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True freshman Franz Wagner is off to somewhat of an unbalanced start to his career at the University of Michigan.
The younger brother of former fan-favorite Moe Wagner, Franz came to Ann Arbor with high expectations and big shoes to fill. Some of that hype and excitement was tempered when Wagner injured his wrist a few weeks before the season began, but now that he’s in the starting lineup his play has been critiqued rather closely.
Because of the legacy left behind by his brother, it’s easy to forget the younger Wagner is only 18 years old. Six games into his career, the freshman is averaging 7.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. He’s also averaging two turnovers per game.
Wagner’s shooting percentages – 35 percent from the floor, 22 percent from three-point range – suggest he’s still adjusting to the college game, and it’s hard to say how much the wrist injury has affected his confidence shooting the ball.
On Saturday against No. 10 Oregon, however, Wagner’s confidence shined bright in a second half comeback for the Wolverines. Trailing by as many as 16 points, and facing a 31-23 deficit at halftime, Wagner led Michigan back in second frame to force overtime. The Wolverines eventually fell by a final score of 71-70.
“We’re a good team and we stick together,” Wagner said. “We came back from a 16-point deficit, so I’m really proud of our guys on how we stuck together, how we fought back together. I think that’s really important. We’ve lost two straight now, and we’re going to get even closer and be a much better team. After losing you can learn from that.”
After being limited to 3 points in the first half (on 1-of-5 shooting), the freshman was a blistering 7-for-8 in the second half and overtime, scoring 18 points. Wagner hit four three-pointers throughout the game, including three big ones after halftime.
“My teammates picked me up at halftime, just told me to stay confident and be myself, and they really helped me I think,” Wagner said. “Just being more aggressive, being more confident and taking the shots that I can make.”
It’s not entirely accurate to call this a “breakout game” for the freshman, given the fact he scored 18 points against Iowa just eight days prior, but this one had a different feel to it.
Against the Hawkeyes, Wagner was 4-of-10 from the field and just 1-of-5 from deep. He scored half his points from the foul line, going 9-of-10.
On Saturday, the freshman did his damage from all over the floor. He shot over 61 percent overall and 57 percent from behind the arc.
“I felt good today,” Wagner said. “Sometimes you have a good offensive game, sometimes you don’t. I just got to take what the defense gives me and stay confident out there. I think everybody does that out there, and I think we have to continue to do that.”
Against Oregon, Michigan saw the guy that created so much excitement around Ann Arbor when he signed with the Wolverines. Like all first-year players, Wagner is still adapting to the college basketball and working through those “freshman mistakes”.
But the potential here is clear and obvious. The younger Wagner is far ahead of where his brother was as a true freshman for the Wolverines. Michigan doesn’t need Franz to be “senior-season Moe”. It just needs to be patient and let his growth continue to shine through.
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