Beilein has three shooting guards in the NBA and Poole could be a 4th. Every year from 2011 to 2016 had one (Hardaway, Stauskas, LeVert) and then we had two years of MAAR and one of Poole. This upcoming year will be the first in a long time (to me) that looks shaky.
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Not to pile on, but Iām not seeing this at all. Poole didnāt make the leap to stardom this year, itās true, but itās not like he was a recruiting failure. To me itās surprising that Beilein has managed to keep the bases covered. I donāt know that we can assume that heāll always catch enough recruiting breaks if so many players keep leaving.
The problem is more with depth than with starters. Poole had to play a lot of minutes in the Big Ten last season, with essentially no legitimate backup, just a few minutes a game cobbled together from different guys to give him a blow. Same with MAAR the year before.
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I thought Poole was totally fine as a backup. I agree with last year though. I just donāt think itās a recurring recruiting issue, more of an unfortunate two year gaffe that hopefully gets fixed up after next year. I think itās fair that Beilein wouldāve expected Brooks to improve enough to be a solid backup guard this past season. I think some would argue that he got to that point towards the end.
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Expectations for Poole were super high (a lot of people here thought so) because of his NCAA tourney performance the year before. He had a solid year, not a great year. He couldnāt make shots consistently in Big Ten play. I think another year would do him wonders and he would make another significant jump but 6ā5 guys that have the capabilities of shooting the ball well (especially with more space) are the guys the NBA wants.
https://www.si.com/nba/2019/04/23/nba-draft-2019-big-board-zion-williamson-ja-morant-rj-barrett
45. IGNAS BRAZDEIKIS, F, MICHIGAN | FRESHMAN
Height: 6ā7ā | Weight: 215 | Age: 20 | Last Rank: 43
The core of Brazdeikisās appeal is his offensive versatility, and heās continued to prove he can score at all three levels, finish with both hands and consistently threaten from three-point range. He has a great sense of where his points are going to come from, and his toughness and consistent effort should continue to aid him. His weaknesses are obvious, as heās not especially athletic nor versatile defensively, and being able to stay on the floor will be his primary stumbling block to an NBA job. He wonāt be quick enough to defend most threes, nor will he be big enough to defend most fours. His ceiling is not immense, and his intangibles will have to bridge the gap. Still, as a tough, intelligent potential role player who doesnāt need a ton of touches to be useful, Brazdeikis brings a level of intrigue.
55. JORDAN POOLE, SG, MICHIGAN | SOPHOMORE
Height: 6ā5ā | Weight: 195 | Age: 19 | Last Rank: 64
If Poole stays in the draft, heās likely looking at G League time next season, but his catch-and-shoot potential should continue garnering enough interest to get him drafted. He had a somewhat disappointing sophomore year at Michigan, and while heās still relatively young (turning 20 in June), Poole is seen by teams as a project who will have to be willing to put the work in to carve out an NBA career. Heās a solid athlete and capable shooter who can get hot and swing games, but itās unclear what else there is to really sink your teeth into consistently at this point.
60. CHARLES MATTHEWS, G/F, MICHIGAN | JUNIOR
Height: 6ā6ā | Weight: 205 | Age: 22 | Last Rank: 60
Following a hot start to the season, in the end, Matthews remained more or less the player heās always been. He has successfully repackaged himself as a defensive-minded role player with NBA size and athletic ability, making him a good two-way contract option or second round dart throw. His shortcomings on the offensive end make it hard to justify investing serious capital in him, as heās not always decisive, not a confident three-point shooter and too often settles for tough long twos. Still, if you put Matthews in a clearly defined role, itās possible he could help. His tools have always intrigued NBA teams, and if he can just knock down catch-and-shoot threes at a respectable clip, he has a chance to succeed as a glue guy.
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Not going to lie, there is something oddly satisfying about seeing Tyus Battle (#87) and Kris Wilkes (#89) both below all the Michigan guys. Cant help but feel both would have been better prospects had they ended up at Michigan
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Battles dad pushing him to Syracuse where heād practice a defense that canāt be played in the NBA and they donāt practice offense at all will always be a head scratcher.
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$$$, no head scratcher to me.
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I can say with fair certainty that Syracuse doesnāt pay players. There is documented academic dishonesty, but the program itself doesnāt pay players.
I think Battle chose Syracuse because it was closer to his family.
The program itself is almost never the source of player payments.
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Ok, let me rephrase then, since it was poor wording by me - there is no one associated with the basketball program that has paid or been a go between for a significant amount of money to get a player to attend.
On the other hand, he was pretty much allowed to do whatever he wanted on the offensive end.
Dave Bing and Derrick Coleman disagree.
Long history here of shady dealing:
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Honestly, if you think that players in your favorite program havenāt received āfringeā benefits at some point in the history of the program, I have a bridge to sell youā¦
Iāll go out on a limb and say that someone in every major college program has received some sort of āfringeā benefit or small compensation (>$1000) within the last couple years. Itās impossible to track everything.
Iām saying in response to Battle going to Syracuse for $$$, that it is not true. No player would make a decision to go somewhere for the potential to make $50-$1000. Iām talking about the real money and kickbacks that have been outlined in the NCAA investigation.
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I fully agree that players receive small, fringe benefits almost everywhere. With that said, Iām extremely confident John Beilein has never given players cash from his own pocket. According to those articles, Jim Boeheim did. Iām also confident John Beilein does not have close personal friends giving cash to his players. According to those articles, Jim Boeheim did.
I think Boeheim operates in the Steve Fisher world. Heās not a direct cheater, perhaps, but he knows whatās happening behind the scenes and heās good with it. Heās not getting any votes in the ācleanest coachā polls.
The only thing with Battle that Iāve heard is that his AAU program is financially connected to Syracuse. But at the end of the day, I think his dadās (moronic) belief that Tyus is a point guard, and that Cuse is a āhigher profileā program than Michigan, is why he committed there. He had a nice career there - Iām a little surprised heās not ranked higher in these predraft lists. Ironically, if he had gone to Michigan, I think he would be.
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Not sure the Tyus Battle recruitment is the one that Iād go to war for over being squeaky clean.
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I do think players commit to programs when they know the academic requirements wonāt be very demanding, and where the university community is known to ālook outā for the players.
But I donāt think thatās what happened with Battle.
adamsmit86 - thank you for posting this.
Lol, with the quick response here.