-Iām as guilty as anyone of taking X and Teske for granted but it really has been a pleasure to have them on the squad. Crazy to think that they were on the 16-17 team that won the B1G tourney after the plane crash. Seems like a long time ago.
-DDJ needs to start putting his head down and getting to the basket. He is way too passive out there. He drew a foul on one good drive in the second half so hopefully thatās a good sign.
-I donāt think Cole will transfer (heās a lifelong UM fan). But if he does, I might cry. Kid is going to be special.
Back when X and Jon were just first showing flashes of their elite defensive potential in their freshman season I told my brother theyād be selling āPesky and Teskeā t-shirts by their senior season. Sadly, this never took hold. But a whole lotta winning did.
Best combined career stat on the game telecast graphic tonight: 30-5 record on neutral courts. That is seriously bananas.
3 straight sweet 16 from X and T. hereās hoping for 4. thatās incredible!
Not trolling here, but what on Earth makes you think that?
He could be, but I donāt see why.
Glad johns got aggressive late but we really need him to look to create and find his 3 ball again and fast.
So Iām just up late pondering this year and I canāt seem to shake the feeling that this team outside of Atlantis hasnāt played up to its potential yet.
Itās been noted by others that it seems when a couple guys get hot say Franz and Eli that others go cold like livers/ddj/ Johns or vice versa Johns and ddj find themselves and Franz and teske Flame out ect
Even with all this we have a top 20 roster with a ton of big wins who was very close to being a couple seed lines up if some foul shots went down or some unfortunate calls had gone gone our way.
My point to all this is even with all the bad breaks, luck, injuries, cold shooting, opposing players going unconscious ect. that this team put up a nice regular season and yet we still havenāt hit our peak or started to fire on all cylinders.
Maybe it never will and the roster isnāt good enough to get consistent play from all our rotation pieces at once or certain guys just arenāt good enough to do it Game in and game out or in some cases just not ready yet to do it.
Something keeps telling me though that they can do it, that they have the ability to put its all together and really go on a deep run. Time is almost out so its not looking good and there is still too many missed chances, sloppy tos, missed open threes , blown defensive assignments ect but I canāt help but feel like theyāve done all this and won many big games all while giving mostly b or c efforts ( not in terms of playing hard) outside of Atlantis.
There hasnāt been a ton of games where I came away feeling like they played close to their overall potential with a great top to bottom effort. Their winning with only half the roster clicking at a time. The possibilities if they can just string together a couple weeks here of everyone playing well is truly scary. Iām praying it clicks.
He does have a nice stroke. If JB was still here weād be talking about him like he is the next Nik/Caris
Weād be talking about him like a future top 20 pick? I truly donāt understand a lot of the Bajema hype
I think heād be playing more under JB. He has the height and length and can shoot. I donāt hype him up or anything. In fact heāll probably transfer and I wonāt care that much. He just seems like the type of kid who would be a 1st rounder under the old regime.
For a team that has lacked consistent shooting all year long what Bajemaās shown in his little time is quite promising. Iām not saying if he sticks around heās going to step in and be a 15 point scorer next season but itās clear that he has talent and IMO when compared to what Nunez did last season in similar limited run, Bajema looks much more polished and to be an actual good shooter.
Iād be upset if Cole transferred. You donāt see many pure shooters like that, even in high D1. If he didnāt have serious limitations in other areas of his game, heād be playing more already; I get that. But, marginal improvements in those other areas could turn him into a critical piece, as early as next season. I want him turning into a critical piece here, not at some other school.
Heās taken 7 3 pointers in his career. How can we say you donāt see many pure shooters like that?
I like Cole. I think he has a chance to be a solid college player whether at Michigan or elsewhere. But letās not forget the outrageously low sample sizes weāre dealing with.
Iāve been encouraged by what Iāve seen from Cole on the court so far, but your comment is spot on
Iāve really never understood the Cole love. Sure he could be an important piece to a future team but the sample size is so unbelievably small. He could still be a bust too. Not that I think thatās the case, but there is in no way enough data for us to make that decision as fans.
I agree with your first and your third point, wholeheartedly, but I donāt think a basketball player should ever just put his head down and drive to the hoopā¦ever. I donāt think thatās really what you meant, though. I do think, as I think you do, that DDJ has an ability to take the ball to the basket. Perhaps thatās just not part of the offenseā¦yet. X does a great job of it. Certainly DDJ isnāt where X is, but perhaps he could be some day. Again, though, having said this, as a LONG time coach, I never wanted my players to just āput their head ādownā and drive.ā 
As far as X and JT, gosh, theyāll be missed. And your Cole Bajema point? Iāve been a fan of Cole since before we signed him. I do not understand why he hasnāt played, but as a coach, and one who has never been in practice with these guys, I simply wonāt be critical of Juwanās substitution patterns or of his decisions on who plays and who doesnāt. I just have believed from day one that Cole has great upside, but we just havenāt gotten to see much of it this year.
Someone, maybe you, posted earlier that on an admittedly small sample Cole is averaging two points per shot. That is remarkable. I am with you in that I REALLY want Cole to stay. I think heās gonna be good wherever he plays his college basketball, hopefully, though, that place is Michigan!
I agree with all your points. I want DDJ to drive more b/c he has shown that ability. His strength, speed, and touch around the basket are all reasons why he should try to get into the lane more instead of settling for jumpers. I think Beilein once described him as a ābowling ball.ā
It is the eye test. He looks like a pure shooter. It is also the composure. How many late game subs have we seen brick it?
DDJ was looking for his own shot the entire game. Never looked to set anybody up, or to pass on the PNR. I think Brooks will get the starting job at the point next year, with Jackson and DDJ looking to share minutes, if they can manage to distribute the ball, rather than looking for their own shots.
This is it for me, too. I understand sample sizes, but I also think I know a pure shooter when I see one. Iām not saying that some of you are wrong about Coleās potential. But, if I have to choose one freshman or sophomore among the guys who rarely play today who can be a key piece down the road, Cole is my guy. He brings a rare skill.