I still like Cain for the spot and what he could provide in relation to need. Bamba you take no matter what.
That kid is a 17? Looks to me like they’re planning on taking someone. Honestly the competition Sucks but there is little doubt in my mind that kid can get his shot off on most anyone. Very impressive. How he’s not ranked is beyond me. Did someone say he’s 6 5? Off of what I saw douglas> Brooks and I don’t mean that as a slander to Brooks
Also if we’re still interested in this guy then why not eastern? Is he reclassifying?
I like this kid’s game a lot more than Eastern’s. Looks like a top 50 kid to me, easily. His game reminds me of Manny Harris, except his shot looks better.
Positionally, the “4” is the area of greatest depth concern.
Robinson (SR/5), Livers (FR), Wilson (RJR/SR) in '17-18
Livers (SO) and potentially Wilson (SR/5) in '18-19
Michigan needs to add at least one more body capable of playing the “4” in the Classes of 17 or 18.
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Is it not at all possible that IF we get Bamba Wagner slides to the 4? Isn’t that where Beilein originally saw him playing at UM?
For a 7 footer Bamba does happen to be extremely light at around 210. He definitely has the play making ability and athleticism that would make up for his lack of shooting.
(Edit: Thought you were talking about Bamba at the 4, which would probably be a much larger version of what we would have seen with Donnie Tillman).
It is definitely a possibility that Jr year (17-18) or Sr year (18-19) Wagner could play some “4” — either with Bamba or if Teske/Davis exceed expectations at the “5”
So yes, adding Bamba could have the same impact on the depth chart as adding a body capable of playing the “4” spot.
And as pointed out in this thread and others, Bamba is a talent that you take regardless of depth chart; he has the look of a guy who will make the rest of the roster better however the coaches juggle the pieces around him.
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UM in the Miami area at Sagemont. Most likely there for a guy I’ve done work with, and am a fan of his game in 6’8 forward Tyler Polley (2017), or perhaps guard Luis Hurtado. Polley recently told his final 5 were UConn, Tennessee, Pitt, Oklahoma State, and Dayton. Interesting to see if Polley will consider if UM does in fact reach out.
For context, Polley had a similar trajectory in relation to Cain. Largely unranked last year, when I viewed him in Vegas I knew it was just a matter of time before he was ranked by most services. Polley’s rankings are almost identical to Cain on every service, just slightly below.
Some highlights I put together of Polley in Vegas in July
Man I really like Douglas. I know we don’t need him positionaly but outside of mamba. That talent is reaL deal. The manny Harris comparison is a good one. I get the competition but like I said there no doubt in my mind he can do that versus high level talent. Personally I think he appears to have higher upside than Poole or Brooks. It would not surprise me if he became the starting sg next to x after maar is gone. I’m really hoping we get him if mamba passes
Brandon Johns
@MattD does the pursuit of Douglas and others (outside of Mamba) give some of the writing on the wall for Cain? Backup plans? Possible attrition?
Could be backups, attrition, perhaps both. The staff is always looking at prospects, its part of due diligence. Remember we were looking at Malik Williams for a good month or so? Same thing with Kimani Lawrence. Until these kids visit, its nothing too serious.
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Considering the makeup of this team, seems awful early for attrition concerns to strike?
The past couple of transfers there were logical circumstances in play, even if some of them would have seemed surprising 3 or 4 mos before they were announced
(Doyle fell to 3rd on center depth chart with 2 Freshman centers coming in; Dawkins & Chatman lost playing time to MAAR & Robinson)
The only areas where that may present itself would be Wagner (pro options in Europe) or Wilson (if he doesn’t crack the rotation). So if UM was scouting “bigs” I could see the attrition foreshadowing?
- Teske & Austin signed knowing they were likely to be red-shirted
- Robinson & MAAR are starters
- Matthews just transferred in
- Simpson is the heir-apparent at PG
- Watson seems to be impressing the coaches early
- Irvin, Walton, Donnal are all listed as SRs
Basically Michigan has one more scholarship (continuing on the assumption that Donnal is a senior, as he’s listed on the roster). I wouldn’t say evaluating options is really foreshadowing attrition as much as keeping options open.
I think you can make an argument for adding Douglas in that spot, you can also obviously make an easy argument for Bamba and an argument for Cain.
If the intention for the recruit to decide during the spring, having options with those guys is a good thing especially with expected or unexpected attrition.
It probably doesn’t make sense for Wilson to transfer after this year - he redshirted so he wouldn’t be able to play more than one year anywhere else. Might as well stay, get his degree, and then leave as a grad transfer – get to play the same amount, one year, that way.
I would expect the staff to continue evaluating '17 players in addition to younger guys. There’s still a spot that could be filled with one, no '17 has signed a LOI and won’t do so for another two months, then you have the thought of springtime signees, etc.
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