Yep. Stacking a season in which weāre ranked top ten virtually all year right after a second F4 trip is the kind of thing that āpermanentlyā increases our national standing. Would be nice to capitalize on that with even better recruiting and keep that virtuous cycle going.
On the flip side, Iāve already come to the realization that anything short of a Final Four this year is going to be a crushing disappointment (assuming this season goes the way we think it will). Oh, the burden of expectations.
I think umās basketball brand with recruits is at the highest point itās been since the early and mid 1990ās when it was sort of the brand in college hoops along with duke. I think itās a different level than it was post 2014 because success has now been consistent and we are now cycling into the age of kids that have seen um as a high level program from teenage years onwards. It says a lot when a Jayden stone level recruit is putting Michigan in the same category as duke and unc.
Those Final Four thoughts make you sound like a Sparty fan, especially from last year. We know how that turned out.
Yeah, you canāt get too worked up about Final Four expectations. Itās just too hard / random, the only way you can expect Final Fours is by having Final Four caliber teams almost every year.
But, I will be disappointed if we donāt get that B1G regular season title.
Not sure I understand your point. Iām just saying that being this good all season changes the āexpectationā level of our team in March. Iām sure State fans were more disappointed in their early exit than they would have been if their team was worse during the season. Iām certainly not saying Iām entitled to it, just that it will hurt more to lose an early or mid-round game.
(And, yes, I totally agree that the vagaries of the one-and-done make it āfoolishā to place expectations on tournament performance. I canāt logic emotions though. And, just for the record, my whole comment was a bit tongue in cheek)
Another kid being pursued pretty hard by Michigan.
From the team that brought you MAAR, introducing ā¦ JAR.
It is hard to expect a final four. Anything can happen in a 1 game tournament. I think a reasonable goal is to win the outright regular season Big Ten title for the first time since 2014.
We should also be able to land 3 or 4 top 50 to top 75ish recruits for the 2020 class. Zeb Jackson counts as one. Iād count Bajema as that as well for the 2019 class given his ranking on 247. So, along with Wilson, that would be 3 really nice recruits in the 2019 and 2020 classes. A nice uptick in recruiting I think is also a reasonable expectation and that seems to be occurring as well.
For those that donāt know of this kid, from what little Iāve seen, he sure looks like he could fit Michigan. Iāve heard heās pretty fond of warm weather though so we will see. Kids got as pure of a jump shot as you will find though. At the very end there is a post game interview he does about how heās become such a good shooter. Pretty simple answer but neat still.
Cooper I believe was Offensive player of the year in the EYBL this year. Was one of the top scorers and assists leaders for one of the top teams.
Beautiful jump shot, as you said.
Missed part of AAU for lifeguard school. So, yeah, seems like warm weather is important. Just looks like a kid who will end up at Florida.
The fact that Beilein was down in Texas means something. If they were getting a bad vibe on him thereās no way Beilein would make the trip. Have to think an assistant has been down there as well. First trip isnāt usually done by the head coach.
I donāt think that is a Michigan assistant he is with.
Also, if you go check out his twitter and instagram pages, the vast majority of it is about the ocean and coral reefs and ocean wildlife. Just seems like a tough get because Michigan literally canāt offer the education he wants more than anything. He sure looks like heād be a good fit though. Some have him listed as a wing, others as a stretch 4. Good size for either and is an elite shooter.