State might win the whole thing next year especially if they land Jackson
College hoops is so bad they might win this year
Jon Teske and Big Countries of the world not cutting it.
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Telling Beilein quotation from yesterdayâs freep article: âI have to find the answers,â Beilein said. âItâs on me to try to find the ways to shore up this deficit that we have right now, with our depth, with our roster, with our talent level. We gotta improve it. We gotta do better.â
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Whatâs he going to do cut players?? We know how the fan base feels about that. Just look at football.
He is stuck with a heck of a lot of wasted scholarships on guys who may never develop. I wish him luck trying to figure it out. One major step would be to recruit actual B1G type players
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Itâs not too late to yank Davisâs scholarshipâŚ
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JB obviously knows there are some significant shortcomings with this team from a talent and makeup standpoint. So will he change the mentality that he recruits with and go after a different type of player? Thatâs the biggest question, hoping the next couple of recruits we get are athletic and are known for their motors. That would be a huge start.
Other question is does he look at making a staff change, donât necessarily think one needs to be made and the head coach always has final say on offers but maybe a different voice would help. Bring in a known top recruiter or top defensive coach.
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Yes it is. He signed.
My problem is this he has been here damn near 10 years and now he thinks this? Us fans have been screaming this for years.
This is such a revealing quote. This roster is entirely constructed by JB himself. To see him almost admittedly accept that it is deficient of high end B1G talent, is totally on him. Whatever happened to that vaunted Michigan player development mystique? Itâs not so easy to take athletically challenged projects and morph them into all B1G performers now is it? We need higher end ATHLETIC kids with talent and motor.
We also need to decide if we ever want to have anybody on the roster who can legitimate serve as a defensive stopper, or just go get another potential shooter. Michigan deserves better than this.
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Iâm pretty disheartened by the last week to be honest. Its been a while since expectations were high-ish (although one can certainly argue why they shouldnât have been), and output was so embarrassingly low (not disputable). Lots of people questioning lots of things on lots of forums.
I think the whole discussion starts at what standards/expectations should be for this program. My bar, having been invested since the 80s, is that we play to the level of our legacy, which is that of a historic top 10-15 program. If people want to be happy making the tournament so they can watch a game or two, and then get back to reading about what sandwich Rashan Gary had for lunch, then they and I will probably have a hard time agreeing on what the right strategy is. Talent/recruiting is a piece for sure. Lack of flexibility in strategy/game plan is another. Instilling that desire is another. Creating desire in those who seem like they canât find it is another.
If Iâm the Jordan brand, iâm looking at Michigan basketball as a significant opportunity. Huge reach and opportunity to get the brand into a more mainstream viewership. The brand stands for very specific and protected values, which include performance, success, that âdesireâ, style to a certain degree, and is not meant to be ubiquitous the way Adidas/Nike can otherwise be seen as. If I manage that brand, looking lost on court at home against rivals probably concerns me. If they want to fully monetize and take advantage of this opportunity, the âcoaching up 2-3 star less athletic typesâ is not going to be the natural way which means the approach needs to change, or results need to be such that the approach canât be questioned.
Iâm still on JBâs side here (or at least patient), he has certainly built equity with me, but the lack of flexibility in so many areas of how he coaches and recruits will likely come into conflict with getting to either results or a new approach. The next 8-10 games will be pretty telling as to whether he fully acknowledges that same old recipe he uses needs some fresh seasoning â not in terms of magically making current players/recruits more athletic, but that he has the ability to modify his approach when needed and get trajectory changes out of DW/ZI that arenât based on poor competition. If he canât I think performance stays constant and 2-3y from now we are looking at a different approach from a different regime.
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Nice post JVS
Said it much more elegantly than Iâm capable of. I wish every Michigan basketball fan was forced to read that post.
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Itâs interesting you bring up the Jordan brand, With Beilein not willing to play in the grey areas how will he ever be able to use the Jordan brand to his advantage on the recruiting trail?
Very well said, JVS. Maybe you should print it out and mail to the new AD.
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The other problem is other schools are paying players under the table. See section⌠Following the money.
IMO this pseudo amateur system should be done away with. Euro kids go pro when theyâre 15-16 years old. The revenue sports should be spun off into a minor pro league. I would not be surprised to see Moe Wagner split
The conversation here is, increasingly, a clownshow, Now weâre chastizing Beilein for not working in the grey areas. Maybe we can take up a collection and the likes of you can offer the big payola and strippers. Sad, sorry, weak.
Just think if weâd had McGary, who wanted to be here, and a fully healthy Walton last season. You lot would have nothing to do with your time. Beilein is rocked on at least three sides by a) success putting guys in the NBA; b) injury, and c) (yes) several guys who looked right for the system not panning out. And you want to sit here in your jammies and say Beilein doesnât run enough plays. And say the same things over. And over. And over.
Too bad geniuses like this arenât hired on the spot by the likes of Hackett: âMy problem is this he has been here damn near 10 years and now he thinks this? Us fans have been screaming this for years.â What can the bozos making the big bucks possibly be thinking. Why havenât they crowned âjsmith68â king?
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Mattman, honest question here: How do you feel about the 2017 class? Do you think that class, along with our returning talent, are enough to compete for a big ten title next year? Make a NCAA tournament run?
If not, when do you think Michigan will compete for another big ten tittle or make a sweet 16?
Is it fair to criticize JB if he misses the tournament for 2 straight years? How about 3?
When is it okay for our fan base to get upset in your opinion?
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Not sure if youâre referring to my post, but in no way do I advocate for the Louisville approach. Thatâs on you.
Youâd have to be a fool not to recognize that the cynical exploitation of college athletes is the root source of the rule breaking.
The revenue sports are an entertainment business, straight up. The players should be paid if theyâre good enough to be paid in a free market, which itâs not. As pointed out above, UM is one of the premier brands in college sports. If anybody would benefit from the abolition of the ncaa system it would be Michigan who has arguably the most resources and brand capital of any D1 university in the country. Just make spin it off, pay for the best players and be real. Then you donât need proxies for money, just money.
Thereâs a fine line working grey areas and not having the NCAA on your back. Do you truly believe thereâs no difference? McGary was a top 10 recruit in the country it wasnât realistic to think he would be staying 3 years to begin with.
Criticism is fully warranted when the team is barely showing a pulse in two of their biggest games. Their coach fully admits they canât play defense and canât beat top teams *note- Indiana is playing good ball but hardly what I would constitute a top team. Why are we forgetting to discuss even with Levert this team played some awful games against Xavier, UConn, and SMU. This is where we are at with Beilein if they miss out on the tournament thatâs 4 times in 9 years where he hasnât made it. The bar needs to be higher and expectations greater for a program that has dumped 100+ million into Crisler Center, practice facility, contract extension for Beilein. If your expectations arenât higher maybe Northwestern/Rutgers/Penn St are more your cup of tea.