@umhoops wrote a great (Exceptional in fact) article that I remember about our zone defense being good 2 years ago. I just want to know how we’re so awful at it now with all the length we have and similar athletes.
I honestly wish Beilein could’ve just recruited the 17 class in 15. I think that would’ve fixed some talent/personnel issues that we currently have. I think John has to think long and hard, and perhaps come to grips with the fact that individual players/talent are more important than his system/culture. It can be a very hard thing to do for an individual accustomed to doing things his way, but I think if he’s being honest with himself he has to realize that.
Recruiting to a system is already hard enough, but with the other handicaps he imposes on himself that we’ve discussed ad nauseam over the years it is nearly impossible to succeed long term.
I know many of you here have thought of me as nothing more than an asshole that hates on John Beilien for no apparent reason.
I’ve tried to point out for almost a year that my takes on Beilien are reasonable in relation to other UM fans in large part. Take a look at MGoBlog now.
If you think I’m extreme, I’d hate to see your reactions to that.
lol nope, not even gonna look.
This might be true, but I doubt he’s much slower than Duncan… And Poole not being ready to defend may be true, but we are probably just going to have to bite that bullet to replace the offense that leaves with Walton and Irvin, and then hope X’s and Matthews’ defensive upgrade compensates for Poole’s deficiencies. Though, hell, MAAR was our best guard on the court tonight, so who knows.
There just isn’t a quick fix minus Bamba. The lack of any sort of athleticism/motor in recruiting has absolutely killed this program.
The Fort is a dumpster fire right now, too haha
No doubt. As of now, there’s no quick fix in sight, minus a Bamba miracle (we were laughing that he was considering Texas, because of their last two seasons, and look at us now). Just trying to find the best ways to stay afloat and improve. Next year, at the bare minimum, brings personnel change and–right now–change can really only be good.
Firing Beilein now would be dumb in my view. There are no ideal candidates for immediate replacement and it would put recruiting in flux. People need to calm down, let the season play out and then we reevaluate then.
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I watched the game with Tim Finke and he was as shocked as I was with how poor we played. My god that was hard to watch. If I wasn’t with him, I probably would’ve left early. Let Donlon take over, he’s proven to be a good coach and If it’s going to happen, why wait?
The Brady Hoke football years made me numb to losing. In the I think starting in the BWW Bowl in 2013 I just didn’t even care. I’d turn the TV off, let out a sigh, and go about my day whereas a loss used to ruin the rest of the afternoon. This was despite the fact that, as a current college student, my entire Michigan football childhood was badness. The Year of Infinite Pain is the first season I really remember, followed by the 1 vs. 2 OSU loss and then of course The Horror, then Rich Rod, etc. Despite this, it took this long for me to become normalized to the losses. At the Northwestern game in 2015, well on our way to our 3rd straight shutout, Lewis got that insane pick six and I said to my dad, who I had been gone to every home football game since I could remember “This is what it’s like for Michigan football to be what Michigan football should be.” This was part of the reason why in the MSU game that I literally could not move after the play. I stood in the stadium with my dad, in the seats our family had for a generation, and just stared blankly at the field for who knows how long. That was the culmination of 2 years of not caring all piling up and hitting me like a freight train the game after I realized it was safe to put emotional investment into the program again. Of course a lot of the football down years correlated with basketball success. I think the first starting five I remember seeing in person was Dion Harris, Daniel Horton, Lester Abrams, Brent Petway, and Courtney Sims. From there it basically all went uphill, besides the bumps early in Beilein’s tenure. Please, Beilein, for the love of God… Do not let this basketball program become one where I am numb to losing that takes a new coach to snap me out of.
/End random personal anecdote.
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That’s the thing I hate most here. They’re all so inconsistent. Right when MAAR starts to play better and play like we thought he could last year Wagner has a shit show of a game like that. I expect that from freshmen but from guys with experience? No. DJ Wilson is the only consistent one out there! Who would have thought that after the last two years?
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Yeah, there’s never any reason to fire a coach midseason in college (besides serious moral/ethical issues), but isn’t the 2017 class already signed anyway?
Yes, but typically schools will allow recruits to get out of NLIs when coaching changes occur.
Well, Bamba…
Unbelievable to hear you say this
I know!!! Game-to-game; possession-to-possession each player can look All-B1G and then Rutgers. And I just cant blame only the players anymore. They’re plenty to blame, and I’ve blamed JB for not emphasizing defense, missing on recruiting, and rolling out the 1-3-1. But–at my lowest–I’ve honestly felt, until tonight, that we simply had a roster that was content with underperforming, not hustling, and really just getting in its own head. But, tonight, I blame Beilein in every possible way. And he will be so entirely culpable if things dont get better. Screw “upper tier B1G team” or “7-9 seed and hopefully a first round win.” Just show that you have your finger on the pulse of this team, and that you’re willing to do whatever is necessary and within your physical capabilities to make it better. Just never let ‘that’ happen again, never let tonight happen again.
Don’t watch the MSU vs Minnesota highlights btw.
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Honestly, I never thought I would, ever. Watching these past 2 weeks and the way Walton has regressed greatly, something has to change or we are in for a ton of frustrating nights.