I’ve seen a few games of Livers and Johns in person in high school and IMO Livers is much more likely to play a small ball 5 than Johns. Johns is very perimeter oriented and skilled (mostly as a shooter) but I have major questions about his rebounding. Livers appears more comfortable in the high and low post to me. That said, I was completely shocked that Livers played a few minutes at the 5 last week
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Different body types I think. Johns looks to be a mesomorph gravitating a little toward ectomorph. Livers looks to be solidly a mesomorph gravitating slightly toward endomorph. Butts and shoulders…
Well now that’'s way above my IQ which seems really low after reading that.
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Thanks for the lesson. I feel smarter already
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This thread just got weird.
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If you’ve seen johns in person recently I’d be shocked if he isn’t already 220 lbs or more currently.
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In July personally I’d say he was 220-225 lbs. A kid I know very well who just committed to Ferris State is about 6’7 225 and Brandon and him are pretty tight, the kid said Brandon is pretty close to the same size if not a little bigger and probably stronger naturally but he doesn’t use his strength like he should.
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I would be very sure Wagner is gone at season’s end. Look at the options otherwise:
If Wagner doesn’t leave this year then Beilein is in trouble with scholarships. By recruiting & signing 5 players early, Michigan put itself one player over the scholarship limit for next season. Matthews has a LOT further to go than Wagner to prove he’s NBA worthy. No logic at this point in the season to Teske or Davis transferring nor for Livers, nor Poole or Z or Brook. Maybe, Watson opts to transfer, but he’s still within reasonable distance of a spot in the rotation and if Beilein though he was gone UM would be grooming Poole with those minutes this season, not Watson.
Most logical conclusion is Beilein — who doesn’t like to even toe the line into grey areas of NCAA regulations — already knows Wagner is gone at season’s end and recruited a fifth player (a center) with that roster movement in mind.
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Yea, understand, it’s the most likely, but not anywhere close to certain.
College basketball rosters have plenty of surprises. If Wagner decided he wanted to stay, could see a guy like Austin Davis heading elsewhere for playing time. Ibi is another option. Unless he can play the two (he can’t), he won’t be getting much time on the wing after this year.
Beilein certainly it wouldn’t turn Mo away.
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Perhaps, but it was always my understanding that Michigan was Davis’s true dream school in a way that we fans can understand.
Would Davis transfer not for the sake of his own PT but for the good of Michigan? Wow, that would be a tough conversation. I’m hoping there would be another way to resolve that situation.
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Why do you say this? He’s ahead of Poole, what makes you so sure he won’t stay there?
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Poole is a young freshman with a potentially dominant skill. Ibi is a great kid with a great attitude and good athleticism who, like Kam and maybe Doyle could really show off against a different tier.
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Poole is a freshman with potential at the 2. It’s my opinion he sits a bit and learns this year. Next year he’ll play with Brooks in a combo rotation.
Ibi, who fits the 3, will play behind Matthews and Iggy. Don’t think for a second Bacari dosent have eyes on UM’s roster. Kam, Aubrey and Ricky all transferred after year 2. It happens.
Ibi dosent have the ball skills to play the 2 consistently, imo.
Again, all hypothetical. Who knows what will happen. Point is, if Wagner decides to get a degree, Beilein isn’t saying no.
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I agree Beilein & staff would not “turn down” Wagner if he wanted to come back for his 4th year. But I do think they recruited the Class of ‘18 with the strong belief that Wagner is gone after the season.
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If Wagner were to return and the usual roster movement happens then I could see Castleton being a red-shirt candidate. That would not be a bad thing as he would get the chance to learn the system and go through camp Sanderson.
Except that redshirt don’t really learn the system due to being on the scout team.
They do learn the system; they just don’t run it every day in practice — spending a lot of time working as the scout team.
(Not directed at you bebopson…)
But regardless of whether Castleton is redshirted or not, he still counts as a scholarship so that doesn’t address the issue of getting under the scholarship limit if Wagner returns.
These sort of things are impossible to project in terms of what exactly would transpire, but they almost always take care of themselves. If everything goes according to plan, I think Wagner will be going pro. If it doesn’t, it’ll be figured out in the spring.
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Thought it was interesting that JB referenced this in the presser today. Maybe the small ball lineup is indeed something they’re working on when Moe is on the bench. Not saying it’s something we’ll see a lot of, but it obviously wasn’t a mistake to have that type of lineup on the court.
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