The Wolverine

February 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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16 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2018   INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Livers Possesses A More Complete Game By Brandon Brown Freshman forward Isaiah Livers can do it all. At 6-7, 230 pounds he has the size to bang around in the post at the four spot, but can also spread the floor with his three-point shooting ability. Through 22 games, he was shooting 41 percent from long distance and averaging 2.6 rebounds per game. His size, combined with his athleti- cism, makes him very valuable as a defender as well. He can guard mul- tiple positions and provides prized insurance if U-M's true bigs get into foul trouble. Livers replaced fifth-year senior Dun- can Robinson in the starting lineup in early January and likely won't relin- quish that role for the rest of the year. He was averaging 4.6 points per game as of Jan. 24, but that number is sure to go up as his minutes and his role increase. It's clear that head coach John Beilein sees him having a big impact down the stretch by inserting him into the starting lineup. 'The Microwave' Poole Provides Instant Offense By Chris Balas This Michigan team has a lot of options, but if fifth-year senior Duncan Robinson isn't shooting the ball well (and he hasn't been), there's only one guy who has the ability to get his own shot and catch fire while doing it — freshman Jordan Poole. Like Aubrey Dawk ins as a true freshman, when he hit six triples in a game against Illinois, Poole came in against M ar yland and nailed three big ones that helped U-M get back in the game in a 68-67 victory. He has no fear, can get to the rim off the dribble and provides a lift with his offense, a swag and energy that his teammates feed off of. Isaiah Livers is going to be a great player at Michigan, but Poole has the chance to be a star when he learns how to play within the offense. His play will be critical to the Wolverines' chances to make some noise in the postseason. POINT ❙ COUNTERPOINT WHO WILL HAVE THE BIGGER IMPACT MOVING FORWARD — JORDAN POOLE OR ISAIAH LIVERS? LIVERS POOLE Women's basketball head coach Kim Barnes Arico: She became the w i n n i n g e s t co a c h i n U-M women's basket- ball histor y when her team picked up an 80- 57 victory over Wiscon- sin Jan. 4. The victory was the 124th of Barnes Arico's six-year tenure at Michigan, overtaking former U-M and current Central Michigan head coach Sue Guevara, who was at the helm in Ann Arbor from 1996-2003. Barnes Arico's squads have won at least 20 games in each of her first five sea- sons, and U-M is currently 17-4. Wrestling fifth-year senior heavy- weight Adam Coon: The nation's No. 2 heavyweight registered a 21-6 technical fall against Indiana redshirt junior 285-pounder Fletcher M i l l e r J a n . 5 , w h i c h helped lead Michigan to a 43-0 shutout victory in Bloomington, Ind. The fifth-year senior scored on eight takedowns, including a six- point feet-to-back double leg in the third period, before using a lateral drop to record the final takedown at the 6:59 mark. The victory was the 100th of Coon's career, and helped give U-M its first shutout over a con- ference opponent since 1974. Wo m e n's l a c r o s s e j u n i o r d e - fender Casey Cummo: On Dec. 24, h e a d c o a c h H a n n a h Nielsen announced the transfer from Louisville would be joining the Wolverines for the 2018 season. Cummo spent two years playing for the Cardinals and will have another two years of eligibility remaining in Ann Arbor, where she will be able to compete immediately for the Maize and Blue. The New York native played in just six games as a freshman at Louisville before starting all 19 contests on defense as a sopho- more, when she recorded 15 ground balls, 12 caused turnovers and one draw control. Ice hockey alumnus Chad Kolarik: He was named to the USA Hockey roster for the 2018 Winter Olympics Jan. 1. Kolarik played at Michigan from 2005-08 and racked up 174 points (78 goals and 96 assists) dur- ing his four-year tenure in Ann Arbor. After graduating from U-M, he spent five seasons playing professionally with the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York R angers of the NHL, before moving on to the Deutsche Eshockey Liga (DEL, the top pro- fessional hockey league in Germany), where he is currently still playing. Kolarik will become the 15th Wolverine all time to compete in hockey in the Winter Olympics, which are set to begin Feb. 9 in South Korea. Water polo freshman center de- fender Sofie Pontre: On Jan. 3, head coach Dr. Marcelo Leonardi an- nounced the Western Australia native's addi- tion to the 2018 roster. Pontre signed a tender of financial aid to enroll in classes at U-M and began training with the team once the holiday break wrapped up. She will actually become the second Australian native on Michigan's roster, joining sopho- more Maddy Steere. Upon her addi- tion, Leonardi referred to Pontre as "the third-best defender in Australia." — Austin Fox MICHIGAN'S TOP PERFORMERS

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