Mitch McGary was already on his way toward a pretty significant step forward as a player before
Kansas' Jeff Withey opened his mouth
prior to the Sweet 16.
But once he did, McGary's transformation process cranked up another level.
Withey poked the bear.
And Michigan reaped the benefits.
"The gamesmanship that is played makes for great theater, but it can also drum up something inside of a player that brings out a competitive spirit," Michigan assistant coach Bacari Alexander said last week during an interview with WTKA-AM in Ann Arbor. "Don't poke the bear. … Those comments definitely ignited not only Mitch, but his teammates as well."
After the 7-foot Withey questioned McGary's size and potential ability to limit him in the post, the Michigan freshman turned in a dominating performance that surprised just about everyone -- Withey included.
McGary went for 25 points and 14 rebounds against Withey, and the Wolverines erased a late double-digit deficit to stun the top-seeded Jayhawks in overtime before eventually reaching the national championship game.
McGary's transformation from inconsistent substitute to legitimate star seemed incredibly rapid, almost overnight.
But Michigan coaches say it was a process that began at the beginning of the second semester when McGary took a more committed approach to getting in shape.
Alexander also said Michigan coach John Beilein spent five to 10 minutes after practice -- almost daily -- with McGary to work on his high post game. A move that came in handy in the Final Four against Syracuse, when McGary shredded the Orange's vaunted 2-3 zone in the first half.
"He looked like Magic Johnson at the free throw line," Alexander added.
From out of shape to NCAA tournament star. It was a gradual transformation, and one that assistant Jeff Meyer said he'd never seen before.
Then again, he'd never seen anything like Spike Albrecht before either.
"Coach (Alexander's) very humble and modest," Meyer said. "He did a great job with Mitch (and all the bigs) all year long … we've got the best big man coach in the country. And a lot of that comes back to relationships. He was coaching Mitch the whole time to (stay) in the process, stay in the moment.
"I'd never seen anything like that before. But I never saw a backup point guard come in and make his first nine 3's in the tournament before either."
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