Matt Vogrich needed to go shopping. That happens when you grow so much your clothes no longer fit.

That’s exactly what the Michigan sophomore guard wanted. He was beaten up physically and mentally as a freshman and knew he needed to be bigger and stronger.

If he wanted to play for the Michigan basketball team and regain the swagger and shooting form from his high school days, he had no choice.

“They signaled to me that this is what I needed to do,” Vogrich said.

Matt Vogrich averaged 1.3 points a game his freshman season with the Michigan basketball team.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Last season, his almost-frail-for-a-basketball-player 6-foot-4, 175-pound body couldn’t handle the rigors of a full season. His shot suffered. He couldn’t keep up on defense.

A player would go by him and if he tried to body up as a defender, he’d bounce off.

That he was playing behind Manny Harris, now in training camp with the Cleveland Cavaliers, also meant minutes were sparse.

Vogrich played double-digit minutes six times last season. He had a six-game stretch from Nov. 29, 2009-Dec. 22, 2009 where he didn’t make a shot. He had another stretch from Jan. 26 to March 2 where he didn’t hit a shot, played more than a handful of minutes just once and found himself sitting and watching a lot.

Playing 5.5 minutes a game as Michigan went 15-17, Vogrich averaged 1.3 points - skewed because he scored 15 of his 46 points last season in the season opener against Division II Northern Michigan.

“I don’t know if there was a point where (my confidence) really fell off, like, ‘I’m screwed, I’m in here, why am I in?’ I was always confident a little bit, but I didn’t have the same swagger I had in high school when I knew I was the best player in the gym and wasn’t afraid of anyone or anybody,” Vogrich said. “I still had confidence, but my swagger was a little different.”

Instead of creating, he’d only take open shots. Michigan coach John Beilein said he noticed him off-balance a lot. In December, in the midst of one of Vogrich’s slumps, the coach sat him down when he saw not only was he missing shots in games but also in practice.

“We don’t really base guys’ performance as much on games as we do in practice - ‘Is he making shots in practice?’ ” Beilein said. “Then you figure it’ll come. He really struggled in practice.”

He struggled on defense, too. He’d miss assignments, get lost on screens and give opponents open shots.

“I was more nervous on the defensive end, that if I mess up here I’m definitely coming out,” Vogrich said. “Coach (Beilein) trusts me shooting the ball, and he’s always said that to me, that he wants me to shoot.”

The off-season and a trip to Europe proved that.

He worked with Michigan strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson to gain 15 pounds. He’s up to 190 pounds, and he’d like to add another five to 10 pounds by the time Michigan’s season starts with an exhibition on Nov. 5.

If he has to come off the bench this season - a role he struggled to adjust to last year - he’s fine with it. His shot has also reappeared, evidenced by a 22-point, seven-rebound game against Mons in Europe.

More than anyone else on Michigan’s roster, Vogrich needed it.

“He’s got a confidence about him right now in his stroke in his knowledge of both offense and defense,” Beilein said. “He’s more comfortable out there.”

That’s what Vogrich had been working for all along.

He’s stronger. He’s quicker. His 190 pounds is the most he’s ever weighed. And if it means more new clothes, that’s fine, too.

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein