It got to the point where he had to turn off his phone.
- Jess Cox
- Eight-year-old Tyler Bolla swings his poms during a visit by the athletes at Crisler Arena. (TOMMASO GOMEZ/Daily)
After Michigan discovered it wouldn’t be in the NCAA Tournament, senior Daniel Horton couldn’t bear the phone calls.
“I got a few calls, but after two or three from my mom and my dad, I just turned my phone off,” Horton said. “When you let everybody call and have something to say to you, it affects you even more. . I just kept my thoughts and feelings to myself.”
Coming into this season, Michigan’s ultimate goal was a bid to the Big Dance. Now, after their bubble burst on Sunday, Horton and the Wolverines must settle for the NIT. The team will face with winner of today’s UTEP/Limpscomb game.
But the Cedar Hill, Texas native isn’t ready to let his time at Michigan come to an end quite yet.
“Any time you have a chance to wear a Michigan jersey, that means a lot to us,” said Horton, who was named the NIT’s Most Valuable Player in 2004. “I don’t think other people see it that way because everybody views making the NCAA Tournament as the end-all-be-all, but we feel like any time we have the chance to represent this school and this university out there on the basketball court, we are going to do it to the best of our abilities, and we’re going to be happy doing it.”
For the Wolverine seniors, the NIT game on Thursday night may feel like d