Rivals and 24/7 are just so bizarrely off base (IMO) on Young. 173rd on 24/7 and 139th on Rivals? How can anyone see his play and not say he’s at least a top 100 player, if not top 75.
Nope…simply can’t use a scholarship on West. We need a talent and athleticism upgrade…and West is not that. Think its rather silly to expend a scholarship on a 5-8 minute per game player when we need a roster overhaul at the 3 and 4 spots. If its me I’m making Young my #1 priority AND get Cain/another playmaking 2/3.
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The same thing could (and was) said about Spike.
I totally agree, however, big difference between playing a supplemental role when you have Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway, Glenn Robinson, Mitch McGary, Caris Levert…vs playing a supplemental role with a roster of Xavier Simpson, Jordan Poole, Ibi Watson, Duncan Robinson, DJ Wilson, Kam Chatman, Aubrey Dawkins, Ricky Doyle, Jon Teske Austin Davis…the dropoff of the top 2 players on the 17 roster may (hopefully) only be marginal…after that the talent dropoff is quite substantial. What I was trying to say in a PC way above is this - we don’t have room for role players because our roster needs a complete overhaul from a talent and athleticism standpoint.
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Exactly! That’s what the fan base really struggles with right now. You want to take a chance on someone it’s fine if you have studs in the class. You can absorb a miss on a kid then.
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In both cases, we need(ed) a back up point guard. That is the main motivator. I don’t expect any offer to go out until the dust settles and we see how many we can take in '17.
We need a stud combo guard that can play PG in a pinch when Simpson is tired and MAAR is in foul trouble. Then get a true PG in 18.
Yep, I’d go after a combo for 17 instead of backup PG. If we’re going to go for a PG, go for the best one we can find. I don’t think we’ll have a problem finding them all minutes.
Bacon nailed it…MAAR can play backup PG in 17/18 if needed and then Poole should be sufficient as a sophomore in that role. We need difference makers rather than stopgaps/fillers
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I agree for the most part. My only concern about having 1 true pg on the roster is that an injury could really derail the season. I agree that MAAR and possibly Poole could provide spot minutes at pg. I just don’t think the results would be great if Simpson was injured for any extended period of time.
That said, if we are going to recruit a pg, we should most definitely not recruit a low-ceiling under-the-radar guy to primarily serve as a backup.
I still think we would be more than fine with a combo even if a injury hits. It’s a two guard offense there are adjustments that can be made
Agree that backup PG may not be the priority, but FWIW as discussed earlier, I think Jermaine Jackson would be a much better option than West, whose highlights just look like some random “good” player in an open gym.
Agreed - a point guard in this offense really only means “best ballhandler to bring the ball up the court”. Once we’re in our offensive sets, it doesn’t matter whether the guy is 6’1 or 6’5 if he can handle the ball in PnR situations. We do need a high IQ guy on the court from a leadership standpoint, but there is no rule that this MUST be a PG in this offense.
Get the best guards we can get, period.
I remember the staff looked at Nojel Eastern a while back – seems to have B10 interest, good size, and right about the sweet spot in terms of the level we’re looking for – No. 67 per 247 composite. Apparently is now a MSU lean – has that ship sailed?
Haven’t heard Eastern mentioned with UM in quite some time. Visited Purdue recently, and Izzo checked him out a few weeks back.
Probably unnecessary to post highlights if the interest has diminished, but since I think this is the kind of midwestern prospect Michigan should be seriously pursuing…
To alleviate anyone’s concerns about not getting another point, Beilein’s offense was literally made to make up for rosters without a good point guard.
That is a good point to remember. We don’t need a PG to initiate the offense. It runs itself. But it is nice to have your traditional PG for when things break down and you need to create. But that doesn’t necessarily have to come from a PG (ie Stauskas, Irvin, Caris etc.)
The lack of interest could be coming from the coaching staff but could very well be coming from the kid as well. That’s one of the things that we don’t know, kid just might not be interested. I don’t know if that is the case in this situation with Eastern but it could very well be.
Could be – it’s all speculation as you suggest. That said, he holds a mixed back of offers and as a versatile guard with room for development, it’s hard to see how a guy like that would dismiss Michigan off hand without a serious look. It’s not like he’s a traditional back-to-the-basket big and just wouldn’t fit the system.
With the ongoing decline in talent and athleticism I think the staff bears a certain amount of responsibility to pursue (and appeal to) the gettable four-star-ish guys with upside who fit the system.