Kornacki: Wagner Responds After Halftime Encouragement to Score 21
12/14/2019 7:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Franz Wagner finished with a career-high 21 points in his seventh collegiate game against a top-10 opponent, and had electrified the sellout crowd so many times in the second half and the overtime period.
There would've been a wide smile on his face had his No. 5-ranked University of Michigan team not lost, 71-70, to No. 10 Oregon in a game that was a thriller to the final second, when Zavier Simpson's driving hook shot popped high off the rim and Brandon Johns, Jr.'s attempt to tip it home didn't go.
However, filling the basket with great propensity and coming close as a team aren't what Wagner came for Saturday (Dec. 14).
"It was really frustrating," said Wagner. "Disappointing. We could've won the game even after the way we started. It's just disappointing, but at the same time I'm really proud of our guys and how we played together, fought back together. We had to play with more energy, and we had that in the second half.
"Now, we have to play the whole game that way going forward."
Wagner mentioned how they would all "learn" from the defeat, and that desire to improve was backed by the actions of him and several underclassmen teammates in the weight room afterward. There was Wagner, bench-pressing after the game.
What goes on behind the doors of the Davidson Player Development Center often tells the story of what will happen down the road for players and teams. I recall seeing his brother, Moritz Wagner, who averaged 2.9 points coming off the bench as a scrawny freshman, working out after games four years ago and eventually becoming an NBA first-round pick.
However, what goes on in locker rooms when teams fall behind, 25-9, and chop through half of their 16-point deficit by halftime, also sets the tone for comebacks and player development.
Wagner had gone 1-for-5 in the first half, scoring only three points coming off a four-point scoring game in a loss at Illinois. However, nobody in the locker room would let Wagner dwell on the past. They got him pointed to the 20 minutes -- which actually turned out being 25 minutes -- ahead.
"Things weren't working for me in the first half," said Wagner. "The shots weren't falling and the whole team was picking me up with words of encouragement, doing what brothers do. It's a really good feeling."
I asked Wagner if any one teammate's "encouragement" stuck with him in particular.
"It was 'X,'" said Wagner, referring to senior point guard Simpson. "He said, 'We need your voice even when things aren't working.' And everyone helped me. That really helped me get confident."
Johns, who came off the bench for eight points and a team-high nine rebounds, also spoke to Wagner: "I told him to be confident. He's a great player."
Michigan head coach Juwan Howard addressed his team after the game, and upon concluding he pulled in Wagner for a brief message.
"He told me he was proud of me," said Wagner. "This game made me realize how together we are and how close we are."
Howard said his team showed "mental stability," something he values highly and sees in this group when the chips are down.
Wagner, with 18 of 21 points in the final 25 minutes, exemplified that as well as anyone.
"He's been playing great for us," said Howard. "Franz has been affecting the game in other ways than just putting the ball in the basket. He's been out there defending, rebounding, battling against 'bigs' who have 50 and 70 pounds more than him. They're also taller than him, but he's been competing and diving for loose balls.
"He's been affecting the games in different ways. Tonight, it was his night, and the shots went in. But they were also good looks, and he was aggressive. But it just goes to show you that Franz is a guy who is a competitor."
He has that snarl, that look in his eye that can be daggers.
Wagner, at 6-foot-9 and 205 pounds, has quick feet and great instincts. He can be a nightmarish matchup for many teams as a really big guard capable of playing any position but point guard. Wagner can shoot over people on offense and clog the lanes defensively.
After his 18-point game against Iowa, Howard said of Wagner: "He's going to become one of the better players to ever play at Michigan."
Wagner's averaging 9.6 points since returning from a broken right shooting hand.
Howard has noted that Wagner had to hit the ground running after only one good practice prior to debuting and immediately starting in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Has he found a rhythm after seven games?
"Rhythm, yeah," said Wagner. "I felt good today. But I don't get anything for one good game. We have to get ready for the next one. I'm just trying to get consistent. It's about staying in the gym and working hard. It's pretty motivating now. I mean, we've lost two straight (8-3 overall)."
Wagner also provides something as a starter that Johns and guard David DeJulius do off the bench.
"He's an energy-giver," Johns said of Wagner, "and we look for each other."
Livers
However, after DeJulius (equaling his career-high with 14 points and adding two steals) led the way at the end of the first half, it was junior forward Isaiah Livers who ignited the second-half comeback.
Livers, who had missed more shots than any Michigan player up to that point with six, including a two-handed dunk, filled up the hoop beginning with the first of three three-pointers and had 13 points in the first eight minutes.
Johns, once again providing infectious energy off the bench, got fouled on a power move to the basket and swished both free throws that were the final eraser swipe on the big lead. The score was knotted at 48.
On the next Wolverine offensive possession, the crowd of 12,707 chanted, "Let's GO Blue!" And when Wagner drained a trey from the right corner, the roar was deafening. Wagner ran down the sideline, thrusting both fists down at his sides.
"Obviously, that was great," said Wagner. "But you just have to go on to the next play. The game is tight, and you have to take every possession serious. We started a little sluggish and didn't play 45 minutes the way we can, but then we played like we should."
Wagner said there were no technical adjustments required in going from 1-for-5 to 7-for-8 after intermission.Â
"It's very important that you don't change anything then," said Wagner. "You need to believe in what you do. I just had to trust the process."
Wagner had five points in OT, including the trey that opened the scoring in the extra period.
"We had a good game plan and did a good job of attacking beginning in the second half," said Wagner. "Our point guards were finding us."
Wagner was feeling it, too, missing only one shot after halftime, when Simpson called upon his "voice" and his game to rise to the occasion. And it was something to see, even in defeat.
