Had a chance to watch several shots in slow-mo/freeze frame - particularly the 1:13 mark, 2:19 mark, 2:49 mark - he does drop the ball down to knee level, bends the right knee inward (which is why his abdomen/body turns left during his shot motion), and he doesn’t hold follow through quite long enough for us…BUT his right elbow is damn near directly straight…almost mechanical. Also has good release point (meaning high) with good arch…his shot will rarely be short. Think he has sound mechanics, but as you say, he can do a few things to quicken up his release time, namely ball level (should be chest high).
Think we both agree though…would absolutely love to have him. Looks a lot like Marcus Morris IMO with the ability to put it on the deck from midrange and high post and either create a shot for himself or others. Also able to stretch defense out to 3 with a legit shot from distance. Not afraid of contact in the paint, a willing rebounder…just so versatile.
That is what you call a legit B10 starter in terms of talent…just a huge difference between that and the HS film we viewed from Aubrey Dawkins, Zak Irvin, DJ Wilson.
And that is going to need to happen again with kids that aren’t “earning” their scholarship.
That Beilein openly said that phrase "earning your scholarship (the reference was to Donnal and the redshirt sophomore, junior classification) gives me at least HOPE that guys that aren’t cutting it well be sat down and “mutually depart”
Its part of the business of college basketball, but Beilein has done it before and needs to do it again.
All of our differences aside, I just wanna let you know that you really are appreciated here. I heard that you posted quite a bit on one of the paid forums when you took your extended absence, but this your input belongs here. These threads are really where I get just about all of my recruiting info. I live out of the area and am not nearly as involved in prep sports as I would like to be (damn health care job). I wouldn’t know who half these kids are or what they projected to be without all the great breakdowns.
I’m sure we’ll disagree more in the future, but know that it isn’t out of lack of respect.
I preface this by saying I don’t think we need backup PG for 17, just doesn’t make sense given our roster and talent needs. That being said, if JB is indeed set on taking a backup PG, I think he should give Amauri Hardy (17/North Farmington HS) a hard look as previously mentioned. I haven’t seen Hardy on any of the recruiting sites (but haven’t looked either), I’ve seen Hardy on about 10 occasions in addition to the Michigan Elite 25, and I think he could help us in that role. Hardy is a legit 6’2 and has a solid frame, has good hops for that size, excellent strength, above average handle/change of direction, and is a good shooter. Hardy is not a pure/pass first PG, he is more of a scoring guard that is an excellent finisher in traffic that can shoot off catch and shoot or off the bounce.
Overall - I’d say Hardy is a top 90-125 type player, and his game reminds me a bit of Isaiah Thomas of the Boston Celtics. I much prefer Hardy over Jarrod West…he’s probably 2-3 inches bigger, MUCH stronger, a better shooter, and more athletic. I think Hardy is just much more college ready than Jarrod West.
I like Jemaine Jackson, Jr. in that role as well if there must be a back up PG. I think it is odd that they are recruiting one, but that is beside the point.
To be honest, if not for size, Jermaine would be a top 50 player…he has ALL the tools from a skill standpoint. I think Jermaine will look elsewhere because he can be a starting PG for many teams at the collegiate level.