Rooting for the little guy — American's Marko Vasic brings back fond memories

Marko Vasic might be the shortest center in all of college basketball. Take the 351 teams in Division I, and the 6-foot-5 Serbian on the American University men's basketball team probably measures shorter than anyone else playing his position.

I don't have the time to scour 351 rosters, so you'll have to take my word for it.

Marko Vasic is also playing the best basketball of his career. He's not just passing the eye test; his numbers prove it. In the junior's last three games — two of them wins, including a Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal victory at Lehigh — Vasic is averaging 15.6 points on 19-29 shooting, nine rebounds (including American's first double-double of the year against Lehigh), and 38 minutes played per game.

He's doing this against the likes of Tim Kempton, the 6-10 Patriot League Player of the Year; Bucknell super freshman Nana Foulland, all 6-9 of him; and Navy's twin towers Will Kelly (6-9, shot-blocker extraordinaire) and Edward Alade (6-9, also blocks shots occasionally).

The only reason, of course, Marko is facing such matchups is because American's two rotation big men (yeah, like actual big men) — Kevin Panzer and Zach Elcano — are sidelined by injury; another big, Jonathan Davis, couldn't cut it academically and left the team in December; and freshman 7-footer Gabe Brown isn't up to speed yet to play in every-minute-counts Patriot League battles.

It's far from ideal. It supposedly puts the Eagles at a disadvantage. And I love it.

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It's March, the best month of the year. Ask me why, and I'll answer with one word: basketball. It's the month of underdogs, of madness, of Cinderella, of Butler miracles, of the Farokhmanesh
types. So, naturally, it's a time when I think of and celebrate those who face the biggest obstacles and overcome them — sometimes with a healthy dose of luck, but always with a full cup of belief and inspiration.

This isn't to say that I don't appreciate the greatness of the great. What 31-0 Kentucky has done this season with its crop of soon-to-be lottery picks is incredible. Facing unfair expectations — anything short of a national championship equals failure — the Wildcats have thrived in the pressure-cooker of Rupp Arena and every opposing gym, winning not only blowouts but close games, too. They play together, they share the ball, they don't complain about playing time. That's beautiful.

But, sorry Big Blue Nation, not as beautiful as Marko Vasic overcoming all odds to play center — and play it darn well — for the American Eagles. It brings back memories for me and reminds me of why I love college basketball.

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If you know me, you know that the only sports team I really, really care about year-round is Michigan basketball. And if you've followed the Wolverines and their ascension under the leadership of John Beilein, Zach Novak is an unforgettable name.

All 6-foot-4 of him.

When I think of the fiercest undersized rebounders and defenders in my basketball-watching history, two guys stand out: Charles Barkley and Zach Novak. Yes, I just went there. Novak was not athletic. He wasn't quick. He couldn't jump. But he scrapped, clawed, banged, bruised and inspired teammates.

Michigan got off to a dismal 1-6 start in Big Ten play in 2010-11, and it seemed a near certainty that the Wolverines would miss the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year, leaving Beilein with just one appearance in four seasons. He would surely feel the heat in Ann Arbor come season's end.


But then came Jan. 27, 2011 — an evening I will never forget. I clearly remember sitting at the bar of Eighteenth Street Lounge, eating a salad and drinking most likely a vodka tonic, my drink of choice at the time (with a couple limes, of course) as the Wolverines played at Michigan State. They hadn't won at Breslin Center since 1997. I had no real expectations of a team struggling playing in one of the country's harshest environments against a Top 25 squad.

And then Zach Novak happened.

The junior, playing undersized the entire game, scored 19 points — making four contested 3-pointers in the first half — and pulled down six tough-guy rebounds to lead the Wolverines to a shocking 61-57 win over an MSU team featuring Draymond Green (you may have heard of him), 6-8 Delvon Roe and a couple young bigs in Derrick Nix and Adriean Payne.

But who the opponents were isn't really the point. What I'll remember is Novak never letting his size dictate his play, showing no fear against bigger players, and leading the Wolverines. During one timeout, he got in everyone's face and willed Michigan to the win.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Michigan won five out of six games, earned a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and came thisclose to upsetting No. 1 seed Kyrie Irving-led Duke in the Big Dance. The following year, Trey Burke arrived as part of a heralded class. The next season, Michigan reached the national championship game. Michigan has had a down season in 2014-15, but the program is in great shape.

For me, it all started with that game, led by an undersized, under-recruited power forward named Zach Novak.

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In many ways, Marko Vasic reminds me of Novak.

No, he's not as vocal on the court — but that's because senior point guard Pee Wee Gardner takes care of that. He might not be quite as nasty, either. But as this season has progressed and especially of late, Vasic has made more Novak-type plays.

Plays that get me out of my chair.

Against Lehigh, Vasic was the difference-maker for the Eagles. He's the main reason they're still alive in the Patriot League Tournament. He snuffed out an Austin Price drive to the basketball. He muscled the 6-10 Kempton for one-handed rebounds, clearing space with his other arm. He took the ball right at Kempton on three consecutive American possessions early in the second half for buckets, then stole the ball from Price and fed Gardner for a fastbreak layup that gave the Eagles their first lead.

The rest, as they say, is history. Ball game.

Coach Mike Brennan has pushed Vasic more than any Eagle — at least that's what I've observed from my seat at Bender Arena all season. No one gets yelled at more. No one gets that steely glare of Brennan's more.

And when Vasic attempted and failed to throw down a massive dunk on a breakaway against Navy, the coach nearly ran out on the floor during play to grab Vasic. That next huddle didn't look pretty. But even that play made me smile, and reminded me of Novak. Vasic showed no fear and probably took off for the rim as if he was 6-9 instead of 6-5 and lacking a great vertical.


Novak had a similar experience, except even worse. He blew a game-winning dunk at the buzzer early in his freshman season (see the embedded video). While that play rightfully caused him plenty of grief, it also set the stage for his career. While undersized, Novak was always going to play bigger. During a time when the Michigan program sorely lacked effective forwards, Novak would hold the Wolverines' front line together and build the foundation for future success.

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Vasic's days of playing center are waning. When this season ends — most likely with the Eagles' next loss; I hope that's in the NCAA Tournament — he will go back, most likely, to playing power forward. Which still, it should be noted, he's undersized for. Even in the Patriot League.

The Eagles will be much deeper next year. Transfers Paris Maragkos (6-foot-9) and Leon Tolksdorf (6-8) will join the rotation. The 6-11 Elcano will be healthy. The 7-footer Brown might work his way into the rotation. American will be big, and it will be nice, as a fan, to watch.

However, this stretch of games, I have a feeling, will always resonate with me.

Marko Vasic, 6-foot-5 center. It's been quite the ride.

Get big.

Whatever happens next, 2013-14 has been special for the Michigan Wolverines

Photo by Dustin Johnston, UMhoops.com

“This season has been a great season. I hope this isn’t the last highlight. I hope we have more in front of us.” — John Beilein, March 9, 2014

I do, too. I hope that this Michigan basketball team will continue to grow, will build off this momentum, and will win the Big Ten Tournament and make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament. They're capable. They've proven that time and time again this season. They can win the whole dang thing!

But first, let's enjoy the moment.

Yes, a statement like that is sacrilege in today's fast-moving society. Next Sunday, the Big Ten Tournament champion will have all of half an hour — maybe — or less (after all, games are longer this year) to revel in its accomplishment before the NCAA Tournament bracket is released and coaches and players have to prepare for the next opponent.

Disgraceful.

So I'm going against the tide. Years from now, regardless of how Michigan's season finishes, I'll look back to this blog and smile. On March 4, 2014, the Wolverines won their first outright Big Ten title since 1986, when I was 2 and didn't know the difference between a basketball and a diaper. Four days later, they put an exclamation mark on a remarkable regular season with a victory at home over Indiana — a win Glenn Robinson III, an Indiana native, didn't hesitate to call sweet revenge after the Wolverines watched the Hoosiers stun them and celebrate on the same court a year earlier.

I will never forget this season.

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Neither will Michigan's seventh-year head coach John Beilein. He said that much on Tuesday, after the Wolverines put on an offensive clinic in their most complete game of the season, a 84-53 shellacking of Illinois in Champaign, Ill.

"It's something that I know I'm gonna cherish for a long time," Beilein said.

Just not right now. Beilein is too focused on creating more highlights for his players, on making them better. That is what makes the 61-year-old head coach special, among other things. That's also what makes him stand out so saliently compared to the Wolverines' previous coach Tommy Amaker, who failed to take Michigan to the NCAA Tournament in six tries.

That's also one of the biggest reasons why the Wolverines, 6-4 in mid-December, sans a quality win, and about to lose their preseason All-American Mitch McGary to back surgery, were able to win 17 of their last 20 games and clinch the Big Ten championship before Jordan's Morgan Senior Night.

Caris Lavert is the prime example of a player growing leaps and bounds in Beilein's system. As a freshman, the beanpole guard played 10.8 minutes per game, shot 31 percent, and didn't once score in double figures. In many programs, Lavert would have become lost, might have transferred or worst. At Michigan, he dedicated himself to hitting the weight room during the summer and working on his shot (not an easy combination of activities), added some 25 pounds, and is — arguably — the most improved player in the Big Ten (if not the nation).

Lavert's 2013-14 numbers in 34 minutes per game: 13.4ppg, 44% FG, 41% 3-point FG, 4.3 rpg. Lavert's intangibles: Whenever Michigan's offense breaks down with the shot clock waning, the ball goes to Lavert and he creates something; because of Lavert's active hands, length and reflexes, Michigan has been able to play the 1-3-1 effectively — in short spurts — for the first time in recent memory; oh, and Lavert made the pass of the season, overhand style, to Robinson for Michigan's improbable win at Purdue, the most memorable moment from a season featuring many of them.

A commentator mentioned on TV today that he thinks Nik Stauskas, Michigan's should-be Big Ten Player of the Year, is the league's most improved. That's hard to argue, except when you consider his fellow sophomore.

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After each loss this season, Beilein and his players talked about learning from their defeats. They weren't just preaching to the cameras. The final stretch of the season is evidence that the Wolverines truly do make changes and understand what they need to fix — not just X's and O's, either — from one game to the next.

The improvement that oozes from this team isn't just coming from individual players.

Take the loss to No. 1 Arizona in mid-December, which dropped the Wolverines to a humbling 6-4 and an afterthought on the national scene. In that game, Michigan blew an eight-point lead with under eight minutes to play, allowing the Wildcats to outmuscle them and outhustle them in the game's crucial moments. 

Since then Michigan has won every nailbiter it's been in. The Wolverines have come back in the final minutes several times (see: at Nebraska, at Michigan State, at Ohio State, vs. Michigan State, at Purdue). And they have closed games by making the hustle plays, as senior, do-it-all big man Morgan and backup point guard Spike Albrecht did with two huge rebounds followed by a Morgan layup to help seal Michigan's 66-56 win over Minnesota last Saturday (just one example).

That's what championship teams do. Michigan wasn't a closing team in losses to Iowa State, Charlotte and the Wildcats. They learned, thanks to the coaching of Beilein and his staff. They progressed. 

The ultimate sign of a great college program in this day and age is players buying in 100 percent to what their coaches tell them — and not having to be instructed twice, or six times. With so many outsiders telling players what they want to hear and that they should be getting more shots, it's a wonder when a staff is able to have such a talented group of players' commitment from game to game throughout the season. 

Improvement. Progression. 

Those two words sum up this Michigan season. 

Oh, and special.

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“I love playing with these guys, they’re some of the best teammates. It’s been an amazing year. So far (pause). So far.” — fifth-year senior Jordan Morgan

Sure, I'll remember that this team won the Big Ten championship. But what, specifically, will pop in my mind when thinking back on the 2013-14 Wolverines?

How about the fact that their glue guy is a fifth-year senior working on his master's degree in manufacturing engineering after an undergraduate industrial and operations engineering degree? That's Morgan, the forgotten man last season when a bad ankle sprain combined with McGary's emergence saddled him to the bench for the majority of the home stretch and the Wolverines' surreal NCAA Tournament run.

Not once did Morgan complain or say anything, publicly, to take away from his teammates' accomplishments. Inside, though, he was heartbroken over his layup that hung and rolled off the rim at the end of that Indiana loss. He wouldn't be able to completely put it in his past until Saturday night, when — after an emotional buildup to his final game, which including him weeping during an interview for the Big Ten Network's "The Journey" — Morgan played one of his best games, scoring six quick points en route to 15 of them and 10 rebounds against the Hoosiers.

The reason for Morgan's success? He learned from Michigan's 63-52 loss at Indiana on Feb. 2, when the Hoosiers switched a smaller player on him and he didn't pick the right angles to receive entry passes. This time around, Morgan worked in practice on those angles and in the game aggressively called for the ball on the switch and finished time after time in traffic around the rim.

Morgan used to receive all kinds of flack for his "butterfingers." Now, it's a surprise to everyone if he mishandles a pass.

Improvement. Progress. Oh, and a special night.

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But back to Morgan's quote. 

That sums up why it's incredibly enjoyable and rewarding, as a fan, to follow this team. They genuinely love playing with each other. 

Stauskas will definitely fulfill his NBA dreams after this season. So, likely, will best friends and roommates Robinson and McGary. On a team with so many NBA prospects (Lavert is on his way, too), it's easy for individual agendas to get in the way — even if not publicly. 

I can tell you with 100 percent certainly —just from watching each game on TV, not to mention what the players say about each other — that isn't an issue. The team loves to share the ball. No plays elicit bigger celebrations, fist bumps and smiles than the dozens of alley-oops Robinson has received, seemingly, from everyone on the roster. I was in Crisler Center when he made a midair adjustment to throw down a game-clinching 'oop from Stauskas against the Spartans on Feb. 23. The roof nearly came off the arena.

On such a talented team, minutes are hard to spread around. In some games, highly heralded freshman point guard Derrick Walton, Jr. has sat during the crucial portions while Albrecht runs the Wolverines. Not once has Walton made a deal out of it.

One of those games was the comeback, overtime win at Purdue. Albrecht played all the big minutes down the stretch, but when Robinson made the game-winning shot Walton was one of the first Wolverines to mob him. Watch the celebration. It's impossible to tell the game contributors versus the bench guys.

A master's degree engineer; three sophomores likely heading to the NBA; a four-star recruit point guard who doesn't pout when big-game minutes go to his backup; and a coach who talks about enjoying the process, cherishing each success, and, simply, getting better.

It all adds up to yet another special season for a Michigan team that I'll never forget, and a Wolverines program that you can't ignore, now, as one of the nation's best. 

The upcoming weeks might bring many more wins. But they'll likely also include a loss. From the outside, there will be questions and criticism. After all, people live in the moment. And as a championship program, bigger titles — including that national one — are expected. 

But Beilein, and Morgan, and the rest of this group, will always be able to look back at this year and cherish — coach's word — a special season full of...

Progress. Improvement. And an outright Big Ten championship. 

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"Whether you've got a paper due or practice, whatever -- finish it strong. We're going to finish things (here)." — John Beilein, March 9, 2014

A special afternoon at Crisler Center: My rivalry game experience from the student section

Today was awesome! I’m on a peaceful plane now, headed back to Baltimore — and, eventually, DC, where the real world is ready to welcome me back with District traffic, more winter, and hopefully not another flat tire for my bike.

However, for now, I prefer to think abut the confines of Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, where this afternoon I joined 12,000-plus rowdy Michigan fans for a 79-70 victory over in-state rival Michigan State.

I had never been to a Michigan State-Michigan game (at least as far as I can remember), and this past fall I decided I was going to do it this year. I knew it wouldn’t be cheap. But with both teams at the top of the Big Ten standings — at least I thought that would be the case when I bought the plane ticket — I figured this could be as good as it gets.

Michigan went through a tough stretch during the nonconference, fell out of the rankings, lost preseason All-American Mitch McGary, and people gave up on the team. I never lost hope. They bounced back in a big way, winning 10 straight games spanning late December and January — including three consecutive victories over top 10 teams (one at the Breslin Center against the Spartans).

Despite recent struggles, they were tied in the loss column with Michigan State entering Sunday. But first, back to the ticket purchase. I decided I was all in last week — the day before a big Michigan win at Ohio State, which surely pushed prices up. I bought a pair off Craigslist from a student for $125 each. Not cheap, by any means, but much more affordable than the average $269 regular tickets were going for on the secondary market the week leading up to the game.

(Side note: While students I’ve talked to have some issues with Michigan’s complicated ticket policy, one cool thing is that you can transfer student tickets to people like me without a fee — the student just transfers them online to you, and then you can print them.)

Here’s my game day journal (times are approximate):

9:43 — It’s time to go! I take a final sip of my morning coffee, say adios to the Dad and Pomeranian Charlie, and head out the door of my parents’ Spring Street house into the 20-degree weather. I’m bundled up — T-shirt, fleece, hoodie, Michigan basketball maize-colored long sleeve, and Bernard Robinson Jr. No. 21 blue jersey … all under my coat. I don’t want to be cold while waiting.

10:14 — I’m in line! The drive toward the Crisler Center was uneventful, as was parking in the dentist lot off Stadium Boulevard. There were no signs anywhere that a big game was imminent. This is a far cry from a football Saturday in Ann Arbor. Even as I crossed Main Street and walked toward the arena, there were but a few early scalpers out (who were asking for tickets rather than selling). But once I circled around the arena to its back parking lot, I started hearing noise and spotted the line. I kept walking, and walking, and walking … until I finally reach its end. I turned around and looked toward Crisler. It was a ways off. But so was tipoff.

10:44 — “You should run,” I tell Justen on the phone. My companion for the game had to work in the morning, so he couldn’t join me super early. And now my portion of the line — including the group of girls behind me that has grown during the past half hour and has kept me entertained with talk of their Saturday night adventures on campus — is walking up the steps toward the gated student entrance. If Justen doesn’t make it soon, we’ll have to back up in the line.

10:48 — Justen arrives, and we’re in! Our printed tickets are scanned, we’re handed new tickets for Section 232, and we’re ready for action. Just over an hour until tipoff! Upon arriving at the section and walking up the stairs, we’re informed that it’s first come, first served. We grab seats maybe 12 rows up. Not bad.

(Side note: The students who stand in the “Maize Rage” section that you see on TV have to get in line ridiculously early. Apparently, even some students who arrived at 5AM — whoa! — were turned away and told to retreat to the back of the line. After the “Made for TV” fans are seated, the next section is in the lower bowl but behind the basket. Then the rest of the 3,000 students with ticket fill up about four sections in the upper level behind the basket; that’s where we were. But as Justen remarked to me, and I agreed, there’s really not a bad seat in the house at Crisler. It’s not that huge.)

11:56 — Everyone’s standing. Everyone’s waving their yellow pompoms. Crisler is loud. Crisler is boisterous. I can’t spot an empty seat in the house. The national anthem is sung. Then it’s introductions. Now, finally, game time! I stand with Justen on my left, an older man on my right who must be the father of the student next to him, and hundreds of rabid Wolverines fans all around us. Green is hard to spot except behind the Spartans bench.

12:22 — Denzel freakin’ Valentine is killing us. The last guy you would expect to go off from 3-point land is doing just that for the Spartans, boosting them to a 22-11 lead. We’re still trying to bring the noise. We’re still standing for each possession. But it’s hard, at this point, to be too optimistic.

12:23 — Well, at least the scoreboard guy is trying to keep the Wolverines close. In a ridiculous, hilarious, and pretty excellent demonstration of sleeping at the job, the guy keeping score inside Crisler has made two early errors. First, he failed to count an Adreian Payne free throw, leaving the Spartans short a point. Then he counted a Caris Lavert made shot that was clearly a two — as indicated by the refs — a three. He didn’t correct either mistake for a good five minutes. He’s having about as rough of a day as the Wolverines…

12:36 — But not for long! Zak Irvin throws down a one-handed breakaway dunk, and Michigan is back in it. Despite getting thoroughly outplayed, we’ve got a two-point basketball game. I can’t remember the last time I was in such a loud environment. As we sit down during a Michigan State timeout, I marvel at the atmosphere. This is fun.

12:56 — Great way to end the half. After a Michigan State basket, the Wolverines quickly inbound, a pass is fired up the sideline to Lavert — who is in the corner directly below us and in front of the Michigan State bench — and the sophomore perfectly sets his feet and releases the shot. Before it’s even swished through the net, cutting the Wolverines’ halftime deficit to a very manageable 36-34 score, he’s running back down the court. That’s confidence, he is the main reason Michigan is in the game, and Crisler is rockin’.

1:04 — “I’m mesmerized, but…” the guy next to me says as he motions to be let out of his seat to the aisle. Yeah, the magician’s halftime show is OK, but my expectations haven’t been met. The woman-in-a-box trick just isn’t cutting it for me. Hopefully the best magic will come in the second half…

1:25 — Stauskas! Just when it looks like the Spartans are threatening to create a little separation, Michigan’s sharp-shooting sophomore — the guy who owned the team in green in East Lansing, blowing the fans a kiss as the Wolverines completed the 80-75 victory — is coming alive. We have a great vantage point from our seats behind the basket that you don’t get on TV. Every shot Stauskas takes is either just left of the top of the key or from dead-on. And every one looks good. They almost all fall. His 3 cuts MSU’s deficit to 48-46. Moments later, Michigan takes its first lead in forever at 50-48. Crisler is deafening!

1:38 — “Shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, EVERYBODY!” As my man Justen will recall later, the joint was never more hype. A run made up almost entirely of Stauskas and Lavert baskets has given the Wolverines a 64-52 lead on a Lavert two-handed slam. Timeout Tom Izzo and the Spartans. And we’re all singing “Shots, shots…” because Michigan’s hitting all of them. We’re engulfed by a sea of pompoms. I’m starting to lose my voice. This is what a big-time basketball game in February should feel like!

1:53 — “OHHHHHHH!!!” And that’s the exclamation point. Many free throws will follow, to officially seal the deal, but Glenn Robinson III, the much-maligned sophomore, has just thrown down an alley-oop pass from Stauskas that the disher will later admit was not his best. Robinson seemed to hang in the air for a full second and adjusted his body accordingly to throw down the dunk, which sent us all into delirium. Oh, what a moment. Michigan is up double figures and en route to sweeping the Spartans and taking control of first place, by itself, in the Big Ten.

2:02 — And that’s a wrap. Once more, we pump our fists, and/or pompoms to “Hail to the Victors,” and the friendly usher provides high fives as we walk down the steps of the section, adding, “You’ll be telling your kids about this one.” Michigan 79, Michigan State 70.

What will I remember most about this afternoon? The atmosphere. The emotion. Stauskas doing not one, but two huge fist pumps after a Michigan run in the second half. Beilein getting as animated as you’ll ever see the mostly calm Wolverines coach after a blocking foul on senior Jordan Morgan. The players continuously encouraging the fans to get loud throughout the game. Sweating through my many layers. And, of course, how it all started with the line.

Obviously, we live in the moment — now more than ever with social media. But when Beilein and many of the players Tweeted afterward about Crisler being about as loud as they’d ever experienced it, I believe them — or at least I like to. And I fondly think I was a part of something special.

That maybe, just maybe, will result in Michigan’s first outright Big Ten title since 1985-86 — when I was crawling on the floor in diapers and didn’t know the difference between a basketball and a pumpkin. 

Michigan basketball: Oh, what a journey it has been!

As I sit here this Sunday morning still wearing my long-sleeved maize Michigan basketball shirt, which is dirtier than an Elijah Johnson closed-fist to the groin, I'm at a loss for words.

How can I explain the journey? How can I come to grips with the fact — the fantastic fact — that the Michigan basketball team, the team I care about most deeply, is playing for a national championship tomorrow night in Atlanta?

It's been 20 years since this occurred, and we all know — and try, in vain, to forget — what transpired in the Wolverines' last national championship game. But my overall memory of that 1993 team and, heck, of the Fab Five pales deeply in comparison with how I'll remember this team.

I was 9 years old in 1993. My family didn't even have a TV in our house. If I wanted to watch the games, I walked through our backyard garden and joined our neighbor Nelly, a woman in her 90s who shared with me a passion for sports.

The night of the championship, my Dad took me and a couple friends to Crisler Arena (now named Crisler Center). I vaguely recall the din, the place packed to the brim, the cheerleaders, how loud it was until, well, you know. I clearly remember the drive back home down, feeling devastated and hearing the blaring siren of a fire truck that was, no doubt, on its way to extinguish the heatbreak.

Those magical Fab Five years were special, but for me, they have nothing on this era of Michigan basketball. My memories from this Michigan team — regardless of tomorrow's outcome — and the journey that has led to this point will live on forever in the large sports fan compartment of my brain. 

I will never forget:

• The red-hot start to the season and the handful of times I'd yell out to no one in particular (or, more likely, post on Facebook): "I love this team!"

• Being surprised when Nik Stauskas missed a 3-pointer, because he was so, so money when open, and watching the viral video of him making 45 of 50.

• The evolution of Glenn Robinson III from a terrible alley-oop finisher into one of the best in the country. He couldn't finish an 'oop for the first two months of the season!

• The heartbreak of the Trey Burke miss at Ohio State, the Ben Brust shot at Wisconsin, and, of course, the final 50 seconds in the Big Ten finale against Indiana. 

• And, of course, the Burke 30-footer against Kansas on the Night I Received More Texts Than Ever Before.

But even more than the specific memories or numbers, I will remember this season for two things:

1) The realization that Michigan was once again a top-notch program in the country.

2) Following a coaching staff and players who are impossible not to like.

Way back in November, I was asked by a sportswriter friend to dig into my Michigan basketball memories and pick out A) The low point of the past several years of watching the team, the point when I wondered, 'Are they ever going to get back to being a consistent winning program?'; and B) The game or moment when I knew the Wolverines were headed in the right direction toward a season like this one and postseason like we're experiencing.

This is what I wrote in my response way back in late November:

I'd say the low moment that sticks out is March 3, 2007. It was Tommy Amaker's sixth year, and he had still failed to reach the NCAA Tournament, but a win against No. 1 Ohio State would almost definitely push Michigan over the top. Amaker was coaching for his job. The team was coming off back-to-back wins, including over Michigan State. As you can see from this link (http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/030307aaa.html), Michigan was up 6 with 4 minutes left but couldn't score again. It was a crushing loss for a fan base that had been waiting for that watershed moment to put the past 10 years in their rearview mirror. Instead, the loss meant another NIT invitation, and Amaker was gone slightly after that. No one knew where the program was going.

As far as knowing when the Wolverines were back, I felt good about the Beilein hire from the start, which was only boosted by the 2009 NCAA Tournament appearance, but I'd say the end of the 2011 season was that time. The 2010 team had been a huge disappointment, which had only been compounded by the losses of Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims.Then the 2011 team started 1-6 in the Big Ten and people were calling for Beilein's head (not I, but many fans). The run that team went on was incredible, starting with the win at Michigan State (I remember sitting in a bar watching that, just waiting ... waiting for the Spartans to take over the game; it was incredible, and was Michigan's first win over the Spartans in football OR basketball in 1,181 days — watch this video at thte 5:44 mark:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laTDALJlA7k) They won 8 of their last 11 games, demolished Tennessee, then you know how close they came to beating Duke in the second round. Even though they lost that game, I knew when the season concluded that Michigan was back and Beilein had the program going in the right direction.

The journey has been a long one. First there were Amaker's six years of cleaning up the mess that was left behind, but failing to develop players or make the tournament once. I liked the Beilein hire, and just making the 2009 tournament was a huge accomplishment for the program. But the disappointment of 2010 left many people, myself included, wondering where things wer headed. 

The magical run in 2011, while it ended a lot earlier than this year's, was special in its own right. I remember sitting on the edge of my friend's love seat in North Carolina taking in the Wolverines' second-round game against Duke. When Darius Morris' runner in the lane clanked off the back rim, yes, I was disappointed — a team so tantalizingly close to a huge upset, a season over — but I was also giddy with excitement. Right then, I knew Michigan was on its way. I drove the 5 hours home, back to D.C., that Sunday afternoon with a smile on my face.

And now, a mere two years later, Michigan is a game away from the national championship, and I couldn't feel better about rooting for a coaching staff and group of kids. 

How was it possible that national POY Trey Burke had one of his worst offensive games of the season against Syracuse last night, and yet the Wolverines held on? Because this team is about so much more than its leader. Everyone likes each other. Everyone trusts each other. So it was no surprise to Burke, Beielin or anyone when freshman string bean Caris Lavert came out of his offensive funk — he hadn't made a 3-pointer since Feb. 24 — to knock down a pair of triples over the Syracuse zone. And when Burke's backup, Spike Albrecht, did the same, it was just another guy stepping in (Albrecht, by the way, has been near-flawless the entire tournament).

And who didn't feel great for Jordan Morgan, the upperclassman who has lost all his minutes to freshman sensation Mitch McGary, but hasn't whined, hasn't said a single negative thing, and in the waning moments Saturday night at the Georgia Dome slid over — in time, I must add — to take a legitimate charge on Brandon Triche and save the season.

It was only appropriate that it was Morgan who caught Lavert's pass on Michigan's final possession and threw down a barely-above-the-rim, yet game-sealing dunk. 

Back in February, when Michigan had hit perhaps the low point of its season after blowing a 15-point lead at last-place Penn State (an argument could also be made for the blowout loss at Michigan State as hitting rock bottom), Wolverines' walk-ons Corey Person (graduate student) and Josh Bartelstein (senior) called a team-only meeting at Pizza House to let all the players air their grievances. Anyone who's been in a work environment where everyone likes each other can attest to the fact that it's not easy to be critical of each others, but that's what the Wolverines did that evening. 

Thanks to the leadership of two guys who only see the hardwood during warm-ups. 

I want to save some words for after tomorrow night, but  let me close out this series of ruminations with this:

Regardless of what happens next year, or three years from now, with the blue-chip recruits that are coming in and Michigan now in the spotlight, this year's team as well as the teams from the past two years — and the indelible contributions of base-layer-building Zach Novak and Stu Douglass — will also have the most special place in my Michigan basketball heart. 

The leadership of Novak and Douglass laid the foundation for success back when everyone in Ann Arbor was counting down the days until football season. Now Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr. and the rest of the Wolverines have taken us on that magical first season of great success.

The wins will still be sweet in the coming years, but just not quite as memorable and fulfilling as these ones.

Go Blue!

Trey Burke saves the night (and a chance at the championship)

Early in the second half at Mackey Arena Wednesday night, it was happening again. As if overtaken by some superior power, Michigan's basketball players were failing to execute the simplest hand-eye coordination plays most kids have down by age 3.

They were losing it, falling apart, on their way to another debilitating road loss, this one, finally, to extinguish their barely flickering Big Ten title hopes. 

Trey Burke intercepted a Purdue pass on a Boilermakers fast break but then, inexplicably, lost the ball as he turned to head upcourt. A Purdue player picked it up, made a layup, and was fouled. 

Disaster. 

Jordan Morgan and Nik Stauskas went up for a rebound against no Purdue defenders, and somehow the ball — oh, that tricky sphere! — eluded them and bounced to a Boilermaker. 

The Wolverines were slow, as if in a trance. 

They had already blown a double-digit lead for the third consecutive game. And they seemed well on their way to faltering against another lowly Big Ten opponent and losing their fifth consecutive game on the road, with no wins away from the friendly confines of Crisler Center since late January.

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Burke was part of the problem. His shot was off. He was getting completely outplayed by the Boilermakers' Terone Johnson, who had the performance of his lifetime. 

Apparently, Terone and his bro Ronnie started talking a little trash to Burke. That helped wake him up, I'm sure. But maybe also the fact the his team desperately needed him. After his clutch performance in Michigan's 58-57 victory Sunday over Michigan State, Burke talked about how he had worked at taking on that leadership role and inspiring his teammates.

On Wednesday, Burke had to start a comeback from 12 points down solely by himself. His young teammates looked lost and couldn't grab a loose ball if their scholarships depended on it. 

Burke took over.

First, he hit a contested 3-pointer from the top of the key with 11 minutes, 7 seconds left to cut the deficit to 52-43. On the next possession, he drained a beautiful step-back jumper from the left baseline. 

Burke's teammates were uplifted. Suddenly, the margin didn't seem such a burden. Nik "bandaid" Stauskas — a few days removed from throwing up during halftime of the MSU game after a nasty, unintentional elbow from the Spartans' Branden Dawson — drained a huge 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 54-48.

From there, Burke scored nine of Michigan's next 11 points to finally regain the lead on a jumper with 5:20 left. 

The sophomore point guard put his team on his back and carried them from the brink of tremendous disappointment. Name me five players in the country who could have done that. You'll probably fail. 

Trey Burke is the National Player of the Year. At the beginning of the year, when Michigan was trampling mediocre opponents, the cast around him looked a little better than they actually are — and it's been exposed playing in the country's toughest conference. Burke, though, has been as good as  advertised since Day 1 of practice. 

And like any great player, his teammates feed off him. On three of four possessions as Michigan hung to its reclaimed lead, Stauskas looked like the aggressive, swagger-showing player he was in November, December and January — drilling a contested 3-pointer from the left wing and then making consecutive strong drives to the basket, absorbing the contact and making the free throws.

Burke reinvigorated the freshman, like any great leader would do, then — legs still seemingly fresh — helped ice the game by shooting 7-for-8 from the free-throw line in the final 57 seconds, with the only miss coming after his own coach, John Beilein, iced him to set up the defense!

Michigan, overall, is far from a great team. They're probably not a Final Four team. All you had to do was watch Purdue's final possession, when the Boilermakes were down 78-75 and the Wolverines' Jordan Morgan and Glenn Robinson Jr. unbelievably miscommunicated and left Ronnie Johnson by himself at the top of the key.

Thankfully, Ronnie had no intention of taking a wide-open 3 and instead threw a bullet pass to his red-hot brother Terone, who tried to shoot before he had the ball. 

Burke put the game out of reach with two free throws, and gives Michigan a chance to claim a share of the Big Ten championship Sunday against Indiana at home, where the Wolverines typically have better control of their bodies. '

Let's be thankful for that.

And Burke — wherever he's playing. 

Living vicariously through Michigan basketball

As I sat in Row J of Section 117 at Verizon Center Wednesday night — a $50 seat I had snatched for the price of a beer a month earlier when the Wizards were garbage — I should have been enjoying myself. 

My hometown Detroit Pistons were putting on a clinic of domination I hadn't seen since the six-straight-years-in-the-Eastern-Conference-Finals group that we used to take for granted (oh, how we'd take a simple playoff berth now). 

Brandon Knight looked like an All-Star, absolutely owning former No. 1 pick John Wall, who couldn't hang onto the ball much less make a J. Greg Monroe, back in his college city, was putting on a show for Hoya Nation, knocking down 18-footer after 18-footer from behind the right elbow. 

The Pistons snatched the lead from the Wizards in the third quarter on a Monroe jumper, 66-64. A few minutes later, it was 75-64. And when Knight drilled a 25-footer, it was 78-64 and Washington fans were booing the home team. 

Amazing, right? I should have been flaunting my ugly teal Joe D jersey, right? I mean, we only get to see the Pistons down here twice a year.

Except that I didn't care about the game. Not one bit. 

In fact, I was hardly even watching. 

Instead, my eyes were glued to my phone, witnessing via ESPN Gamecast, Twitter and texts from my man Tick the horror story taking place some 206 miles away in State College, Pa.

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Growing up —and, to a certain extent, to this day — my Dad always said something that made sense to me about missing games in which our rooting interest (Detroit Tigers, Michigan Wolverines, etc.) would likely lose and/or ended up losing.

"You didn't want to see that anyway."

"And if they win," he'd say about playoff elimination games, "then there will be another one to watch."

It clicked for me. When the Pistons were playing the Heat in the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals, I didn't have a problem going to the Tigers game the night of Game 6 — with Miami up 3-2 — and listening on my walkman (yes, walkman!). Even though 'Sheed and the boys stunk it up and were eliminated, at least I got to take in a competitive Tigers game (albeit, a 3-2 L to the Red Sox). 

I could live with missing the Pistons' final game of the year. In fact, I was happy I didn't see the 95-78 beatdown. It made the end of a season sting less. 

And so for the past several years — especially as I became a sports journalist and my subjectivity turned to objectivity — I've gotten excited about my hometown Wolverines' and the Tigers' best teams, but never to a point of being extremely disappointed with a loss, never to a point where I've said, "I can't miss a game."

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Enter Michigan basketball. Enter this 2012-13 season.

But let me rewind first. Let me explain why Michigan basketball means more to me than any other team. 

The Michigan basketball program was given up on. It became an afterthought. By the year 2000, a program that won a national championship just 11 years prior and made back-to-back championship game appearances a mere seven years before was in the dumps and in the midst of paying heavily for sanctions levied upon it by the NCAA for payments from a booster to a cadre of super talents from the Detroit area.

You know the story. That's not what this is about.

This is about latching onto a team, and a program, and watching it be built back up slowly and wobbly. 

Each year, I paid a little more attention. First there was the Tommy Amaker era, during which he cleaned up the program, stopped the recruitment of poor-character kids (that was mostly a Brian Ellerbe thing), and got the Wolverines on the cusp of the NCAA Tournament a few times. 

On March 3, 2007, during spring break of my senior year at Albion College, I sat at home in Ann Arbor and watched agonizingly as the Wolverines blew a six-point lead with 4 minutes remaining against No. 1 Ohio State in a game that would have sent them to the NCAA Tournament. 

Instead, they missed the Dance for the ninth consecutive year, the team's four seniors finished their careers without a tournament game, and Amaker — after six years — was given the axe.

Coming so close only made me yearn even more for the team to reach the tournament. There's something incredible about failure that can tighten one's attachment to a team (just ask Cleveland fans).

But even more than that, I took satisfaction in being part of a small group of loyalists. Through the Amaker years and then, through the early years of the John Beilein era (really, until the last two years), Michigan basketball remained an afterthought and Crisler Arena a library. 

In Ann Arbor, the talk was "football, football, football, Zingerman's, football" — all while Beilein slowly built from a weak foundation (his first team was 10-22).

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Which brings me back to the present. Or to last night. 

As I sat in my seat at Verizon Center staring at my phone and only occasionally glancing at the spectacle in front of me, I didn't just hate that the Wolverines were blowing a 15-point lead in the final 10 minutes, 39 seconds against an 0-14 Big Ten team when the conference championship was on the line.

I hated that I was missing the game. 

Yes, I couldn't stand the fact that I wasn't seated in front of a TV watching Michigan's defense surrender 33 points in the final 10 minutes against the Big Ten's worst offense. 

As I thought about this — and as Penn State eventually claimed the lead and the game — I came to a realization:

For the first time since I can remember, I'm living vicariously through a team. As sad as this sounds for a 29-year-old, the Michigan basketball team has the ability to dictate my mood on a given night or afternoon. 

I have no recollection of another team — not Michigan football, not even the Pistons, although that Robert Horry 3 in the 2005 Finals was devastating — having this effect on me, especially since I became a journalist. 

I still view the team through an objective lens. I'm no 'homer.' So, no, I'm not sore about the officiating last night and, no, the loss wasn't solely a Michigan collapse. From what I've read and seen, Penn State played its best game of the season.

But that didn't improve my mood. And neither did a Pistons victory over the Wizards.

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Because of my attachment to this team, to this program, I hate missing a minute of a game. I selfishly want to take it all in, want to absorb every moment of Trey Burke greatness,  analyze every hard hedge by Jordan Morgan, and listen to every Bacari Alexander pregame pep talk.

That's why following the debacle in State College through texts and Twitter wasn't sufficient — 140 characters at a time couldn't explain for me why Penn State was making every shot and Michigan suffered its longest offensive dry spell of the season. 

By the fourth quarter of the NBA game, the college game was in the books. This left me pondering for 40 minutes what had gone wrong. If I had seen the game, at least I could have replayed in my head those key plays that changed the momentum, those close charge-block calls, Michigan's offensive executive down the stretch. Numbers did me no justice. 

"Serves me right for missing the game..." I lamely wrote on Facebook. 

When the Pistons survived a furious last-minute Trevor Ariza rally, I was happy that at least one home team got a W on the night. But there was no comparison, and it had nothing to do with Michigan playing for a lot more. I'm simply much more attached to the Wolverines. And just the Wolverines. 

Every other hometown team I enjoy rooting for and following, especially during playoff time. But the only sports team I live vicariously through is Michigan basketball.

And that makes evenings like Wednesday difficult to stomach. 

(Final) Four tournament concerns for the Michigan Wolverines

The Michigan basketball team's main goal, right now, is to win the regular-season Big Ten championship — and, within that, to focus solely on the one game ahead of them. This, of course, is with good reason. Sleepwalk into a game in the country's toughest league this year, you might not survive it. That's how brutal this league is.

But come mid-March, once the Wolverines have taken on Indiana in their regular-season finale — and once, quite possibly, they've celebrated a second consecutive title — the focus will shift to the tournaments.

First, the Big Ten version. Then, the Big Dance.

And, ultimately, even though it's unfair — even though Michigan might win 30 games and a conference championship — the Wolverines' season will mostly be judged by fans, the national media, and haters on their NCAA Tournament run (or lack thereof).

Which brings me to the point of this column. Michigan stands at 21-2 overall and 8-2 in the league with eight games remaining. That gives coach John Beilein and his staff ample time to work out these main issues that could end up blocking the Wolverines' return, gasp, to the school's first Final Four since, well, the stricken-from-the-record-books Fab Five trips:

1. Freshmen Fatigue: Anyone who watched the Wolverines escape against Ohio State last night noticed a somewhat slow, not-always-alert Glenn Robinson III. Simply put, the freshman is tired! The 6-foot-6, 210-pound frosh is playing undsersized at the power forward position, having to battle the likes of DeShaun Thomas (6-7, 225) and bigger guys night in and night out. He's averaging 36.1 minutes per game — tied for the team lead with Trey Burke — during league play. Nick Stauskas is also averaging 33.5 minutes per game, although not taking as much of a beating. Robinson will be close to useless come mid-March — and Stauskas' shots will likely start falling short — unless Beilein and his staff begin monitoring his minutes and going to more two-post lineups. Speaking of:

2. Jordan Morgan's ankle: The redshirt junior and the rock of the Wolverines' interior defense and rebounding has played a mere 6 minutes the last two games since going down against Illinois. Beilein hasn't said much about his ankle, but Morgan clearly is still laboring. Michigan needs Morgan back to playing 20-30 minutes a game so that A) Robinson can get some rest, as well as Mitch McGary, who played a season-high 29 minutes against the Buckeyes; and B) The Wolverines sure up their defensive rebounding. McGary is playing better and better with each game, but the freshman overcommits on drives, often leaving weakside offensive rebounding opportunities aplenty (think Zeller, Cody). Michigan needs Morgan for March, so Beilein can rotate in and out the three-headed Morgan/McGary/Jon Horford monster while using Robinson primarily when he's fresh and has a good matchup. Michigan likely won't tinker much with a two-post lineup until Morgan is healthy.

3. Trey Burke overdribbling: Burke was better this time around against the ball-hawking Aaron Craft, but there was still that last possession of regulation. Beilein said afterward that he wanted Burke to set up a screen-and-roll with Robinson to get a favorable matchup "but we settled there a little bit." Burke knows he's really good. He also knows — as much as he loves his teammates — that he'll be in the NBA next season where one-on-one play is king. Because, possibly, of this knowledge, he can get into a bad habit — especially against great defenders like Craft — of overdribbling outside the 3-point line instead of running the offense. This makes his teammates stagnant and Michigan one-dimensional. It often results in Burke taking a fadeaway jumper, a shot he has hit on numerous occasions but not at a high percentage. Michigan needs the Burke that realizes how good his teammates are, feeds the ball to the wings — letting Tim Hardaway Jr. catch fire like he did in the second half last night — and doesn't settle. Will Burke, the national player of the year frontrunner, be fully aware in March of what's best for the team?

4. Defense: You couldn't watch the second half last night and not be concerned about the Wolverines' defense. Ohio State played well, but Michigan helped the Buckeyes looks like a much more efficient offensive machine than they've been all season. Ohio State scored a near-perfect 1.46 points per possession in the final 20 minutes before overtime. Michigan, as Beilein admitted afterward, was slow on defensive assignments, completely missed other assignments, and didn't grab rebounds when needed. And this was against a middle-of-the-road offensive team. A disciplined, very good shooting team (think Butler) would shred what the Wolverines are presenting on that end of the court right now. Thankfully, defense is an area that just needs coaching. Yes, Stauskas is slow on the perimeter. But so was Stu Douglass, who learned how to position himself to succeed. Michigan can — and needs to — get better, much better, at defense. If the Wolverines don't improve, they'll likely fall short of their March goals. 

For Wolverines, only real weakness is lack of leadership and experience

He didn't say it publicly on Twitter, but Zach Novak must have been going crazy during the first half of Michigan's game against Ohio State Sunday.

The former Wolverine and current professional player in the Netherlands was probably thinking the same thing as many Michigan fans as his alma mater and No. 2 team in the country committed turnover after turnover — looking completely discombobulated and out of sorts as the 15th-ranked Buckeyes raced out to a 29-8 lead Sunday in Columbus.

He probably also wished he could be on the court and in the Michigan huddle.

The Wolverines (16-1) sure could have used his leadership.

And therein lies the only glaring weakness for this talent-rich team that came one Sunday afternoon win — and one in-and-out 3-pointer — away from grabbing the No. 1 ranking in the country, falling instead to an experienced Ohio State squad, 56-53.

Zero.

That's the number of minutes played by Michigan seniors Sunday.

Ninety-nine.

That's how many minutes Michigan freshmen logged.

It didn't help that the Wolverines' best player — and national player of the year candidate — Trey Burke clearly did what he said he wouldn't, making the game in his hometown personal. Burke, who over the previous 10 games dished out 82 assists to 10 turnovers (absurdly good), forced shots and drives all day. The sophomore has been anointed Michigan's leader, and rightfully so considering the level he was playing at entering Sunday.

His leadership against the Buckeyes won't be featured in any books or seminars, that's for sure.

At this stage in the season, the Wolverines — even as supremely talented as they are — face two challenges:

1. Who will step into the role Novak — and to a lesser extent, Stu Douglass — excelled in last year, providing invaluable leadership in team huddles, keeping the team calm in hostile road environments?

2. Will the Big Ten's youngest team learn from this experience and be ready for the difficult environments the brutal conference schedule will present? Or will their youth continue to show?

I predicted before the season that the Wolverines would go undefeated in the nonconference portion of the schedule and 13-5 in the Big Ten. I stand by my prognostication. Winning on the road in this league is no easy thing; there's a reason the Vegas oddsmakers had the Buckeyes, with three losses, favored by a point and a half over the undefeated Wolverines.

The answer to the first question, though, is a bit of a mystery. Burke has worked on becoming more vocal — if not as in-your-face as the spirited Novak — and Hardaway has improved in this area, too.

I tend to think Sunday was an aberration for Burke, who lets his emotions get the best of him playing in Columbus. There won't be many more games where his turnovers equal his made field goals.

I also don't think we'll see a 15-minute stretch as ugly as the opening of this game, when the Wolverines were clearly rattled by the Buckeyes' perimeter-pressuring defense. Eight turnovers in the first 10 minutes and not reaching double figures until the 6-minute mark of the opening period are not part of the recipe for road success in the country's toughest league.

Freshman Glenn Robinson looked out of sorts early. Freshman Caris Lavert made a horrible pass that led to an Ohio State dunk. Even more surprisingly, Hardaway Jr. was indecisive, getting caught up in the air a few times instead of making strong moves to the basket like he had done all season.

And yet Michigan came thisclose to stealing a game in which it often looked lost. Much of the Wolverines' second-half performance showed why John Beilein and his staff are so good at their jobs. Gone were the layups the Buckeyes got during the first half when the over-eager Wolverines overplayed their men on the perimeter.

Ohio State scored just 22 second-half points on 31 possessions. That's rock-solid defense.

But after the Wolverines tied the game at 46 with 6 minutes remaining, they got 3 happy — attempting eight shots from beyond the arc as opposed to just a pair of twos down the stretch. And while Burke's final attempt wasn't a bad shot — in crunch time, you want your POY candidate launching the potential game-winner — the possessions that preceded the shot are what ultimately doomed the nation's last undefeated team.

Chalk up the lack of ball movement, the paucity of sharing the ball — something the Wolverines had done so well all season — to lack of experience and leadership, the qualities any squad regardless of talent needs to win against a good team on the road.

We won't have to wait long to see how Michigan learns from Sunday's experience. When they travel to Minnesota Thursday night, they'll be playing in a more hostile environment (The Barn) against an even better and much more explosive Gophers team.

This is just the beginning of a long grind for this young, talented team. And there will be more losses. Of that, I'm positive.

But if the Wolverines receive improved leadership from their older — but still young — players and learn from days like Sunday, they'll be in great position come early March to make this a very special season.

Douglass and Novak leave behind the unlikliest of legacies

Just yesterday, on the best source for Michigan basketball news umhoops.com, the site's main contributor Dylan wrote his semi annual post asking readers for donations to help the keep the site up and running (a very, very worthwhile thing to do).

Nancy Douglass, the mother of Michigan senior Stu Douglass, posted a comment, thanking Dylan for maintaining such an informative site exclusively dedicated to Michigan basketball.

And immediately, the comment thread turned into a Stu Douglass lovefest, with Nancy thanking each poster for their kind words about the soon-to-graduate guard.

"Thanks to you, your family, and Stu for the investment of your lives. It's been fun to follow Stu and company these four years, even from across the Atlantic. I watched a livestream online of the big Duke game Stu's freshman year from my buddy's apartment in Berlin. That's when i knew we had something special in the making. Four years later, my 2.5 year old son dribbles his basketball around saying, "Number One, Stu Douglass has the ball." Thanks for the hope, the inspiration, the fun! All future success is built on the four-year foundation of Stu Douglass and Zach Novak." — Scott GoBlue

"It's hard for us fans as well knowing Stu will never wear the maize and blue...however it will always be w him in all lifes endeavors...Stu-thx for having such class and helping to turn this program around the rite way...with respect and integrity and for the love of pure basketball!! GOD BLESS & GO BLUE!!" — Scott1222

"huge fan of stu. my favorite player since the fab five." — q-sac

Those were just a few of the comments about Stu and fellow senior Zach Novak. And they highlight just what an indelible impact the pair of seniors had on the program.

And to think, this was a pair of kids from Indiana with no scholarship offers. Novak had one from Valparaiso, but it was pulled. Yes, Valpo pulled his scholarship.

John Beilein was coming off a 10-22 opening season in Ann Arbor that didn't exactly create a lot of hope for the program, and needed to fill his first recruiting class. No one had heard about Douglass and Novak when they came in — just a pair of role players, everyone, myself included, thought.

Well, four years and three NCAA Tournament appearances later — three more than Michigan had during the previous decade — Douglass and Novak are leaving a legacy that will never be forgotten even as the four- and five-star recruits continue rolling in and Michigan is a perennial Big Ten power.

No follower of the program will ever forget the timeout during the game at the Breslin Center in 2011, when Novak, then a junior, got in the face of his teammates, yelling and inspiring them to a victory that would turn around what appeared to be a lost season. Since that game, the Wolverines program has been on an upward trajectory.

I could go on and on about the tangibles and intangibles they provided, but by now they've been well-documented. Novak's vocal leadership, grittiness and knack for coming up with loose balls against bigger defenders. Douglass' unheralded defense against the best perimeter players Michigan faced, vastly improved playmaking ability, and clutch shooting (even after complete off nights).

It will all be missed.

And, more than anything, the stability Douglass and Novak brought to a program that had been the epitome of unstable for a decade needs to be remembered as the Wolverines thrive with big-name recruits such as Mitch McGary and Glen Robinson Jr.

Three appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Two tournament wins. And, of course, that first Big Ten title since 1986.

Needless to say, all impossible without the building blocks of John Beilein's success at Michigan.

Hey Nancy, tell Stu his contributions to the program will never be forgotten. Even if I occasionally cringed at his shot selection as an underclassman!