Lobs and chemistry: How Elliot Cadeau will help unlock Michigan’s big men

Share

Tweet

Print

Email

After losing his two big men — Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf — Michigan coach Dusty May wasted no time reloading through the portal. For the second consecutive year, the Wolverines will undoubtedly be led by their frontcourt.

But May isn’t necessarily a coach who follows a strict blueprint for how his teams operate. The two 7-footer lineup was a complete 180 from his four-guard lineup at Florida Atlantic. And this year’s Michigan team, despite being led by the big men once again, won’t be operating the same way Goldin and Wolf did.

One dimension that was readily apparent at Michigan’s Media Day was their ability to finish lobs. Freshman Malick Kordel and transfers Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. all appear to be guys that can cut to the basket, go up, and bring down lobs from the guards

“We have a couple guys now that are legit lob threats in Malick, Aday and Morez,” May said. “So our ability to put pressure on the rim is something that we welcome this year.”

Although May called Kordel possibly the most pleasant surprise — coming in physically ready to play at this level — he isn’t likely to contribute as much as the other two, at least not right away. The other two, however, are two of the biggest names May brought in during the offseason. Better yet, both come from within the Big Ten, so May doesn’t need to worry about them adjusting to tougher, more physical competition.

Mara is the Wolverines’ only true center expected to make a meaningful impact this year, unless Kordel works his way into the rotation, that is. Mara’s 7-foot-3 stature doesn’t require him to have an otherworldly vertical, but he’s clearly impressed the coaching staff with his ability to get up for lobs.

Last year, his teammates and May constantly applauded Goldin’s hands. But Michigan mostly got him the ball in the post, and allowed him to work his defender for mostly layups. Mara flashed a similar ability to combine his long reach with soft hands on Tuesday, and the added ability to get it in the air, too.

“They are looking for us,” Mara said. “They know we’re going to be running to the rim, so it’s easy for them to get us points by lobbing.”