The last time he was in the Crisler Center, he was being honored.
Fans stood and cheered for Max Bielfeldt on his senior night when he was introduced as a player on two Big Ten championship teams.
Bielfeldt will try to take a step toward another Big Ten championship in tonight’s IU vs. Michigan game in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but this time as a Hoosier.
“At Michigan, we weren’t allowed to wear red,” Bielfeldt said during the preseason. “If you wore red, you’d have a punishment workout.”
Bielfeldt transferred to IU this offseason after IU Coach Tom Crean gave him a place to spend his final year of eligibility. Crean said the thought of getting Bielfeldt to transfer to Bloomington kept him up some nights this offseason.
He had already graduated from Michigan, but because he redshirted his freshman year, he could still play another year.
But Michigan Coach John Beilein said he didn’t want to give Bielfeldt a scholarship.
“That was a tough decision,” Beilein told reporters in Ann Arbor on Monday. “We decided to go with a lot of young players that were trending up last spring — Mark Donnal, Ricky Doyle and D.J. Wilson. We decided, let’s move forward and plan for the future.”
While meeting with the media yesterday, Beilein said he has had no second thoughts about Bielfeldt transferring to IU. But then on his radio show last night, he said no player should be allowed to transfer within the conference, no matter their situation.
But Bielfeldt has remained constant in his message since leaving Michigan. He has said he holds nothing against Beilein and the program for not extending his scholarship another season.
“I’m going back with a completely positive attitude,” Bielfeldt said at Big Ten Media day in October. “Everything I gained from that university I take with a positive light. The friends I made, the experiences I had, I wouldn’t change them. I wouldn’t change anything.”
Bielfeldt has been a key factor in IU’s first place standing in the Big Ten halfway through the conference season.
In the conference opener at Rutgers, Bielfeldt recorded a double-double off the bench in a 79-72 win. His 14 rebounds that game were a career high, including his time at Michigan.
He’s averaging 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds a game. Both those numbers have more or less stayed consistent since conference play began a little more than a month ago.
He is averaging more playing time as a Hoosier than he ever did as a Wolverine and has started three times this season.
He only started three times at Michigan with the final time being his senior night. He doesn’t know if he’ll be greeted with the same cheers as he was that night.
He said at Big Ten Media Day he’s joked with his friends the crowd will be silent when he’s introduced, waiting for someone next to them to cheer or boo and follow their lead.
Bielfeldt said he acknowledges tonight will be weird for him. Senior guard Yogi Ferrell said this game will mean something extra to Bielfeldt.
“I know Max wants this more than anybody on the team,” Ferrell said.
