For this eye test, competition caveats do apply. Michigan basketball is a consensus top-10 team, with ESPN slotting them in as 7th. Teamrankings.com (ESPN’s rankings only go so far) has Oakland at 237th. The Grizzlies didn’t have the height or athleticism to match the Wolverines, but Head Coach Greg Kampe’s team played hard, ran a good offense (they scored 78 points), and will probably be in the NCAA tournament in March.
But wait. During warmups Yaxel’s right hand was heavily bandaged and careful observation saw that he barely used it. But there was a game to play, and he would play, but not start.
Scoring: 1st Half 15:12 UM 17 - OU 12
Fade to the Corner for a 3
Point guard Elliot Cadeau brings the ball up with a left-hand dribble after Roddy Gayle Jr. takes a charge. The set has the wings outside of the 3-point line and Yax is on the left box with Will Tschetter on the right box. Cadeau puts the ball between his legs, crosses over, then dives towards the lane dropping his right shoulder. Yax’s defender hedges towards the point guard so he fades to the 3-point line, where Cadeau finds him with a slightly high and fast chest pass, which Yax catches while squaring to the basket. He’s on his toes, hands in perfect place on the ball, which is chest height. His head is still, and his weight is slightly forward. The release is not too high and the right-hand fishhooks. Swish.
Well, that was amazing. Scoring is easy when you can shoot with great form. Yax’s size, quickness, balance, and “nous” (Brit sports-speak for tactical awareness), makes scoring even easier. Michigan Coach Dusty May’s offense is based on shot volume, and his players aren’t burdened with a requisite number of passes or cuts. They know where the shots are in a particular set and situation. Yax read the defense and saw that his defender was not going to be able to run him off the line nor was there help nearby. He just needed to knock the shot down, which he did with all net.
Rebounding: 1st Half 6:38 UM 44 - OU 25
Athletic Offensive Rebound and Put Back
Same set as above, but this time Yax is on the left wing. Oakland’s in a weird 1-3-1 and Trey McKenney starts the play by dribbling right while Cadeau cuts to the free throw line. McKenney passes to Nimari Burnett in the right corner for a three, which rims out
What happens next is amazing. When the ball left Burnett’s hand, Yax was two steps above the 3-point line heading to the basket. Oakland’s in zone so no one is boxing out and they’re all around the key, so Yax doesn’t have to worry about a leak out fast break. This mental processing is “nous”. The next part is athleticism. It takes five strides to get to the charge/block arc and due to the extra bounce on the rim and his long arms, he tips it up, lands, and is first off the floor to snag the ball. He puts it off the glass with his left hand. (It would’ve probably been a dunk, but he does have an injured right hand.)
Assists 1st Half 4:11 UM 52 - OU 29
The Not Assist
Yax was credited with three assists, but his best pass was to Tschetter that turned into a turnover and an Oakland fastbreak. Cadeau grabs a miss and heads up the floor, with Yax streaking down the left wing after bothering the shot attempt that led to the miss. Just over the halfway line, Cadeau zings a hot pass that Yax manages to haul in, but his momentum takes him under the backboard and out of bounds.
OK, here’s the amazing. Before he lands, he spots Tschetter who busted his buns to arrive in front of the rim. Yax lands and lays off a bounce pass that Tschetter catches in stride. A defender stops Tschetter from putting the ball up. The amazing, again, is the athletic ability. But so are the awareness, anticipation, and ability, which are what assists are made of.
Defense 1st Half 13:21 UM 28 - OU 10
Long Arms in the Passing Lane
Yax is defending the right wing above the 3-point line in a “deny” position. His guy dives to pick McKenney, and they both communicate the switch, with Yax in “deny” for the cutter. The ball arrives as Yax steps towards the Grizzlie, who catches and moves towards the basket to take advantage of Yax’s momentum, but before he can secure the catch and dribble, Yax’s right hand hits the ball, which caroms towards the backcourt. The Grizzlie hustles to it to stop the potential over-and-back, but his pass is intercepted by an alert Roddy Gayle Jr., who lays in the mistake.
You expect a 6’9” 240 lb. guy with quick feet and nous to be a force in the paint, but Yax proves he is a very good wing defender. He reads the play, applies the team’s defensive principle of switching, and maintains ball pressure. But he causes the turnover and easy two by getting his hand on the ball because he’s really long. Amazing.
Eye Test Grade: Vibing
Here’s what Dusty said after the game about Yax and his injury: “It’s day to day. We pulled him out and limited his minutes just because we wanted him to minimize risk.” Message received, coach. Your star wasn’t at his best, but he was vibing on his teammates: “It just shows the camaraderie we have, and how many relationships we've built with one another. So, on this team, it could be anybody's night. I just really don't care who it is. This team is really tight on the floor and off the floor."
The emotional energy in Crisler was beyond positive and bordering on the ecstatic. Scoring 121 points on 19-of-35 3-point shooting will do that. So does a star who produced spectacular instances in a game where he finished it at the end of the bench with his dominant hand wrapped in ice.