Five thoughts on Cole Bajema's pledge to Michigan

Absolutely. I certainly see him as a 2/3 who could also play the 1.

The 1989 Illinois team was one of my all time favorites to watch. If weā€™re building something like that, Iā€™m on board.

This may not be an opinion all would warm up to, given residual UL grudges and Ricky P distaste, but Iā€™m seeing some Francisco Garcia in this young man. Both players seem like they woke up one day with legs 6 inches longer than yesterday that it seems they are still acclimating to just a bit - while also retaining good ball skills, sound court vision and deep shooting range. Just a hair more deliberate in their actions than your standard 2 due to their somewhat unusual lankiness for the position.

I was looking at the roster yesterday, and I think I counted 8 of the 17 players (includes walk-ons) listed as 6ā€™7ā€ or taller. It makes it easier to play positionless when you have good size.

ā€œPositionless basketballā€ also means versatility, not extreme specialization. Even Duncan Robinson was sometimes the floor spacer and other times the pop in an pick n pop. A guy like Bajema could project to be the ballhandler, floor-spacer, or a guy to attack overzealous close-outs. Doesnā€™t mean that Bajema, Wilson, Iggy, etc. are all the same player ā€“ theyā€™re not ā€“ but they can all be used in multiple ways. On defense, guys who are 6ā€™6" or 6ā€™8" can allow for switching, etc.

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