The senior guard is helping the Michigan basketball team forge its overall identity as it strives to be better on defense.
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In recent years for Michigan basketball, it’s been the defense that’s led the way. However, through three games in the 2020-21 season, it’s been the offense — rated No. 10 in the country in that metric via KenPom.
The defense is rated 42nd overall at this juncture, and it needs to not only get better, but it’s what some say the identity — or core value — of this Wolverines team should be.
“I think defense — I think we need to get better at defense,” senior point guard Mike Smith said. “I think our personality should be get a stop — one stop at a time. And if we get one stop, I think our offense will speak for itself. I think we score a lot of points. But we need to limit the other team’s points, for sure, and get stops and be on the same page on defense, because if we can do that, I think our offense will speak for itself.”
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But when it comes to the defensive side of the floor, Michigan does have something of a shining star in fellow guard Eli Brooks.
Brooks isn’t lighting up the stat sheet by any metric thus far through three games, nor does he have a ton of steals or blocks that you can point to signifying his defensive presence. But he’s the guy tasked with stopping or stalling the No. 1 scorer in the opposing team’s backcourt most nights, and he’s proven himself efficient in that regard.
So what makes him so good defensively? Smith says that Brooks has something of a quickness to go along with superior length that aids him in stalling offensive players.
“It’s weird, because he’s always in the right spot at the right time,” Smith said. “I would beat him off a ball screen, and somehow he just appears — right — right next to me or in front of me. He’s quick — he’s like a cat. If I had to use an analogy or use an animal, I think he’s quick as a cat. He’s always there. It doesn’t matter, he’s always fighting. Coach always talks about how his legs are moving consistently, even through a ball screen. And he always contests the shot — he has really long arms. He’s 6-1, but his arms are like 6-4, so he contests everything and it’s really hard to get by.
“And he’s a competitor. I think that’s one thing you can really see out there in the game. He may be undersized, but he’s gonna fight like he’s 6-5, 6-6 and guard the 6-5 player like he’s 6-5, 6-6. And he’s gonna go out there and compete every day. He’s always talked about how his dad told him that ‘defense wins games and defense keeps you on the floor. You can see that out there in practice and games, for sure.”
For Brooks, he credits his time on task in the film room, starting back to when defensive guru assistant Luke Yaklich was on the team under John Beilein, as what aided him putting a premium on being stout defensively.
But it’s more than that — it’s a willingness to play defense that’s helped him the most. And it’s something he says anyone could do if they focus on it.
“I think just technique,” Brooks said. “Learning the different ball screen coverages and being familiar with that. In high school, it’s just motion offense, usually, so you don’t have to guard ball screens that much. And then just people taking the time and studying film with me. Coach Yak my freshman year sitting down with me and showing me the different positions where people should be.
“Honestly, I think anybody could play defense. It’s mindset. I think the mindset of wanting to play defense and being willing to do so.”
Though mild-mannered, Brooks becomes another animal — not just cat-like — when it comes to being on that side of the court.
Smith says that Brooks is a vocal leader, making sure everyone is aligned properly, and that his energy on that front is contagious — making the rest of his teammates that much more eager to work harder on the defensive end of the court.
“He’s probably one of the loudest people on the court at the time on defense,” Smith said. “When you have somebody like that, it kind of trickles through the team. It makes everybody else wanna speak.
“I don’t do this, but if a teacher allows you to cheat in class, talk to all your peers during a test, why don’t you use it? That’s like an analogy on defense. So why doesn’t everybody talk on defense? Because potentially it’s like having another person on defense. It’s like having six people. He’s the head of the snake — he and Austin Davis, for sure, are the two loudest. And that brings me, Isaiah and Franz — the starting five — to want to talk more on defense and be there, because it’s kind of leaving them out to dry if we don’t.”
As of current, Michigan is holding its opponents to just 36.4% shooting offensively. The Wolverines will have their next opportunity come Sunday when they host UCF at Crisler Center.
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