LOS ANGELES — Three minutes per game. Sixty-one total minutes. Less than one point, one rebound, and one blocked shot per game.
That’s not what Jon Teske came to Michigan for. He didn’t want to play a few minutes late in games and be an inconsequential piece on a team that plays meaningful games.
As a freshman, the Medina, Ohio, native appeared in 20 games in 2016-17 and never played more than eight minutes. He didn’t play a single minute in the NCAA tournament and only saw one minute of action in the Big Ten tournament.
The 7-foot-1 sophomore center has appeared in every game this season and become a regular part of Michigan’s rotation. In the Big Ten tournament championship game, Teske unleashed the best performance of his career — 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in a title-clinching victory against Purdue. Twelve points came during a 10-minute span.
“I've just tried to improve each and every day of this season and go in with the right mindset,” Teske said.
It began during the offseason, when the tall but lean Teske added 15 pounds of good weight. Bulking up to 255 pounds allows him to play in the physical, push-’em-around Big Ten while staying agile enough to not be just another stationary big man.
Teske is averaging 3.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and almost one block in 12.8 minutes per game.
“He’s grown a lot, even without his game,” senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman said. “He’s talking a lot more, more of a presence in the room. Even though he’s 7 feet tall, he might not have had that presence last year. It’s helped him grow on the court. He’s more confident, and we believe in him. We know what he can do. We see it on the court in practice every day.”
Madison Square Garden wasn’t the only venue that brought out the best in Teske. He rose to the occasion on a bigger stage last weekend — the NCAA tournament, not Wichita’s Intrust Bank Arena — when Michigan’s season full of promise was perilously close to ending.
The Wolverines trailed Houston 51-46 with 5 minutes, 43 seconds left and hadn’t scored in almost five minutes. A 3-pointer from Charles Matthews gave Michigan new life, and Teske was fouled as the ball went into the net. He converted both free throws to complete a five-point play.
“Those were big ones because we couldn’t score,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “That was the only way we were going to score late. That was a big change in the game.”
Muscle, or a lack thereof, wasn’t the only reason Teske struggled last season. A combination of inexperience and the enormous reality of life in the Big Ten contributed. In short, intimidation crept into Teske’s mind and on-court demeanor.
The leap from high school to the Big Ten is massive and filled with adjustments.
“It’s definitely different,” Teske said. “I feel a lot more confident. It was a little overwhelming at first. At the end of the day, it’s just another basketball game. Now, I know my role better.
“I just try and go in there and help the team. I know if [Moritz Wagner] gets in foul trouble, I have to go in and help the team, whether that’s offensive or defensive. I just try and go in and play my best.”
Sometimes it results in your name being chanted in the world’s most famous arena and teammate Zavier Simpson making a snarling facial expression that goes viral.
Contact Kyle Rowland at: krowland@theblade.com, 419-724-6110, or on Twitter @KyleRowland.
First Published March 22, 2018, 8:37 p.m.
