He sounded very bitter and like he blames everything on everyone but himself to be frank. I listened to it just now and was incredibly surprised by how angry he seems towards everything (not just with Michigan… Just everything in general) given that he was painted as a super zen guy while he was here.
It’s hard for me to take his Donovan stuff too seriously considering how hyperbolic all his comments seemed to be. Does anyone actually believe Beilein tells Horford “every time he sees him” that he cost them the NCAA tourney streak by leaving? After he trashed his D-League teammates by saying he didn’t want to do stuff with them because they’d annoy him I was like okay, this is just a guy who doesn’t like people in general lol. Either that or he was having a super bad day, who knows.
Horford cost us that Kentucky elite 8 game IMO. He was disconnected with the team and mad at JB due to playing time. If you ever rewatch that game, focus on Horford. You will understand. So what happens to these former players if they played for Golden St or Houston. Could you imagine if they had to sit there and watch Harden dribble and shoot every time. Demand a trade? Golden St’s offense has a lot of similarities to beilien’s. spread the floor and find spacing. What happens if they play for GS? I am sorry, I don’t get any of this argument. JB can be faulted for a lot of things but not having an offense that is creative and highlights players is not one that I buy into. Over the last 6 years his offense has highlighted a PG (Burke) to player of the year. Highlight a Center (Mo) to great heights, highlighted a SG (Stauskas) to a lottery pick. Maybe just maybe the players need to deliver.
Not excusing it, but I think it would be danged hard to be Al’s brother and have it expected you will thrive in hoops–have it look like that to all and sundry–then maybe not quite be up to it. I have a daughter with some athletic promise and begin to understand the anxiety that can envelope a family to do right by the kid, maximize their chances. . . while time slips by.
I love our coach, but even the news that he said that to Horford once kinda gives me a different view of him. He wouldn’t be where he is if he was nothing but warm and fuzzy.
It is what it is–I don’t fault Beilein. But if you have a kid with talent not seeing the ball, believe me. . . you work to see if you can find them a better situation. You see it as your duty to your kid. No fan or outsider preaching to you about the team or sucking it up makes a bit of difference. Anyone who has been close to youth athletics gets this. Given those circumstances, the trick of keeping your kid level-headed and generous and working hard. . . delicate.
I understand that point. I really do. I had 2 kids play sports and loved great coaching and detested the bad coaching they ran into. It sucks but I also knew that they needed to work through it. I am not sure how this automatically relates to JB. He needed more talent this past year and couldn’t find it. If we had a player who could step up in big games, we would have hung 2 banners in the bigten and probably gone further in the NCAA tournament. I am not sure any other coach would have gotten 30 wins out of this crew. Fact is, we were in a transition year looking for someone/anyone to step up in big games. The only players who didn’t have a strong chance to do so where the 5 or 6 not in the rotation. Everyone else played big minutes and had their chances.
Well, the charge–as you probably know–was that Poole had to stand in the corner. Which was obviously inaccurate. And sometimes he looked like the third option on offense. I tend to believe that Beilein would have been happy to make him the guy to go and get buckets, if he had been ready. A crisis point came and I think Poole spent a game or two thinking he was going to prove everybody wrong. It all devolved a little from there.
It’s a tough game sometimes. A couple more of those buckets go in for Poole who knows where he or the team is now. But you’re point is well-made–thirty wins was crazy-good in the circumstance.
Was at the game and had a direct view to the bench. Commented after one sequence that I’d never seen Beilein go after a player as hard as he did Horford. Also said that he deserved it and more. He played as if he was intimidated by the Kentucky bigs all game. Used a different word to describe his play at the time.
From Lansing, have watched Jon for years. He’s just a different kind of guy.
As an athlete, you go public like this, says a lot more to me about the player than the coach.
I agree here. I think a few reporters who were at the TTech game said the same thing about JB and Poole. Said they never saw Beilien so crazy at a player as he was at Poole before the end of the first half. Can’t remember if it was Brendan, Dylan or Nick but one of the guys covering the game stated that. I am not blaming everything on Poole either. I just believe JB ad JP were on a different page. Neither is a bad actor and both probably got overwhelmed with the pressure and responsibility put on their shoulders. Sometimes better for both just to separate.
Exactly., His entourage convinced him he would be a star if he transferred. How did that work out? I wouldn’t trust Horford’s account of anything at this point.
Right. Has anyone transferred out of Michigan that you can think of under Beilein and not been exactly what we saw them as here? Even Aubrey Dawkins with his effort against Duke. We all knew he could get hot and was capable of it but know it’s not something UCF got consistently.
Some kids have trouble conforming to the offensive structure of play as they transition into college. It won’t get any easier for 19 year old kids in the NBA unless they have first round status. You better be locked in everyday, mature enough to hang with adults and be ready to take your lumps.
Honestly, I was surprised that Max Bielfeldt had the season that he did at IU. I dont lament that loss but I honestly think he was able to shine in that situation more than he did here.
Do you think that Beilein said that to Horford in a serious way? The impression I got was Beilein says it to him in more of a friendly/joking way, not that Beilein is being an asshole and legitimately blaming him for ending the tournament streak.
My recollection of Aubrey was that offense was never his problem - he was very efficient at Michigan (true shooting over 60%), and was extremely efficient this year for UCF (on a higher usage, but that’s where general development comes in).
He lost minutes here as a sophomore because he was a major defensive liability. I have no idea if that improved for him this season. I’d guess that it mattered less because:
a) a school life UCF is going to have a harder time finding someone to put the ball in the hoop as efficiently as he does, so they will live with the lack of D
b) Tacko Fall erased a ton of mistakes from the perimeter D