He looks quicker than Simpson though. I guess the question becomes whether or not he can finish in the paint. You don’t see his outside shot much either though. Personally I was hoping for 2 of Cain/Wilkes/Eastern now it’s most likely down to only 1 of them.
Still two scholarships. Means Eastern is out, but still two spots for wings/forwards.
I would be surprised if they take 2 more only because that would leave you with 1 scholarship for 2018 this isn’t including attrition.
Didn’t Beilein basically say he’d plan for attrition after the Battle/Langford fiasco?
Brooks-Poole-Cain-Young would be a pretty sick class that brings a lot to the table.
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And Matthews…
Yup.
It’s funny because when the Bearden knews came, a lot of us were looking at his 3pt shooting % and worried because our only real good shooters would be looking like Poole and Robinson. It’s like JB reads this forum and said “fine, guys, I present you Eli Brooks”. 
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I haven’t seen enough of brooks but if you had your choice of him and Beardsley you’d take brooks?
I wouldn’t mind a class of Brooks, Poole, Cain, and Livers. That class should put us in the upper half of the B1G and be among the top 25 in the country.
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Bearden is better right now, but that’s comparing college sophomore Bearden to HS junior Brooks. I think Brooks will be just as good overall. Bearden’s biggest weakness appears to be his 3pt shot while Brooks excels with his. If they are similar level players in two years, I’d take the one who is a better fit for Beilein’s system and I think that is/will be Brooks.
I’m starting to wonder if that’s a worst case scenario, and I wouldn’t mind that all. Beautiful thing.
I need to see more recent film. Obviously I’m biased towards Beardsley right now. I loved that idea because it basically would give us a very good 2017 team, plus still three frosh for the future. Plus it wouldn’t be such a young back court. Nice grade balance/ great talent. A guard in each class.
I was really hoping for eastern out of the frosh but if he’s a top hundred type than its a nice grab. What if eastern still wanted to come?Do you really turn that talent down? You’d still have a spot for a four.
Donnie Tillman played well at NY2LA
6’6” 2017 forward Donnie Tillman (Dream Vision 17u/Findlay Prep, NV.) He would arguably be the top player in Michigan’s 2017 class if he hadn’t made the move out west from Detroit Cass Tech after his freshman year. Strength, athleticism, skill, rebounding, versatility, and a matchup nightmare for most as his production nears 20 and 10 for most games. He has a knack for pulling down boards amongst taller players and with a quick second bounce tips in are frequent, but his scoring doesn’t stop in the paint as he scored from the wing in mid-range and perimeter opportunities. He holds numerous high major offers.
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So with the PG spot taken does that change who we might offer next? Brooks is a much better shooter than Eastern so does that mean we go after Smith a bit harder or could Tillman become a bigger priority at the 4 with the Brooks commitment? Would be nice if both ships still open are filled with players who can get to the rim.
Last question, do people think JB fills the two ships in the early period or leaves one for late? Wilkes said he would probably decide in the spring.
Just noted this in the Eli Brooks thread, but definitely a bit more flexibility with Brooks in the fold.
I think Livers will be the next offer. Smith is probably ahead of Tillman in the pecking order and I believe he’s going to visit again. Livers had kind of a quiet Peach Jam, but I do like his ability to hit shots at multiple levels.
Smith on the other hand seems to be turning it up in July – part of that might be the fact that he’s not playing the top EYBL teams as much as well.
Eastern looks great to you or me as an additional guard or a wing but the kid 100% wants to play point guard at the next level so that’s likely a non-starter.
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Dylan, do you think they might hold off on Livers for a bit in pursuit of a more dynamic player with the ball?
Options are there which is good, still hoping we get Lawrence on campus.
UM viewed him exclusively as a PG, he was much higher on UM than people knew. Which is why Brooks didn’t make a ton of sense IMO. But, the staff didn’t want to wait until April, and that is why Brooks is here.
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Yes – U-M viewed him exclusively as a PG and that’s the only way to get in the conversation with Nojel right now. My point was that I think U-M would still take him at a different spot, but I don’t think he has any intention of going somewhere to play a different spot.
Is the gamble of waiting on Nojel til April, even if you say Michigan was in the top, worth missing out on Brooks and trying to find something late? There really aren’t many PGs left on Michigan’s radar after Davison and it is obvious that Brooks wasn’t going to wait.
Maybe you can sign someone like Amauri Hardy late (I know you brought him up in the other thread), but I think it is fair to say Brooks’ offer sheet puts him a level above Hardy.
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Its not a gamble IMO, because you can find a Brooks level talent late in the cycle. Furthermore, PG was simply not a necessity in 17. Should be best available talent - the only spot that was absolutely necessary was the 4 IMO.
With regard to Hardy, if he picks up a few more HMs, then does he become a Brooks level prospect? Point is, based on film, Hardy appears to be a better player than Brooks IMO.