The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/917835
10 THE WOLVERINE JANUARY 2018 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS points. Both teams won the Big Ten championship. The men's soccer team finished 17th nationally, which gave Michigan 50 points. U-M ended the season 12- 6-2, after losing to Colgate in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The biggest point earner for the Wolverines was the women's field hockey team, which finished third nationally to give Michigan 83 points. The team compiled a 21-3 mark for the season, falling to Mary- land in the semifinals of the NCAA Championships. At one point, U-M had an 18-game winning streak. Stanford has won the Directors' Cup 23 straight years — finishing second in the award's first year (1993-94). The Wolverines have finished sec- ond once (2003-04) and third three times (1999-2000, 2007-08 and 2015- 16). Michigan finished sixth last year. U-M has ended in the top 10 a whopping 18 times in the 24 years the Directors' Cup has existed. The final fall update will be re- leased Jan. 11 and will include fi- nal results for football and women's volleyball, which both made the postseason. On March 22, skiing, rifle, men's and women's indoor track and field, women's hockey, women's swim- ming and wrestling all will be com- bined to the point totals. By April 26, fencing, men's and women's basketball, men's swim- ming, men's hockey, women's bowl- ing, and both men's and women's gymnastics will be added. On May 24, men's volleyball, women's beach volleyball and wom- en's water polo will be included. By June 29, the remaining spring sports will be updated in the stand- ings. That includes men's and wom- en's tennis, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's golf, women's rowing, softball, men's and women's outdoor track and field, and baseball. The presentation to the winning school will take place June 30 at the Gaylord National Resort And Con- vention Center in Washington, D.C., during the Directors' Cup Awards Luncheon. ❏ It took a few months, but Michigan freshman shooting guard Jordan Poole has started to show why he was one of the more coveted recruits in the coun- try. The 6-4 sniper out of Milwaukee scored a career-high 19 points in a win over Indiana to open the Big Ten season Dec. 2 and has continued to improve. Poole answers our questions in this month's sit-down session: The Wolverine: You'd been improving before the Indiana game — what was the key to your breakout game, and how much did it surprise you? Jordan Poole: "I was getting a lot of open looks and [the coaches] constantly stress to shoot open shots and not hesitate. You don't have to tell me twice. "I didn't surprise myself, because the confidence is there. I know what I work on and everything that goes on in practice and being able to take the right shots, and obviously I'm confident in my abilities, so when I go out there I just do what I normally do." The Wolverine: When did the light really go on for you? Poole: "Before we went to Hawai'i [in late November for the Maui Invitational], it clicked … doing what [the coaches] wanted me to do, not having to think too much. Being more natural. "Up until that point it was kind of up and down. I was a little bit inconsistent in practice. I think I went four or five straight practices where I was doing every- thing right. When you can play solid as a freshman in practice or in a game, it gives you a lot of positive energy." The Wolverine: How much tougher was the transition from high school than you expected? Poole: "It's been a transition a little bit. Going through what I went through in practice, obviously going against the starting group and the other guys, it kept me prepared. Whenever my time came, I knew I would go out and do what I normally do. "Now I'm way more comfortable. I was going through the freshman struggles and still trying to learn the offense a lot, but working on the craft, it started to flow. It's starting to become more natural." The Wolverine: Had the thought of redshirting come up at all, and do you feel you've earned the right to be that first guard off the bench? Poole: "It hadn't gotten there. I was constantly told my time was coming, for sure. I didn't stress it. I was being patient … and it's all starting to come together. "It's kind of whatever Coach [Beilein] thinks. When I'm on the floor I'm going to try to make the best of my opportunity. I know what I can do, and everybody knows what I'm capable of." — Chris Balas Poole has appeared in 11 of Michigan's first 13 games and averaged 6.2 points, which ranked fifth on the squad, despite a total of just 105 minutes played, which ranked 10th. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Sitting Down With Michigan Freshman Shooting Guard Jordan Poole