The Wolverine

May 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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32 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2018 M ichigan junior forward Moritz Wagner seemed like a good bet to forego his senior year for the NBA, but he wasn't ready to announce at the April 11 basketball banquet. He insisted then that the celebration was about the seniors, not him and his next step. "We've talked about it, and I know this is a big question," he said. "I took some time off from basketball to gather myself. It's a long season behind us. "Anything else we will see in the future." It didn't take long. Wagner an- nounced April 14 that he'd decided to leave U-M for a shot at the NBA, add- ing he'd sign with an agent. The latter ensures his Michigan career is over. "This wasn't an easy decision for me," Wagner wrote for The Players' Tribune website. "I know people al- ways say that, and maybe it sounds like they don't 100 percent mean it. But I'm telling you guys — the idea of leaving Michigan, of leaving this com- munity, is really tough. This place has really started to feel like home. "There are so many things about Michigan that I love and that I'm go- ing to miss." Wagner was the Big Ten Tournament MVP and led the Wolverines with 14.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this season. "Moe has been a very special young man in his three years at Michigan. Coming to the United States at 18 years old and thriving the way he has is an amazing story," head coach John Beilein said. "He truly embodies what Michigan basketball is all about. "He is an excellent student-athlete who has embraced his education, life on campus and his athletic opportu- nity since the first day he came to Ann Arbor. His grit, selflessness, energy and fun-loving side was contagious and a significant reason behind our success. That part of his personality will always be a part of Michigan bas- ketball lore." Wagner came to Michigan from Ger- many over three years ago with NBA dreams. He's much closer to accom- plishing them, even going through the NBA Draft camp last year before de- ciding to return to U-M. "I love this place … it will forever be in my heart," he said. "It's weird, because it's kind of home. I know ev- eryone says that my university is my home, but for me it technically is be- cause this is always where I would go back. If I don't have a room here, I don't have a room anywhere in the States. "This is where I kind of grew up in the States. I really see this as my home." Beilein said he was still in the process of gathering information for redshirt sophomore wing Charles Matthews as of April 11, and there was nothing more to report on him as of April 16. Matthews averaged 13.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, which both ranked second on the team to Wagner. "We're just gaining the final infor- mation from different sources," Beilein said. "Then it's make an educated deci- sion and then don't turn back. … "Timing is everything and being ready is everything, so [he's] trying to measure whether it's the next step for [him]. Charles had made great strides here and has a brilliant future. He works so hard and keeps going at it, allowing himself to be coached. The big thing he wants is no distractions … just, 'Teach me. I want to get better.'" — Chris Balas MUHAMMAD-ALI ABDUR-RAHKMAN AND MORITZ WAGNER SHARE BILL BUNTIN MVP HONORS Senior shooting guard Muhammad- Ali Abdur-Rahkman and junior for- ward Moritz Wagner were the go-to guys this year when the Wolverines needed someone to step up. Appro- priately, they both shared Bill Buntin MVP honors awarded at the April 11 postseason basketball banquet. Abdur-Rahkman started all 41 games in his final season and played the most games in U-M history with 144. He averaged a career-best 12.9 points per game and became the 52nd Wolverine to surpass 1,000 career points, finish- ing with 1,313 (31st all time). He also posted career bests with 132 assists (3.2 per game) and 158 rebounds (3.9), and tied a career best with 35 steals. Abdur-Rahkman also earned the team's Iron Man Award after playing a team-high 1,432 minutes (34.9 per contest) while extending his consecu- tive game streak to 139, including 67 straight starts. Wagner led U-M in scoring (14.6) and rebounding (7.1) while starting 39 games, missing two due to an ankle injury midway through the season. He posted 33 double-figure scoring games, including 10 with 20 or more points, while recording a team-best eight dou- ble-doubles. He joined the 1,000-point club and closed the year with 1,114 in three seasons. Wagner put an exclamation point on his season with a 24-point, 15-re- bound effort against Loyola Chicago in the Final Four, joining Larry Bird (Indiana State) and Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston) as the only players to re- cord 20 points and 15 rebounds in a na- tional semifinal game. He was the Big Ten Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, an All-NCAA West Regional choice and an All-Final Four team se- lection during U-M's run, as well as   MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Moritz Wagner Declares For The NBA Draft, Charles Matthews Weighing His Options After playing his best when it counted most — 17.3 points per game in wins over Texas A&M, Florida State and Loyola Chicago — Matthews is mulling an early departure to the NBA. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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