Kornacki: Teske Finds 'Double-Double' Success Playing in 'Traffic'
12/16/2017 7:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
DETROIT -- University of Michigan men's basketball center Jon Teske has improved his strength, speed, footwork, knowledge and skills to become a radically improved player as a sophomore.
But it's his newfound desire to drive into "traffic" for loose balls and rebounds that is making all the difference for the Wolverines' 7-foot-1, 255-pound man in the middle. His teammates, however, believe the "double-double lines" razor cut into his hair has something to do with the development of his all-around game.
But more on that later.
Teske has the ability to produce the kind of game he had in Saturday's (Dec. 16) 90-58 win over Detroit Mercy. He had 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds while posing a definite presence in the paint in the first college game played at Little Caesars Arena.
"It was a neat experience, especially coming here at this new arena," said Teske, who is from Medina in northeast Ohio. "My family was here to see it, too, and that was nice. My mom, dad and little sister made the three-hour drive here. It was a lot of fun."
His physical improvements were on display for the sellout crowd of 20,695. Though, it was a recent conversation Wolverines coach John Beilein had with Teske that quite likely unlocked his full potential.
"He's gotten incrementally better with his athleticism and his understanding of the game," said Beilein. "But what I really like is that he never stuck his nose in, and he's really sticking his nose in now. That's been a big difference. He's getting what I call traffic rebounds, and he's never got those. Rebounds out of his area, he's never got those. So, he's starting to realize that he can do more with a little more effort."
What prompted that realization?
"I think he's a smart kid and he did some things," said Beilien. "We also had a pretty important practice about three weeks ago where I just said, 'You're not going to play. You're not going to play here and you're not going to play anywhere if you don't play harder.' And he's responded."
Teske, who also made two steals and had one assist while making 50 percent of his shots from the field, got his first college start because Moritz Wagner's ankle was still sore, and Beilein saw no reason to rush Wagner before he's ready.
Teske played a career-high 28 minutes and scored a career-high in points. He was one shy of the career-best 11 rebounds he combined with 10 points Nov. 16 against Southern Mississippi for his first double-double.
Wolverines forward Duncan Robinson, who was coaching Teske during the interview, asked him to point out the significance of the two razor cuts, barely visible and about one inch in length that team barber and junior forward Brent Hibbitts made near his left ear.
"Those are my 'double-double lines,'" said Teske, laughing. "Brent Hibbitts is my barber, and so he put those two lines in and I had my first double-double. He gave me another haircut last week and put in these two lines and I got another double-double."
Robinson and Wagner, who joined in on the conversation, chuckled and proclaimed them the "double-double lines" while getting Teske to crane his neck and snapping photos of the razor cuts with their cameras.
Teske entered the game against Detroit Mercy averaging 3.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game backing up Wagner, who is leading the Wolverines with 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
That Teske has developed into a reliable backup has been central to the young Wolverines (10-3) gaining some traction as a team. Beilein was recently asked about playing Teske and Wagner (6-foot-11) together, particularly against teams with big front lines, but said unveiling them in tandem is a work in progress.
Center Jon Teske (left) earned his second double-double of his career Saturday, and has done so in a month's time. He credits hard work done over the summer "and it really shows on the court. I'm stronger and faster."
The development of 6-foot-10 Austin Davis, a classmate of Teske's who redshirted last season, is critical to that. Davis played hard against the Titans with four points and one block, but also fouled out in only seven minutes of playing time.
Beilein said Teske and Davis are "growing and getting better" but now need "game experience" to completely develop.
"Austin and Jon are trying to get better every day," said Beilein. "Their bodies aren't ready; they aren't as good as they're going to be in a couple years. They get a little more vertical jump and a little more speed, and just watch what happens."
Teske's transformation began in the summer at what the Wolverines call Camp Sanderson, where strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson goes to work on them.
"In the summer I worked hard and was really grinding at Camp Sanderson every day," said Teske, "and it really shows on the court. I'm stronger and faster."
Teske also credited assistant coach Saddi Washington, who gives individual instruction to Michigan's big men.
"Coach Saddi pushed me every day," said Teske. "I definitely worked on my jump hook."
Still, all his scoring against the Titans came on dunks, layups and free throws. He nearly brought down the house with a thunder dunk, but it caught too much iron and popped out several feet high. Rattled the rim pretty good, though.
Teske's hit mid-range jumpers and even 3-point shots at Medina High, where he was a finalist for the Ohio Mr. Basketball award that went to current Wolverines teammate and point guard Zavier Simpson. He averaged 16.4 points, 10 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.6 blocks as a senior.
"He can shoot it," Beilein said of Teske, "but he's not like Moe (Wagner). We tried to hit him (with passes) when we could, but we didn't need to do a lot to punch it into him today. We got so many transition baskets."
So, his college game will continue evolving and he could really turn out to be something. Beilein and his staff will work on developing him, but Teske has something pretty important that can't be coached. Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach would say: "You can't teach height." Others amended that to: "You can't teach seven foot."
Teske is Michigan's first seven-footer since Ben Cronin (7-foot), whose career from 2008-10 was cut short by injuries. Teske's father, Ben, is 6-foot-8 and his mother, Julie, is 6-foot. So, he had exceptional height in his gene pool, and comes by it naturally.
He's more than just physically big, though. He's also big on talent and has a pretty high ceiling. Which, by the way, comes in handy if you're 7-foot-1.
