The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN BASKETBALL "Hopefully, we can just be at full strength for the duration," he said. "That would be good. We feel like we've got them now. We just have to have them all available." If they are, and if they mesh, Jor- dan sees no reason the Wolverines can't get back to what they'd become accustomed to prior to last year 's side trip. The NCAA Tour- nament remains the pinnacle of the con- certed effort, along with a run at the Big Ten title. "That's the goal," Jordan said. "I think w e ' v e g o t s o m e e x p e r i e n c e , s o m e depth and the skill level. This group is hungry to do it. The competition is stiff, and time will tell how we will re- spond. "We'll be tested early. We've got a really good sched- ule. It's exciting for these guys to have those opportunities. I'm confi- dent in this group. I think we all are. We've got a real chance, if we can be tough together and stay healthy." VERSATILITY IS A TEAM STRENGTH Many say Michigan head coach John Beilein plays chess on the bas- ketball court while other coaches are playing checkers. The U-M boss faces perhaps more potential moves this year than he's seen in his time in Ann Arbor. Take redshirt sophomore transfer Duncan Robinson for example. He's 6-8, 210 pounds and could play on the wing for the Wolverines, giving them length and sharpshooting abil- ity. But he could also slide into a shooting guard spot, depend- ing upon the defen- sive match-up. I f M i c h i g a n wanted to go really big in a given situa- tion, it could move senior 6-7 Caris Le- Vert into the point guard spot, for a backcourt that could tower over people. Or if smaller ball- handlers are called for, Beilein could play a pair of points in 5-11 senior Spike Albrecht and 6-1 ju- nior Derrick Walton. That only scratches the surface of the potential combinations for this year's Wolverines. "I could see him migrating to the backcourt at some level, at 6-8," as- sistant coach Jeff Meyer said of Rob- inson. "So much of where we put guys on the court has to do with their skill set, and it also has to do with whom they can match up and guard. "If we can find one of those wings that is competitive and tough enough to match up with bigger players, we Redshirt sophomore transfer Duncan Robinson could play a number of positions at 6-8, 210 pounds with good shooting range. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN