The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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22 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2018 BY JOHN BORTON All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances … — William Shakespeare, As You Like It M oritz Wagner once listened intently to a youth coach, a mentor, who picked up on Wagner's dramatic side early on. He noted: "Moe, what makes you good is, you see the basketball court as a stage." The Michigan junior forward smiled at the memory, swirling back around with college basketball's biggest stage at hand. When he first heard those words, Wagner found himself far removed from any cheering crowds. There were no bright lights — only a dingy side gym in Berlin, where young basketball hopefuls stumbled their way through uncertain first steps. Some, like Wagner, harbored bigger dreams than others. "That wasn't good at that point, be- cause it wasn't a stage," Wagner re- called of his coach's observation. "We didn't have spectators. "He said that to calm me down. He said, 'Don't worry about that. Just play basketball.'" Fast forward a dozen years or so. Wagner 's basketball playing sailed him across the Atlantic Ocean, through three years of burgeoning prominence in Ann Arbor, and onto one of the most hallowed basketball stages in the world in the city that never sleeps. Start spreadin' the news … "Now you're in Madison Square Garden," he said, a familiar grin spreading across his face. "You don't really see the spectators, because it's dark and the light is shining on you. It's actually a stage. "You've got to find the right balance between stage/drama and focus, but that's definitely part of me. It's always been part of me." For two years in a row, Michigan ex- ited the Big Ten Tournament stage left, carrying the championship hardware. Wagner played a major role in this drama, like he has during a two-year surge in which the Wolverines earned a combined 54 wins entering the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Wagner plays his role with a mis- chievous flair — bellowing mightily af- ter a dunk, tongue dangling at a domi- nant moment, boyish smile escaping when tempers are rising. His 14.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game help the Wolverines immensely. His swagger injects something extra. "He's an alpha dog out there," noted former Wolverine and basketball ana- lyst Tim McCormick. "He wants the ball, and he's not afraid to make tricky plays." One of McCormick's favorites oc- curred in Michigan's championship- clinching, 75-66 win over Purdue at MSG March 4. He'd already hurt the Boilermakers with one three in a deci- sive run, and he then fired in another, defying form and the defender in de- livering a dagger. "My number one favorite play, with three seconds left on the shot clock, was that three-point shot that he made off of his left shoulder, which was nearly impossible," McCormick said. "I thought it was brilliant, and it re- ally sent a message, 'We're going to win this game.'" Wagner sends that message often, along with an incendiary addendum: "Whether you like it or not." "I've never really cared about what other people think of me or say about me," Wagner said. "That might sound very arrogant, but it's not. I'm enjoying the stuff I'm doing." Admittedly, he had to grow into that state of mind. He might not have ever wound up playing basketball in the heart of New York had his mother en- joyed standing around outside watch- ing soccer games. She didn't and switched her son to basketball at an early age. That proved a good move, since 6-11 soccer stars are in short supply, while "you can't teach height" remains a basketball axiom. Wagner possessed more than help- fulness changing light bulbs, though. He could move, handle the ball and shoot ridiculously well for someone of his increasing size. Such a combination always turns John Beilein's head, whether in Berlin, Buffalo or Battle Creek. Looking back, Beilein won't say he saw what was coming, but … "In evaluating his potential, I saw a very young kid with a very young body, that had great energy and a great skill set," Beilein recalled. "I probably don't do well in saying, 'Okay, this guy is going to do this, or be all-league, or be a pro.' "But I do say, he really fits who we are as a program, and could become a really good player with a different style in this league." THE ROAD TO GREATNESS Wagner ached to speed up the "be- coming" like a 14-year-old wants his driver's license. He wasn't ready, and his frustrating freshman season re- flected his mile marker on the journey. He played in 30 games as a rookie, but found himself consigned to com- ing off the bench, doing what he could when he could. It amounted to aver- ages of 2.9 points and 1.6 rebounds a game, and dreams of much, much more. "I've learned a lot about myself," Wagner noted. "The biggest thing this place has taught me, led by Coach Beilein, is that you can't skip any step." He desperately wanted to leap over several steps along the way. Wagner spoke to former assistants Bacari Al- exander and LaVall Jordan, aching to have what other big achievers pos- sessed. "As a freshman, you come in here thinking, I've got to be like all these guys who go right to the NBA right away," Wagner recalled. "Why can't I have all these stats, naïve like you are. "I remember Coach Val telling me, 'You do you. You do your schedule. You approach every day like it's your BIG STAGE Moritz Wagner Welcomes The Bright Lights Wagner has developed into the Wolverines' leading scorer and rebounder this season, with averages of 14.2 points and 7.1 car- oms per contest through March 21. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL