Former Michigan Players NOT in NBA

Michigan Basketball
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So I know we have a thread on former Michigan players that are currently in the NBA. I randomly came across some athletes on LinkedIn and thought it would be interesting to see what some of the former Wolverines who didn’t make it to the NBA are doing

  • Zack Novak - looks like he’s using the BBA from Ross…worked at McKinsey and now looks to be working at a computer software company in Chicago

  • Matt Vogrich - another Ross BBA student, working at IBM now

Glad to see former student athletes use their education after their playing careers are over. I think Stu Douglass is still playing oversees somewhere?

SKnight

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Stu was playing in Israel last year. Not sure if he’s still there.

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Eso Akunne is finishing up law school at Loyola. Evan Smotrycz is playing in Germany this year.

SKnight

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I’ve always had a soft spot for Eso since he went to the same elementary, middle, and high school that I did.

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Chris Hunter is Director of Player Personnel for Michigan.

Check that, re-read your post. He did play in the NBA. Another Business School Graduate. Very Impressive.

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JMo playing in Greece.

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Manny Harris in the D-League.

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Looks like Darius Morris is still in the D League as well.

Side note - does anyone know what the D League salary is? Wonder if it’s enough to make a decent living off.

SKnight

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I’m not 100% sure but I believe with the new agreement, it was increased to 50-55,000 per year.

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Anyone remember if Morris was projected to go way earlier in the draft than he did? That decision to leave seems so odd to me.

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Some random draft boards still online. Range on Morris is pretty consistently very late 1st round, early 2nd round:

http://www.nbadraft.net/2011mock_draft
Mocked 31st

http://www.mynbadraft.com/2011-NBA-Mock-Draft-Round-2
Mocked 36th


Mocked 34th


Mocked 27th

http://walterfootball.com/nbadraft2011mock_2.php
Mocked 33rd


Not mocked in the 1st Round


Mocked 26th


Not mocked in the 1st round

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Found this note as well:

Morris has declared for the draft without hiring an agent, so he’s eligible to return to school if he’s not satisfied with his status. Most experts see him as a first-round bubble pick. His combination of size and floor vision makes him an intriguing prospect, but the consensus among pundits seems to be that he should return to school for another season. Whether NBA general managers agree with that assessment is still unclear.

SKnight

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Back then having any UM player get drafted anywhere seemed like such a big accomplishment…also crazy to think that if he had returned we could have had Darius as a junior with Trey as a freshmen on the same team…wonder how that would have shook out

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Any idea what Zak Irvin is up to now that he is back from Italy?

Also - how about Spike? I’m assuming he’s working/looking for a 9-5 type job? Always curious as to what some of these guys end up doing after their collegiate careers are over.

SKnight

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I do a double take every time I read “Lakers GM Rob Pelinka” I think…wait…OUR Rob Pelinka??

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I remember discussion about how fewer players entered the NBA draft that year because people wanted to know the terms of a coming collective bargaining agreement (IIRC). Some people commented that Morris knew that year gave him a better shot at first round status than future, stronger NBA drafts would.

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Anyone know what Spike is up to these days? Is he playing overseas somewhere?

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https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-former-thunder-mitch-mcgary-is-now-a-competitive-bowler/
Update on McGary’s bowling career

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195 is a long way from cashing a check

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