Yeesh. No wonder JB left for the pros. Recruiting is grueling. Even for the big boys.
Great piece.
Guesses on who the coach is?
Honestly, Beilein was recruiting as well as ever in my opinion. I don’t think that he left because of recruiting. Is it a pain in the ass? Sure. I still think the chance to coach at the highest level was the bigger draw. It isn’t like he ever turned down an offer to coach in the NBA in the past.
I don’t think these concepts are mutually exclusive. It could certainly have been one factor in a multi-factor decision that his “as well as ever” recruiting was leading to guys leaving earlier than he felt was appropriate, which then put him back on the recruiting hamster wheel that much sooner / more often.
I’ve read reports that the never ending recruiting grind was a factor and that he would actually have more time to spend in Northern Michigan with his family by being an NBA coach. Those reports may be speculative, but they seem, but it certainly made sense to me. JB never struck as someone who loved the recruiting scene. He did well at it because it was necessary.
Yeah, I’m not trying to imply that Beilein loved recruiting or wouldn’t rather spend time up north with his family. I just think that the draw of coaching in the NBA is underrated for some reason by a lot of people. This was his first NBA offer, he would have taken it from the Pistons the year before if it came.
I think one of the appeals of the NBA, though, is the lack of recruiting. Beilein got this directly from Brad Stevens, per reports. So the “draw of coaching in the NBA” is a lot of things including being at the pinnacle of the sport but also lifestyle considerations, which are meaningful for an aging guy coming off double-bypass surgery.
Sure, it is a nice lifestyle consideration to make a lot more money too. I’m more referring to this idea that Beilein was running from the college game, Beilein leaving is an indictment of everything wrong with the college game, etc. That’s what I don’t really agree with.
Does recruiting suck sometimes? Was it frustrating to lose guys to the NBA? Of course.
I just think people underrate how competitive Beilein is and that he’s spent his whole life coaching basketball his way and at every level. He’s finally getting the chance to do that at the highest level possible. If this offer would have happened 5 years ago before the FBI investigation or X, Y, Z, then I think he still would have taken it.
Recruiting as a coach at the level Beilein was at is a completely different world than that mid major coach. Much much less of of a grind, you’re taking private planes(btw this was something um failed Beilein with imo, Calipari, izzo, coach k etc. never fly commercial like Beilein frequently did), increased support staff and infastructure, players finding you rather you having to find every player, 5 star hotels, not taking the cheapest flight but flying the easiest flight at the best time, not having to fly into a major city and drive 5 hours to nowhere Kansas for a juco practice.
Who said the JB leaving was running from the college game? My post was specifically about the recruiting aspects of the game and nothing else. Of course there were things he liked about the NBA beyond the lack of recruiting, but I think it’s pretty clear that recruiting was a factor in the decision.
Don’t just mean to refer to your post, just the general narrative surrounding Beilein leaving. It was basically every reaction column to Beilein leaving.
I agree with your take, but if the media narrative is that the NCAA game at its highest levels is too dirty for John Beilein…I’m OK with that, because it would be wonderful if it could be fixed, both for the benefit of the athletes and their families, and because it would dramatically benefit Michigan. But as it relates to this convo, I think it’s important to separate the grind of recruiting from the notion of recruiting with one hand tied behind your back. Different issues, both contributors.
If recruiting grind at the high level of college basketball & football was as bad as the media makes it out to be guys like Harbaugh, saban, Meyer, Calipari, izzo, coach k etc would have never stayed in college for so long. I dont buy the recruiting grind one bit for Beilein leaving, it had way more to do with the allure of the nba, frustration with the roster fluidity and maybe some frustration with the lack of NCAA rule enforcement.
Maybe, but nobody’s arguing it was the sole reason. It was on the list of reasons.
You even said earlier that UM didn’t provide Beilein with certain resources that his peers had. Of course that’s not going to be the reason he left, but it would likely be on the list of things that might have had a shot at retaining him.