As Zak Irvin lay in his bed for a week last July, he had a lot of time to think.
About his basketball season, about his team and about his career.
The junior was coming off the best three weeks of his career to end the 2014-15 season and primed to be Michigan’s breakout player. Spending spring term at home in Fishers, Ind., he worked on his game.
Then the first day he returned to Ann Arbor, it all unraveled.
Playing in an open gym, he felt something wrong with his back.
He didn’t realize the severity immediately but further examination told him: Shut it down.