Defend the Block: Martelli Talks Big Returns, Tschetter, Mapping out Offseason
8/17/2021 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Features
This week on the "Defend the Block" podcast, associate head coach Phil Martelli provides an update on Michigan men's basketball after their summer workouts ended last week. Within the episode, Martelli reflects on last season a bit before discussing the team's work this summer and sharing his early observations on the Wolverines' seven freshmen. Here are a few of the most important takeaways from the conversation.
By Brian Boesch
The Returns of Eli Brooks and Hunter Dickinson
Head coach Juwan Howard encourages each player to have a voice within the program. How a player elects to utilize that opportunity varies, but two players have become more vocal leaders this offseason -- fifth-year senior guard Eli Brooks and sophomore center Hunter Dickinson.
Both Brooks and Dickinson could have departed the program, as Brooks graduated and Dickinson declared for the NBA Draft. Martelli understands some of the motivation behind each of their decisions to return.
"(Eli)Â just wants that chance to be a college basketball player on one of the best teams in the country, in one of the best programs, at the best public institution in the world," Martelli said.
"What's it going to feel like, walking on the Diag, being Hunter," Martelli continued. "We all know he has the personality. He has this charisma, and he has this joy of life."Â
A Similar Story Unfolding?
Martelli comments on each of the Wolverines' seven freshmen during the episode, and he looped a soon-to-be sophomore into his thoughts on Will Tschetter. He has not received as much hype as other Michigan freshmen, which was similar for Terrance Williams II a year ago.
"I remember making the comment -- (Terrance)Â impacts winning and losing," Martelli said. "He didn't get a lot of opportunities, but if you go all the way back. If Terrance Williams isn't Terrance Williams, we lose to Oakland, and then maybe all the magic isn't there all year long."
"Terrance, when he got his opportunities, he made the most of them. Will is going to be the same way."
Tschetter was only a three-star recruit, but he finished as the second-ranked prospect in the state of Minnesota and finished his high school career with almost 2,500 career points.
Mapping Out the Offseason
The Wolverines gathered in Ann Arbor in late June and put in a month-and-a-half of work before taking a two-week break in advance of the fall semester. Those summer workouts allowed the program to set the foundation for the upcoming season.
"We have a new team," Martelli said. "It wasn't time to figure out rotation and minutes and all that kind of stuff. This was really about seven guys understanding Michigan basketball, and add onto that, Juwan Howard's Michigan basketball."
Once the team returns later this month, that foundation will allow the team to build from there, which will include the added layer of a rigorous school schedule. Martelli knows that will be an adjustment for the incoming freshman class, along with the four sophomores who experienced a remote-based first year in college.
"[For the] first time, 11 guys, they have to leave somewhere. They have to be somewhere on campus. They have to leave there (and)Â go to another class, and they're carrying four or five classes. That's going to be a big deal. As much as they learn on the court in this (upcoming) month of September, they're going to learn to take care of themselves off the court."
