Roddy Gayle Jr, Rubin Jones Discuss How To Fix Turnover Problem

Michigan men’s basketball is 3-1, but every game has had the same issue – turnovers. The Wolverines have given the ball away 71 times over their first four games. Michigan is tied for 309th in the country with its -3 turnover ratio. It may be early in the season, but arguably nothing is more frustrating than giving the ball to the other team.

Roddy Gayle Jr. and Rubin Jones on Turnovers

Junior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. is averaging just over ten points per game so far this season. Gayle has 13 assists and seven steals to 12 turnovers. He said the team simply needs to get to know each other better on the court.

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“I think it’s just the pace in which we play,” Gayle Jr said. “Coach May wants us to get up and down pretty fast, but I think it’s just learning each other’s game still. This is our third or fourth game together, so just knowing the different positions that each player wants to be in. Danny (Wolf) is a terrific passer, but sometimes we don’t expect the ball to get through that tight gap. Those types of things I think we can clean up, and I have no doubt we’ll be able to fix that.”

Graduate guard Rubin Jones has five assists, three steals and one block in three games this season. Jones is averaging two turnovers per game, and he said the team just has to take what’s given sometimes. 

“It’s something we’ve been emphasizing each day in practice,” Jones said. “It comes down to actually slowing down at the end of those plays and making simpler reads, not trying to hit home run plays every time. Sometimes it’s just reversing the ball instead of trying to get an assist or trying to thread the needle every time. It’s just making the simpler plays.”

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