Is it possible that the coaches see MAAR as a PG who will be around in 2017, and so PG isn’t as big of a priority in 16? That seems crazy to me, but I don’t get how they’re not beating down the door for Winston until he signs an LOI elsewhere.
Is it possible that the coaches see MAAR as a PG who will be around in 2017, and so PG isn't as big of a priority in 16? That seems crazy to me, but I don't get how they're not beating down the door for Winston until he signs an LOI elsewhere.
Even if they do which I think is the case they still need to have 3 options to handle the ball.
Is it possible that the coaches see MAAR as a PG who will be around in 2017, and so PG isn't as big of a priority in 16? That seems crazy to me, but I don't get how they're not beating down the door for Winston until he signs an LOI elsewhere.
I get that Beilein wasn’t at the last game, but he can’t be at every game (I believe the limit is 7 per HS season). What is the reason to think that they aren’t recruiting the heck out of Winston?
I have to think the staff has a decent feel for where they stand with a kid. The fact that Izzo/Stephens/Fife is at every game, and we are not would indicate to me that the staff knows we can’t beat State for Winston. That is annoying on multiple levels, but as long as we get a good player, I don’t care who we get. We need to have some perspective. After the summer camp last year, we offered about 10 2016 targets. Teske accepted almost immediately. We want every recruitment to go that way, but that seems exceptional. Most of these kids, as Matt D has said, want the constant love and seem to get off on the process. We have been targeting the cream of that year’s crop, Thornton, Goodin, Winston, Murray at PG. We think it’s a disaster if we miss on all four. But Burke would not have been regarded at that level during his junior year of high school. I obsess as much as anyone, but we need to chill. They will find a good kid who wants to play here and they will develop him. We worry about not getting any top 10 kids. But Wisconsin doesn’t have any either. They have a great coach, like we do, and their kids stuck around, where ours left. Hopefully, JB & co close some deals, and we are right back in the hunt next year.
MattSwit,
I could not agree more with your comments. Ryan and Beilein are similar in how they approach recruiting. Ryan develops players and lucky enough for him, they stayed. Beilein develops players and unfortunately for us, they left. Part of the reason I enjoy college basketball is watching kids develop. I am much more interested in seeing how Dawkins and MAAR end up as seniors than having someone on campus for 6 months so they can go to the NBA.
Is it possible that the coaches see MAAR as a PG who will be around in 2017, and so PG isn't as big of a priority in 16? That seems crazy to me, but I don't get how they're not beating down the door for Winston until he signs an LOI elsewhere.I get that Beilein wasn’t at the last game, but he can’t be at every game (I believe the limit is 7 per HS season). What is the reason to think that they aren’t recruiting the heck out of Winston?
I think most (myself included) are at a point where the frustration with the lack of recruiting success may be putting the coaching staff under a microscope more than it would otherwise. When we repeatedly miss out on kids that have been targets for more than a year, I think the inclination is to say ‘JB needs to work harder’, or something needs to change, etc. Whether that is true or not, nobody really knows. I do know this, recruiting has not gone very well in terms of being able to lock up our preferred targets. Don’t necessarily think it is based on a lack of effort alone, but a combination of things, most of which is just JB’s general makeup…just doesn’t strike me as a guy that will beg a kid to play for him for the better part of 2 years, just isn’t in his DNA. The college basketball world has changed, HS kids now hold all the leverage unless you are Coach K or Cal…some may not like it, but that is what it has come to. I just think his personality is only attractive to a very select group of HS kids…I just don’t think the kids perceive JB as being able to relate to them all that well on issues outside of basketball.
Is it possible that the coaches see MAAR as a PG who will be around in 2017, and so PG isn't as big of a priority in 16? That seems crazy to me, but I don't get how they're not beating down the door for Winston until he signs an LOI elsewhere.
I highly doubt that. I think a pg in 2016 is a huge priority.
I think Matt D is onto something, but I am guessing the powers that be at UM are happy in some respects that we aren’t doing what we need to do to attract the cream. I read the Mr. Basketball article the other day on Deyonta Davis. As you scan the list since 1981, it is kind of a history lesson. In the 1980’s, major players every year, and UM the primary destination, well into the mid 90s. Then Izzo takes over and gets who he wants. At the same time, you start getting lesser players winning the award, reflecting the decline in local talent. I mean, I’m 46 years old and I can’t believe that last year’s Mr.Basketball from Michigan was only good enough to go to Stonybrook. So if the local talent is down, that makes it all the more important to get what local talent there is, because you would think we have an advantage. That’s the only sting on Winston. I would put this back to Matt D: If we swing and miss on Thornton, Goodin, Ramsey, Murray, Winston et al, what 2016 sleeper is out there who you like? And don’t say Sina!!!
Devearl Ramsey is probably one to watch.
On Beilein and his potential shortcomings with recruits “on issues outside of basketball”…presumably that’s where the staff (specifically Lavall and Bacari) would come into play?
Devearl Ramsey is probably one to watch.On Beilein and his potential shortcomings with recruits “on issues outside of basketball”…presumably that’s where the staff (specifically Lavall and Bacari) would come into play?
Hence, my subtle wishes for Lavall to take over sooner rather than later.
FWIW I heard plenty of chatter from UD students/parents at the game yesterday conveying the same. I have no personal information on the situation, so can't confirm the validityApparently Izzo was here to see Winston, Beilein was not. U-D people around me think it's only a matter of time till Winston commits to MSU
— Nick Mattar (@nickomattar) March 24, 2015
That was my tweet - I was in the upper deck, first row behind U-D’s bench. I don’t usually post on this board but I guess now I’ll begin haha.
People sitting around me were all U-D people. They weren’t parents but definitely seemed to know the squad pretty well based on what they were saying about the season, Cassius, etc.
Everybody around me kept talking about Izzo and how he wants Winston more than anybody. It really annoyed me. After Winston hit the game-winning layup they started joking that he was going to walk right over to Izzo and commit on the spot. Then I started asking a bit more seriously as Detroit Western and Ypsilanti were about to tip off and about four of them all agreed they think he will “definitely commit to MSU soon.” These people could have been making it all up but they all believed the same thing. Btw I’m a bit of a pessimist so I felt inclined to tweet it…
Great game to watch, though. Andrew Myers for Clarkston was terrific as he essentially kept them in it until the end. Loyer was over-matched but I was impressed by his ability to keep his composure despite having a rough game offensively. And Winston did whatever he wanted for most of the game. I noticed he enjoys the off-arm extension when he drives into the lane. I’m not sure if that’s something he always does but it seemed to be a bit more obvious than other players I’ve seen recently. Did anybody else in attendance notice that?
@Imported_From-Troy, thanks for the story, it’s a good one – but it’s also a good reminder not to get too worked up by this stuff. What several folks without any particularly good apparent connection to Winston, and who may have been MSU fans for all we know, think about his likely destination should not move the needle much. Some people have thought this all along, and it may be true, we shall see. Thanks again for sharing.
Yeah it’s such a toss-up and none of us really do know. The Jaylen Brown recruitment is similar. Nobody really knows anything of substance and we are all basing these rumors on what others say. As I was writing that post I thought I was nuts for actually writing about what all these random people are saying about what a 17-year-old kid is planning on doing for college.
Hence, my subtle wishes for Lavall to take over sooner rather than later.
But he’s on staff now. Shouldn’t that matter?
Hence, my subtle wishes for Lavall to take over sooner rather than later.But he’s on staff now. Shouldn’t that matter?
I think it does to a certain degree, but I think we all know that when the ‘love’ is coming from the head coach it carries a bit more weight because the head coach is the ultimate authority.
nm
FWIW I sat about 10 rows behind UD bench at the Arthur Hill vs UD game and heard alot of the same chatter about Winston heading to msu, but when I asked if they were msu fans, they confirmed that they were, and the ones that weren’t, were parents that didn’t seem to follow college basketball. Not saying these were same people or that he won’t end up there, just a fwiw
The season is over for Mr. Winston. Im assuming recruiting will now come more into focus.
I’m actually kind of surprised that more '16 PG targets haven’t emerged. We haven’t heard any names outside of Winston and it is a HUGE need in the class. I actually like the film of Devearl Ramsey we have seen, but hard to tell how serious the pursuit is.
The season is over for Mr. Winston. Im assuming recruiting will now come more into focus.
Cassius struggled big time today. Couldn’t buy a shot from deep, and must have had 5-6 TOs.