There is a good vibe to the way Michigan center Vlad Goldin is playing right now. Powerfully good.
Goldin, a graduate student transfer from Florida Atlantic, seems to get better with each game while developing a dominant consistency.
He’s the team’s leading scorer (13.9 per game) and shot blocker (1.91) and second with 5.9 rebounds while averaging fourth in minutes played (23.8) headed into 18 consecutive Big Ten games. The Wolverines play Saturday at USC (8 p.m. Fox) and Tuesday at UCLA (10 p.m. Peacock).
But here’s something to consider: Goldin ranks 23rd in Big Ten scoring average. That’s because 16 of 22 scorers ranked ahead of him are averaging at least 30 minutes per game or a minimum of 6.2 minutes more than Goldin.
However, Michigan Coach Dusty May is keeping him fresh and effective. He shouldn’t be worn out come post-season play, and should be at his best.
Having 6-foot-8 Will Tschetter (6.8 ppg, 2.4 reb.) as the sixth man off the bench to replace Goldin along with 7-foot power forward Danny Wolf (11.8 ppg, 10.2 reb.) and reserve 6-foot-10 forward Sam Walters (6.0 ppg, 1.8 reb.) doing big things in the frontcourt allows May to have Goldin playing hard every minute he’s on the court.
And as good as Michigan (10-3, 2-0 Big Ten) has been coming off an 8-24 season under its new coach, Goldin believes this team is just scratching the surface.
“We can do better,” Goldin said with conviction. “It’s something that drives me crazy because we can do better. Am I satisfied? Maybe. Am I happy? No, no. We can be way better than this, but we have plenty of time to grow. We’re going to have to get more mature if we’re going to do it.
“The sky’s the limit.”
Where has he made the most personal improvement?
“Staying consistent because, obviously, I struggled in the beginning,” said Goldin. “It was my challenge to stay focused and not get scared. I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of staying consistent and breaking the wall of bad things.”
Vlad has nearly doubled his scoring average of 7.7 after six games in the last seven games – scoring between 17 and 26 points in each of those games except for the 13 against Purdue Fort Wayne.
Was it a matter of the well-spoken Russian getting comfortable in Ann Arbor and with his new teammates and surroundings?
“The guys here are so nice,” said Goldin. “Just because they are such good people makes it easier, and it’s so much more comfortable to build a relationship.”
He paused and smiled.
The vibe has been good in every way.
