But if Christopher doesn’t come the likely end point is DDJ and Brooks starting together.
Either way, unlikely Brooks doesn’t start.
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My biggest issue about who run the point would be who breaks the press better and dribble/handle out of tight spots when pressed.
I am thinking along the lines of how thy broke Shaka Smarts press when they play VCU by committee where as the wings had the ability to move the ball up the court as well. Livers handles may not be up to what we had thought they would after seeing the videos over the summer, but they are adequate. Franz has shown some skills and Todd has shown some skills in the videos I have seen as well.
I feel like the skill of breaking the press is pretty insignificant, as the frequency of teams even trying to press is very low.
I know we all have some flashbacks to the few times Eli didn’t handle it well, but that can be schemed to mitigate any weaknesses, if a coach is expecting it.
Who knows what Juwans offense looks like since X’s skill set dictates heavy ball screen action this year, but at the end of the day I’m fine assuming Eli will be the starting PG next season, regardless of who initiates our halfcourt offense (ie Christopher).
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It’s their “affinity” for local kids and they’ve watch DDJ his whole life. It’s worth noting that DDJ’s primary claim to fame in high school was going off against Loyer and Clarkston. That doesn’t seem quite as impressive in retrospect.
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Also David is a pretty engaging personality and since he committed forever ago, these guys have known him for over four years at this point. I’m sure they just like him.
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If Michigan gets Christopher, then a low-usage, fundamentally-sound, good 3pt shooting, great defender is Christopher’s perfect backcourt mate.
DDJ would need to wayyyy out-shoot Eli to supplant him, in that scenario. Would probably need to step up his defense considerably, too. Really, it’s similar to why Eli is playing over DDJ right now with X (though X is at 23% usage and safe to assume Christoper would be closer to 28%)
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Kind of the wave of the current to start a big and call him a forward. None of the kids on Kentucky are listed as Centers. None of the kids on the UNC roster are listed as Centers. Sparty doesn’t list anyone as a C. Maryland only has 1 player listed as a C, a part-time reserve who sees less PT than Austin Davis.
Very few college teams have an actual “true center” these days… B1G as a conference is an outlier in that regard. So less ego management to tell Todd he’s a starting forward, tell Wagner he’s a starting guard, tell the media its a 3-guard lineup, everyone’s happy. ::shrug::
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One of the announcers recently spoke about all the good PFs in the Big Ten. He mentioned Garza, Oturu, Tillman, etc. Michigan always listed Mo Wagner as a forward. I’m learning to ignore the designations, just like some listed measurements, and just go with my own understanding of the position.
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If Michigan lands Christopher, it will be the second best recruiting class ever in the B10 in the 24/7 era. #1 is 2006 OSU with Oden, Conley and Daequan Cook.
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I have a feeling that Juwan is going be setting a lot of modern era(rivals and scout on) b1g recruiting records.
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My big worry with adjusting to a new recruiting style is how much we’re already catering to these kids, as Dylan highlighted above.
I get there’s a lot of talent but the overwhelming discussion of this thread has been anxiety about how to find minutes for everyone, rather than just to let the best players play.
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“While Howard did not outright confirm either way what his conversation with Davis went like, things seem to be trending toward one more year in Ann Arbor. Nothing is set in stone yet, but Sunday’s postgame presser may have been a “wink-wink, nod-nod” into where Davis’ career could go next.”
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This is the quote …I didn’t necessarily read it how the author there did.
“Why’d you have to ask this question?” Howard said in reply to a question from Brendan Quinn of The Athletic. “We had a really good conversation and a nice breakfast one day. He understands what I’m asking of his role this year, and also for the future. That breakfast had to be four-to-five weeks ago. So it didn’t just happen today or last week. We’ve had a really good conversation about his future. It’s great to have a great leader and guy who’s all in.”
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Yeah, I’m sure the conversation went exactly like we all have speculated. He was probably giving AD a heads up that he may not have a scholarship next year if another guy or two commits, and if they don’t then he would love to have him back. This quote doesn’t read like he told him he would be back next year. I still think there are a lot of moving parts before any decision can be made. Who else is coming? Who is leaving? Are there any scholarships open?
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A lot of moving parts, but…
…it is difficult to see Coach Howard rolling into next season with only Dickinson as a true Center and Todd/Johns as big forward/small-ball-5 options. Regardless of other action on the roster, it seems likely that at least one of Castelton, Davis, or a Grad Transfer center will be on the roster next season
AND
…it is difficult with current roster and current signees/commits to see Coach Howard having scholarship room for all 4 of Todd, Castelton, Johns, and Davis next season
So equation is probably dependent on…
- Davis’s play — IMO, he’s checked that box; shown that he is a capable B1G backup Center and worthy of a scholarship slot next season
- Scholarship Availability — does Castelton return or transfer? Does Todd end up on campus? Are there other transfers creating enough room for both Castelton and Davis?
It’s basically gonna be an either/or between Castleton and Davis. I highly doubt either one will want to be 3rd string. Would bet a lot of money only one is around next year.
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Also did BQ really ask Juwan about Davis’ 5th year? I know it’s his job but isn’t that kind of a lame question? What’s he want Juwan to say? He can’t say yes or no at this point.
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Don’t know how much it means, but here is Livers talking about Simpson after the NW game. Emphasis on the last sentence.
“I didn’t know what college basketball was until I ran into that dude,” Livers said of Simpson. “My first open gym he was yelling at me because I let Duncan Robinson hit two 3s. I’m like, ‘What am I supposed to do?’ And then I realized at the college level, scouting is serious. … That’s when I woke up and was like, ‘OK, I better pick it up or Zavier is going to be on me all four years that I’m here.’”
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Hard to read too much into that when X cant even be here for Livers’ fourth year. But man it’d be great to get him back for a senior season
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