Kornacki: Donlon Explains 'Street Fight' Message after Beating Illini
1/21/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 21, 2017
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- What happens when someone calls you out?
The Wolverines put their comeback on the scoreboard: Michigan 66, Illinois 57.
Fighting Illini forward Maverick Morgan labeled the Wolverines "traditionally a white collar team" after thumping them, 85-69, 10 days prior in Champaign.
So, senior forward Zak Irvin requested Michigan wear blue jerseys rather than the traditional home whites, and Coach John Beilein gave the blue-collar symbolism his blessing.
He also smiled Saturday afternoon (Jan. 21) when assistant coach Billy Donlon's locker room graffiti was mentioned.
Donlon, given the reins to the defense in his first season with Beilein, got above the dry erase board prior to the game with a blue marker and printed:
"STREET
FIGHT"
"It was about what happened in the first game," said Donlon. "That's the kind of game this one was going to be, and I did that on purpose. I knew I was writing on a wall with a permanent marker.
"I wanted them to see it before the game, come into the locker room at halftime and see it, and see it after the game, when we beat them."
Senior point guard Derrick Walton Jr. said of Donlon, "I mean, he's an intense guy. He wanted to make sure everyone felt the same fire he had in his gut."
Beilein noted: "I'm not going to bring in a painter -- at least until next year."
There were plenty of metaphors and slogans to go around, but Beilein knew what got his Wolverines (13-7, 3-4 Big Ten) a much-needed win.
He told them in his postgame message: "It was all about the defense!"
I asked Beilein, while sitting on a desk in the Crisler Center recording studio, what the first thing was that he looked at on the stat sheet he was perusing.
"I look at the defensive stats because they used to be so bad," he said. "What did they shoot and shoot from three(-point territory)?"
Holding Illinois to .458 shooting from the field, a tad below its season average .466, was good. But holding them to two-for-12 (.167) from beyond the three-point arc and forcing 17 turnovers while grabbing a 30-27 rebounding edge jumped off the page at him.
The Illini had outrebounded Michigan, 30-17, just 10 days prior.
There's a maize sign with blue lettering that the Wolverines look up at before entering their circular locker room: "WIN THE GLASS (Win the game)." They did, and they did.
Michigan also often swarmed three defenders to the ball-handler to force errant passes and shots.
"We have to rally to the ball better," said Beilein. "We noticed that we were leaving our guys on an island way too often, and as a result it was hard for us to guard people. So, it's really important to keep playing defense as a team so we're all connected to one another. And when one guy has a defensive issue, we've got to pick him up. That's what we did today."
Donlon credited Beilein and assistant coach Saddi Washington for putting together a good plan for Illinois but knew it came down to their players making things happen.
"Certainly," said Donlon, "we were highly motivated. If we couldn't play well today after what took place in Champaign, but our guys are resilient guys and motivated guys. They flew around and made great decisions, and we defended the three-point line. It's real hard to do both, and today we did a really good job of defending the arc. All their threes were hotly contested.
"We also haven't had high hands on guys after the catch. We put our hand up after they're shooting, and that's been a big problem for us. They're finally solving it. You've got to have a hand in their face as soon as they catch the ball so in their vision is your hand and then the ball."
Moritz Wagner, whose defense is his main growth objective, had some great moments on that side of the ball, adhering to Beilein's emphasis "to be more physical on post-ups" by opponents. He bodied up on Morgan to force a bad shot and then got the defensive rebound. He forced Morgan to travel with tight coverage. Others also helped limit Morgan, the man whose "white collar" comment got the Wolverines seething, to six points after having a team-high 16 in Champaign.
"We just didn't give him room," said Beilein.
It was a real team effort, and the last two games could well signal a reversal. Michigan held talented and versatile Wisconsin to 68 points in a four-point loss before limiting Illinois to 67 for its two lowest totals of the Big Ten season.
Walton said there "was a lot of learning" to be done that took time, but added that "the mindset to have quick feet" is taking root and providing focus.
"It comes down to a want-to and will," said Walton, "and making those stops."
Donlon's "Street Fighting Man" Defense --- which, with all apologies to the Rolling Stones, includes plenty of zone schemes -- is making a difference.
"We're excited to move forward," said Donlon. "If we defend that way, we can beat anyone in the league."
Good defense results in more offensive opportunities, and forward D.J. Wilson exemplified that best. He ended up with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists while also taking defensive strides.
"You are going to be late to close out sometimes in rotations or tagging on a ball screen," said Donlon. "Our guys had created a bad habit of running and suddenly stopping on two feet. But you've got to continue to sprint through to your man and close out at the last second, and (Wilson) did a great job of that.
"With his size (6-foot-10 and 240 pounds) and athleticism, he can guard five players, and that really helps your defense. You can make different choices in games. And when he hit that three on the wing (six minutes into the game) it really gave him confidence."
Wilson didn't score at Wisconsin after reaching double digits in all previous conference games beginning with a career-high 28 points at Iowa.
"I came off a kind of horrible game against Wisconsin," said Wilson. "I just wanted to make a statement, and I did. I came out with a few buckets early and got momentum.
"And we took what they said about us at Illinois and took it personal. That put a chip on our shoulders, and it paid off."
Walton -- despite getting kneed in the back on a play in the game -- responded with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
"I'm an inner-city kid, and I've never been called soft ever," said Walton from Detroit. "A lot of guys in our locker room felt the same way, and we wanted to send a message to [Morgan] and the rest of their team."
Irvin hit some big shots for 15 points.
"We just wanted to make a statement," said Irvin.
But the biggest statement came on defense.
There were three consecutive Illini possessions that resulted in steals by three different Wolverines: Irvin, Walton and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman.
"I want our guys to come in with the mentality to be as competitive as they can be," said Beilein. "Whatever motivates them to be competitive that is within NCAA rules and has high character, we want to do that.
"This team has it in them, and to get it out of them is everything. Our kids have to realize that there is another degree. There are 212 degrees that you can play at."
That's boiling point for water, and on Saturday the Wolverines reached it on defense.
