Michigan basketball coach explains Sam Walters absence from team

Alabama transfer Sam Walters has been sidelined since Feb. 8 when he played six minutes against Indiana. The 3-point assassin was a big part of Michigan's bench. Walters was hitting nearly 37% from 3 and his numbers were even better in the beginning of January. But not much has been said of Walters and his absence from the Wolverines' lineup.

Assistant coach Kyle Church was asked about Walters and if he would be back in the lineup soon. Church confirmed Walters suffered a back injury against Arkansas back in December and while he's not sure how soon Walters will be back, he knows he's doing everything he can to get back on the court.

"Yeah, so it's something behind the scenes he had dealt with basically, I want to say since we played Arkansas over in New York, I think," Church said. "This has been kind of lingering. I think it hit a tipping point. I can't remember the exact date, maybe about a month ago or so. I think it's slowly getting better. Some days are better than others. We're hoping to get him back. With backs, obviously, it's difficult. We want to be cautious. Obviously, our first priority is his long-term health. But I know he's working, doing what he can to get back, and we're certainly supporting that."

As a team, Michigan's 3-point shooting has gone down dramatically. The Wolverines have shot poorly from long distance in several games in a row and Michigan is averaging 34.3% from deep as a team this season. The Wolverines have a team that is dependent on making 3s but they can't seem to find the net.

Church is hopeful Walters could help with that whenever he gets back on the court. But Michigan has to rely on some young guys like Justin Pippen and LJ Cason in the meantime.

"Sure, yeah, no, we miss Sam a lot," stated Church. "The obvious is the three-point shooting dip. That's his gifts. I know he's a player with his ball and his eyes. Certainly missing that has contributed to kind of a little slump. Rubin, too, I mean, he obviously missed a couple games, but even the last couple, I think anybody, that was kind of a shell of himself. I think he lost 11 pounds a week. Those are two huge, huge pieces for us that whether they start or they come off the bench, they helped us win a lot of games throughout the season.

"It's given opportunities to some young guys. Obviously, you don't win. Guys got to step up, and we got to play a little bit better. We got to tighten up, but I think Rubin's on the mend. I know Sam's doing everything he can to make it back and join us and help for the stretch run. I think hopefully the experience Justin and LJ have gotten, getting some extra minutes, hopefully will benefit on Sunday and go into the postseason."

Michigan will wrap up the final game of the regular season on Sunday when the Wolverines travel to face rival Michigan State.