Michigan Wolverines: Jon Horford
Just another week around the Michigan program.
However, there are many topics to discuss as the final week before the two big Michigan sports -- football and men's basketball -- officially hit their offseasons.
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- After a season in which the Michigan basketball team won a share of the Big Ten title, the Wolverines' end-of-season banquet entitled a "celebration" seemed just that. It was jovial and lighthearted, jokes were made and shots were taken at teammates.
Even Michigan basketball coach John Beilein got in on the action.
While introducing each class he picked on juniors Matt Vogrich and Blake McLimans, telling the crowd both needed to get a hair cut. Later, he looked over at Vogrich and asked, "Have I really never started you? I must not know what I'm doing."
Even Michigan basketball coach John Beilein got in on the action.
While introducing each class he picked on juniors Matt Vogrich and Blake McLimans, telling the crowd both needed to get a hair cut. Later, he looked over at Vogrich and asked, "Have I really never started you? I must not know what I'm doing."
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Horford done for season, Brundidge back
February, 24, 2012
Feb 24
4:12
PM ET
By
Michael Rothstein | ESPN.com
Michigan sophomore forward Jon Horford is officially done for the season.
John Beilein, the fifth-year Michigan men's basketball coach, said Horford will continue to work out and rehabilitate the stress fracture suffered in his right foot in December, but he will not play in a game again this season.
"We're working him hard in the halfcourt, thinking about the future," Beilein said. "I don't think it makes much sense (to play him). I don't think it's fair to him."
This will preserve a potential medical redshirt for Horford -- and also goes along with the Grand Ledge, Mich. native's wishes. Horford told WolverineNation four weeks ago he did not plan to play again this season unless the coaches approached him and asked him to.
He felt he had missed too much time and wanted to save the year -- combined with the fact that he still wasn't completely healthy.
Meanwhile, freshman guard Carlton Brundidge seems closer to being available. He practiced fully Thursday for the first time in almost a month and expects him to be able to play Saturday against Purdue.
"He was sick before our last trip, had an upper respiratory infection before our last trip so we didn't take him," Beilein said. "But he practiced well yesterday."
Brundidge was initially sidelined with asthma-related issues.
John Beilein, the fifth-year Michigan men's basketball coach, said Horford will continue to work out and rehabilitate the stress fracture suffered in his right foot in December, but he will not play in a game again this season.
"We're working him hard in the halfcourt, thinking about the future," Beilein said. "I don't think it makes much sense (to play him). I don't think it's fair to him."
This will preserve a potential medical redshirt for Horford -- and also goes along with the Grand Ledge, Mich. native's wishes. Horford told WolverineNation four weeks ago he did not plan to play again this season unless the coaches approached him and asked him to.
He felt he had missed too much time and wanted to save the year -- combined with the fact that he still wasn't completely healthy.
Meanwhile, freshman guard Carlton Brundidge seems closer to being available. He practiced fully Thursday for the first time in almost a month and expects him to be able to play Saturday against Purdue.
"He was sick before our last trip, had an upper respiratory infection before our last trip so we didn't take him," Beilein said. "But he practiced well yesterday."
Brundidge was initially sidelined with asthma-related issues.
Michigan coach John Beilein and Northwestern coach Bill Carmody called into Monday's Big Ten coaches teleconference. Here are some of the key points the coaches touched on:
BEILEIN:
BEILEIN:
- WHAT ZACK NOVAK AND STU DOUGLASS HAVE MEANT FOR THE PROGRAM: "I wish I could say I was this accurate with recruiting," Beilein said. "We were just looking for two really solid kids that we could count on, that loved basketball, ran through the doors at Michigan because they wanted to play in the Big Ten. … That's what they proved to be." Beilein referenced Novak and Douglass' work ethics and how that aspect has created a culture at Michigan.
- ON DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NU LAST TIME AND THIS: Beilein said John Shurna as a 5-man changes Northwestern a bit, but that he's very impressed with their statistics this year, noting Northwestern's field goal percentages and 3-point field goal percentages are up.
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Quick hits from Beilein presser
February, 17, 2012
Feb 17
4:25
PM ET
By
Michael Rothstein | ESPN.com
Michigan basketball coach John Beilein just finished up his press availability before the No. 19 Wolverines face No. 6 Ohio State on Saturday night at 9 p.m. on ESPN, part of the College GameDay coming to Ann Arbor, Mich. this weekend.
The highlights, as always, are in easy to read bullet form:
The highlights, as always, are in easy to read bullet form:
Michigan mailbag: Hoops and football 
February, 8, 2012
Feb 8
2:09
PM ET
By
Michael Rothstein | ESPN.com
Signing day is over. So is the NFL season. College basketball, though, is heading toward its sweet spot of the conference and NCAA tournaments.
So you’ve got questions? We’ve got answers. Welcome to this week’s Mailbag, back from a one-week hiatus due to signing day.
As always, the Mailbag is only as good as the questions you ask. So drop your questions for next week to jenningsespn@gmail.com or on Twitter @chanteljennings.
So you’ve got questions? We’ve got answers. Welcome to this week’s Mailbag, back from a one-week hiatus due to signing day.
As always, the Mailbag is only as good as the questions you ask. So drop your questions for next week to jenningsespn@gmail.com or on Twitter @chanteljennings.
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Quick Hits: Beilein, Douglass, Morgan
February, 7, 2012
Feb 7
6:39
PM ET
By
Chantel Jennings | ESPN.com
Michigan basketball coach John Beilein, senior guard Stu Douglass and redshirt sophomore Jordan Morgan met with the media on Tuesday to discuss the 25th-ranked Wolverines' game with Nebraska on Wednesday.
Beilein:
Beilein:
- ON VISITING NEBRASKA FOR THE FIRST TIME: Beilein said he has never been to the state, hasn't faced Nebraska coach Doc Sadler, nor has he seen any of the Nebraska players play AAU. "When you play Michigan State, you have to be careful -- you know all their players, you know their coaches, you have to be careful you don't take things for granted," Beilein said. "This one's fresh. … There's no comfort in that."
- ON SOPHOMORE GUARD TIM HARDAWAY JR.'S PREPARATION: Beilein said they watch film and talk about everything from body language to his stat line. Beilein said Hardaway Jr. has been very receptive. "He has to continue to work at, 'What is the right play at the right time,' and let the game come to him a bit more," Beilein said. "I hate to see him turn down an open shot."
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3-pointers: Michigan 68, Indiana 56 F
February, 1, 2012
Feb 1
10:28
PM ET
By
Michael Rothstein | ESPN.com
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- This was a game that Michigan would not have won last season. Blowing a 20-point lead against a talented team at home and needing to make free throws down the stretch, Michigan would have lost.
This season, however, the Wolverines are much more capable of being able to deal with an opponent’s elongated run and then come back to finish off the game, like No. 22 Michigan did on Wednesday in a 68-56 win over No. 20 Indiana.
“I don’t know,” senior guard Stu Douglass said. “If we would have missed our free throws, yeah, we would have lost this game. But right about now, we started to make our turnaround and started to get tougher mentally, but if we would have missed those free throws, yeah, it would have been a lot tougher.”
This season, however, the Wolverines are much more capable of being able to deal with an opponent’s elongated run and then come back to finish off the game, like No. 22 Michigan did on Wednesday in a 68-56 win over No. 20 Indiana.
“I don’t know,” senior guard Stu Douglass said. “If we would have missed our free throws, yeah, we would have lost this game. But right about now, we started to make our turnaround and started to get tougher mentally, but if we would have missed those free throws, yeah, it would have been a lot tougher.”
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Horford still not cleared to fully play
January, 31, 2012
Jan 31
3:16
PM ET
By
Michael Rothstein | ESPN.com
It seems like Michigan sophomore forward Jon Horford might not play for a while.
The 6-foot-10, 250-pound Grand Ledge, Mich. native has missed the past six weeks with a stress fracture in his right foot. After flirting with potentially dressing and playing in a game the past 10 days, Michigan coach John Beilein sounded less optimistic about Horford's return on Tuesday.
Beilein said Horford is not cleared to run full-speed full court.
"He was cleared to do some action and we tried to get him up-and-down and it didn't work," Beilein said. "So he hasn't been cleared yet."
The 6-foot-10, 250-pound Grand Ledge, Mich. native has missed the past six weeks with a stress fracture in his right foot. After flirting with potentially dressing and playing in a game the past 10 days, Michigan coach John Beilein sounded less optimistic about Horford's return on Tuesday.
Beilein said Horford is not cleared to run full-speed full court.
"He was cleared to do some action and we tried to get him up-and-down and it didn't work," Beilein said. "So he hasn't been cleared yet."
The No. 22 Michigan men's basketball team doesn’t call the third-ranked Buckeyes, Ohio or "That School Down South." But that doesn’t mean the rivalry is any less bitter.
Ohio State has been one of the more difficult teams to beat during the last few seasons for Michigan. Seniors Stu Douglass and Zack Novak have only come out victorious once during their time at Michigan. Last season, the Wolverines lost to the Buckeyes three times (though never by more than nine points).
"I think there’s bad blood between Michigan and Ohio State regardless," redshirt sophomore Jordan Morgan said. "It could be checkers or chess, whatever, I think there’s bad blood regardless."
Ohio State has been one of the more difficult teams to beat during the last few seasons for Michigan. Seniors Stu Douglass and Zack Novak have only come out victorious once during their time at Michigan. Last season, the Wolverines lost to the Buckeyes three times (though never by more than nine points).
"I think there’s bad blood between Michigan and Ohio State regardless," redshirt sophomore Jordan Morgan said. "It could be checkers or chess, whatever, I think there’s bad blood regardless."
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After two-and-a-half seasons where Michigan has been mostly healthy save for a lingering hamstring issue for Manny Harris and nicks and bruises to other players, the Wolverines are starting to be hit with injuries.
And just as Michigan looks like it might get one player -- Jon Horford -- back from a stress fracture in his right foot, another -- Eso Akunne -- went down with an injury to his left foot.
Michigan coach John Beilein said Friday he would have Horford, a sophomore forward who has missed the past six-plus weeks with the stress fracture, go full-go in practice Friday.
"We may give him a breather here or there but we all found out that playing in practice and being in a water tank running is very different," Beilein said. "He’s got to feel comfortable and have to play at a really high level in practice for us to say ‘Hey, let’s burn this medical redshirt.’"
Beilein wouldn't commit to playing Horford on Sunday against Ohio State -- and from the way he made it sound, it will be a game-by-game decision the rest of the season until the Wolverines actually put him in a game.
Meanwhile, Akunne was scheduled to have surgery on his left foot Friday after injuring it during the first half against Purdue. While the junior guard only played sparingly, he had been inching his way into the rotation.
"Eso had really been playing well in practice, that’s why that was so disappointing," Beilein said. "He had been making in-roads. I had put him in in the first half. So now it is Matt Vogrich and Carlton (Brundidge), unfortunately there is a perimeter guard who is out for most of the season if not all of it.
"As a result, those two, they have more opportunities now."
Beilein said Vogrich has been working on handling the ball more, but he has played sparingly this season after being one of Michigan's top 3-point threats a season ago. This year, he has made just 7 of 31 3-pointers -- and only three 3-pointers in Big Ten play.
And just as Michigan looks like it might get one player -- Jon Horford -- back from a stress fracture in his right foot, another -- Eso Akunne -- went down with an injury to his left foot.
Michigan coach John Beilein said Friday he would have Horford, a sophomore forward who has missed the past six-plus weeks with the stress fracture, go full-go in practice Friday.
"We may give him a breather here or there but we all found out that playing in practice and being in a water tank running is very different," Beilein said. "He’s got to feel comfortable and have to play at a really high level in practice for us to say ‘Hey, let’s burn this medical redshirt.’"
Beilein wouldn't commit to playing Horford on Sunday against Ohio State -- and from the way he made it sound, it will be a game-by-game decision the rest of the season until the Wolverines actually put him in a game.
Meanwhile, Akunne was scheduled to have surgery on his left foot Friday after injuring it during the first half against Purdue. While the junior guard only played sparingly, he had been inching his way into the rotation.
"Eso had really been playing well in practice, that’s why that was so disappointing," Beilein said. "He had been making in-roads. I had put him in in the first half. So now it is Matt Vogrich and Carlton (Brundidge), unfortunately there is a perimeter guard who is out for most of the season if not all of it.
"As a result, those two, they have more opportunities now."
Beilein said Vogrich has been working on handling the ball more, but he has played sparingly this season after being one of Michigan's top 3-point threats a season ago. This year, he has made just 7 of 31 3-pointers -- and only three 3-pointers in Big Ten play.
Horford doesn't travel to Purdue
January, 24, 2012
Jan 24
11:48
AM ET
By
Michael Rothstein | ESPN.com
Michigan sophomore forward Jon Horford did not travel to Purdue as he continues to rehab from a stress fracture in his right foot, a team spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.
Michigan coach John Beilein had said Monday that Horford, who hasn't played since mid-December, would travel and potentially play against the Boilermakers tonight.
Instead, Horford remained behind in Ann Arbor, Mich., and will miss his 12th straight game. Last week, Beilein did not rule out the possibility of using a medical redshirt on the 6-foot-10, 250-pound Grand Ledge, Mich., native.
Horford's absence was first reported by CBSSports.com.
Horford is averaging 2.7 points and 3.6 rebounds off the bench for Michigan this season.
Michigan coach John Beilein had said Monday that Horford, who hasn't played since mid-December, would travel and potentially play against the Boilermakers tonight.
Instead, Horford remained behind in Ann Arbor, Mich., and will miss his 12th straight game. Last week, Beilein did not rule out the possibility of using a medical redshirt on the 6-foot-10, 250-pound Grand Ledge, Mich., native.
Horford's absence was first reported by CBSSports.com.
Horford is averaging 2.7 points and 3.6 rebounds off the bench for Michigan this season.
Horford practices, won't go to Arkansas
January, 20, 2012
Jan 20
3:12
PM ET
By
Michael Rothstein | ESPN.com
Michigan sophomore forward Jon Horford is inching his way back to the court following a stress fracture in his right foot.
The 6-foot-10, 250-pound backup for starter Jordan Morgan practiced for the first time in a month on Thursday, Michigan coach John Beilein said, and he expected him to practice Friday as well.
That said, he won't travel to Arkansas for the Wolverines' game against the Razorbacks on Saturday.
The 6-foot-10, 250-pound backup for starter Jordan Morgan practiced for the first time in a month on Thursday, Michigan coach John Beilein said, and he expected him to practice Friday as well.
That said, he won't travel to Arkansas for the Wolverines' game against the Razorbacks on Saturday.
Welcome to the WolverineNation roundtable, where staffers Chantel Jennings, Michael Rothstein and Tom VanHaaren discuss pressing issues and topics surrounding the Michigan sports landscape.
1. Where will the biggest position battles happen for the Michigan football team next season?
TV: This is a good question, and I think it should be along the defensive line. With Will Heininger, Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen leaving, there is plenty of opportunity for competition, mainly among Will Campbell, Quinton Washington, Richard Ash, Nathan Brink, and some of the other guys already on the roster.
1. Where will the biggest position battles happen for the Michigan football team next season?
TV: This is a good question, and I think it should be along the defensive line. With Will Heininger, Mike Martin and Ryan Van Bergen leaving, there is plenty of opportunity for competition, mainly among Will Campbell, Quinton Washington, Richard Ash, Nathan Brink, and some of the other guys already on the roster.
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Quick Hits from the basketball press conference
January, 10, 2012
Jan 10
5:42
PM ET
By
Chantel Jennings | ESPN.com
Michigan coach John Beilein:
- ON NORTHWESTERN’S PRINCETON OFFENSE: "I think [Northwestern coach] Bill Carmody probably, with no offense to anyone else, I think they probably are as innovative as anyone who runs this," Beilein said. "It’s forever changing with the game."
- ON WHAT DEFENSES HE EXPECTS TO SEE: "They will mix up all kinds of things," Beilein said. He expects to see man-to-man, 1-3-1 zone and 2-3 matchup zone.
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ABOUT WOLVERINE NATION
Michael Rothstein
Michael Rothstein joined ESPN.com in 2011 after covering the University of Michigan for AnnArbor.com, Notre Dame for the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Journal Gazette and a host of colleges for the Daily News-Record (Harrisonburg, Va.). A Syracuse graduate and an East Meadow, N.Y. native, he lives in Ann Arbor, Mich. He can be reached at michaelrothsteinespn@gmail.com.
Tom Van Haaren
Tom VanHaaren joined ESPN.com in 2011 after covering the University of Michigan for three years at MGoBlog.com. VanHaaren and his wife currently reside in Royal Oak, Mich. He can be reached at TomVHESPN@gmail.com.
Chantel Jennings
Chantel Jennings joined ESPN.com in 2011 after covering University of Michigan athletics for three years at The Michigan Daily. Chantel graduated from the University of Michigan with degrees in English and Spanish and lives in Ann Arbor. She can be reached at jenningsespn@gmail.com.
Bob McClellan
Bob McClellan joined ESPN.com in 2011 after more than 20 years as a sports editor and sports writer at Rivals.com, The (Nashville) Tennessean and The Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. He is a Northwestern University graduate. He resides in Franklin, Tenn. Email him at robert.x.mcclellan.-nd@espn.com.