The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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2012-13 BASKETBALL PREVIEW I n recent years, Michigan assis- tant and big man coach Bacari Alexander's challenge has been finding enough bodies to com- pete for time at the power forward and center positions. Redshirt sopho- more Jon Horford missed most of last year with a foot injury, while fresh- man Max Bielfeldt showed flashes before suffering a leg injury of his own and redshirting. Senior captain Zack Novak — all 6-4 of him — was BY CHRIS BALAS IMPACT DEEP forced into duty at the power for- ward again as a result, and though it proved to be a positive from a matchup standpoint at times, playing small had its disadvantages at others. That shouldn't be a problem in 2012-13, when "playing small" should mean having a guy like 6-6 freshman leaper Glenn Robinson III at power forward. The coaches had just gotten around to experimenting with smaller lineups as of Oct. 24, but the competition to that point had been fierce through 10 practices. "Unlike previous years, we are scrimmaging more in an effort to see how guys handle certain positions," Alexander noted. "We're also trying to look at combinations of players and who holds the best chemistry together on the court." One of the more popular questions head coach John Beilein has faced in his five years at the helm has been about playing two big men at the same time. He's serious about it, Al- exander said — at the same time, Al- exander expects it will end up being a "matchup-specific deal for us" as the year goes on, adding, "it's prob- ably premature to talk in absolutes about it either way." Beilein agreed with the assessment. "We do have four or five, six that could play there at different times," 58 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2012 Options At The Frontcourt Positions Michigan Coaches Have who you're playing. "We like having that option. I didn't feel we really had a choice when Jon Horford got hurt last year. We weren't developed that much the year before. What we were doing was working as well as we thought we could. I like having that option, but who knows where that will play out, really?" VETERANS LEAD THE WAY The mixing and matching begins with the upperclassmen, starting with Jordan Morgan. The redshirt junior was one of the Big Ten's bigger surprises two years ago, manning the he said of the four [power forward] and five [center] positions. "That's the versatility I love to have, but it is difficult. That four man is a piv- otal guy now on teams. If you look at the NBA playoffs, who is playing four man for Oklahoma City late? It would be Kevin Durant. The four man for the Miami Heat, that would be LeBron James. That four man sometimes can go so they've really got four guards on the floor, or you can play really big. It depends on "A lot of times when you can add some quickness and explosiveness to your repertoire, it allows you to get to spots quicker," Alexander said. "Sometimes people forget what fouls are by definition. A foul is a result of being in poor position defensively or offensively. A lot of times when you get that quickness, it allows you to get the extra edge with offensive positioning, or defensively it allows you to beat guys to spots." Morgan's improved shooting, meanwhile, has allowed the coaches to give him a serious look at power forward. If he shows the same confi- dence in games as he has in practice, he might see time there. really consistent right now. That's encouraging," Alexander said. "He's not at green light status, but defi- nitely in the yellow light zone with regards to being able to take those shots. He's building confidence, and the end game for all of our big guys is to be able to play two spots." Horford (6-10, 250) could get more opportunity if Morgan proves he's able to play at the four, and he's been extremely impressive in the early go- ing. He's been limited by his injuries, resulting in a redshirt a season ago, but averaged 2.7 points and 3.6 re- bounds before getting hurt last year, scoring 12 big points in a Maui Invi- tational win over UCLA. Horford's added strength has al- "His 15- to 17-foot jump shot looks lowed him to absorb more contact through his chest, Alexander said, giving him a chance to cut his fouls down while still being physical. "Jon, if you go by the locker room poll of players only, some would ar- gue he's the best five man on our ros- Michigan assistant coach Bacari Alexander on Jordan Morgan "He's building confidence, and the end game for all of our big guys is to be able to play two spots." middle for a team that fell two points short of upsetting Duke in the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. Morgan (6-8, 250) has been a stal- wart at center the last two seasons, having grasped the concepts at both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. He averaged 7.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and is ready for more, Alexander said, after a summer in which he came back in the best shape of his life. ter in terms of performance," Alex- ander said. "Jon has come back with great health and an increased level of conditioning. He's considerably stronger, but the thing that's really encouraging — and we saw a snap- shot of this against UCLA — he's Redshirt junior center Jordan Morgan aver- aged 7.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game last season, and U-M coaches say this fall he is in the best shape of his life. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN