Michigan basketball: Juwan Howard expecting a lot from Kobe Bufkin
Michigan basketball has been picked to finish third in the Big Ten, behind Indiana and Illinois in an informal poll of beat writers. The Wolverines have one of the nation’s best players in junior center Hunter Dickinson, but they’ll surround him with four new starters, three of them relatively unproven.
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The only other projected starter with a lot of time is Jaelin Llewellyn, who did it at Princeton for several years in working his way up to an All-Ivy League selection.
The biggest Michigan question mark heading into the season — who plays shooting guard, and how will he fare? The Wolverines will miss Eli Brooks, who spent five years steadily improving and was outstanding at both ends. And while Llewellyn and freshman point guard Dug McDaniel will be on the floor at the same time, head coach Juwan Howard said at last week’s Media Day, he has high hopes for one sophomore in particular — Kobe Bufkin.
“Kobe has been great,” Howard said. “Kobe has a chance to really impact this team in a lot of ways. He can shoot the basketball, he can score … really good finisher at the rim. He has really accepted the fact of what his timetable is, and knowing that, you know that his timetable maybe is different from others.”
That’s hard, he said, and part of it just comes with maturity and age. Bufkin was young for his grade when he arrived, but he’s been working hard to improve. He’s added 20 pounds of muscle since he arrived, working on his jump shot, and concentrating on defense.
But he did have a few moments last year. His triple down the stretch at Ohio State last year helped secure a win and punched the Wolverines’ NCAA Tournament ticket. He’s hoping for more opportunities this season.
“He’s very mature, and knowing the person as well as the player and what his goals are … I said it earlier before, in some of our press conferences,” Howard said. “”This summer and spring he stayed here in Ann Arbor and worked out pretty hard with Sand Man [strength coach Jon Sanderson] and also worked out in the gym with some of our managers, came here alone at times and got a lot of work in.
“He also spent time in California working out with a trainer that he’s very comfortable and familiar with. He is on a mission. He’s going to impact, and we’re going to have a big year. That’s what I expect from Kobe … a big year.”
If they get it, it will certainly bolster a Michigan team with high hopes to capture another title.
