Kornacki: Irvin, Walton Plan to 'Get It Done'
9/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sept. 29, 2016
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Zak Irvin stood on the Crisler Center hardwood with Derrick Walton Jr. by his side for a photo shoot earlier this week. They were modeling the new Nike Jumpman uniforms that will be unveiled Friday night (Sept. 30) and were asked to palm basketballs and extend their arms with the balls held out.
Walton quickly palmed his ball with his right hand, while Irvin took a few seconds to get a grip with his left hand. By the time Irvin successfully palmed it, Walton had let down his arm.
"Crop him out," Irvin said with a chuckle. "I'm ready!"
They laughed before Walton joined Irvin in the pose, strobe lights flashing and the photographer clicking off shots.
Irvin, Indiana's Mr. Basketball, and Walton, Michigan's runner-up for Mr. Basketball in that same 2012-13 season, both are about to begin what will likely be their final season together in the same uniform. They ascribe to the Wolverines' mantra for 2016-17 -- "Get it done!" -- and are anxious for practices to begin Friday with the season opener five weeks away.
"Get it done," said Walton. "There's no doubt I like that. It's spearheading both of us as leaders this year, and the mindset we have in the locker room and the competitiveness we've had in open gym (games), practices and drills. I like the direction this team is headed in."
We sat in a virtually empty arena, discussing the past with an eye on the future, and I asked Irvin what "Get it done!" means to him.
"It's not about the spectacular plays," said Irvin, who has made his share of those. "Everyone loves those, but it's about the 50-50 balls on the ground. Go get it! In the air you have that 50-50 ball you have to rebound. Those are the little things that end up being crucial things in the game that you need, especially on the defensive end. Somebody said it one day, and we all liked it, and we're all going to get it done."
They signed national letters of intent during a season when the Wolverines reached the NCAA championship game and helped Michigan to its first outright Big Ten championship in 28 years while reaching the Elite Eight as freshmen. But then the road to the glory Irvin and Walton envisioned took a detour during a 16-16 sophomore season that Walton had cut in half with a left toe and foot injury. And while last season was an improvement (23-13) with a return to the NCAA Tournament, it wasn't what they had in mind five years ago.
-- Zak Irvin on Derrick Walton Jr.
Irvin committed to Michigan coach John Beilein on July 31, 2011, and on the next day, Aug. 1, his buddy, Walton, did likewise. They'd knocked heads on the summer AAU circuit since they were nine and 10 years old -- Irvin with the Indy Ravens and Walton with the Super Friends -- and became friends during the recruiting process.
"I can remember those two days like they were yesterday," said Irvin, who averaged 26.4 points and 7.3 rebounds as a senior at Hamilton Southeastern in Fishers, Indiana. "I was at my grandparents' house when I decided to commit, and I called Derrick immediately. I told him, 'I've just committed. You're next up. Go Blue! I really want you to join me; I want to play with you. The next four years can be special.'"
Walton smiled and said, "He called me the day before he did it, and said, 'I'm going to commit.' I said, 'For real?' He said, 'Yeah.' And on the day he committed, I called to say I was going commit the next day. Our families are close, too. Those were two exciting days."
Walton averaged 26.2 points, 10.1 assists and 7.3 rebounds as a senior playing for his father at Chandler Park Academy in Detroit.
They came to Michigan in the summer of 2013 and have been roommates ever since, also sharing the same sports management major. Caris LeVert, a first-round draft pick of the Brooklyn Nets, and Spike Albrecht, a current graduate transfer at Purdue, roomed with them the first three years.
I asked Walton what kind of roommate Irvin has been.
"He's a neat guy," Walton said, smiling. "Me and Caris called him 'Mom' because he kept everything clean and had all the toiletries, nail file boards, nail clippers, extra toothbrushes. He's like the Mom. He has everything."
Irvin said, "Derrick's a good roommate. We get in little fights about stuff like not doing the dishes. I make sure everything is spotless, and I hate dirty things."
What kind of friend have they been to one another?
"He's an amazing friend," said Irvin. "I can tell him anything. Without having to tell each other anything, we know what the other is thinking. He's my brother, and it doesn't get much better than that.
"He's a great teammate, too, because he really knows how to motivate me. He knows what to say in the heat of the moment, especially when I'm not shooting well. But it's more than basketball for me and him. It's a brotherhood."
Walton said: "He's a hell of a friend. I know I can count on him. I poke fun at him a lot and vice versa, but the reason we are such close friends is because we're both really competitive. We hate to lose.
"There's not going to be a lot of losing this year. We've got too much going. A lot of things didn't go our way for a long time, but we feel that it's our time. We're both finally healthy (after playing through injuries last season). We're really confident. I like the spot we're in. I like the motto, the mindset of the coaches, this team."
Irvin has been named team MVP two consecutive years and earned the team's Thad Garner Leadership Award last season while also being named to the All-Big Ten Tournament Team and getting all-conference honorable mention. He averaged a team-high 11.8 points with 4.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists and became the 50th Wolverine to surpass 1,000 points.
Walton needs 118 points to join Irvin as the next 1,000-point scorer. He has 310 assists and should become the school's ninth 400-assist man. He was an All-Big Ten third team selection by coaches after averaging 11.6 points and leading the team with career-bests of both 5.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He had Michigan's fifth program triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists against Youngstown State and won the team's Wayman Britt Outstanding Defensive Player award.
The team's two seniors -- Walton calls him and Irvin "Double Trouble" -- are beginning their final season together at Michigan.
"Time flies!" said Irvin. "My grandfather has tape of us guarding each other as little kids, and now we're 21 (Walton) and 22 (Irvin). It's crazy to think that this is my senior year. It seems like only yesterday that I was a freshman with my eyes wide open. Now, I just want to leave this place better than I found it. That's what's in the back of my head. But we're friends for life, for sure. We're going to cherish every drill, practice and game."
Walton said, "It's not just about basketball for us. I feel God put us in one another's lives for a reason. We help each other in so many ways -- personal lives, spiritually. We're just really good friends. Hey, we bump heads, like good friends do. But we know each other and push each other to be the best we can be.
"We've been through a lot, and I'm excited, grateful and blessed to be in a position to accomplish everything we want this year. I've got some really good intuition about what's going to happen this year. I'm excited and confident.
"Everybody thinks about the next chapter, and I'm a firm believer that this won't be the last time you see 'IRVIN' and 'WALTON' on a jersey -- maybe not as teammates, maybe as opponents, but on a very nice stage. I believe in that. But his is our last time around at Michigan, and it will make us appreciate every game."
Walton took the ball he'd been spinning and caressing in his hands while talking and dribbled down court to swish a three-pointer before taking a few more photos with Irvin.
Time has, indeed, flown by for them. But they have one more season together, one more chance to chase dreams and wash the dishes.
Monday: Irvin and Walton discuss "The Four Freshmen," their new position coach and new uniforms.
