Yeah I’ve said a couple times that best case is probably getting back to the tournament in 26 
1 Like
Obivously you are more likely to make the NCAAT if you have good returning players on your roster, but I also don’t think it is impossible.
Florida and Butler is going to do it this year, right? Probably some others.
Florida had Kugel and Richard already on the roster, both way better than any piece UM has
1 Like
Kugel has been basically the most disappointing player in the country, got benched, and is probably going to transfer. Richard is an OK piece, yes.
My point is that that is close to an entire reboot.
4 transfer starters, 6 of top 7 players newcomers. Best players are newcomers.
4 Likes
I think this is why the band aid just needs to be ripped off so we can move on. Like even if Juwan has a total reset and gets some decent portal pieces and looks like he is actually building something, is he going to be retained if they miss yet another tournament next year making it 3 in a row? And if he isn’t, then it makes way more sense to start to rebuild now instead of waiting another year. The sooner we can rebuild the better.
2 Likes
For sure, and he’s still better than any piece we will be moving forward with next year.
Same as above. I would kill to have an athletic wing with multiple years of eligibility left and proven production. I think calling Richard an OK piece is definitely underselling him a bit
Butler path makes more sense cause no one wanted any of the guys that transferred there. Michigan won’t have the budget to get Pullin, Clayton, Samuel, or the smarts/analytics to get a Handlogten.
1 Like
This sure would have been nice. But timing didn’t work out
I think if you retain Howard and he does “the right things” this off season - pursues multi year players, gets new assistants, focuses on NIL and the team disappoints a little (doesn’t make the tournament but is much better than this), you kind of have to give him the leash to do another round. If making the tournament next year is the standard for retaining him (not saying it shouldn’t be) you probably need to deep six him now.
My fear (and this is just my gut feeling who knows) is that he returns and just does the same thing but expects different results (just replaces Phil, goes after seniors, donor outreach is status quo) and then we all feel stupid and mad.
1 Like
It’s way too late for donor outreach for Juwan. Who is going to give him more money now? NIL has no chance of going up until he’s gone cause the basketball fandom will be at unreached heights of apathy next year
3 Likes
Look, I’m not saying, “Wow, everything is great. Michigan is going to be an NCAA Tournament team,” but right now, we don’t know who will be on the roster, who the head coach will be, who the assistant coaches will be, etc.
Florida and Butler both built very good teams that primarily rely on the portal, and mostly rely on guys who weren’t the ultimate “top bidder” type of transfers.
In some hypothetical world where it “works” for Howard, I think you’d be saying in hindsight something like “oh well Howard brought TWill back for year 5, Tarris Reed Jr. was promising and they had a top-40 recruit coming in” and then only got a couple of transfers because of assistant ties (i.e. Pullin to Florida).
If there’s a new head coach, there are a million different ways that can play out to the point where we just don’t know.
3 Likes
Defining “coach” on the college level is difficult but I think this is incorrect. Pitino had/has a significantly better ability to get talent than Beilein. Give them equal talent and Beilein is way better.
2 Likes
I think this is selling Rick short
He’s one of the small handful of best ever
He was really good at Providence, really good with the Knicks, and while Kentucky and Louisville had resources they were both awfully damaged when he took them. He chameleoned to adapt repeatedly throughout his career - his Louisville teams and his UK 40 minutes of hell teams were pretty different.
9 Likes
Talent wise Michigan 2013> Louisville 2013
1 Like
I agree with everything you said here and I think Beilein is better. I guess that’s how highly I think of Beilein.
3 Likes
22 year old talent and 18/19 year old talent are two very different things, not to mention Michigan wins the game if the refs don’t mess up the block call
That’s fair. I agree re: on the hindsight stuff. Don’t think TWill is really remotely connected to our potential success next year though but I get the overall point.
It’s not IMPOSSIBLE to make the tournament next year. Extremely unlikely though. Reasonable projections should be for another miss next year
That’s fair, but not what you said haha. Pitino at Louisville wasn’t rocking with young guys or the most talented guys. Best comp is probably the recent Houston teams. Just totally bought in on the system with some absolute dawgs that were really great college players (like Russ Smith)
One of the biggest issues with bringing Howard back, IMO, would be overemphasizing doing whatever it takes to make the NCAAT.
The goal should be to split the difference with some experience and younger pieces.
5 Likes
Yeah that’s my fear. I think the bar needs to be reset, and I’m skeptical of that (and skeptical HE’D do it honestly)
1 Like
I really think the way forward would be a Pullin-style grad transfer PG and then bring in like 3 guys who are talented but “bad” as in not really proven yet. Either haven’t got the minutes, haven’t been efficient, whatever.