Yes. I don’t think I saw this article posted here:
Interesting article. I see it appeared in the NY Times, a newspaper that most assuredly knows a LOT about high school basketball in Michigan. And they quoted Braden Burke in that last sentence, a walk on who knows that everyone who grows up in Michigan wants to play basketball at State. Tell that to Isaiah Livers or Austin Davis or Brandon Johns or David DeJulius. Tell that to our walk ons, too, Rico Ozuna-Harrison or C.J. Baird or Jaron Faulds. But, yeah, an interesting take. I wonder if the writer is a State grad. Sure sounds like one!
EDIT: OK, I see Marc Tracy, the NY Times writer referenced above went to Columbia, so he’s probably a pretty smart guy. I wonder if he had to “grind” at that distinctively NOT land grant institution where he learned his writing skills.
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That is some quality fluff right there.
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If I am an msu fan that article does not make me feel too good about msu hoops future after their all time coach retires. As the article mentions the state of Michigan has been declining massively and msu has been very reliant on instate talent. Beilein has has had eight draft picks, none of which were from Michigan. Msu needs Michigan players, Michigan doesn’t.
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Also wouldn’t make me feel too good if I’m one of the non-Michigan players on that roster what with the quote from Dwayne Stephens that Izzo would ultimately prefer a team entirely comprised of Michigan natives.
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I never post anything with the idea that people need to do anything but read it critically, which is how I do it. I think the “likes” and “dislikes” that came along with FB kind of encouraged fluffy responses to writing that, like everything, wanted discerning eyeballs looking at it. The article pissed me off in several ways, but I figure you guys have brains.
And I don’t endorse Izzo’s approach to begin with, much of anything about how he operates.
But that said, we all know that that’s MSU’s rep, and that MSU has had more Michigan players. And I don’t think many would deny that not only might that mean a certain kind of cohesion and loyalty, but (maybe more important) a little more pressure from family and friends to stick around.
Maybe to be a little more tribal in your take on the school and overlook some stuff.
It’s also worth recalling that that’s the perception out there. . . regularly repeated; a little of this goes on with football, too.
The state of Michigan talent isn’t really declining too bad at the top imo. It is, but the top tier every still has guys who can clearly play at Michigan or MSU. Every class through 2022 still has multiple guys who will be that level again. MSU will probably be able to successfully continue their recipe for success by recruiting in state. But the overall high level depth and talent at each level top to bottom is deteriorating a little i suppose. Those guys leave the state to play high school and AAU but if they commit to Michigan MSU they count them as in state kids. If Harlond Beverly commits to Michigan or MSU he’s going to be considered an in state kid despite playing in Florida.
I’m not saying this is correct but if Jaden Hardy, a top 5 2021 in the US, were to commit to Michigan or MSU, I bet money that fans of whichever program theoretically landed him would claim him as an in-state product to fit that in state narrative. Which is technically ludicrous because Hardy goes to school at Coronado in Las Vegas or Henderson and likely will never play high school ball in Michigan. Hardy’s older brother Amauri, whos now at UNLV, went to North Farmington. Jaden played AAU for The Family up until last year. Now he plays for a Las Vegas EYBL team.
In state talent declining isn’t a real issue. It’s probably perceived as declining because players leave for the sports academies much more now. But they’re not going to completely ignore where they came from for the recruiting process. Even if those players go out of state for HS, their families still reside in Michigan. Those ties to the state aren’t disappearing. Emoni Bates will surely go somewhere else at some point in his HS career. Still a Michigan basketball product IMO.
I hesitate to address it on a sports message board, but a woman is suing MSU in federal court for discouraging her to report a rape she suffered at the hands of three members of the 2014/2015 basketball team.
And to think the Bank of Ann Arbor wanted us to “bleed green” and root for Tom Izzo last weekend.
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