Everyone could see the blood.

Illinois’s Alex Legion had just elbowed Novak above his left eye while the two battled for a rebound midway through the second half at Crisler Arena on Jan. 4. Novak, leaving behind a trail of blood, was escorted to the Michigan dressing room, while holding a towel to a gash above his left eye. His return to the game looked doubtful.

But Novak has never been the type of player to let anything get in his way. And he wasn’t about to start.

Six stitches later, Novak reentered the game with just over five minutes remaining in regulation.

He simply wasn’t going to miss the rest of the game.

“That wasn’t even an option,” Novak said. “I just went in and said, ‘Stitch it up as fast as you can, and here I go.’ ”

Young and outsized

Like most second graders, Novak enjoyed playing sports in the park. But his playmates were a little larger than most.

An only child, the Chesterton, Ind. native filled his summers going to Hawthorne Park, within walking distance of his childhood home. He played all sports with his neighbors and friends: basketball, football, baseball and soccer. But in second and third grade, some other friends joined on the basketball court.

Local high schoolers asked Novak to fill an extra spot to play.

“I was small,” Novak said. “I just remember there were guys who would be dunking.”

His mom, Dana, a teacher at Chesterton High School and former high school basketball player, knew the boys from school and trusted they would take good care of her son.

Once, Novak side-planted on the gravel during a game. Instead of laughing and teasing him, one of the boys drove him home on his moped.

He's now a 6-foot-5 guard but often asked to guard players three or four inches taller like Michigan State forward Delvon Roe or Illinois forward Mike Davis.

In last Friday’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal loss to Illinois, Davis used his four-inch advantage to score 22 points and grab 10 rebounds. But Novak scrapped for seven boards of his own, including three on the offensive end.

It’s impossible to grow four or five inches and gain 20 pounds. But Novak has learned how to even the playing field.

Tough love

As the coach of the local fourth grade Amateur Athletic Union basketball team, Novak's father Dave barely taught offense. In fact, his teams ran just one set play. The rest was hustle, aggressiveness and defense.

Novak’s father, who played one year of varsity basketball at Purdue-Calumet, coached Novak and some of his future high school teammates a little differently than most AAU coaches. Dave said he taught defense for 70 percent of their practices.

“He didn't get mad about missing shots or not shooting the ball like a lot of dads do,” Novak said. “He was just (mad) if you didn't dive, didn't take a charge, not playing help-side defense.”

Dave’s methods worked. His teams won three consecutive AAU Indiana state championships after fourth grade.

When those boys began playing for their grade-school teams, Dave recalled that Novak’s new coach was very impressed.

“Coach asked me, 'How did you get them to play defense like that? We can't get any other team to do it,’ ” Dave said. “By that point, it was all they knew. I don’t know if you can flip a switch on them.”

What if Dave’s players didn’t play tough defense?

“Besides getting screamed out … it would scare us a little bit,” Novak said. “Other than that, he’d probably just take us out of the game.”

Around the same time, Novak attended former Indiana coach Bob Knight’s summer basketball camps. Knight, affectionately known as ‘The General,’ was a god to many basketball-obsessed locals during his 29 seasons in Bloomington. Known for his blatant toughness and demanding style, Knight is a hero to some and a nightmare to others.

Who was tougher?

“I’d say on a consistent basis, I’d have to go with the General,” Novak said. “My dad came very close to Bobby Knight’s status with me a few times. I’m going to have to go with a draw most of the time, but I think sometimes, my dad, he came close.”

Dave now makes the three-hour drive from Chesterton to attend many of Michigan’s home games. He’s not at all surprised to see Novak dive face first for a loose ball, and Novak said he credits his toughness to Dave’s teaching and coaching.