The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/740130
46 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2016 T here was no fanfare when Michi- gan head coach John Beilein got his first pair of Converse Chuck Taylor shoes several years ago, he joked dur- ing Michigan's unveiling of the new basketball uniforms Sept. 30. He sim- ply put them on and went to work. These days, however, gear is a huge deal, and Michigan proved it again when thousands of students showed up to Crisler Arena Sept. 30 to see the basketball team's new Jordan brand gear. World-famous producer D.J. Khaled ran the music while em- cee Jalen Rose handled the talking in introducing the new uniforms and shoes. "If it's important to the kids, it's important to me," Beilein said at the conclusion of an event that featured a three-point contest between sopho- more Moritz Wagner, senior Derrick Walton Jr. and redshirt junior Duncan Robinson (who won it, as expected); a fan/player shoot-around competition; and a dance-off between the men's and women's teams. It also featured t-shirt giveaways and plenty of atmosphere in a raucous setting. "The Jordan brand people took con- trol of the whole thing and obviously I had approval, but I just love that they value so much their relationship with us because I think that benefits every- body," Beilein said. "You can see the commitment of putting that together today. That was a lot of work getting those different celebrities in here. "What it comes down to right now is they give us great product, a great partnership and when we need things, it's there." Apparel is important to kids and the Michigan brand, Walton noted. "Recruits care a lot," he said. "It's kind of an unspoken thing that kids don't go to certain schools depending on the branding and the excitement, but guys love it. The first thing they think of is retro Jordans and stuff like that. It's relating to younger kids that are coming up now and getting ready to go to college." "I love them," U-M senior wing Zak Irvin said of the uniforms. "I think they're a lot nicer than last year's uni- forms when people had a lot of ques- tions about how our shorts looked, but they're light and they fit really well. "These are a lot better." Michigan is the fifth college basket- ball program outfitted by the Jordan brand, joining North Carolina, George- town, California and Marquette in men's basketball, and North Carolina and Georgetown in women's basket- ball. The contract with Nike stipulates the program will wear only Jumpman uniforms, clothing and shoes. SOPHOMORE BIG MAN MORITZ WAGNER IS READY TO TAKE HIS NEXT STEP Michigan sophomore big man Moritz Wagner logged only 8.6 min- utes, 2.9 points and 1.6 rebounds per game a year ago, in large part because he couldn't stay on the floor. The 6-11, 240-pounder totaled 47 personal fouls MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Michigan Unveils Jordan Brand Uniforms Michigan is the fifth men's college basketball program to be outfitted by Nike's Jordan brand, joining North Carolina, Georgetown, California and Marquette. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN MICHIGAN BASKETBALL SCHEDULE 2016-17 Date Opponent Time/Result Nov. 4 Armstrong State! (BTN+) 7 p.m. Nov. 11 Howard* (BTN+) 9 p.m. Nov. 13 IUPUI* 12 p.m. Nov. 17 vs. Marquette^ (ESPN2) 9:30 p.m. Nov. 18 vs. Pittsburgh or SMU^ (ESPN2) 4:30 or 6:30 p.m. Nov. 23 at South Carolina (ESPNU) 5 p.m. Nov. 26 Mount St. Mary's 7 p.m. Nov. 30 Virginia Tech# (ESPN2) 7 p.m. Dec. 3 Kennesaw State (BTN or BTN+) TBA Dec. 6 Texas (ESPN2) 9 p.m. Dec. 10 at UCLA (ESPN2) 8 p.m. Dec. 13 Central Arkansas (BTN) 9 p.m. Dec. 17 Maryland E. Shore (BTN) 3 p.m. Dec. 22 Furman (BTN) 7 p.m. Jan. 1 at Iowa (BTN) TBA Jan. 4 Penn State (BTN) 8:30 p.m. Jan. 7 Maryland 3:15 p.m. Jan. 11 at Illinois (BTN) 9 p.m. Jan. 14 Nebraska (BTN) 2 p.m. Jan. 17 at Wisconsin 8 p.m. Jan. 21 Illinois (BTN) 2:15 p.m. Jan. 26 Indiana 9 p.m. Jan. 29 at Michigan State 1 p.m. Feb. 4 Ohio State 6 p.m. Feb. 7 Michigan State 9 p.m. Feb. 12 at Indiana 1 p.m. Feb. 16 Wisconsin 7 p.m. Feb. 19 at Minnesota TBA Feb. 22 at Rutgers (BTN) 6:30 p.m. Feb. 25 Purdue TBA March 1 at Northwestern (BTN) 7 p.m. March 5 at Nebraska (BTN) 8 p.m. March 8-12 Big Ten Tournament$ TBD ! Exhibition; * 2K Classic Ann Arbor regional; ^ 2K Classic championship round at Madison Square Garden in New York; # ACC/Big Ten Challenge; $ at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.