2012-2013 Season

Video & Quotes: Josh Bartelstein and Jordan Morgan before season opener

Josh Bartelstein and Jordan Morgan met with the media this afternoon ahead of Michigan’s season opener against Slippery Rock on Friday. Bartelstein discussed what it meant to be named a captain and how he looks to embrace the role. Morgan discussed the team’s growth in practice thus far and his thoughts on Bartelstein as a captain.

Find notes and quotes from Bartelstein’s interview along with video and quotes from Morgan after the jump.

  • On Slippery Rock: “They have the size like a Division I team and the athleticism of a mid-major Division I team, so we’re preparing like it’s any other game. … They’re really good actually.”
  • On being named captain: “It’s an unbelievable honor. But nothing’s changed. We have a team full of really good leaders, and I think they just wanted someone out front who was kind of the face of it. … My mom was probably the happiest one about it.”
  • “I’ve learned a lot from (Zack Novak and Stu Douglass) so I use things that Zack and Stu used and some things that are unique for myself.”
  • Zack Novak ended up “breaking” the news that Bartelstein had been named captain. “He was really happy for me. He knew that was kind of a goal that I’d set, to be a captain of this team.”
  • Bartelstein said there has been a lot of experimenting in practice with different lineups and seeing where everyone fits. “We have a lot of options and a lot of talent. So they’re trying to see what units are going to work.”
  • On Glenn Robinson III: “I knew Glenn Robinson was really good. He’s just so smooth. I joke around with him because it looks like he’s not even breaking a sweat out there. He’s just so efficient.”
  • “A lot of fans and the media might not see it, but Blake (McLimans) is a big-time shooter. We have guys on our team like Corey (Person) who people think can’t play basketball but they’re actually really, really good basketball players. Blake hits five or six 3-pointers routinely in scrimmages.”
  • Michigan’s depth “is kind of like a hurry-up offense in football. Teams can’t get set. We want to have so many options that they don’t know what hit them.”

  • On the team’s depth: “There’s definitely a level of competitiveness to practice, and having a lot of depths enables us to play a little harder.”
  • On practice: “It’s definitely a lot more competitive than it probably has been in years past. That’s what’s most striking.”
  • Morgan saw the exhibition games as mostly an opportunity to learn and make mistakes. “People are learning new positions and defensive schemes. It’s different than guarding our own offense every day.”
  • On the rankings: “I think we just try to stay indifferent and focus on us every single day.”
  • On the possibility of running more this year: “I think it has a lot to do with personnel but it has a lot to do with competition as well. In Big Ten play it’s not always easy — people are game-planning for that type of thing by sending people back on defense.”
  • Morgan sees his role on the team as a junior now as someone “telling everyone what to do.” He also recognizes the accountability that comes with that.
  • On Bartelstein being named captain: “He’s my roommate, he’s a great guy, and he’s just embodied selflessness in his four years here. … His voice is obviously a big contribution to this team.”
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