Franz Wagner Looking To Build On Strong Finish To Freshman Season

Michigan sophomore Franz Wagner has a year of college experience under his belt, and he's looking to put it to good use this season.

To say that Franz Wagner had to go through an adjustment period to the college game last season would be an understatement.

As a freshman in 2019-20, Wagner began the year by rehabilitating a wrist injury, one that slowed his eventual Michigan debut. Once Wagner was healthy enough to take the floor, he had to catch up to the college game, and it took a bit of time to do so.

"I think it just got me out of the rhythm that I had in those practices and scrimmages in practice," Wagner said on Tuesday. "When you come back from an injury, you have to readjust and get back that rhythm that you played with. You can work out individually all you want, but playing five-on-five is always a lot different."

Though Wagner did post a 21-point game in his sixth ever appearance at Michigan, most of his early performances were single-digit scoring efforts. 

"For the first couple of games, I think that was really the most important thing," Wagner said. "When my shot isn't falling or when I'm not having the best game offensively, which is normally is my game, I can still help the team win. I have found a couple ways to do that and I'm really proud that I did that. I went through the season more comfortable. Shots started falling more and I got more confident, I think. That's a huge part for the last couple of games that I played better."

Towards the middle of the year. Wagner began to show a bit more consistency shooting the ball, and he finally hit his stride towards the end of the Big Ten schedule, right when the college season was canceled. 

Now, Wagner is looking to build on the momentum that he established at the end of his freshman campaign. 

"I just want to make the next step as a player," Wagner said. "I think part of that is being more vocal and kind of stepping into a leader role. I had a good freshman season and kind of want to build off that. Last year, it was a lot of things I had to adjust to. Now, I already did that. I feel good where I am, I feel good with the way I handled quarantine from a physical standpoint in terms of getting better as a player. I'm just ready to take the next step and help contribute more than I did last year."

Michigan basketball begins its practice on Wednesday, and that will serve as the first opportunity for Wagner to start his sophomore season on the right foot. After proving himself as a scoring threat on the wing, Wagner could play a big role on this year's Michigan squad as a key returning player along with Isaiah Livers. Look for those two to carry the brunt of U-M's scoring effort once the 2020-21 season officially kicks off. 

What do you think the ceiling for Michigan basketball this year will be? What role will Wagner play in accomplishing that? Let us know!