Yeah, watching that Nike Hoop Summit was the first time I had seen Brown played for an extended time and I definitely wasn’t blown away. He didn’t stand out as much as some of the other kids but it’s only one game so I don’t want to make any definitive judgments. He has obvious physical traits and his athleticism is tremendous but looks like his jump shot needs a ton of work. I assume there’s a reason he’s rated # 2 in his class but I’ll be interested to watch him play next year in college (I’m assuming it won’t be at Michigan).
I really like Kennard a lot. I think he will do great at Duke. Would have loved to see him play here but I certainly understand why he chose to go to Duke.
Surprised we haven’t heard more of Eron Gordon. He’s not the typical beilein recruit. More of a combo guard, but still has a good perimeter shot. Battle is a long shot, can’t hurt to widen the net. Get Gordon and a PG which would fill up the schollies, but you can still go after Langford and swing for the fences. With all the 3/4’s that we have right now. someone’s going to leave after this year.
Brian SNow said last year that there was no way Gordon goes to Indiana. Meyer has connections down there. Would be a good addition.
How has your experience been over the last two weeks? First Chicago, then New York, and now Portland.
“It’s been tiring, but it’s been cool. You get used to it, the travelling. I’m just trying to prepare myself for two years from now when I’m in playing probably in the NBA or however many years from now. It’s just good preparation and good practice for that type of stuff. It definitely takes a toll on your body and I’m learning that I have to take care of my body a little better.”
also
There has been some talk about a California package with some combination of Ivan Rabb, Caleb Swanigan, and yourself. Have you talked to them about that at all?
“I don’t think it will happen. It sounds nice, but everyone has to make their own decisions. Caleb is down to I think three or four schools. Michigan State is one. You almost have to be selfish at this point and do what’s best for you”
Bottom line is that he’s a one and done despite people believing the PC talk. That in conjunction with recent UK comments force me to be pessimistic about our chances. Reality is that if you want millions of dollars after 6 months, UK almost guarantees that, and not many people can turn that down (I wouldn’t either). It’s literally a lifetime decision
MattD, I do absolutely think our lack of success with 2014 wings was about playing time. The one guy we got (Chatman) had a direct path to starting. When Booker and Blackmon committed, Blackmon had a clear path to starting at IU, Booker no doubt believed (like everyone else) the Harrison kids were one-and-done, and no one saw Stauskas leaving after his sophomore year, which meant Stauskas, Levert, and Irvin at the wing during Booker’s freshman year. That, and rumor has it Booker has been “treated well” at Kentucky. Similarly, I do think Brunson went elsewhere because he saw Walton ahead of him. Stepping in and starting at Nova is a no-brainer. That said, we clearly have plenty of PT available come 2016, so that can’t be a reason going forward.
About the academics, I think JB’s demands are what the University itself demands. After the Ed Martin scandal, I’m very confident that the number one goal - ahead of winning, making money, anything else - is that the basketball program will not embarrass the school again. So, you’re not going to see us cozying up to any more Ed Martin types, whether they are street agents or AAU coaches, and you’re not going to see an academic scandal like the one casting a big cloud over the UNC program right now (and, of course, UNC is a very prestigious public school, so it will be interesting to see how alums and administrators react to that). Put another way, I don’t think any other coach would have a different approach here.
Kentucky doesn’t guarantee one and done. Three out of 7 who declared this year are one and dones. Those players would be one and done almost anywhere they played.
Kentucky doesn't guarantee one and done. Three out of 7 who declared this year are one and dones. Those players would be one and done almost anywhere they played.
I agree with you, but UK specializes in the 1 and done. It’s literally Calipari’s business model when it comes to recruiting. If you are a 5 star recruit, why not go to the school that has a track record in helping players reach the NBA after 1 year? Don’t worry about if the UK program actually prepares players become a 1 and done. There is a precedent that has been set since Calipari started coaching at UK, and that’s all that’s needed to convince kids. It’s a self-fufilling prophecy; the best recruits go to UK and subsequently go to the NBA after a year…in many people’s minds that means Cal knows what he’s doing.
In a similar vein, look at the Uconn women’s basketball program. If you ask anyone if Geno Auremia is a good coach, they will emphatically say yes. But is that a product of getting the best recruits or the fact that he develops them? Maybe a bit of both, but I’d say recruiting is the biggest factor in the team’s success.
All I’m saying is if I’m a 5 star player with no team affiliations, UK is the clear-cut choice for me.
No school can guarantee one and done, but UK is the closest thing to it. Also, UM can’t guarantee development, as we’ve had several players that failed to improve, however there is a good chance to improve your skills. That being said, if the ultimate goal is to reach the league in the most expedited fashion, it would be foolish to think UK is not the best, and most logical choice. That school is an NBA factory
Regardless of where he ends up, I am fairly certain this kid’s going to be next big thing in the nba. Forget about his outstanding abulity to ball, everything I’ve read about him indicates that he’s reached a level of maturity that some NBA veterens only realize 5 years into their careers. Even for a heralded recruit, basketball seems to completely dominate his life. His attitude reminds me a bit of Kobe’s.
I hope he has as much confidence in his own future as other people do and chooses Michigan. He seems like a perfect fit with Michigan’s current squad, and I hope he was pointing to that with his comment about a certain program ‘making him feel very comfortable’. He’ll probably go to Kansas, but his commitment to Michigan could really elevate the program to a new level
I think the most underrated aspect of all of this is academic demands. I’d wager, Kentucky and others(Duke seems like they have followed the UK model) have figured out a way to make it less demanding for those incoming frosh to not have to worry so much about the classroom.
By no means am I suggesting those guys are doing anything illegal in this regard…but I can guarantee the academic expectations for a kid coming to UM under JB will be different than those schools and I think that is more of an elephant in the room than the "JB personality’ stuff I’ve seen written.
I’m not saying this is the only issue UM faces…certainly UK, Duke among others have the tradition, fan support, etc to sway kids…but I think there are certain kids UM won’t even bother with because it is known they won’t want to live up to the expectations JB puts forth. Then, you factor in all the other stuff…JB is probably his own worst enemy in many ways(and I think he knows this) but he won’t budge for the most part.
Part of the reason I think GRIII bolted was because he was lost interest in meeting the demands of school and such and he knew JB would not relent.
And no, I’m not saying Duke, UK, etc only have one and done mercenaries…they certainly have kids on the roster who do take academics seriously and will take the rigid academic path.
The idea that Kentucky is the best place for one-and-dones to improve their draft stock/future pay has little evidence, as far as I can tell. For instance, the top 10 RSCI for 2013 were Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, Jabari Parker, Aaron Gordon, Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison, Chris Walker, Noah Vonleh, Dakari Johnson, and James Young. The KY contingent performed quite poorly compared to the others. Poythress and Goodwin underperformed from the year before. That KY might be the most luxurious place to hang out for a few months viz other colleges has more to back it up. But Calipari’s success has come from convincing so many top recruits to come, not from doing anything special with them once they’re in Lexington.
Yeah, it's a shame we didn't get Kennard. Perfect fit for our system, though Duke does a nice job with wings too. He'll play this coming year, for sure, but I'd figure he'll see fewer minutes than both Grayson Allen and Matt Jones, though I guess it would be no different here with Levert and Irvin. I wonder if Tyus Battle sees all these two guards ahead of him at Duke? (Matt Jones, Grayson Allen, Kennard). I imagine Grayson Allen declares after this coming year if he plays well, but that's still two other guys who will see major minutes, as opposed to a starting spot opening right up after Levert graduates.
LA - I think you can probably concede at this point that playing time isn’t the factor that precludes UM from getting upper tier players, these kids are just more attracted to schools that are more well known irrelevant of playing time in most cases.
Yeah, it’s a shame we didn’t get Kennard. Perfect fit for our system, though Duke does a nice job with wings too. He’ll play this coming year, for sure, but I’d figure he’ll see fewer minutes than both Grayson Allen and Matt Jones, though I guess it would be no different here with Levert and Irvin. I wonder if Tyus Battle sees all these two guards ahead of him at Duke? (Matt Jones, Grayson Allen, Kennard). I imagine Grayson Allen declares after this coming year if he plays well, but that’s still two other guys who will see major minutes, as opposed to a starting spot opening right up after Levert graduates.
I too noticed some of Jaylen’s struggles, but the things that really stood out for me were: Jalen Brunson is a better player than the Kentucky PG (Briscoe, right?) and Ben Simmons was without question the best player in that event.
I too noticed some of Jaylen's struggles, but the things that really stood out for me were: Jalen Brunson is a better player than the Kentucky PG (Briscoe, right?) and Ben Simmons was without question the best player in that event.
I’ll tell you what, Kennard looked damn good to me. That kid would’ve been great here.
That is true, but I was assuming instant impact from Brown (which I’m not confident about anymore after watching those games). Caris would have instant impact since he has been here for so many years and knows the system. There’s no doubt that if Jaylen can develop the way you are describing under Beilein (which has high probability of happening based on history of development), he has a much higher ceiling than Caris, and that would be good for Michigan. But would Brown stay long enough for this? True, Beilein showed he was able to help with shooting, or make the player “not just a shooter”, but that usually took at least 1 year.
In a way, Brown having two objectively bad games against tough competition might be a good thing for Michigan. He may have realized that he isn’t flawless, even if he’s sitting at the top of the rankings, and he may need A LOT of work to compete against tough competition. That puts Michigan in a good position if he does feel that way.