I have the exact opposite opinion after watching that video. Millington is quick, but he was guarded by one of Eli’s teammates in all but three highlights. On one, he could not get past Eli and pulled up for a jumper he missed. On another, it looked like Eli got called for a hand check. On the third, Millington pulled for jumper that he made. OTOH, the other team put their best defender on Eli and helped when he drove the ball. He was able to score on jumpers and winding his way through traffic to the basket. He assisted with a nice no look pass. You’re trying too hard to back up your view of Eli when you say that you’re more impressed with Millington.
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I’m baffled why Brooks can’t play pg for M
Is it because he has good vision?
Is it because he’s a good passer?
Is it because he has an excellent shot with excellent form?
Is it because he’s a good athlete, and if we’re to believe Millington: “very strong”?
Is it because he exhibits great composure?
Is it because he can score on three levels?
Please tell me why Brooks will be a failure at M.
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I’ll disagree. To each his own.
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A serious question, Matt, and I’ll absolutely take your word for it without further comment–have you seen many games at Brooks’ AAU level? I know you’ve seen a ton of eybl games, and provided detailed reports to us, but I’m assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that that you’ve seen less games at that level than other games, and thus that you’re guessing a bit when you call his AAU level “suspect competition.” If I am, tell me. The reason I wonder about the “suspect competition” thing is that so many quality programs got in and offered a kid (an undersized, not incredibly athletic kid from a region which isn’t a pipeline to future talent at that) who was not even on their radar based solely on his performance over a few months on that AAU circuit–did they all not know it was “suspect?”
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I’m not comparing Brooks to DeJulius in terms of overall ability–based solely on the film I’ve seen, DeJulius is better. All I’m saying is that if you’re going to say that this roster needs a shot of athleticism and quickness, as well as some size at the PG spot, well, Dave doesn’t meet the qualifications, and yet you and I both really like his game.
Dave is much more athletic imo then we’re giving him credit for. I don’t see the he’s not athletic argument. He looks quick. Dunks pretty easily for a kid who looks 5 11 and that’s in traffic with guys trying to take charges. Is he super athletic? No, but I don’t see his athleticism being a problem at all.
This will be my last post with respect to this particular film/clip, since its clearly not headed anywhere.
I’ve seen plenty of games at the same level of Brooks’ AAU competition. Here in Michigan, those are teams like the Grand Rapids Storm, West Michigan Lakers, etc. Basically an AAU team full of D2/D3 types and the occasional D1/MM type. There is no comparison to that level of play in relation to a shoe sponsored team. So, in my opinion, that is suspect competition.
As to why Brooks cannot play PG at Michigan in response to JJ3 - Duncan Robinson has good vision, is a pretty good passer, has excellent form…and yet he cannot play point guard. And that is because he simply doesn’t have ballhandling skills that allow for it, much like Brooks.
As to MHoops question - I’ve set repeatedly that Dave isn’t a great athlete, but I’ve also said repeatedly that we need players that can create off the dribble much more than we need catch and shoot guys, and Dave is certainly a guy that can create off the dribble. Somehow, you failed to incorporate my preference for that that into your analysis, conveniently. Eli Brooks simply cannot create off the dribble in a halfcourt setting against legit comp in my opinion based on what I’ve seen.
Bottom line for me - Eli Brooks isn’t a good enough ballhandler to play PG in college. He’s a 5’11 SG that functions as a 3/4 in high school. He has limited upside based on size and lack of athleticism. That is my projection for Brooks as of now, an undersized SG, with limited upside, that we should not have pursued.
Brooks looked a smidge quicker than I thought he would be. For some reason I was thinking he’s really slow footed. I still think - as others - that he’s a SG in a PG body.
Like many other players, I don’t have a problem with Brooks. I think he can be a nice player.
It’s where that piece fits into the whole picture for our roster that confuses me.
But alas - he’s coming so I will root for him. I would like to see a little better on-ball defense (just haven’t seen it, maybe he is good?), and more ball handling (which is probably hard since he gets trapped and doubled). Do what you do and do it well would be my hope for Eli. Crank in some 3’s and be a scoring punch from the Guard position.
Good players with competitive spirit usually get better when they play against better competition. Brooks is dominating weaker competition now, I would expect his level of play to improve once he gets a chance to practice with and compete against better competition.
Fans often tend to see a player as they are now and don’t allow for any growth. Sometimes players don’t progress much, but other times they do. I recall preseason discussion about Wilson where many here were hoping that he would be good enough to give us some quality minutes off the bench at the 4. Now, you could make a case for him being our best player.
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I get why you think he wouldn’t be able to create off the dribble against top competition but I feel like you can’t say that for certain because he appears pretty crafty and a " heady" player with an array of solid moves. I understand the prediction but he appears to be intelligent and could figure out how to get his shot.
He’s definetly a huge mystery much like Wagner was, in terms of competition: limited film. I guess having faith belein is smart enough to offer someone real deal, one with the other coaches ( wright in particular). I like that wright wanted him as wright has a good track record with pg/ combo guards.
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My take on Brooks is that he has a decent handle (crafty as SB2 states), quick shot, seems to get anywhere he wants on the floor minus double teams and I think his athleticism is underrated. He also appears to me to be a smart player which also may because he is a coaches son and we know how JB likes those type of players. Now I don’t want to get into the squabble above about who is the better player but I don’t see how anyone can surmise that one player is better than the other by that small sample size. I see two different ways of getting it done. One just happen to have had legit offers.
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My take on Eli
Pro:
Great form…looks to be solid off the catch, off screens and off the bounce as a shooter
Looks strong and won’t get bullied IMO
Not a flashy ball handler but sufficient enough to handle pressure
Con:
Straight line driver, almost no shift or change of direction. Don’t expect any isolations and his pull up game will almost certainly need ballscreens.
Plays below the rim in the half court
Undersized
Poor defensively
Unknown:
passing ability/spatial awareness
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As someone who has seem almost every game Eli has played in the last two years, I can give some insight to some of your thoughts and concerns. First, gauging him of these videos gives you a very small insight into his game. Eli has to be the leading scorer, rebounder, assist leader and play the other teams biggest guy or best it every night. You are all right that his teammates are your basic high school players. He plays every minute of every game and handles all of the above. He is a team player. If his teammates are on, he happily scores 20 points. If they disappear, he’s scores as much as needed. Coach Beline told Eli if he can score with the way he’s defended, he’ll have no issues in college. Teams consistently put a sacrificial player on him and that person holds, scratches, and bumps him even when the ball isn’t in play. Then he faces two or three guys once he catches the ball. He never loses his cool. He knows it’s all these teams can do. He just plays through it. As far as comparing him to Millington, it’s not a fair comparison. Millington played against other defenders and no double teams. Whenever Eli switched on to him, He couldn’t do anything against Eli until that one crossover in the 4th quarter. By then, Eli was tired from carrying the team as best he could. Millington is a good player. But he had a superior team around him and doesn’t have to be anything but a scorer. I promise you, you’d much rather build a team around Eli. And lastly, he’s a better person than player. He will be a great representative of Michigan.
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Awesome breakdown. That’s probably why Eli has better offer than Millington.
Don’t know you saw in that video that leads you to conclude that he’s “poor defensively.” Plays below the rim? How many guards play above the rim? I’m not even sure what that means. In any event, he has no trouble dunking and had two nice blocks in that video. Shortest distance between two points is a straight line. He gets to the rim repeatedly and finishes, straight line or not.
You’re welcome. If you have any other questions, I’ll do my best to answer them
You’re welcome to turn on ESPN right now if you want to see what a PG that plays above the rim means.
Millington beat him a few times in that video. I’m willing to bet he does not have the foot speed or lateral quickness to stay in front of his man.
And no, Eli does not have the first step to get to the rim repeatedly in a straight line at the high major level. Even the elite guards use shiftiness, change of direction, crossovers, hesitations, etc to get separation and Eli is no elite guard.
I believe he’s ranked 37 PG in the country, so he must really suck…
And Jay Wright has had some of the best pgs in the country and offered him, but what does he know?
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And rankings mean what exactly? Such a silly argument?
Nonsense, Trey didn’t play above the rim. Neither did the Louisville guards we faced. Nor do Villanova’s guards. It doesn’t matter. Eli will be just fine. He was matched up on Millington three times on that video. millington scored once on a jumper. You never heard of Millington before now, yet you’re pronouncing him to be better than Eli after a few minutes of video. BTW, Millington was not given the assignment to guard Eli. Maybe he’s a poor defender.
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