Everything Michigan freshman Malick Kordel said on the latest episode of Defend the Block

On what the acclimation process has been like for him

Yeah, it’s been pretty good. I wouldn’t say Germany is that much different. I mean, the places where I’ve been staying at are not that much different to Ann Arbor.

[Sign up for Maize & Blue Review for $1 and get PLUS access for 7 days!]

On learning handball as a child

I don’t know what it’s called in English, but you have like a school class where you can try different sports. And I tried handball because I had friends there and started playing it pretty long. Then I made the transition to basketball.

On other sports he played as a kid

Mostly handball, I would say. I was swimming when I was really young, but mostly handball.

On whether he was tall as a child

I would say, yeah, I was always pretty tall. But when everybody hit puberty, I hit puberty a little bit later. So, everybody that was hitting puberty before me was about my height or a little bit taller. And then it hit at, I would say, 14, 15, where I just grew a little more.

On playing handball at a high level in Germany

Not really. It was only like a pretty small league, to be honest.

On whether he played at a higher level in handball or basketball

Basketball. Way more. Way more. I think the first stop I had in basketball was even higher than my handball spot.

On whether he viewed handball as something he could do long-term

I think it was more connected to friend groups, friends I made during playing handball. I mean, everybody was telling me, start playing basketball, because most of the people in my family were also playing basketball. Everybody was telling me that. I think that was more when people tell you to do things, to try new things. I was like, no, I’m not going to start. I’m going to stay with my friends and play handball.

On what ultimately led him to playing basketball

I mean, I went out and shoot some hoops when COVID hit. So, handball is an indoor sport like basketball, but there are no open courts. So, I had to find something where I could move a little bit. I got a little bit chubby over COVID, so I had to find something where I could. I was at like maybe 300, over 300 pounds.

On where his weight is now

275, around there, yeah.

On when things started to get more serious about basketball

It was more than everybody was telling me when I was playing outside. I have potential. Even though I started at maybe 17, 18, I still have the potential to get to a higher league and to make it to the professionals. Yeah, and then I just started. I had fun. I liked the competition. It was a way bigger competition than in handball. That’s what I always wanted, but in my region, there wasn’t really like big handball clubs that I could join and have a bigger competition, so that was perfect for me.

On what the easiest and most difficult things to pick up in basketball for him

To be honest, I think the most difficult thing was, or is maybe a little bit, even right now, the fouls. In handball, you grab a lot and it’s just a little bit, I wouldn’t say more physical, but it’s more a different kind of physicality in handball than it is in basketball. So, in the first years, I really had problems with adjusting to that, but I feel like right now, even though I’m in foul trouble a few times, I’ve been in foul trouble a few times last season, yeah, I think I adjusted pretty good.

On things he was able to pick up

I feel like one thing that really stood out to me is the transition running, that take off as soon as we get the ball and just take off to the other side of the court. I think that was one thing that’s even my strength right now, one of my biggest strengths. Yeah, and I would say you said post moves. In handball, you don’t really do much of a pivot foot or you don’t really, like, dribble the ball on one spot. So that’s also one thing I’m adjusting to right now that I didn’t learn when I was, when most of the guys were like under 14, under 12, so I need to adjust to that. Learn probably things right now that other guys learned at 12, 10.

On what went into the decision to play college basketball

For me, I would say, like, the last year in Frankfurt, where my last station was at, I had my, like, semi-breakout year. I wasn’t really doing much, like, two years ago, but I had a pretty good pre-season. Yeah, people were coming up to me saying, yeah, what about college? And I was like, I never had the feel for how good is college basketball, does it make sense for me. Then I went on a visit in February, was looking at a few different schools. I was here when you guys played Michigan State in February, amazing game, even though we lost it, but it was an amazing game. And I think, like, those kind of things just, yeah, helped me with my decision for sure. Like, one big thing, too, is the educational side. Yeah, you can get a degree while playing basketball. The facilities are probably not comparable to, yeah, the ones in Germany where I was at. And I feel like the team is also different. Everybody is, like, kind in one age group and just feels like a big family.

On what made him choose Michigan

So I had great talks with the whole coaching staff, especially Dusty. Yeah, me and my uncle. My uncle came with me to the visits, did the Zoom calls overseas. And I think he has a pretty good feel for these kind of things. And we together, obviously, my mom, my aunt, all my other family members were also part of the decision. But I feel like those kind of things were the most important ones.

On what it’s been like with the team

It’s great. It’s great. I feel like every practice, everybody’s giving 110 percent. Everybody wants to get better. Everybody wants to be a championship contender this year. And yeah, it’s amazing.

On the experience facing Michigan’s forwards

It’s different. Obviously, I’ve never played against someone like Adai. He’s taller than me. He has good touch. It’s something I have to adjust to. On the other side, playing against guys like Morez, this kind of physicality compared with athleticism was just not there where I played at. But I feel like we’re doing a pretty good job adjusting to that. And yeah, I feel like we’ve got a great team this year.

On whether he felt he was where he needed to be conditioning-wise when he arrived

I mean, the team was practicing maybe for four weeks before I came here. So, I haven’t really practiced scrimmage in Germany. So, playing basketball and practicing basketball are two different things. I feel like I had to adjust to that. I mean, everybody’s gassed after three days of practice when you play five-on-five the whole time. But I feel like I came in pretty good shape.

On where his shooting is at currently

Yeah, I feel like it has a lot to do with confidence. I feel like when my confidence is up, I can hit shots. If I’m in my rhythm, I can hit shots. I wouldn’t say I’m a great shooter right now, but I’m working on it. It’s getting better for sure.

On the closeness of the team comparing to others he’s been on

It’s great. I feel like we are more tied together than it was in Germany. I played in two different teams, so it was hard. We didn’t have the one big circle of guys we met every day. It was more like we had two different teams, and we had to alternate between first and second team. There was something different. Even off the court, we do a lot of things together, especially on the weekends. We meet up. We do things. I think next week we play paintball together.

On how he learned to speak English

In Germany, you start learning English in, I would say, second grade. The basic words, obviously, it’s nothing compared to being here and talking in English. One big thing that helped me a lot is being around Americans, being around American teammates. Last year, at the highest point, we maybe had seven or eight American teammates. The practices were in English the whole time, so you have to speak English.

On what he misses the most about Germany

I would say, I don’t know if you know the food, but it’s like a döner kebab. Yeah, I would love to eat that again. It’s like, it’s a bread filled with lettuce, with onions, with beef, sometimes veal, and like small, what was it called? Small pieces of meat, yeah.

On the food offerings in Ann Arbor

To be honest, I mean, I think Ann Arbor has a lot to offer, but it’s not that much different to the things you eat in Germany. What I really appreciate is Mexican food. We don’t have that often in Germany, so that’s pretty good here.

On what he’s trying to accomplish between now and the season starting

Yeah, just to adjust to college basketball, give everything, adjust to my teammates, be a good teammate, be a good player, giving 110% every practice, every game, yeah, and just be mentally ready.

On adjusting to academics in Michigan

I know it’s an adjustment. It’s a lot of work. It’s an adjustment for sure. I mean, I’ve been out of school for two years, so that was different. Last year, I was just playing basketball and haven’t really done much school-wise, so that’s been different for sure, but I like it because you know what to do, what you have done at the end of the day. It’s a lot for sure, and especially because I’m German and English isn’t my first language, I think it just takes more time to learn some things, to study, but I feel like I adjust pretty good.

On what he wants to do after basketball or if basketball never became an option for him

To be honest, I’ve got no idea. No idea, but I can just say I’m thankful that I started playing basketball. Otherwise, probably, I don’t know, study something. I have no idea if I even want to do this job in the future.