Dug McDaniel fully reinstated to Michigan basketball team
Michigan basketball has had its share of issues the last several weeks, not the least of which was losing point guard Dug McDaniel for the road games during Big Ten season. An academic casualty, McDaniel has missed the last 6 road games while concentrating on his schoolwork, going back to a Jan. 11 tilt at Maryland.
McDaniel will suit up at Rutgers Thursday for his first road game in nearly 2 months. The Wolverines lost all 6 games he missed and went 2-5 in the home games in which he played.
“Dug is making good progress and has done what we’ve asked him to do to this point,” Michigan head coach Juwan Howard said in a statement. “With that being said, he will be rejoining the team on the road. We have appreciated his efforts and those who have been supporting him.”
McDaniel is Michigan’s leading scorer, averaging 16.7 points with 4.7 assists per game. He’s adding 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting 36 percent from three-point range, and while his defense hasn’t been great, the Wolverines are woefully shorthanded when he’s not available, bereft of ball handlers.
“We have very high standards within our program, culture and university,” Howard said when he announced McDaniel’s suspension. “Serving as mentors, we need to set the standards and pathways for our young men to succeed. Beginning with our game at Maryland, Dug McDaniel will not travel to road games until further notice. Dug will dress for home games, however, when we are away from Ann Arbor, he will work towards meeting several academic goals he has set and needs to meet.
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“While I am disappointed, this is not something we take lightly. This is an important step for Dug and his success as a student-athlete. Going forward, we will not have further comment.”
The Wolverines have struggled with and without McDaniel this year, going 8-20 overall and 3-14 in Big Ten play. They’re headed for their first last-place finish since the 1966-67 season, and there doesn’t appear to be much hope for the rest of the season.
The Wolverines finish with games at Rutgers and Ohio State before ending the season at home against Nebraska. They’ll travel to Minnesota for the Big Ten Tournament and a Wednesday game the week after next.
