I mean Hyland is a top recruit at least according to 247. I am not sure why Hyland is viewed as some late class filler by so many. The kid can play. He was off the radar because he couldn’t play for over a year.
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For me, I am not sure if Hyland will step in on day 1. If not, then you have signed 3 or 4 guys in the same class who are playing similar positions. Wilson, Franz, Bajema and Hyland would be battling for 2 spots over the next 4 years. Someone is probably transferring within a year or two. That is the only reason I am not interested in both (Franz and Hyland). Outside of that, I agree with what you are saying.
I actually think that would be four players fighting over 3 spots. Wilson could play the 3-4, Franz could end up playing 2-4, and Bajema could play the 2-3. Hyland is probably just a 2. Maybe PG in a pinch. Someone is going to transfer no matter what. Not next year, but the year after there will absolutely be a logjam at the 3-4 spots. But considering the rate of roster turnover these days, that’s more than ok.
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Not saying I would sign Hyland or not but he appears to have more PG skills than MAAR did at time of signing and MAAR played plenty of minutes there when needed.
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He will be a three in our system.
Everyone seems so caught up on 2 vs 3 vs 4 etc. when evaluating some of these late adds. The bottom line is that there is a lot of interchangeability.
Just as an example, going into this season there were some very real conversations that Ignas Brazdeikis could play primarily at the two, not the four.
Michigan could have a roster that has a bunch of players who are better suited to play the 3 than the 2 but maybe someone just plays the 2 for the year, even if it isn’t their best spot.
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Who was having this conversation? Us armchair GM’s or coach B? Was he ever tried out there?
Beilein talked about it multiple times in the summer/media day. He played some two in Europe and there was a point where he was going to come off the bench because he could play multiple spots.
Point is that there is some flexibility and you have to see how people actually end up fitting in different roles.
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IIRC, Brazdeikis also spoke of this when he arrived on campus. The thinking, if memory serves, was that they would need to get him on the court, and with Matthews expected to take the lion’s share of minutes at the 3, the best option was for him to split time with both Poole and Livers.
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Given how young Franz is, I wonder if 2020 isn’t an option. He is only 17. I would assume they have things similar to prep school. That would give him one more year with Alba, which may not help us, but would probably help him make the decision as to what’s best for him. If he wants to come now, Great, not gonna say no. I do like Hyland’s skills too.
He will be 18 in August so I don’t think he’s that young at this point.
ALBA will want to sign him to a contract after this season, though.
I read somewhere that his team did not qualify for the Major division next year. If so, then that would help us.
They lost the EuroCup (similar to the Europa League, if you follow soccer) which means that they don’t qualify for Euro League (similar to the Champions League) which is the top tier of international European competition.
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is it just me or the longer this thing plays out the better for UM? Doesn’t wanna disappoint teammates and be awkward by declaring UM early, but also hasn’t written it off and commited to Alba
Could be. The problem is that Michigan needs to at least have an idea sooner than later if they want any chance at landing some of these guys. They can’t just hold open a scholarship for Franz just in case he decides to play college ball next month. Teams will start pushing for Hyland and I’m not sure he would wait on Michigan. Not to mention Pierce is no guarantee either. We don’t want to be left with open roster spots so I’m sure they’d like to know if they need to extend their net to other players.
I look at guys like Johns and Livers and believe they are better suited for the 4 (with Livers having the ability to play the 3). Part of this is on the defensive end. I don’t see some of these guys being able to be as interchangeable on the defensive end as on the offensive end. Just based on what I have seen on video, Wilson and Bajema, I don’t see them being able to cover a 4 defensively (depends on the opposing team). Hyland doesn’t appear to be able to cover a 4 either given his size. Franz is probably the one who could move to that spot given his size. Then you throw Brooks into the mix for the next 2 years. Either way, our biggest need for 2019/2020 appears to be a 2/3 who can play immediately. We could have 3 to choose from soon (Wilson, Franz and Pierce) in addition to Brooks
Agree 100%. Aside from 1s and 5s, Beilein plays lineups to maximize what he has, regardless of position. At WVU, that meant playing three guys all of whom would likely be slotted as 3s; at Michigan, it has meant playing Novak and GR III at the 4, and Zak Irvin all over the place (4, 3 and even, on a number of occasions, 2). I know, I know–you are who you can guard–but let’s not pretend that either Iggy or JP was great at guarding anyone; we had a top of the nation defense because we had 3 all world guys and 2 functional defenders.
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Both Wilson and Wagner are listed at 6’8". Wilson is a few pounds heavier as well. I’d have Wilson defending 4’s before Franz.
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While Alba did lose in the Eurocup final, they could still qualify for the Euroleague as the winner of the German BBL or as a wildcard. They just lost out on their first chance to get a spot.
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Interesting. Thank you for that update.