Jett Howard soars as Michigan basketball runs to 88-75 exhibition win over Ferris State
After a season in which Michigan basketball’s offense frequently bogged down on a lack of outside shooting, the Wolverines hoped an influx of new wings would make their attack jet-powered.
Make that Jett-powered.
Jett Howard, the son of head coach Juwan Howard and a four-star prospect who chose his dad’s squad over Tennessee (among others), made his final seven shots from the field in the first half to go into the intermission with 22 points on 8-for-9 shooting in the Wolverines’ 88-75 victory over Division II Ferris State on Friday night at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. Howard finished with 30 points on 10-for-12 shooting in just 22 minutes.
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The Wolverines hit 16 of 28 shots from the field (57.1%) in the first half en route to a 49-30 lead; The Bulldogs, meanwhile, struggled early from the field, with just one basket in their first 10 shots; they went into the half shooting 12-for-35 (34.3%). The Wolverines were slightly less efficient after the break, hitting 14 of 28 (50%) as Juwan Howard worked 12 players into the game.
Solomon Oregbu, a Chicago native, led the Bulldogs with 16 points in 28 minutes, including a 8-for-12 run at the free throw line. Vejas Grazulis of Marquette also added 13 points on 6-for-14 shooting.
Howard made his first shot, a jumper in the opening minute, but missed a 3-pointer a few seconds later and was benched following a turnover five minutes in. When he returned to the court at the halfway mark of the first half, the Wolverines were up by just four, 20-16. Howard then nailed three straight 3s, picked up a couple of free throws off a defensive rebound, and added nine more points in the final 2:45 before the half on two jumpers, another 3 and a layup.
Fellow freshman Dug McDaniel also had a solid start, hitting two of his three shots for four points in 11 first half minutes. More impressive were his four assists and four steals in the first half. McDaniel finished with 11 points, six assists and four steals in 21 minutes.
Another guard’s maize-and-blue debut was less impressive, as Princeton transfer Jaelin Llewellyn had just two points on 1-for-2 shooting in nine first-half minutes. The Canadian native added four rebounds before the half, but had no assists and a turnover in the first 20 minutes. Llewellyn added two more rebounds, for a team-high six, and three assists in the second half.
Among the returning Wolverines, Kobe Bufkin delivered on the promise he showed at the Wolverines’ “Michigan Madness” preseason event last month; Bufkin scored five of the Wolverines’ first seven points and finished the half with 12 points. He added nine points in the second half for 21 overall on 6-for-8 shooting (including 3-for-5 from 3-point range) in 24 minutes.
Hunter Dickinson, the center who surprisingly opted to return for his junior season, was effective in 20 minutes, with nine points, five rebounds and two blocks before sitting for most of the second half.
Next up for the Wolverines: The season opener against Purdue Fort Wayne on Monday night at Crisler Center (6:30 p.m., Big Ten Network). Michigan will then get an in-state test from Eastern Michigan and former five-star recruit Emoni Bates on Friday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit before heading to New York for Legends Classic matchups against Pitt and Arizona State or VCU on Nov. 16-17.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jett Howard soars as Michigan basketball runs to 88-75 exhibition win
