Michigan assistant Akeem Miskdeen: 'What I like about Morez [Johnson Jr.] is what everybody else in the country is going to hate'

Michigan Wolverines basketball assistant coach Akeem Miskdeen played a crucial role in landing Illinois forward transfer Morez Johnson Jr. during his swift recruitment soon after the season ended. Johnson was one of the top freshmen in the Big Ten, averaging 7 points and 6.7 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per game with 30 appearances and eight starts.

The 6-foot-9, 255-pounder’s physicality stands out. He was one of the best offensive rebounders in the Big Ten last season, corralling 17.2 percent of his team’s missed shots when he was on the floor (a mark that would’ve led the league had he played 40 percent of Illinois’ minutes). He also brings tremendous energy while running in transition and defending, making him a tough matchup for any opponent.

“What I like about Morez is what everybody else in the country is going to hate — his tenacity,” Miskdeen said with a laugh while appearing on the ‘Defend The Block’ podcast with host Brian Boesch. “He plays like he’s from Chicago. He’s gritty, plays really hard.”

There’s more to his game, too. Illinois didn’t run much for him, with only 64.2 percent of his field goal attempts coming in first-shot, half-court offense. The rest was created by his energy in transition and on the offensive glass.

A member of Team USA in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland, Johnson has impressed during practices and is looking to take a leap forward in his development over the summer. When it comes time to suit up for Michigan, too, he wants to expand his game.

“I think we’ll be able to help him with his skill set, and he’ll be able to show some of his skill set, which he showed in high school,” Miskdeen said. “When he played in high school, he had some things with his skills that he didn’t get to show as much, so we’ll be able to open up that door for him.

“I think it was just an instant connection. He wanted to play for a team that wanted to show his skill set a little bit more, and I think in [Michigan head] Coach [Dusty] May’s system he’ll be allowed to show his skill set. He’s going to be amazing for our program on and off the court. He’s a great young man. He’s a savage on the court and he’s a great human being off the court, so I think Michigan fans and everybody involved will love him.”

Michigan didn’t just bring in Johnson to revamp the front court. UCLA center transfer Aday Mara is 7-foot-3 and came on at the end of last season. UAB forward transfer Yaxel Lendeborg stands 6-foot-9 and was a two-time All-AAC selection who was projected to be a first-round NBA Draft pick this summer before he withdrew from the process. Graduate Will Tschetter is back for his fifth season, too.

“Depth in the front court is a great thing to have,” the Michigan assistant coach explained. “If you look at a team that we’re gonna try to beat next year — hopefully we can get there, and they’re there too — Florida, a team that won a national championship, they had four to five guys in their front court and rotated them, and those guys won a national championship. To have those guys in our front court is a blessing.

“This summer, we’re gonna try to mesh them, put them on the same team, put them up against each other. We got summer and fall to try to mesh them and see where it goes. We had to do the same thing with two of our guys last year, with Danny [Wolf] and Vlad[islav Goldin], and they did a good job, by the middle of the season, meshing, and they took us far. So hopefully with those guys we can get an early advance from what we learned from Danny and Vlad, and go from there.”

Michigan will be a physical team, but adaptability is key

Michigan coaches were up front about the need to become more physical throughout last season, May’s first in charge of the program. The Wolverines addressed that by adding big, physical players this offseason, but Miskdeen — a Chicago native who’s coached in the SEC and other leagues — mentioned how being able to play different styles will be paramount in the postseason.

“Very physical,” Miskdeen said of his first year coaching in the Big Ten. “Honestly, you gotta adapt to non-conference, so you gotta have some adaptability, because non-conference is not gonna be as physical as the Big Ten. Then, once you get past the Big Ten, the NCAA Tournament isn’t as physical. So, that’s where it’s different.

“In the Big Ten, they let you play a little bit more. In the SEC, they may call some of the fouls that the Big Ten won’t call. A little bit more athletic in the Big Ten, more wiry guys, long, athletic. Play a little faster, most teams.

“I’ll tell you this — the Big Ten is kinda changing with that, with all the different coaches. We have a bunch of different styles. When I was growing up — I grew up in Big Ten country — and even when I started coaching, Big Ten was known as a bruiser league, a slow-paced league. But now, if you look at some of the teams who are coming into the league, it’s become to be fast paced. There are a bunch of different ways that teams are playing.

“There are a bunch of great coaches in the league. I really believe this season that we can pass the SEC as the best league in the country.”