The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Michigan fans who care about such things — and there are plenty — that means everything. Here then, is Beilein's "All-Discov- ery Team" — led by the player who may yet hold the key to this season. 1. Caris LeVert (2012-present) — LeVert went from MAC-bound to a freshman contributor on a crew that made the NCAA title game. He av- eraged 12.9 points per game a year later on an Elite Eight squad for the Wolverines, and his loss to injury last season probably cost Michigan a fifth straight NCAA Tournament berth. A contender for best player in the nation says it all in his final year. He's another Beilein find who could become an NBA first-round pick, but he's got unfinished business in Ann Arbor first. 2. Duncan Robinson (2015-pres- ent) — Robinson took years to start on his own high school team and finally wound up at Division III Wil- liams College, before an old coaching associate tipped Beilein off to him. The U-M coach took a look, brought Robinson on board and the nets have been smoldering ever since. In his first 18 games on the court with Michigan as a redshirt sopho- more, Robinson shot 53.5 percent from three-point range and averaged 12.1 points per game, a deadly addi- tion to the Wolverines' arsenal. 3. Zack Novak (2008-12) — Novak proved the guts and glue of the Wol- verines for the better part of his four seasons in Ann Arbor. The Indiana native loved to joke that he and class- mate Stu Douglass were "a couple of guys Coach Beilein found at the local YMCA," but they became central figures in a Big Ten championship squad and foundational to Michi- gan's renewed program. 4. Spike Albrecht (2012-15) — Al- brecht began with a bang, netting 17 points in the jaw-dropping first half of the national championship game in 2013. The escapee from Appala- chian State's recruiting wish list also hit 9 of 10 three-pointers in Michi- gan's run to the title game. There's a bit of melancholy associ- ated with Albrecht's ending at U-M, double hip surgeries taking away his senior season. He should have been the third on Beilein's ADT to provide a spark this season, but Michigan fans won't soon forget. 5. Jordan Morgan (2009-14) — Morgan held offers from Central Michigan, Oakland University and Xavier while finishing up at Uni- versity of Detroit Jesuit High. Many were shocked when Michigan ac- cepted his commitment midway through his junior year — and more shocked when, years later, Morgan stood tall as a leader, defensive stop- per and key performer on an Elite Eight squad that clawed to within one possession of knocking off Ken- tucky for a second straight trip to the Final Four. Beilein seeks, he finds, he teaches and he wins — with integrity. You can't ask for much more. ❏ Editor John Borton has been with The Wolverine since 1991. Contact him at jborton@thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter @JB _ Wolverine.