The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/603303
MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Sitting Down With Freshman Forward Moritz Wagner Michigan freshman big man Moritz Wagner passed up a pro contract in Germany to play college basketball at Michigan, and he's proven to be a great fit. Wagner, up more than 20 pounds to 231 since arriving at U-M, talks about his hoops transition. The Wolverine: Head coach John Beilein said you were picking up the offense quickly. How hard is it, and how quickly are you becoming accus- tomed to it? Wagner: "It's obviously a very com- plex offense. Coach Beilein isn't the best offensive coach in the country for no reason. It isn't easy to pick every- thing up, but so far I'm feeling very comfortable in the system. "Everybody is helping me, talking to me personally if I have some trouble, but so far I don't have complaints about that." The Wolverine: The American game is different than the European game — what is the level of competition at this level like? Wagner: "I'm used to a particular level of competition already, but this is a big team with a lot of people … so the competition within the team is great. "But it's really fun to compete with those guys. We're getting better every day. It's a huge impact on our team that there is such a great competition within the team." The Wolverine: How did you become familiar with the Michigan program, and what made you decide you were interested in playing here? Wagner: "I was a huge fan of the Nik Stauskas era. I watched the game against Kentucky [in the 2014 Elite Eight]. I was in front of the TV cheering for Michigan because I didn't like blue-white Kentucky. "Now I'm with Andrew [Dakich], Spike [Albrecht], D-Walt [Derrick Walton], all of them on one team, and Caris [LeVert]. That's incredible for me." The Wolverine: Do you remember the first time you talked to Coach Beilein? Wagner: "That was a huge thing for me. ... The voice was familiar, and he was actually talking to me, and that was great. You've been dreaming about those Wagner, a native of Berlin, Germany, has put on more than 20 pounds since arriving in Ann Arbor and getting involved in U-M's strength and conditioning program. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL