Kornacki: Walton Gets Triple-Double, Who's Next?
12/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 19, 2015
Derric Walton Jr. celebrates with teammates
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The triple-double is growing on trees (Christmas trees?) at Crisler Center after four years with nary a single one occurring.
Junior point guard Derrick Walton Jr. registered 10 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists in Saturday night's (Dec. 19) 105-46 victory over Youngstown State in Michigan's highest-scoring effort this season.
Caris LeVert got his triple-double Tuesday night (Dec. 15) against Northern Kentucky. And while neither of the last two opponents proved very formidable, it must be noted that several very similar teams visit Crisler every year at this time. Nobody -- not Nik Stauskas, Trey Burke, Glenn Robinson III, Mitch McGary nor Tim Hardaway Jr. -- ever registered a triple-double.
So, what gives?
And who might be next?
"That could happen with another player," said Michigan head coach John Beilein. "I think Zak Irvin could do that as well. I don't think some of the other guys could get the assists, but those three (Irvin, LeVert and Walton) certainly can."
Irvin had a career-high nine assists against SMU earlier this month and has made strides in passing after averaging only 1.5 assists per game last year. Irvin has career highs of 28 points at Northwestern and 12 rebounds against Nebraska last season.
"I think Zak is really a candidate," said Walton. "He's seeing the floor and is getting his athletic ability back (from a summer back procedure). So, he's rebounding well and, of course, he can score.
"If I had to guess, I'd say Caris is going to get another one, and Zak can definitely get one."
Walton didn't let LeVert have a long reign as the most-recent Wolverine with a triple-double.
"(Caris) especially was urging me to get my own," said Walton. "So, I wouldn't have known about it myself if I wasn't listening to him. He was telling me I was close. I'm thankful to him for helping me reach a personal milestone. That speaks volumes about the kind of players we have."
When LeVert got his 10th rebound with two minutes to go against Northern Kentucky to clinch a triple-double, the crowd roared, and Beilein later joked about how he wondered aloud whether there was a "free hamburger" promotion for the number of points the team had scored.
"This time," Beilein said, "I did not think about the hamburgers. I knew something was going on, and I was told, 'He's one away from a triple-double.' "
So, Beilein's getting used to this.
There had, however, been only three triple-doubles previously at Michigan, and each by a future NBA player. Gary Grant was the first in 1987, followed by Manny Harris in 2009 and Darius Morris in 2011.
"Cazzie Russell might have had some of those," noted Beilein. "I don't know if he did or not. I don't think they kept assists back then."
Assists didn't become an official NCAA statistic until 1983-84, and Russell averaged 27.1 points and 8.4 rebounds while being named an All-American in 1964, 1965 and 1966. He also had great hands and was an adept passer for Coach Dave Strack's powerful teams, but assist totals weren't kept when he dominated play.
Walton's 13 assists are the most ever tallied by a Wolverine in a triple-double, and they are a career high, exceeding his previous best of nine against Coppin State in 2014.
The two assists most fans will remember resulted in highlight-reel dunks by Aubrey Dawkins in the second half.
Walton dribbled down court on a fast break to the top of the key and noticed Dawkins slashing toward the hoop. He fed him perfectly, and Dawkins tomahawked the ball home as the fans shrieked and looked at one another in disbelief.
"I saw him running and missed him a couple times before when we were coming down the floor," said Walton. "So, I was going to let him show off his athletic ability and get us two points. I was so happy that that was a highlight play. I'm trying to get him in a rhythm."
Less than two minutes later, Walton got his 13th and final assist with 8:24 to play by catching a long pass a short way from the basket and immediately turning his back to the hoop. He waited for Dawkins to reach him, fed him a perfect bounce pass and watched Dawkins perform a 360-degree spin and dunk.
"I knew what he was doing when he turned his back," Dawkins said with a wide smile.
Assists are the main priority for a point guard, and Walton said that observations made while sitting out three games recently with an injured left ankle, as well as the 13 games he missed with injuries last season, allowed him to see ways that help him better distribute the ball.
"I saw things I could add to my game," said Walton.
The 11 rebounds, all grabbed on defense, also are a career high for Walton, who had 10 against Ohio State in 2014. He got the ninth midway through the second half, and the crowd cheered. He got the 10th shortly after that, and the fans roared their approval.
"That was a special feeling," said Walton. "To get that last one I needed was a surreal moment."
Walton credited his teammates for "boxing out" to let him grab those last two rebounds "to pad my stats" and achieve the milestone. He came out of the game with 8:16 remaining and didn't return.
Nearly overlooked was the fact that Walton also tied his career high with four steals and played great defense.
He's doing it all.
This was Walton's second game back after the ankle injury.
"It's a lot better," said Walton. "It's a lot more flexible. And they did a really good job of taping me up."
Michigan (9-3) has a home game Wednesday night (Dec. 23) with Bryant and then opens Big Ten play at Illinois Dec. 30. So, it's critical to get Walton's timing back before conference play begins.
"I wanted to get back in time to get my rhythm and flow," said Walton. "I can't wait for the Big Ten season. We're going to make our mark.
"We know where we are right now, and we're going to grow from it. We have a little chip on our shoulders after last year."
The triple-doubles against teams that don't match up well have been nice, but the dress rehearsals for Big Ten play are about over. What's most significant is the fact that Walton is ready to lead the team back to the NCAA Tournament and hopefully more.
• Walton Records Triple-Double as U-M Dismantles Youngstown State
