I never said that there were dozens who would be eligible or would fit the program. My only point was that there were dozens of grad transfers who COULD help. We only need one to actually sign to improve the depth and there is little if any down side.
Taking a grad transfer who would be 9th or 10th in the rotation is one thing. There isn’t much downside to that.
Taking another '16 kid who might only be 9th or 10th man doesn’t make nearly as much sense.
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And the point is that no grad transfer wants to be 9th or 10th in the rotation, at least a ‘good’ one who could be playing starter/6th man minutes for a different school. We need to find one who is good enough to be the first 2-4 off the bench, content playing 20ish minutes, fulfills academic credentials, and actually wants to come here. That’s a lot of boxes to check.
Also, obviously, it would be great if we found a starting-caliber grad transfer, but Idk how many there are out there who Beilein would give starter minutes over MAAR or Duncan (I think Walton, Irvin and Mark/Mo are guaranteed starters), if a transfer who is better than any of our starters is even on the market.
Dozens? Might be a bit of an exaggeration but as my example included a guy like Barry. Barry would certainly be in the rotation for Michigan, could start, certainly one of the first guys off the bench. I still feel comfortable saying a grad transfer >>>>>> empty scholarship. This is more about a depth and competitive practice issue more than anything. With only 11 scholarships filled and 4 recruits coming in, most likely one of the bigs will redshirt, so that’s pretty much down to 10 total options. Michigan isn’t blessed with the luxury of having 10 players and 6 or 7 being McDonalds All Americans. For this team to have a successful season they will need all hands on deck. That means they can’t have guys like Irvin or Walton having similar type years, it means Wagner has to take a big step forward etc… More options the better, I don’t know if Baruti was the answer I would prefer 2 grad transfers over a 16 recruit but I said earlier players don’t fall out of the sky this late.
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In terms of players falling out of the sky this late (and particularly as this applies to grad transfers)…don’t you think the new rule regarding players testing the NBA waters has effected the grad transfer activity? I know if I was a grad transfer looking for playing time, i would wait until all of the NBA draft activity has subsided before making my decision. Obviously UM’s roster isn’t changing based on this dynamic, but other programs that grad transfers may look to in addition to our program are most likely in this state of limbo.
All that said, I agree with the basic premise of your post regarding a GT>>empty scholie.
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What you have to remember is that grad transfers want to go somewhere where they will play. That eliminates a ton of prospects. There are a handful of guys who stand out who you could say would likely be in the rotation. No one wants to transfer to school where he would be there just in case someone got hurt. Barry appears to be a guy who would crack the rotation. Did he have any interest in Michigan? Florida’s in bad shape and needs players.
Is Theo Johnson still available? I like his game.
It’s being reported on the WVU board that Harold Baruti is reopening his recruitment. A guy that is generally “in the know” there, thinks he got a high TOEFL test and could be UM bound. Says it’s per speculation at but he is the “MattD” of their board with regards to knowledge of recruiting.
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He’s quite raw, so I don’t see him helping much this season. At that point then, is he a better prospect than some of the guys we are in on for 2017? We seem to be in pretty good shape with Matthews and Cain (although we’ve seen how these situations are fluid). If Baruti is a 3 (or 3/4 tweener), I’m not sure if he is a take at this point.
I would certainly prioritize Matthews ahead of Baruti. Only reason to take Baruti is if you think he can make an impact this year that makes him worth taking. Because I don’t think anyone would say he’s a better prospect than someone like Jamal Cain or Justin Smith.
Just starting to get nervous at the lack of (known) grad transfer options. If we go 2016, the Baruti type seems like the most likely pickup
Yeah, at this point I’m assuming that we won’t be getting a grad transfer, unfortunately.
If we were to take baruti and Matthews, how many scholarships would be available in 17?
What’s your take on that point, Dylan? Do you think he could contribute enough to warrant the scholarship position?
And since I understand you might not be in a position to want to answer that, Im curious about what everyone thinks? Lack of grad transfer targets, Matthews, etc.
My guy reaction is that no he’s probably not quite worth an offer especially if you can land Charles Matthews. If not, then maybe you try to get Baruti, but I could go either way.
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What is the story here? Does he have the score or not?[quote=“umhoops, post:184, topic:1797”]
aruti posted a qualifying score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language, but came in below Michigan’s required score.
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I guess that he is not an option. Was his offer from Utah conditional on TOEFL as well.
May turn into something amazing, but he would almost have to in order to take a slot from the 17 class where we have a much better set of names than in most prior years at this stage. People have said it before, but the only way this could make sense aside from a LeVert-like diamond in the rough scenario is if he could actually play quality minutes in 16, but those two points are basically saying the same thing. Someone would have to be really really sure on that.
TOEFL or not i’d pass based on what limited info is out there to project with on the guy.