‘Be Me’: L.J. Cason seizes opportunity in tournament spotlight

Getting his first taste of collegiate postseason action, freshman guard L.J. Cason confidently stepped up to the plate against sixth-seed Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal on Friday. And with a shortened bench due to injury and two guards picking up two quick fouls each, Cason took his opportunity and seized it, providing critical depth in third-seeded Michigan’s 18-point win. 

In the season’s first two games, it looked like Cason might be the first guard off the bench for the Wolverines. He played 22 minutes and scored 14 points against Cleveland State in the season opener on Nov 4, and followed that up with 10 points in 17 minutes against Wake Forest on Nov 10. Cason was efficient from the floor, active on defense, and flew up the court in transition, even adding seven total assists across those two contests. 

As the season progressed and Big Ten play grew tougher, the freshman’s floor time dwindled, averaging 9.6 minutes per game in his first 19 appearances, not playing in eight matchups. 

“I wish he had more game experience,” Michigan coach Dusty May said postgame. “And that’s a part of being in the hunt as well, where you shorten your rotation, tighten things up, and you don’t let guys just go up. Freshmen need to play through mistakes. And you know, it’s on me. I didn’t allow him because we were trying to win so many close games.”

But Cason had a chance to make a real impact with sophomore forward Sam Walters still sidelined with a back injury and freshman guard Justin Pippen in concussion protocol. Against the Boilermakers on Friday, junior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. and graduate guard Rubin Jones picked up two fouls midway through the first half, giving Cason even more chances on the floor. 

In front of nearly 14,000 people in an NBA arena, Cason didn’t blink twice. 

“Man, you can just see how mature he is for a rookie,” graduate guard Nimari Burnett said postgame. “He comes in there and was calm, but he’s also playing very, very hard. He’s communicating, he’s trying to find different ways to impact the game, but doing it in a team aspect. And I love that. Man, he’s going to be very special. He’s already special right now, and it’s exciting to see him have an impact on a big time (game).”