The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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enjoys that," Beilein said with a laugh following Stauskas' 15-point perfor- mance in a Nov. 13 win over Cleve- land State. "When he gets out on the court, he always seems comfortable to me. And I think he could be more aggressive. Actually, I'd like to see him do more off the bounce. "But like I said with Glenn, he's got a feel for the game that's tough to teach." Stauskas showed some of that abil- ity to put the ball on the floor in Madi- son Square Garden, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after helping lead U-M to its first NIT Sea- son Tip-Off title. He averaged 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, shooting 50.0 percent (7 of 14) from the floor and 42.0 percent from three-point range (3 of 7) while going a perfect 8 of 8 from the free throw line. Stauskas tied a career-high with 15 effectively for five or six minutes at a time," Beilein said. "I think it's unre- alistic in today's game to have a big man not get a rest somewhere along the line after five or six minutes unless he's an incredible, incredible warrior and experienced player who knows how to save his energy." McGary doesn't quite have that part down yet. His motor never stops, but he runs out of gas at times. He seems to last a bit longer each time out, though, and the more he learns, the sooner he'll start to realize his po- tential on offense. To this point, it's been limited to put-backs and finishes. Every day brings something else positive, Beilein said in late Novem- ber. "I worked with him extra recently, and I do work a lot with him extra," he said. "There was an offensive re- bound where he kept his elbows high and put it in. We worked so hard on that, so the whole video room cheered when that happened. He can play so points, added five rebounds and was 6 of 6 from the free throw line in a 67-62 win over Pitt Nov. 21. He notched 10 points, four rebounds and two criti- cal triples to help U-M defeat Kansas State 71-57 Nov. 23 — all that while still learning the offense. "I'm getting there," Stauskas said earlier this season. "There are still a couple plays I go out there and blank out a little bit, don't know what I'm doing." He's Michigan's version of the mi- crowave off the bench, however, given how fast he heats up. Beilein has liked instant offense off the bench in the past, and Stauskas doesn't mind the role as long as he's seeing the floor. He's averaging 26.3 minutes per game, and he's likely to see more time as the season progresses. "I don't think I've ever come off the bench before. It's new to me, but I'll figure my way out," Stauskas said. who continues to work himself into game shape. Injuries prevented the 250-pounder from arriving ready for the rigors of Big Ten ball, but he started passing fitness tests in mid- November and has seen his minutes increase. McGary was averaging 5.7 re- So, too, will the 6-10 McGary, BIG MAN MCGARY MAKING STRIDES bounds in only 14.3 minutes per game through six contests. "He's certainly making the right progression where he can play in there 48 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2012 Big man Mitch McGary was averaging 5.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in only 14.3 minutes per game through six contests, while working himself into game shape after dealing with some injuries prior to the season. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN