he Daily sat down with Robert Johnson at Big Ten Media Day in October to discuss the transition to the new coaching staff, his outlook on the season ahead and more.
Max Marcovitch
Daily Sports Editor
Basketball
Like North Carolina a few days ago, Michigan got a wake-up call of its own Wednesday night. Now it’s time for a response.
After a tournament that saw ups and downs, Michigan will head home with a 2-1 record and plenty of interesting storylines to monitor:
The time has come for Beilein to, effectively, say goodbye to the preseason, and “aloha” to quality opposition.
Senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman led the team in minutes with 36, shots with 15 and points with 17, guiding the Wolverines to a 72-65 win over Central Michigan.
Assistant coach Saddi Washington equated this year's team to a pot of gumbo. The ingredients are in the pot. Beilein is still the chef. Now let’s see if this gumbo will sizzle.
Where will the bench scoring come from? The Michigan coaching staff believes Brooks can be an answer to that question.
For most players on the court, the exhibition game was nothing more than a tune-up. But for Charles Matthews it was a major hurdle in his already topsy-turvy career, a chance he has been waiting for for nearly two years.
While coaches around the country plan calculated responses with public relations staff to fend off reporters’ inquiries, Beilein doesn’t have to sweat.
The Michigan basketball team appears to have filled two vacant assistant coaching positions this past week — and both hires are from the same school.