It may be something of a white flag by Northwestern–admission that they feel the odds are too stacked against them, but I’d be happy if Collins is there in perpetuity. Especially since we want Juwan to start making recruiting hay in Chitown.
I don’t think they shared that opinion of Collins. Northwestern just sunk a lot of money into basketball. They spent a year away from Welsh-Ryan while it was renovated. It reopened last season and they built new practice facilities. They were expecting a better team and better facilities would attract more fans and better players. They were counting on Collins to build off his tournament season.
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They’ve also spent a ton on football facilities. They’re not retreating, they’re trying to go all-in. They just seem to really believe in Collins for some reason.
I’ll file this right between “Mitch McGary will play the 4” and “Don Brown will mix in Cover 2”
I have been trying to get my thoughts together to write about Isaiah, but I found it notable that no one really said that he was going to handle the ball more this year. If you read the quotes, that’s not really what anyone said.
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Yeah. Kind of a disingenuous line.
I think we’re all hoping for improvement in that area from him this year though.
I’m not sure it’ll ever be above average however.
To be fair I’m not sure how he could handle the ball any less?
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A fair point.
Does the mention that he is a “guard” by Howard suggest that he will handle the ball some next year?
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i would assume howard thinks of isaiah more as the projected 3?
If Eli gives us the best chance to win ( not saying he definitely will) then he should be starting.
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After reading that again I think you meant it differently than I interpreted it. I think Wagner could be a real problem for other teams so it would be a bit shocking if he didn’t out play him. I’m still holding out hope though for eli so who knows.
Who are those other 2s?
DDJ is a 1, Nunez and Wagner look best suited to play the 3. Maybe they can outplay Brooks, but that wouldn’t necessarily mean they’d be favored to start at the 2 in 2020. It’s a scenario where I would definitely start the best player.
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If Coach Juwan Howard and the rest of the Michigan coaching staff, after being in practice with these players, observing them and coaching them everyday, believe Eli should be starting, then Eli should be starting. What would be a concern for me would be if Juwan Howard and the coaching staff listen to fans who never attend practice, and base their decisions on who plays, how much they play, and when they play on what those fans seem to think they should do as it regards playing time or starting.
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If Eli can make threes at a decent clip, something that remains to be seen but is also far from impossible, then he’s basically a replacement level big ten player considering his defense. I think “huge concern” is a big exaggeration until we actually see them play some games.
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I don’t think he’s saying Brooks shouldn’t start. He’s saying if Brooks starts, it’s an indictment of the other options.
Brooks has been…not good…on the floor during his career. While I don’t appreciate the tone and term with which he was just described, I would tend to agree Brooks getting big minutes, barring a massive off-season jump, would be a bad sign.
Bajema would be the other possibility at the 2, but how much he’ll play is still up in the air. Our options look limited, and it’s entirely possible that Brooks is the default guy, at least to start the season.
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I think the talent is there, he just needs to believe in himself and bring the same level of intensity every night. He’s had moments where he looks capable of being a very good player, he just needs more of them.
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Would it shock anyone if Eli starts at the 2 when the season opens and by mid season he actually plays fewer minutes per game than Cole at the same?
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