It can be hard to predict how exactly a high school standout will translate to the college level. Often used to being the best player on the court, sometimes a player’s ability to make magic with the ball in his hands can fade, dimmed by better competition.
For Michigan guard L.J. Cason, there will be ups and downs throughout his freshman season, and he’ll face the growing pains of adjusting to a higher level of competition. But make no mistake about it — Cason can make some magic, and he can score.
“L.J., he gets buckets. Like, that’s his thing,” graduate guard Rubin Jones said Friday at Michigan Media Day. “I get on him on all the small stuff, me being the old guy, knowing what it takes. … But he takes care of his stuff. He’s young and does some crazy stuff here and there. But, L.J., he gets buckets.”
Ask any member of the Wolverines how Cason might contribute in his freshman season, and they’ll give a similar answer: he’ll score. That much was clear in his first taste of collegiate action when he scored eight points in just 13 minutes played in Michigan’s charity exhibition against Oakland on Sunday. The Wolverines are confident in his ability to continue developing as a playmaker, but they see him as that scorer first and foremost.
And while Cason will need to develop more to live up to his potential, he already has the mindset of an experienced player, a mindset that will lead him to that point. That goes back to his high school days.
“In high school, I told somebody that I referred to him as a low-maintenance superstar,” Steve Fitzgerald, Cason’s coach at Victory Christian Academy, said. “He’s just a rare combination of physical and mental skills that you don’t see in a lot of high school kids these days. Obviously, talented, athletic, skilled basketball player, but that mental side is a really sensible part.”
“He’s ultra competitive. He has zero entitlement. He doesn’t crave attention. … He’s just able to focus in on what he wants and limit distractions.”