other ways to help the team, whether it's re- bounding, passing, defending. That's something I've really tried to make a point of doing." It's easier, Smotrycz understands, because the biggest thrills lie ahead. ❑ U-M Assistant Sees Big Progress With Smotrycz found a really nice number of those types of shot opportuni- ties." When they don't fall, and when other parts of the game aren't going well, Smotrycz admits he can sometimes over- react in beating himself up on the court. Alexander and Michi- gan's other coaches are looking to hone the mental aspects of his game as well. "The goal, one day, is for me to be able to take Evan to Vegas, after his eligibility is exhausted, and really go play a game of poker," Alexander quipped. "We want him to have a high de- mand for himself, but don't allow it to become a distraction, as it relates to the next possession. "His ability to mature in that way, and understand how perception can affect overall chemistry of a team — even if you're not in a negative place — is an area of growth for him. He's doing a great job of getting better at that." Now, he just needs longer stretches on the floor, the coach cautioned. "Defensively, he has to continue to work towards getting muscle memory of being in a stance, which allows him to move better laterally on the defensive end," Alexander ex- plained. "That will cut down his fouls. A lot of his minutes getting limited related to his drawing early fouls, whether it be in the first half or early in the second half. Once he corrects that, you'll see a more complete player in Evan." — John Borton FEBRUARY 2012 THE WOLVERINE 53