I wouldn’t be shocked if Bajema pushed for significant minutes at 2.
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I absolutely agree!
What do you think Silverblue? Is Franz coming to AA? I’m thinking he is. FWIW
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Lets hope Juwan and the staff can do in basketball recruiting what Harbaugh and his staff are doing in football recruiting today. Michigan killing it on the football side of things today. Could be recruiting christmas in both sports. Franz would be the perfect start for Juwan’s era, and I have a good feeling about it.
I sure hope to never compare football to basketball at Michigan. Although, fair enough, Harbaugh has recruited well, I never would wish the same performance as football. Our basketball program has proven again and again that it was far superior to anything that the football team has done these past 10 years. We are now a basketball school! People should get used to it!!
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Well, our program under Beilein anyway. They have exceeded expectations in multiple seasons, and gotten better as the year went on, something Harbaugh’s teams have yet to do.
Bajema will certainly have the opportunity. If he’s got a decent handle and can shoot the three, I can see him getting at least as many minutes as Brooks once he gets a grip on the college game.
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Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
Yeah I agree with all that, all I meant is that today specifically UM football has received numerous commitments, and hopefully we can have similarly amazing luck in basketball recruiting with Franz. Simply a recruiting comparison, not comparing results/success.
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Please, everyone spare us any conversation about the football team’s results. This is a Franz Wagner thread.
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I’ve been away, hiking the Sleeping Bear Dunes. Yes all the way to the lake! And the Pyramid Point Loop. And viewing an incredible sunset at Empire Beach! But I’ve been checking umhoops on the sly despite being counselled by Mattski to stay away from the internet while on vacation with my wife! 
So, here’s what I think. Franz Wagner would be the perfect fit for Michigan. I really think he’s a natural three but there are those who say he could play the two and I don’t doubt that. I believe he would play FROM DAY ONE, if he comes. Will he start? I actually think, if he comes, he will, but that depends on Brandon Johns and Eli Brooks, both of whom I think will have good years in 2019/20. But regardless, Franz, if he comes, will play…a LOT.
If Franz plays the three, that is, if he comes, then I expect Isaiah to start at the four and Brandon Johns to rotate in as wellwith Isaiah sliding back to the three, forming an outstanding three man rotation. I know that people think Isaiah’s natural position is the four, but I think he can and will be an excellent three. We KNOW he can play the four…and play it well!
I also think, given the above rotation at the three/four, that Eli will start the year at the two with Cole Bajema developing and really challenging him as the year progresses. If, however, Brandon Johns really shows out in early practices and plays the way I think most of us believe he can, then there is the real possibility that Franz could play the two. He will play…a lot. If he comes. And maybe Coach Juwan will be a little more generous and let a freshman play two positions. Or maybe the two and the three will be more interchangeable in Juwan’s offense.
If he comes, he will play. And why wouldn’t he come? I don’t know. I really don’t. I know I’m biased, but I’m a parent, too, just like Mr. and Mrs. Wagner. And I think Mr. and Mrs. Wagner, just like me, would want the kind of experience for Franz that their older son, Moe, had in Ann Arbor.
If money was a huge issue it might be different, but, and I can’t speak for the Wagners but I just don’t think that would be the issue for them. Not when thinking about what a great opportunity this would be for Franz.
So, what is that opportunity? Well, first he would be coming to Ann Arbor, MI which is a pretty special place as, I think, most of us would agree. He would be attending the University of Michigan which no one can dispute is a special experience. He would be learning the culture and becoming acclimated to the country in which the NBA plays it’s games. It would be an incredibly special opportunity, a wonderful experience for a young man, 17 years old, to spend the last two years of his teens BEFORE dedicating his life, earning his living, as a JOB, playing the game he loves.
He would be playing the game he loves, at the highest collegiate level, while having the time and the experiences of his life! And he could NEVER get those experiences again. He couldn’t. AND, he would be playing for an NBA All Star and Michigan Basketball legend with more NBA connections than any coach in college basketball…or European Professional Basketball, for that matter.
Mr. and Mrs. Wagner know this. So does Moe. And, I think, Franz knows it in his heart, too. I would ask Franz to follow his heart and the advice and counsel of his parents and his brother. Will he do that? We’ll see. I think we’ll find out soon.
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Another great essay by Silverblue.
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I don’t think that we need to convince him of the benefits of coming to Michigan. Mo has taken care of that. OTOH, the notion that Franz is just going to step in wherever and command major minutes is not a given, and I would not make that the main part of my pitch. Even if he is better than Mo at the same stage, it took Mo three years to be ready for the NBA. Even then, he wasn’t a lock to go in the first round. A lot of things have yet to shake out. I’d slow the roll. My sense is that he will be playing for Michigan next season.
Well, I’d say this - there’s a big difference between being NBA ready and being good enough to be a really good college player. Mo had 26 in our 2017 tourney win over Louisville - while he wasn’t quite ready for the NBA, he was obviously a huge part of our team and very good. And I’ll bet even JB would admit that if he got a “do over” for 2015/16, Mo would play a lot more.
I don’t think Franz is a one and done guy, but I do think he would play a lot next year and probably score in the 8-10 a game range.
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agree that Franz is not one and done. He is only 17 and will still be less than 20 at NBA 2021 draft. He needs two years to get his body ready, especially that he is still growing.
Interviews after playoff defeats should always be taken with a grain of salt. Here’s what Franz said after the game.
One of the biggest bright spots in the now finished season was from Alba point of view, the only 17-year-old Franz Wagner. He said immediately after the last game of the season: “It was a lot of fun, I’d like to do it again.” That does not sound like Wagner’s going to college in the US . He wanted to speak in all disappointment after the third final defeat against Munich, this time with 88:93 after extra time, not negative about the achievements."We have reached three finals despite many defeats this season. I think we learned a lot this season and have improved a lot as a team. "
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Hoping for the best with Franz! He is the missing link we need for next years roster! Perfect potential piece for Juwans first year.
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I hope you guys are right even though I’ve had a good feeling about Franz coming to AA for a couple weeks now.
Let’s just put up the bat symbol for theTruth… dude has been a pretty reliable source of Franz related info.
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