How many athletes from another school gets into grad school at UM? It doesn’t happen often.
Dozens of grad transfers who could help this team? Name 5.
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Well that was kind of my point though. Why would we pass on a 2016 kid like Baruti when we already have four available spots next year plus Poole?
The only way that works out is if we sign a quality grad transfer this year which is really doubtful or a 2017 kid with more upside than Baruti, which is no guarantee.
One injury to a guard or wing this season will once again mean a walk on plays meaningful minutes.
Here you go. I’ll guarantee you that most of these kids are better players than Dakich or Lonergan.
If Dakich or Lonergan are in the rotation this year, then something will have gone terribly wrong and JB will take some serious heat.
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It’s likely though right? The majority of the kids that Michigan has offered in 2017 have an array of major offers, the kids on the next tier have a lot of major offers as well.
Maybe Baruti will turn out to be great at Utah, but Michigan got itself into some problems with late adds in the 2014 class which I think is a big reason why they have to be careful.
Not really sure what Dakich or Lonergan have to do with this discussion. They won’t be in the rotation.
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I think the bigger question when it comes to the rotation for next year is what can Wilson and Watson contribute because as it stands now, they are your 8th and 9th men unless a grad transfer is forthcoming. I know Beilen loves to rely on his starters but I would hate to see a situation where Irvin and Robinson are playing 35+ minutes every game. I definitely have some uneasiness with the depth at the forward spots for sure.
I’m not sure if Baruti could have helped next year or not. I do think you have to be careful with late signees as oftentimes schools get a little desperate for bodies and it doesn’t work out for either the school or the player in the long run.
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@jlust22: I agree, the Baruti question came down to whether he can play the four off the bench better than DJ Wilson this year – or whether he can play the 3 or 4 better than Wilson and anyone that Michigan can sign at those positions in the 2017/2018 classes.
The one tricky spot with grad transfers is that Michigan has five returning starters. A lot of the top grad transfers want to go somewhere where they can play major minutes for their final season.
I hadn’t really thought about the point that @MattR1 brings up about actually getting into grad school. I can’t imagine that it’s necessarily straight forward, but I bet they could work around it as well. I did find it interesting that Spike is taking some sort of program where he only meets for class a couple times a semester and that Max Bielfeldt’s program was almost entirely online. Not sure if there are similar programs at Michigan (there might be?), but that has to be pretty enticing as well.
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Just posting a list doesn’t prove your point that there are dozens of grad transfers who could come in and help us. I don’t see many grad transfers on that list who could come in and help us. With the few that might, there is still the requirement that we offer a grad program not available at their school, and the player then has to be admitted to that program.
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Take for instance Canyon Barry he just decided on Florida a couple weeks ago. No doubt in my mind he would have been capable of playing good minutes at Michigan. There never seemed to be interest. Ben Carter who’s going to MSU would have been able to help Michigan as well. I just feel a grad transfer would be an upgrade on an empty scholarship. As of this moment Michigan really has no room for error if you look at the team as currently constructed.
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I also disagree with sane1, in that I think there are plenty of grad transfers that could help us. The problem though, is that they aren’t all “available” to us. Between lack of academic credentials and/or lack of interest (i.e. wont get enough minutes with us, because we return 5 starters), the pool of candidates is actually much smaller than ESPN’s list of all who are available.
But I do really hope that JB fills at least one of the 2016 scholarships with a grad transfer, because we need finished-product backup minutes (at the 2-4) and a “project” 2016 recruit may take a scholarship away from a more promising 2017 recruit.
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The original comment was “dozens” which is stupid. There may be some, but other factors don’t allow everyone to be eligible.
They will be in the rotation if we lose a guard or wing to injury. Which has been my point all along. I’m not expecting Baruti or a grad transfer to be anything more than the 9th or 10th man in the rotation. It is not the end of the world if that doesn’t happen, but it makes the team less deep and able to weather injuries. How many posters here like to talk about how injuries derailed this season. Injuries happen every year to every team and one way to counter act that is with depth.
As for 2017 recruits, I have my doubts, but I hope you are correct. I hope we see a big uptick in recruiting because this will be a huge class in determining the future of this program.
I never said that there were dozens who would be eligible or would fit the program. My only point was that there were dozens of grad transfers who COULD help. We only need one to actually sign to improve the depth and there is little if any down side.
Taking a grad transfer who would be 9th or 10th in the rotation is one thing. There isn’t much downside to that.
Taking another '16 kid who might only be 9th or 10th man doesn’t make nearly as much sense.
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And the point is that no grad transfer wants to be 9th or 10th in the rotation, at least a ‘good’ one who could be playing starter/6th man minutes for a different school. We need to find one who is good enough to be the first 2-4 off the bench, content playing 20ish minutes, fulfills academic credentials, and actually wants to come here. That’s a lot of boxes to check.
Also, obviously, it would be great if we found a starting-caliber grad transfer, but Idk how many there are out there who Beilein would give starter minutes over MAAR or Duncan (I think Walton, Irvin and Mark/Mo are guaranteed starters), if a transfer who is better than any of our starters is even on the market.
Dozens? Might be a bit of an exaggeration but as my example included a guy like Barry. Barry would certainly be in the rotation for Michigan, could start, certainly one of the first guys off the bench. I still feel comfortable saying a grad transfer >>>>>> empty scholarship. This is more about a depth and competitive practice issue more than anything. With only 11 scholarships filled and 4 recruits coming in, most likely one of the bigs will redshirt, so that’s pretty much down to 10 total options. Michigan isn’t blessed with the luxury of having 10 players and 6 or 7 being McDonalds All Americans. For this team to have a successful season they will need all hands on deck. That means they can’t have guys like Irvin or Walton having similar type years, it means Wagner has to take a big step forward etc… More options the better, I don’t know if Baruti was the answer I would prefer 2 grad transfers over a 16 recruit but I said earlier players don’t fall out of the sky this late.
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In terms of players falling out of the sky this late (and particularly as this applies to grad transfers)…don’t you think the new rule regarding players testing the NBA waters has effected the grad transfer activity? I know if I was a grad transfer looking for playing time, i would wait until all of the NBA draft activity has subsided before making my decision. Obviously UM’s roster isn’t changing based on this dynamic, but other programs that grad transfers may look to in addition to our program are most likely in this state of limbo.
All that said, I agree with the basic premise of your post regarding a GT>>empty scholie.
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What you have to remember is that grad transfers want to go somewhere where they will play. That eliminates a ton of prospects. There are a handful of guys who stand out who you could say would likely be in the rotation. No one wants to transfer to school where he would be there just in case someone got hurt. Barry appears to be a guy who would crack the rotation. Did he have any interest in Michigan? Florida’s in bad shape and needs players.
Is Theo Johnson still available? I like his game.