Figure this could get some good discussion going…
Where do you look next in 2016?
How aggressively do you pursue the two offered point guards (Winston, Goodin)? Does one fit better with Battle than the other?
Do you drop down to the next tier in… June? August after evaluating them in July? Wait it out and see if someone signs late?
If 5 stars truly draw other 5 stars, then you play the Winston recruitment out to the VERY end. Stay on that kid until he tells you yes/no.
With Battle in the fold, the 2016 depth chart doesn’t look all that enticing for a an elite PG in 2016. That said, the 2017 depth chart looks ideal, especially if Battle doesn’t prove to be a one and doner.
So I guess my question is, would Winston or Goodin be okay with bits and pieces of PT in 2016 so they could take the keys in 2017?
Anyone know if Winston and Battle are friendly at all? Presumably they interacted during last year’s Elite Camp at a minimum?
Or, alternatively, Battle and any of our other PG targets?
I think the Battle commitment could definitely help in this area. Playing alongside another stud in the backcourt could be a huge enticement.
I did read comments from Battle’s dad saying after his commitment that Tyus would be a ball handling guard. If one of Winston or Goodin commited do you think Battle’s commitment could be effected by that? I’ve read he basically wants to have the ball in his hands.
Personally I think that is overblown as at worst Battle figures Walton will still be there in his freshman year.
Regardless I think Beilein will offer in the lower tier if he has a kid he really likes and take the first commitment he receives.
Of course this is all dependent on if Davis reclassifies or someone transfers to open up any additional scholarships.
First to commit between Winston or Goodin, If Zak blows up and leaves with Levert and Albrecht, take one of Josh Langford or Miles Bridges as well.
Stick it out with Winston and continue to recruit other PG’s. Also, continue to recruit and look for other combo guards like Battle in case Zak leaves or there’s other attrition.
What’s great about UM’s situation is that they’ve done an excellent job at roster composition. So for '16 you have:
Guards: Walton (Sr.) Battle (Fr) Rahkman (Jr) Robinson (Jr)
Wings: Chatman (Jr.) Dawkins (Jr.) Irvin (Sr) Wagner (So) Wilson (So)
C: Doyle (Jr.) Donnal (RS Jr.) (Teske (Fr.) Davis (Fr.)
And Irvin and Robinson, and potentially others, could play guard or wing. For '17 you’d only be losing Walton and Irvin, though of course, one or two or more players could leave anytime in between now and then to the NBA or transfer. But there’s a lot of flexible pieces.
Looking at that roster, the clear soft spot going forward is at PG, but I don’t think it’s a desperate need. You’d still have decent ball-handling 1-4 even on the '17 team. So, long story short, I think you wait for the PGs you really like (i.e., Winston or Goodin), and then perhaps in August think about going after a PG or combo guard that you really like, depending also on the feel about the first two. I think the staff can be a little patient now and wait on guys they really like. And all the flexible pieces make it a good fit for really any style of PG.
Agree with Chezaroo that staff should try hard to leverage the momentum of landing Battle to get Goodin or Winston. I think Goodin would be the best fit as an athletic distributor but you can’t really go wrong either way – best backcourt in college basketball.
Good conversation starter.
I think either of the two offered point guards would pair nicely with Battle. A Goodin-Battle pairing would give us an ultra-athletic backcourt that could (finally) potentially play lock-down perimeter defense. They could be really potent in transition, as well.
A Winston-Battle pairing would be dynamic offensively in the half-court. Winston is not the athlete or defender that Goodin is, but he is a very polished player.
Do we really know who the next tier is in terms of PG? Is it Huerter, Brown, and Walker? Hopefully the staff has an idea where they rank in Goodin and Winston’s pecking order. If they think they have a shot, maybe hold out until July or so.
Can Battle and Huerter play together in a back court? Borzello mentioned Huerter as a PG UM would pursue. Additionally, is the expectation that Battle is a one and done? And would that be good for the school’s pursuit of future elite talent?
In a lot of ways, Huerter could be the perfect complement to Battle as a point guard. Battle would be the featured guard in many sets, but Huerter gives you an additional passer at that spot. Could be enough insurance to wait and chase a '17 PG.
If Battle is a likely one and done, it would make it even more important to land the best PG possible for 2016. I think both Goodin and Winston are multi-year players who might want to come to play alongside Battle on a championship squad their first season. The same attraction may not exist for a 2017 PG.
You never know with the NBA Draft, but I wouldn’t label Battle a definite one and done. It’s certainly a possibility, but I could also see a 2 year plan as well.
Dylan what are your thoughts on PG recruiting vs Battle’s desire to be the ball handling guard.
I think that we’ve seen how much the off guard can handle the ball in this offense (see Nik Stauskas) so I don’t really see it as a concern.
Is the langford recruitment pretty much over? There were rumors of battle and him talking about playing together at UM.
I think PG is of much greater concern and need right now. I would say Langford is an option on the back burner right now.
I take the best player willing to come. I’m fine with junior Rahk being the back up point guard if we fill up our last spot with Langford.
I take the best player willing to come. I'm fine with junior Rahk being the back up point guard if we fill up our last spot with Langford.At the point I don't think that MAAR is ready to run the offense. in a year, maybe. Another possiblility is to move Chatman to the back court.