Michigan's Trey Burke remains grounded as star rises

Auburn Hills — Trey Burke stood in front of the throng of media microphones and cameras Wednesday, answering questions about Michigan's chances in the Tournament.

Because of its quick exit in the opener against Ohio last season, many of the questions dealt with whether Michigan could make a run this year.

"Depending on how the (opposing) defense is playing," said Burke, who leads No. 4 Michigan into tonight's South Regional opener against No. 13 South Dakota State at The Palace. "(It works when) everybody is in the flow and the defense isn't just focused on me.

"Usually it works; some games this season it hasn't worked because we weren't knocking down shots."

For the most part, Burke has made all the right decisions. He led the team in scoring (19.2) and assists (6.7) and earned Big Ten player of the year honors and was named national player of the year by Sports Illustrated.

But the awards and accolades aren't the most important things for Burke. It's the opportunity to move the program forward.

"I don't feel like I've accomplished anything yet," he said. "(Player of the year is) a great honor, but I'm still trying to accomplish things with this team."

For coach John Beilein, part of recognizing Burke's growth is seeing how he handles issues not only on the court, but in front of the microphones and his teammates as well.

"I know that this tournament is important for him to win," Beilein said. "He's been an active voice since the Big Ten season ended to make sure our kids understand this is the real deal.

"This is the one thing we have to go after that we've been working for all year long. The Big Ten championship is one, and now that it's out of the way, now it's the next step."

Even with all the attention, Beilein says Burke hasn't let his success go to his head.

"What I marvel at is how well he's handled it. He's so modest and so humble about all these things, especially with his teammates. It's always been about winning in so many ways," Beilein said.

"His calmness and demeanor — I've never seen one bit of anything that he's acted like a superstar All-American that doesn't care; he cares so much about his team, his teammates, the University of Michigan. I'm really proud of him."

For guard Tim Hardaway Jr., seeing Burke mature over the past year — and handling the dual duties of scorer and distributor — has been difficult.

But he says Burke has done a great job of finding the right mix.

"It's hard because he's a scoring point guard and always has that vision going in there making a play," he said.

"That's why we trust him with the ball in his hands and we don't want anybody else with the ball in his hands down the stretch. He makes the right decisions."

One of those decisions, however, will come after Michigan's season ends.

Will Burke stay at Michigan or leave for the NBA?

"Just staying in the moment, really — that's the most important part about it," Burke said. "This is what I've come back to school for, for moments like this, opportunities like this."

rod.beard@detroitnews.com

twitter.com/detnewsRodBeard