The style of game changes with the media. The players can be playing hard, listening to coaches, ect., but once that camera goes on, they just bring it to a new level. We always joke about how Darius starts to make these ridiculously good plays every time the Big Ten Network hit series “The Journey” shows up for practice. We all laugh about it, as does Darius. But its true. Darius make ridiculous passes, Jordan springs in the air like he was Carlos Boozer, and Tim hits every three he takes.The media is always going to blow everything up. Coach Beilein always reminds them that their actions can ruin them if they are not careful. It doesn’t matter if some guy gets hit with a DUI, but if a young basketball player from Michigan gets one, it is all over the paper and he will never stop hearing about it. If he is not careful and sleeps with a drunk sorority girl, he could end up being accused and end up in court. There are so many things that the smart basketball player needs to be aware of.
Going to the NCAA Tournament and playing an old rival, the #1 seed Duke, only fueled the fire. Last weekend ESPN had a special on the Fab Five, and Jalen Rose made a comment on how the Duke program would never recruit a kid like him, but only went for the “Uncle Toms.” Before the special even showed, the phrase exploded all over the news and media boards. Now that we were matched up against them, all the questions to the players were how these comments would affect them. The players were told to make as little comment as possible and make it seem like it was not of any importance. They did mention how it would be a great opportunity to revive the rivalry. They looked forward to competing with the defending national champions and “shock the world,” a tribute to Howard´s line in the documentary.
The most difficult thing for any player to do is confront his mistakes or his shortcomings. After we lost to Duke, no one wanted to talk to the media. But Coach told them how important it was that they talk to them. A few games ago we played Wisconsin and had a horrific loss to a 3-point buzzer-beater. Some of the players hid in the fan room away from the media. Coach Beilein will have none of that. Coach Alexander told them to keep their chin up, to be proud of how they did, and to be Michigan. It was heartbreaking to watch as Darius dried up the tears and stopped pacing once the reporters came in. Then they cornered him and bathed him with voice recorders and camera beams. The same questions came every 2 minutes…”Did you think the shot was good? Take us through the final seconds.” And every time he would look down and say his response quickly, as to avoid the feelings attached to that unforgettable moment. Jordan Morgan, usually standing talk and ready to give his say to the media was sitting inside his locker, with his hand covering his eyes as he recounted the last play, from Smith´s missed free throw to the rebound to the fast break to Darius´ perfect opportunity to send the game into overtime. Stewart mentioned how he thought the shot was going in and raised his hands in celebration until he saw the ball bounce out. Coach Beilein praised the players for a fantastic year and praised the very talented Blue Devil team. He stressed that we were in a win-win situation, and even though we didn’t beat Duke, we still came out a victory with the amount of accomplishment we had over the expectations.
The media is extremely important. It fuels controversies and tells stories. The Fab Five special placed significant importance in the Michigan-Duke rematch. The cameras flashing and the reel recording, along with millions watching made every player go their hardest. The game was the highest viewed game of the tournament thus far, with a 6.9 rating. And once the ball bounced off the far iron, the hardest part followed: confronting our failure and telling about it, over and over again.
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