The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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which included two Final Four ap- pearances — to the Rickey Green era, the 1989 NCAA championship and the Fab Five, Michigan has a rich bas- ketball legacy. From the Cazzie Russell years — YEAR IN REVIEW Male Rookie Of The Year guard Trey Burke has accomplished some things that have never been matched in program history. For starters, Burke led the Wolver- But in his one year at U-M, point ines to their first regular-season Big Ten title since 1986, snapping the lon- gest conference championship-less streak in program history (the second longest being 1929-48) and becom- ing just the second starting freshman point guard to win a Big Ten title (Gary Grant, 1985). He was just the fifth freshman to lead Michigan in scoring (Manny Harris, 2007-08; Jalen Rose, 1991-92; Eric Turner, 1981-82; and Mike Mc- Gee, 1977-78), and he broke the pro- gram record for assists by a freshman (156, besting Grant's 140 in 1984-85). He earned honorable mention All- n 96 years of collegiate basket- ball, the Wolverines have seen their fair share of remarkable seasons and special players. BY ANDY REID of the most decorated basketball play- ers in Maize And Blue history. Sometimes, even in an individual- — and that's if his numbers don't in- crease as he matures. In short, Burke has a shot to be one performance-driven sport like basket- ball, statistics can't accurately define a player's impact on a team. "Everyone was wondering who was going to play point guard, with Darius Morris moving on to the NBA," Big Ten Network basketball analyst Shon Morris said. "They're two very different types of players at the position, so it changes how the offense runs. For him to come in and produce the way he did, it was re- markable. For a guy that handled he ball as much as he did as a freshman, the assist-to-turnover ratio [1.6:1] re- ally speaks to his importance on that team. With all the players coming back — Tim Hardaway, Zack Novak, Stu Douglass — the question was the point guard spot. His decision-mak- ing and ability to cut turnovers were critical to their success. That never came for him — he was consistent and determined all year. "You saw those early games, and what stood out was his understand- ing of the game. There aren't a lot of players out there, especially at that position, who can step into [Michigan coach John] Beilein's offense and con- tribute the way he did. He runs such a complicated system, and Burke never looked confused or lost." Shon Morris was also impressed with how quickly Burke adapted mentally to the collegiate level. Although Burke grew up playing with high-profile future NBA stars like Jared Sullinger, it's takes a high level of maturity and confidence to step into Division I basketball and lead the team, as Burke did, as a freshman. "You're kind of taken aback by his really advanced basketball IQ," Mor- ris said. "It was very rare that you saw him make a poor passing deci- sion or, more importantly at the posi- tion he played, put his teammate in a bad spot. It was very rare that he Big Ten Network basketball analyst Shon Morris "Everyone was wondering who was going to play point guard, with Darius Morris moving on to the NBA. They're two very different types of players at the position, so it changes how the offense runs. For him to come in and produce the way he did, it was remarkable." America honors from the Associated Press, shared the Big Ten Freshman Of The Year Award with Indiana's Cody Zeller and became the eighth fresh- man to be voted by his teammates as Michigan's MVP (Manny Harris, Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, LaVell Blanchard, Kevin Gaines, Bernard Robinson, Jr. and Daniel Horton). Burke finished the year with 504 points (14.8 per game), 156 assists and a field goal percentage of .433, all while putting in 36.1 minutes per game, which ranked third among all Big Ten players. If Burke decides to stay in Ann Ar- have him. With how the game has evolved now and how intricate and well scouted teams are on defense, to have a guy who you can put the ball in his hands to break pressure and be the guy when the shot clock is run- ning low and create for himself or a teammate, it's huge, particularly with the three-point shooters they have." Burke's importance to the team's "It's phenomenal for Michigan to bor for all four years of eligibility, he's on pace to rank first in career starts (132) and minutes played (4,908), sec- ond in assists (624), fifth in field goals made (708), fifth in field goal attempts (1,638) and sixth in total points (2,016) Burke was just the fifth rookie to lead the Wolverines in scoring (14.8 points per game), and he broke the program record for assists by a freshman (156). PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL success was immediately apparent. When the Wolverines traveled to Ha- waii for the annual Maui Invitational, Burke controlled the game in a 73-61 upset of No. 8 Memphis. His numbers in that game might made a pass to a guy where he was backed into a corner and couldn't do anything with it. For all his physi- cal attributes — his speed and quick- ness — what really popped out to me was just the way he understands and plays the game." As the Big Ten season pressed on — and Michigan won six of its last seven games to clinch a share of the regular-season title — it became clear the Wolverines didn't see him as a rookie any longer. And he stepped up as a leader. "One thing I noticed was how much not have been great (14 points and four assists), but he controlled the floor and helped put Michigan in po- sition to win. "Everyone watching that Memphis other guys wanted to play with him," Morris said. "You can tell that every Michigan player loves having him on their side — and that's a special trait. "He has the ability to make a living game knew he was going to be a spe- cial player," ESPN basketball analyst Tim McCormick said. "You kind of expect a young player to go through tough stretches, peaks and valleys. playing this game, for the simple fact of how he sees it. I think he is going to be an even better shooter, moving forward. And, remember, for all he accomplished last year, he's still an 18-year-old kid. He's going to keep getting better and better." ❑ AUGUST 2012 THE WOLVERINE 41