The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Albrecht, who became the talk of the NCAA title game as a freshman when he scored 17 points in the first half of a loss to Louisville, might still be back, but he has the option of leav- ing. He underwent double hip surger- ies in the summer of 2015, and projec- tions at the time had him coming back fully healthy for most of the 2015-16 campaign. The guard later acknowl- edged those turned out to be overly optimistic. "That was a little unrealistic, to be playing college basketball," Albrecht said. "When this whole thing hap- pened, I felt pretty good, just walk- ing around, day-to-day activities. It's a whole different animal trying to get out there and practice and play full speed, moving laterally." He did return for 11 games early in the season, but soon realized he was not able to play at the level to which he's become accustomed when healthy. Beilein announced the senior was shutting it down indefinitely to allow Albrecht to better concentrate on his rehabilitation. "I just didn't feel like I was help- ing the team this year," Albrecht told ESPN. "I wasn't close to 100 percent, but now I feel great and want to find a good situation where I can play and help a team." Albrecht had expressed a desire to remain a Wolverine in his final sea- son, and now Michigan is one below the scholarship limit. Beilein said Al- brecht's potential return was still on the table, but he'll pursue grad trans- fers and said he would do what was in the best interest of the program. Before tournament time rolled around, Albrecht acknowledged his physical progress has been slower than he'd like. "It feels okay," he said. "There are good and bad days. If I do a little bit too much, I'll definitely feel it the next few days. Overall, I definitely feel like it's getting better. Right now, my big- gest focus is just getting healthy and making sure I'm graduating." Beilein agreed to release him, but the coach took heat for stipulating that he didn't want him at another Big Ten institution. He later rescinded that and said he would work with director of athletics Warde Manuel and others around college basketball to determine the best course of action for graduate transfers. Sophomore Aubrey Dawkins was also granted his release from the pro- gram. He intends to transfer to the University of Central Florida and play for his father, newly hired head coach Johnny Dawkins, Beilein announced April 6. "While we certainly did not wish for this to happen, it is quite under- standable," Beilein said. "I was able to coach my son [Patrick at West Virginia] and to see him grow as a person and player, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Aubrey is a wonderful and thoughtful young man who has a bright future in front of him. We wish him well." Dawkins loves Michigan, Beilein added at a press conference a day later, and it was a tough choice for him. "This was not an easy decision — however, the chance to play for my