2016/17 Commitment Updates

It shouldn’t be that big of a deal defensively, at least not with our roster.

Unlike in the NBA, most college offenses aren’t designed to take advantage of that type of a matchup problem. You rarely see a bigger guard take a smaller guard into the post. Obviously it’s easier to shoot over a smaller defender, but it’s not like any of our taller wing players are able to contest many shots anyways. If Simpson is better than our current players at stopping penetration and chasing his man around screens, I don’t think his lack of size would be a huge detriment.

If Simpson doesn’t play much, it’s probably for the reasons MattD said–that he isn’t yet college-ready.

So what’s the status then? JB called and got a “not interested”?

Some of you guys are out of control. Who really cares what any of you wrote in a message board post two years ago? I banned several of you for 24 hours for this kind of stuff and now we’re back at it.

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I think Dylan’s lack of updates just has more to do with the lack of news on the recruiting front. No one has been offered besides Poole, Jackson and Young.

Recruiting should pick up soon-ish. Live period in April should give some clarity.

Seriously guys… I thought my post yesterday was a sufficient warning. Start a new thread at least or something to have these random off topic arguments.

This thread exists to share updates about 2016 and 2017 commits… there’s a new post button to create a new topic.

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I’m probably one of the few people that has seen Austin Davis live vs legit comp, and here is the footage. I think you guys will see my concerns with Davis (Particularly on D) when watching this film. Clarity is very poor, but I think you will get a good enough feel

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I don’t see how he fits in JB’s system. Still scratching my head.

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Man that’s some brutal film. Don’t wanna imagine him hedging out to halfcourt like our bigs do. :sweat_smile:

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Matt, thanks for posting. I’m curious how inclusive these clips are? Obviously his limitations are plainly obvious here, I’m just wondering if these videos were cut to highlight the weaknesses or if this was the full set you shot?

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Every possession where Davis had significant involvement is reflected. I made sure to include the nice post up move, putback dunk, etc. Unfortunately, the cons seemed to outweigh the pros IMO

Thanks. Agreed not overly encouraging.

I’m going to play a little devil’s advocate here on Davis even though I don’t see him fitting Beilein’s system. He clearly struggles guarding on the perimeter and I don’t expect him to do much of that in college. Obviously teams will run pick and roll and I have to think if Davis and Teske play the 5, UM’s pick and roll coverage will have to change. Have to think that a flat hedge will be used with those two. Most of the defensive “mistakes” weren’t his. It’s not his fault that the guards got blown by each one of those clips.

On offense, post passing was terrible. He is never going to be an explosive athlete. We all know that. If he is able to seal down low and not try to do too much I think he will be alright down the road.

I would hope that he gets to redshirt. I don’t see him being that different than Doyle except Davis clearly has better hands. That’s a huge plus for me. After reading some of Matt’s comments I assumed the film was going to be awful. Davis still has a ways to go (I know everyone wants game ready bigs) but he can definitely be serviceable down the line. When “down the line” is I’m not sure but he has a chance.

Looks like he’s dropped more weight. He’s going to have to build muscle now.

Davis will not be able to contribute a great deal early on. Unless we just need a body to foul. Luckily we have Wagner, who should be a solid starter next year if he puts in the work over the summer. And I know some are down on Donnal, but if he’s just expected to put in 10-15 minutes as a backup, I think that will be fine. If he can consistently hit the jumper, and the stroke is there just not the confidence, that can add something off the bench.

Davis has huge adjustments ahead of him when it comes to going against people that are equal his size and more athletic. He never has to play anyone close to his size outside of AAU ball. He has gotta learn to use his body well on offense and learn how to defend equal bigs. This will take a couple years. But again, with Donnal and Wagner ahead of him, hopefully he won’t be asked to do anything until his RS Junior year. In which case he might be ready to be a contributor.

It doesn’t really make me question the offer any less but it also doesn’t make me panic about it either.

Matt, when was this taken? He is obviously pretty flat-footed and not a shot-blocker, but when he gets beat on defense, it’s usually on a switch and against a smaller, quicker defender. I’m not saying he’s great, but he’s not bad either. Going to have to work on his footwork on defense, use what strength he has to an advantage. I wouldn’t feel any worse with him in there for 5 minutes a game than Doyle.

edit.

Matt corrected me

August-September 2015. I think we all know Davis is very challenged in terms of lateral movement and straight line speed. The bigger issue, at least for me, is the total inability to even alter shots from mid-major HS recruits that are giving up 6-8 inches to Davis. I really like Austin as a person, unfortunately he just struggles at everything that requires quick twitch reactions of the legs. He’s just not athletic enough to cope with the B10 IMO

Just to be clear, that film is about 7 months old?

Going to be interesting with Davis. Lots of scouts haven’t even seen him play at least as a senior, like the Rivals and Scout guys, as far as I can tell. Meanwhile, 247 has him as a four star, number 17 center in the country, and ESPN ranks him the 21st center in the country, ahead of a bunch of guys going to high major programs and only a couple spots out of four star territory. In other words, people who have seen him generally have a pretty decent opinion of him. But of course there’s the level of his competition and teammates even for those seeing him.

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For context, Ricky Doyle was ranked the #22 Center by ESPN. Very familiar story - punking weak competition in the backwoods. The difference is that Doyle was actually more athletic than Davis in HS. Now, obviously none of us here know what Davis will turnout to be, but the truth is Austin has severe limitations that will be difficult to overcome

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