The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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gritty effort. He nailed a Spartan- spearing six three-pointers, scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds and tossed out two assists in Michigan's stunner of a 61-57 win. He also deliv- ered one of the most memorable — if unquotable — huddle tirades in the history of Michigan basketball. The captain's volcanic temper — Novak proved a huge part of that once highlighted by the Big Ten Net- work, which revealed a hole in his apartment wall, brought on by an over-wrought competitive moment — was on full display at the Breslin Cen- ter. Novak raged to his teammates, to himself, to anyone within earshot. He wasn't losing this game, and if it took bruising some feelings along the way to get that done, so be it. SI.com placed Novak on its All-Glue Team for the second straight year, a tribute to his contributions beyond the stat sheet. When the captain has some- thing to say, all eyes are riveted on him. "He has total command of our In a tribute to his contributions beyond the stat sheet, Novak earned a spot on SI.com's All- Glue Team for the second consecutive season. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN then. We both think it's kind of funny when people say things about us. That plays to our advantage. "I'm sure people still look at us … valuing every moment and every opportunity. "I guess I've got to take some of the and other teams do. We get in the NCAA Tournament, and other teams are like, 'Are you kidding me? Look at this.' But it's worked out." It worked out the very first season they were on campus, when the Wol- verines battled to an NCAA Tourna- ment bid for the first time since 1998. The belief Novak already had in his new head coach shot higher, and with standouts Manny Harris and De- Shawn Sims returning the following year, Michigan fans began to dream. They'd beaten Clemson and given locker room," Beilein told the website. "On defense, sometimes he'll push people in the back and yell, 'Get over there!' That's what makes him our glue guy." Novak has received a host of other heat on that," he said. "I was a cap- tain on that team, and I just probably wasn't ready to handle that fully. "It just made me realize how deli- tributes, from academics to athletics and back. One of the most memorable occurred this season, when the Wol- verines dedicated their $23-million Player Development Center. U-M legend Cazzie Russell trav- Oklahoma all it wanted in the NCAA Tournament. Witnessing that break- through, it was easy to imagine the next logical step. That step, however, involved a stride off an unexpected cliff. The Wolverines slid under .500, and No- vak — a sophomore captain, only the second one in Michigan history — learned an even greater lesson about 50 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2012 cate the whole situation is. Every game is so important. Every posses- sion is so important. A couple of pos- sessions throughout a season can lit- erally make the difference between sitting at home in March or going to the NCAA Tournament. You've got to be ready to go every day, and when your number is called, you've got to be ready to produce." Most felt the Wolverines didn't need eled from his home in Georgia for the dedication, and he made a request of Beilein. "When he told me he wanted to meet Zack Novak, I said, 'You know, Cazzie, Zack probably wants to meet you, too,'" Beilein said, sporting a huge grin. Russell spoke glowingly about the senior's grit. In his brief remarks to the team, the Wolverine great insisted that if he were going to war, he'd want Novak in his foxhole. The high school senior nobody to be ready for anything last season. They were picked to hover around the Big Ten basement, given the 2009-10 collapse. When they started out 1-6 in the Big Ten, those predictions looked dead on. Then something almost inexpli- cable happened. Michigan traveled to Michigan State, where it hadn't won since 1997, and simply refused to lose. wanted became the Wolverine whose hand perhaps the greatest performer in the history of the program wanted to shake. There's so much more, and Novak doesn't take any of it for granted. He'll be graduating from U-M's prestigious Ross Business School, and the Aca- demic All-American carries a satchel full of honors that haven't a thing to do with basketball.