When a defensive drill starts during a Michigan basketball practice, the player most likely to be annoyed is the one matched against freshman forward Colton Christian.

Christian is like a swarm of gnats. He blocks shots, creates steals and tries to keep the ball from even coming close to his matchup.

Michigan basketball freshman forward Colton Christian averaged 13.9 points a game last year at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia.

Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com

Never mind actually trying to shoot over his 6-foot-6 frame.

“He’s pissed me off a lot, I can tell you that,” freshman forward Evan Smotrycz said. “He’s really quick, really athletic. Just getting shots off isn’t as easy as it would be against someone else.”

On a team full of players known for their offensive prowess in high school, Christian stands out because he’s all about his defense.

If Christian beats out Smotrycz for the starting power forward spot to begin the season, it’ll likely be because of what he can do on defense. He can match up against taller and heavier players because of his positioning and his ability.

And no one on last year’s Michigan team, save for junior guard Zack Novak, played that kind of in-your-face defense consistently.

“He plays much larger than his size,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “He loves defense, wants to guard people. I’m interested as we go into (the preseason) how he responds.

“He’s picked up things, for not playing in Europe, he’s picked up things quickly.”

Christian’s European adventure was different than most. A hamstring injury sidelined him for the majority of Michigan’s lead-in practices to its four games in Belgium.

The initial plan was to see if he could play one game in Belgium, just to gain experience. But during warmups, the hamstring didn’t respond. So Christian sat, watched and absorbed what he could.

“Being able to sit on the sideline and watch what the team was doing, watch their mistakes, watch what we were doing well and being understood in the film when we’d watch the film after the game,” Christian said. “Just being able to pick up the things Coach was talking about, when I come in now for practice, even without playing I’ll know what he’s expecting.”

When Michigan returned from Europe, Christian continued to rest. By the time individual workouts and open gyms started in September, he was ready. It took a few practices before Christian caught up.

If anything, Christian might be more prepared than most incoming freshmen. After graduating from Bellevue High School in Washington - the same high school attended by Michigan offensive lineman Stephen Schilling - he spent a year at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia.

While there, he learned about order, discipline and keeping a schedule. He said playing there made him more physical. He averaged 13.9 points and 9.5 rebounds in his post-grad year, including a win over Smotrycz and his prep school team.

So the two are familiar with each. And Smotrycz noticed Christian’s defense then.

“He’s pretty annoying,” Smotrycz said. “If I have the ball on defense, he’s pretty disruptive. Just no time to breathe. He’s always going to be pivoting, thinking ahead. “It’s a good thing, though.”

It is, at least, for Michigan. Future opponents may differ.

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