​Before Marcus Møller ever set foot in Ann Arbor, he had already faced something far more challenging than any basketball game.In January, the 7-foot-2 Danish freshman was diagnosed with testicular cancer, six months after committing to Michigan and five months before he was supposed to arrive on campus to begin his college career. He returned home to Denmark from Spain, where he had been playing overseas, to receive treatment. But even in the middle of one of the most difficult stretches of his life, Møller never stopped working.“I was kind of determined that I would just try to do as much basketball and work out as much as I could because that’s kind of a thing that I find a lot of joy in,” Møller said on the Defend the Block podcast. “So kind of to keep my mental state good and stay positive through it all. I think it was really important for me to just try to get on the court and do as much as I could.”Møller announced he was cancer free in late May, and by the time he arrived in Ann Arbor, he had one message for head coach Mike Boynton Jr. — do not ease me in.“When I came here, I’ve been already working out for like two months pretty intensively,” Møller said. “So I just felt ready. I’ve been looking forward to it and preparing for that moment and for my first weeks here. So yeah, I just wanted to be thrown out into it, and I think that’s also what I kind of got into, and that’s how they threw me in. So I was just glad that they gave me the opportunity.”Stepping up on the Europe tripMøller got to Ann Arbor later than his fellow freshmen — more for visa reasons than health reasons — but wasted little time making an impression. On Michigan’s trip to Europe this summer, he was thrust into a larger role than anticipated when center Moustapha Thiam went down with an injury early in the trip.Møller responded by averaging 19 minutes, five points and four rebounds per game across the three contests.“I was prepared to probably not play as much,” he said. “But always just have it in mind that if anything happens, I’ll be ready. And I want to, when I get on that court, just give everything that I can. I mean, it ended up pretty well.”Beyond the individual performance, Møller said the trip was invaluable for team chemistry, particularly for someone who had not been around the group as long as everyone else.“I learned a lot about tendencies and learned decision-making and what to expect from my teammates on the court,” he said. “And I think that is really one of the positive things that not only me, but just as a team, we picked up each other tendencies and communicating really good and getting to know each other.”Adding to the experience was the presence of his family, his parents and two younger brothers made the trip overseas to watch him play.“My family has been really important for me,” Møller said. “… They came (for the Europe trip) and I was really glad that they had the opportuni