The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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48 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2017 MICHIGAN BASKETBALL He doesn't mind, though, and said that sometimes the two players will even go along with it. The two of them have become close friends after meeting on the recruiting trail, ulti- mately leading to being on campus together. "Ibi is my brother," Poole said. "He was here last year and was in the same situation I am in. I ask him questions all the time, and we talk all the time. "I don't think blood could make us any closer than we already are." The two backcourt players are ex- pected to compete for minutes off the bench. Watson played in 19 games last season and averaged 1.3 points per contest. Poole was a four-star re- cruit according to Rivals. "Like Coach [John] Beilein says, I'm just looking for you to be good before you become great," Michigan assistant coach DeAndre Haynes said of Watson and Poole. "Those guys just have to come out and compete every day and try to learn the system first and let the game come to them. I see those guys picking up on the offense a little bit more and stepping in to make some big plays for us. "I had an opportunity to watch Ibi over the last few years, just seeing his athleticism, his ability to step up and make some shots for us in practice. He's been doing a great job." Michigan fifth-year senior forward Duncan Robinson also had high praise for how good Watson has looked in practice this year. "He's fun to watch," Robinson said. "He's super athletic, and a great combination of athleticism and skill. He's been playing great so far this preseason. "I'm excited for him going into this year, I think he's going to have a great opportunity to really help us." Watson noted that he feels more confident with a year under his belt and has improved his ability to make reads. He's put in a lot of time work- ing on his defense. "I think I'll probably be a really good energy guy hopefully," Wat- son said. "Be able to bring energy whenever I'm on the court, be a shot maker and a great defender." Poole called Watson one of the most intellectual guys he's ever talked to. Watson said Poole brings a lot of swag and competitiveness to every practice. "He's been a really aggressive, con- fident player," Watson said. "He's very skilled, and he's really been able to show that off." Poole said he's focused on slowing the game down, making the correct reads and figuring out when to make certain plays with the shot clock run- ning down. It's different from the high school atmosphere where you can shoot as soon as you get an open look. The upperclassmen have told him that every freshman has a lot on their plate and that it's natural to make mistakes. Poole said that advice has gone a long way in helping him be- come comfortable. "Playing high-level college basket- ball is just what people dream of," Poole said. "So being in this situation and playing the North Carolinas and UCLAs, and everybody in the Big Ten, being able to go on the road and learn from these guys 24/7 is some- thing I'm super excited for." Watson said he's most looking for- ward to showing off the hard work the team has been putting in — espe- cially on defense. "I just want to be able to contribute in any way possible," Watson said. "To bring energy, play hard and re- ally give it my all when I'm on the court." — Andrew Vailliencourt ASSISTANT LUKE YAKLICH WILL OVERSEE THE DEFENSE New assistant coach Luke Yak- lich had never met Michigan's head coach before interviewing with him, but John Beilein knew plenty about him. Yaklich has a reputation for defense, and Beilein has essentially given him the keys to a team with great potential on that side of the ball. He's not going it alone, however. Yaklich insisted there's input from everyone, and that all ideas are taken into consideration. "There are a lot of different ways to be very good. The key is to be ef- ficient with our practice time," he said. "That's what's so great about Coach B — we study the practice beforehand and understand what we need to get better at. "The conversations we have as a staff involve the best way we can get the most out of not only our play- ers, but also our time. We maximize every second by going over things beforehand." One thing that won't change, though, is Michigan's "no foul- ing" defensive mindset it has had throughout Beilein's tenure. "That's the ultimate mark of a well- disciplined team," Yaklich explained. "You can play great man-to-man de- fense in the half court by pressuring the ball, but it's the other four guys who have to be doing their jobs. "Dribble drives and post entries are what cause the most fouls. Those two things can often be taken away by the other four guys who aren't pressuring the ball." The defensive rebounding per- centage is something he'll also track closely, as well as deflections. "That's another great sign of de- fensive activity," he said. "If you're active and in the gaps defensively, that's a sign of a team that's playing hard. A third important stat would be the number of times we're able to get three stops in a row." Yaklich will be watching all of those categories closely during the first several weeks of the season. — Chris Balas Yaklich was a high school head coach from 1999-2013 and then became an assistant at his alma matter Illinois State before joining the Wolverines, where he will focus on the U-M defense. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN