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http://www.umhoops.com/2015/07/28/ohio-guard-ibi-watson-commits-to-michigan/
Happy we have him coming in the absolute sense that its great to get someone who is so eager to come. Also think we get way more out of him than his ranking/tape suggest. In terms of numbers, I’m wondering if this basically means we are taking a pass on any other wing who may have had interest (coffey, huerter, bridges), save for Cassius maybe going elsewhere and then maybe JB would consider it. Does it basically rule out the Bridges/Winston combo (which may also mean no Winston)? Seems so. Not a knock on Ibi, just know many people had seen '16 as a big rebound year and we won’t have any attrition/nba details prior to the big names selecting schools.
Welcome Ibi! I would have personally preferred Coffey if we had gotten to that point with him (or Bridges for that matter). I doubt they will leave room for about anyone else in aside from a PG in the class at this point, we will have to see.
So does that mean Davis is re-classifying for 2017? All 13 spots are called and accounted for and they are bringing Winston in for an official in September. Watson’s video doesn’t look eye popping not even sure he could crack the rotation next year pending no attrition.
From Battle to Ibi. And we lost a better player to Harvard.
JB has stayed true to his philosophy of taking players “who want to be here.” It’s obvious that Watson was waiting for this offer, as it is the best of any he publically held. He may turn out to be a great addition, but it’s hard not to be disappointed if this is our sole wing recruit from the pool we had originally sought.
Watson will be a 4 star player by the time he arrives on campus.
I think we can pretty much rule out us getting the 5 star kids to commit unless it is a perfect storm like Mitch or a late blow up like Glenn. For whatever reason, we just keep missing out on those types which means we will have to maintain an incredibly high hit rate on the lower ranked guys. It is not impossible, but it makes things a lot more difficult. Especially if we have Final Four aspirations, as opposed to to just competing for conference titles.
It's obvious that Watson was waiting for this offer, as it is the best of any he publically held.
Indiana is a decent offer – though of course I consider Michigan to be a better one.
When we hired JB, people were saying he wouldn’t even go after 5 stars.
At least he’s casting a wide net and sticking his nose out there more than anyone ever expected.
Watson reminds me of a mix of Irvin + Dawkins. Kind of a goofy outside shot, somewhat uses his length but not a real huge threat off the dribble.
Nice pickup given the circumstances. Definitely would have liked to have Bridges, Langford, Coffey, or Battle.
Underwhelming pickup, especially since Michigan made Bridges’ and Winston’s final lists and seemed to be in good standing with Huerter. I hope this doesn’t totally eliminate Winston or Goodin but not a great sign. Another head-scratcher, not sure what the rush was, but willing to be proven wrong.
On the bright side, even if he’s not on the top circuit I still prefer this to Cumberland, cause he looks to have at least some verticality and speed. But that’s not saying much.
Winston is still the priority at the PG spot. That hasn’t changed.
Guys like Huerter and Goodin are not in the “super-elite” category and should be where we’re aiming (if we’ve decided to give up on the consensus 5-stars, that is). This pickup is at least a rung below that level, maybe two. Which happens from time to time – sometimes with positive results (Dawkins), but again, I don’t know what the rush was. Especially with Huerter looking like an ideal fit. After Davis’ signing, I was holding out hope for a home run. Or at least a ground-rule double.
It's obvious that Watson was waiting for this offer, as it is the best of any he publically held.Indiana is a decent offer – though of course I consider Michigan to be a better one.
Indiana OFFERS everyone, not real sure of their sincerity on this one. His other acknowledged offers were all from in-state MAC programs. Hey, he wants to be here, and I never discount that. It was obvious when Bridges did not identify M as one of his announced OVs, that we were going to take “a sure thing” versus a protracted swing and a miss on other higher profile targets. The staff obviously knows that the interest from “them” was not really genuine going forward.
Indiana OFFERS everyone, not real sure of their sincerity on this one. His other acknowledged offers were all from in-state MAC programs. Hey, he wants to be here, and I never discount that. It was obvious when Bridges did not identify M as one of his announced OVs, that we were going to take “a sure thing” versus a protracted swing and a miss on other higher profile targets. The staff obviously knows that the interest from “them” was not really genuine going forward.
Generally agree with that you’re saying (and an Indiana offer means nothing, especially as Crean will rescind it without batting an eyelash if something better comes along). But it’s easy to assume they had no chance with Bridges just because of all the hype he’s getting… but can you say the same thing about Huerter?
Indiana OFFERS everyone, not real sure of their sincerity on this one. His other acknowledged offers were all from in-state MAC programs. Hey, he wants to be here, and I never discount that. It was obvious when Bridges did not identify M as one of his announced OVs, that we were going to take “a sure thing” versus a protracted swing and a miss on other higher profile targets. The staff obviously knows that the interest from “them” was not really genuine going forward.
Generally agree with that you’re saying (and an Indiana offer means nothing, especially as Crean will rescind it without batting an eyelash if something better comes along). But it’s easy to assume they had no chance with Bridges just because of all the hype he’s getting… but can you say the same thing about Huerter?
We’ve been down this road before. I really liked Huerter, and Cofyee as well. The staff must have thought this was the way to go. They’ve GOT to have some insight on those others not being a realistic option going forward.
It's obvious that Watson was waiting for this offer, as it is the best of any he publically held.Indiana is a decent offer – though of course I consider Michigan to be a better one.
Indiana OFFERS everyone, not real sure of their sincerity on this one. His other acknowledged offers were all from in-state MAC programs. Hey, he wants to be here, and I never discount that. It was obvious when Bridges did not identify M as one of his announced OVs, that we were going to take “a sure thing” versus a protracted swing and a miss on other higher profile targets. The staff obviously knows that the interest from “them” was not really genuine going forward.
Who has Indiana rescinded an offer from after it’s been accepted? Crean may push guys out early, but have people committed and then had their offer revoked? Perhaps, I haven’t followed IU recruiting closely. But it sounds like Watson very well could’ve committed to IU if UM hadn’t offered shortly. And who else has Indiana offered for '16 that you would consider a less than stellar recruit? They offer lots of top players, it seems to me. It’s fine if you don’t love this commitment, and he doesn’t have a great offer sheet by any stretch, but the dismissal of the Indiana offer seems weak.
As for Watson, I like his game. Has a little bark, looks aggressive in a controlled way (which I guess was something people had been working on with him), pretty good athleticism. Nice handles, pretty quick. I’d think JB will want to work on his shooting mechanics a little bit, but can stroke it. After guys like Battle and Langford, he looks like he can be as good as anyone. Obviously the situation with those two makes this a bit less exciting, but I think we’ll be happy with his play.
I do think Indiana was on Ibi pretty hard. They were in constant contact and Crean was at a lot of his games. If the offer from U-M didn’t come this week, I would have expected Ibi to choose IU fairly quickly.
Talked with Ibi about his decision to commit… This was the one he was waiting for.