Michigan Basketball Insider: ‘Franz Wagner is Special’

Every week during the college basketball season, and every other week during the off-season former Michigan Basketball standout, Tim McCormick, joins TMI’s Sam Webb for a podcast called ‘The Michigan Basketball Insider.’ Each show offers a deep dive into the X’s & O’s and statistical analysis from Michigan’s games, commentary on college basketball in the Big Ten and beyond, and interviews with subjects from Tim’s vast array of contacts.

McCormick spent 10 seasons playing in the NBA after being the no. 12 pick in the 1984 draft. Since completing his pro career he has worked as a consultant with NBA players for the last two decades teaching strategies to improve performance and achieve greatness. Additionally, he runs the NBA Players Association’s Top 100 Basketball Camp for the nation’s best high school basketball prospects. Tim also provides color analysis as a broadcaster for ESPN’s college basketball coverage and Fox Sports Detroit’s Detroit Pistons coverage.

In this week’s episode Tim and Sam chat with former Michigan big man and current color commentator Terry Mills about Juwan Howard’s evolution as a coach in season one. They also discuss the development of Brandon Johns and Franz Wagner and much much more. Then Tim offer his assessment of five big man targets Chet Holmgren and Efton Reid.

In the show excerpt below, Tim and Terry share their thoughts on Franz Wagner’s growth and development.

Terry Mills: “I love Franz’s motor. I love the passion that he plays with. He brings it every single day. I think it was a feel-out process for him (last season)… him trying to feel the game out. Letting it come to him. Coach Howard and his staff were like, ‘no, we want you to go! We want you to go hunt shots. Hunt shots, get shots… get after it.’ One of the biggest things for him, when I talked to Franz, was that his adjustment from playing overseas and playing here was that guys are bringing it every single day here. In the league, no matter who they are, whether you’re playing Wisconsin or whether you’re playing Appalachian State, guys are gonna bring it every single night. My advice to him was, a lot of it has to do with guys coming at you versus what your brother has accomplished and you’ve got the Wagner on the back of your jersey. Guys want to cut your head off every single night. You’ve got to be able to bring it every single night because you’re prospect right now. Any time you get that NBA logo prospect and you’re a potential player, guys that play against Michigan want to line you up. They want to get after you in a hurry.”

Tim McCormick: “He’s special. He really is. There are three areas that I thought he showed me the most. First of all, I think he’s Michigan’s best driver. With his length, he doesn’t look like he’s going to be so quick and be able to get by his guy. He uses his shoulders and angles really well. The second area is that he’s Michigan’s best rebounder. In the Big Ten, he…