Michigan Basketball: Evaluating Franz Wagner in the Battle 4 Atlantis

Michigan basketball went on an impressive run at the Battle 4 Atlantis and did so with Franz Wagner starting all three games. Here’s a breakdown of his debut.

It was rather surprising when Juwan Howard announced that freshman guard Franz Wagner would start in the quarter-final matchup against Iowa State to kick things off for Michigan basketball in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament in the Bahamas.

For starters, this is Wagner’s first game action as a Wolverine, and coming off a long layoff with the wrist injury that kept him out of basketball since the end of training camp and the first few games of the season. Not to mention that this is also Wagner’s first taste of basketball in North America, since he has played most of his basketball career in Germany with Alba Berlin.

While it may not have looked pretty at times during the games against Iowa State, North Carolina, and Gonzaga, despite this, the Michigan coaching staff knew that there were going to be some bumps and bruises along the way. On the other hand, it bodes well for Wagner that head coach Juwan Howard would still put him out there during crunch time and in important situations throughout the game.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how Wagner performed in all three games in the ‘Battle 4 Atlantis’: