The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN BASKETBALL That's left Donnal as the only reli- able big man through five Big Ten games, a heavy burden — he was averaging 25.0 minutes per game. "Donnal sat a lot last year [too]. That fire has to be lit all the time," Beilein said. "At this level, you've got to get better in practice so you're ready in the game. You've got to have the same work habits every day and play with some swag, too. "That's what he's doing now. We all need that, but some young men need that more because they are sort of gentle giants. You can't survive in this league being a gentle giant." AUBREY DAWKINS IS ADJUSTING TO HIS NEW ROLE This was supposed to be sopho- more wing Aubrey Dawkins' break- out season following a freshman year in which he exceeded expecta- tions, averaging 7.0 points per game and shooting 43.8 percent from three-point range. Redshirt sopho- more Duncan Robinson, though, has emerged to take many of his minutes, averaging 26.6 to Dawkins' 17.3 per game. Head coach John Beilein noted Robinson would be hard to keep off the floor if he continued to play as well as he has, including a 17-point showing in a 70-67 win over Mary- land Jan. 12. There are also times both Robinson and Dawkins could be on the floor at the same time. "Duncan was so hot the other day, but especially under these circum- stances, we could see [junior] Zak [Irvin] at two guard, get Aubrey on the floor, keep Duncan where he is on the right side, get Aubrey on the left side," Beilein said. "Aubrey con- tinues to evolve … he had the little hesitation move one play and got right to the basket, a huge basket for us [against Maryland]. I don't think he's gone like that before. We teach, he applied it — that's a good sign." Dawkins waved off the notion that coming off the bench and get- ting into the flow of a game is any different than when starting. He also proved in an 82-71 loss at Iowa Jan. 17 that he'll still be needed. He made three of five triples when Robinson was struggling to a 2-for-8 shooting night behind the arc, scor- ing 12 points in 18 minutes to help the Wolverines keep it close in the second half. The Wolverines led at the under- 12-minute timeout before Iowa fi- nally pulled away. "I'm just doing my part," Dawkins said. "As a team, we all have to play a role. I don't really pay attention to that, whether I'm coming off the bench or starting. You have to keep the same mindset, I'm trying to do my best out there. "We're all a team here. That's all that matters. Getting the win is all that matters. Who starts, who plays, how your minutes are regulated — it doesn't matter. … It's just about getting the win." D a w k i n s w a s a v e r a g i n g 8 . 1 points per game and shooting 48.1 percent from three-point range as of Jan. 18. ❏