Once Caris and Spike went down Irvin was the man by default. Irvin did not have the weapons and athleticism available to him that Nik had. He was left with young talent except for Walton that was not able to consistently step up. Where Nik had a lot of opportunity to make plays for himself or drop off to consistent producers. Irvin’s defender on many occasions would get help and Irvin would pass the ball to someone with fumblitis on so many occasions and soon he would end up having to do to much. So I don’t see why his teammates should get a pass.
Did Cain get an invite?
Not that I’m aware of, at least not yet
Anyone Michigan has offered?
Not offered, but Jermaine Jackson Jr told me he was invited
Just wondering, Does the Top 100 invite list generally align to any particular ranking system (ESPN or Scout or whatever)?
There are a lot politics involved in the invite. There are usually 3-5 for NBA players’ sons that go or relatives of someone that works for the NBA or the union.
Talent has been a bit diluted in the last few years because of USA Basketball stuff. There are obviously still a talent but it use to be one of the premier camps and I don’t think it’s on that level anymore. Some of the top level kids want to be treated like gold and most of the coaches are former NBA players that will tell them how it is.
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Forbes was State’s #2, no?
He obviously wasn’t a create-your-own kind of guy, but I don’t think anyone is saying that your #2 also needs to be that kind of scorer. In State’s case it worked well because they were able to screen him open (and of course because of Valentine).
I think Poole, up to 55 on ESPN rankings, has a good chance to be a star at Michigan. I’m not talking necessarily about Trey or Nik status, but a guy who scores a ton of points at Michigan and the only real question is whether he’s a first, second, or third team B1G player by his junior and/or senior year/s.
Poole can shoot off the dribble, with a hand in his face, going either direction, quick release, from deep, etc. Sometimes percentages can be a bit deceiving, comparing a guy who shoots all his 3s in open catch-and-shoots with his toes on the line to a guy like Poole. He looks to have good body control and balance. He’s got good height for a college guard and may still be growing. He’s got good playmaking instincts. His handle might not be Nik’s but it’s pretty good and will get better. The thing we’ll have to see is whether and how fast he can get stronger and a little quicker. He won’t ever be a super athlete but in college, with his height and skills he can thrive if he can be even mediocre in terms of vertical leap and straight line speed. I think there’s a very good chance he can be a quality secondary option on a high-functioning offense by his second year and we’ll just have to see if he can go any higher than that.
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Austin Davis film
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He can move a whole lot better than I thought he could, I’m impressed.
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Austin Davis starting to look like a physical specimen. A big man. He is no longer a big boy. I think young Mr Davis will fare just fine in his college years.
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Footage like this just makes me more skeptical, the kid just plays vs weak competition all the time. I mean, the kids checking him are literally 6’3, and he still looks lethargic out there. I’ve seen him vs. legit competition twice, and he’s struggled both times, particularly on defense and running the floor. Nothing in this clip changes that for me. The biggest transition for Davis is going to game speed, its going to be a real struggle for him once he gets to the B10. If its a half court game without much movement, he should be decent, but when we play the MSUs and Iowas of the world, I just don’t see how you can play him at all to be honest.
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The more and more I watch him the more he reminds me of Cole Aldrich. They have similar body types and similar running gait. I don’t think he is as long as Aldrich but he is definitely taller (Aldrich is closer to 6’8" then his listed 6’11") I think their offensive games are very similar and I think Davis is actually better at this point in his career.
The biggest difference in their games is the on the defensive end. Aldrich is far superior on that end and it’s not close. I haven’t watched enough of Davis on the defensive end but I assume he has a tough time with ball screens and doesn’t block/affect shots like Aldrich can and did in HS/college.
I’m certainly not saying that Davis is going to be a serviceable NBA backup like Aldrich but there is something there for him to be successful at the college level. Another question to ask is can he successful in the system that Beilein runs. I can’t answer that question but it’ll be interesting to see how his career unfolds.
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I think he’s going to be a lot better than you believe, but obviously we’ll see. He seems like he has really good hands, can jump a bit, and finishes strong (but yes, I did certainly notice the height of the kids guarding him). By the time he’s had a year or two in the system, I think we’ll like what we have.
He’s gonna have to adjust to opponents actually resisting him, which he didn’t have to face too often at high school. I share some of the same concerns about him as MattD, but at least he has already shown a good work ethic in reshaping his body in the past year. That gives him a chance to be a solid player. We will have to wait and see. Luckily, he won’t be forced to contribute early on unless we have done injuries.
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Starting this week, he will have plenty of chances to go against guys who are older and bigger than he is. Bigs take time to develope, as you noted. He is a smart kid and a hard worker and will learn and improve his game.
I can post up elementary school kids, too. I wish the kid all the best and as a Michigan fan I hope he develops into a solid backup, but I don’t see a lot to be excited about in that video.