Plusses for Michigan with McGary
There is a great article by Sam Webb at the News on some advantages Michigan has in recruiting McGary http://detnews.com/article/20110908/OPINION03/109080444/1131/SPORTS0201/John-Beilein%E2%80%99s-system-could-be-deciding-factor-for-5-star-Mitch-McGary.) Some of this is a repeat from earlier (his friendship with Novack, Bielfeldt, & especially Robinson.)
But the article is extremely positive on Michigan's chances with McGary because of the coaching acumen of John Beilein, and his past use of post players. McGary's current AAU coach, Wayne Brumm is quoted extensively. Brumm says,
When you're doing an analysis for a big guy, it is very important to see how they're going to use him."
Extreme familiarity with the recruiting process has hardened Brumm to the typical promises made by college coaches. . . . Brumm is most concerned with how his team, and in this case McGary's future team, plays the game.
"I don't want to hear how they're going to use him," he said firmly. "I want to know how they are going to use him based on how they've played in prior years."
And therein lies Michigan's great equalizer in the race for McGary's services. The Wolverines may not have the recent national championship success of their contemporaries, but they do possess a characteristic that could prove just as pivotal, if not more so.
"The post player is intimately and intricately involved in John Beilein's system," Brumm explained. "I don't know anybody who runs a better offensive system for a post player than Michigan. So I have to say, why not (Michigan as a possible destination)? Everybody else is (analyzing McGary's recruitment) like they're a friggin fan. We're trying to pick a school that is in Mitch's best interest."
As good as this is, the article gets even better. Brumm suggests that as Beilein has better and better players, he will be a huge force to be reckoned with. In other words, the future looks very, very bright, whether or not McGary comes:
John Beilein can flat-out coach. The people I talk to and the coaches I talk to, I'll flat-out tell you — they are scared of John Beilein. They are worried about the day he starts getting the talent that they've got (at their schools). He's been at a bunch of places that he couldn't recruit high-major talent. Now he's at Michigan and it looks like he is making some headway there. When he starts with an even slate in terms of talent, look out! Look what he did last year. Look what he did with Darius Morris, Timmy Hardaway, and look what he has done with Jordan Morgan. My goodness, isn't anybody paying attention?
The article ends with high praise for Bacari Alexander. If you want a great read on Beilein and Michigan basketball, that goes beyond fluff, be sure to go through the full article.
September 8th, 2011 at 12:13 PM ^
September 8th, 2011 at 12:14 PM ^
just went from six to midnight
September 8th, 2011 at 12:22 PM ^
Man, that's the stuff I'd read about, never having seen it. I can't wait.
September 8th, 2011 at 12:29 PM ^
Ouch, I feel really old now. :-)
I was enrolled at UM when UM won the national title and when the Fab Five teams made back to back championship game appearances.
September 8th, 2011 at 1:24 PM ^
Dude, that's nothing to say ouch over. Everybody gets old(er).
A lot of fans would have killed to have been a student during that time, myself included.
September 8th, 2011 at 1:32 PM ^
Well it was a blast, no doubt. I will never forget the rushes onto South U following the Illinois final four game and then the championship over Seton Hall.
Just wish it was a memory from 5 years ago, not 20! Besides, it's my birthday tomorrow so I will be even older! Like, Clint Eastwood - you kids get off my lawn - old. :-)
September 8th, 2011 at 2:11 PM ^
back then lol.
September 8th, 2011 at 12:27 PM ^
This is Michigan fergodsakes
September 8th, 2011 at 12:40 PM ^
If we land McGary I'll be happier than a dung beetle at a Creed concert.
September 8th, 2011 at 12:48 PM ^
ESPN and Rivals both have him as a PF while Scout lists him as C. His AAU coach certainly sounds like McGary is being recruited as a center. But I don't care what position he plays - as long as he comes here! It certainly is a very encouraging article. Although I kind of disagree about Duke, NC, Kentucky offering "better basketball experiences" than Michigan. In what way? I don't think he'll get any better coaching at those schools. And our facilities will be on par with theirs by the time he enrolls. The average player talent at those schools is higher however I'd say. But the gap will be much more narrow by the time he enrolls at Michigan.
September 8th, 2011 at 2:39 PM ^
I took that statement to mean the "gameday experience." Which, although I've never been to a game at Rupp, Cameron, or Crisler; is probably accurate.
September 8th, 2011 at 12:54 PM ^
John Beilein will seal the deal with McGary by chugging an entire bottle of A-1 steak sauce in front of him.
September 8th, 2011 at 1:07 PM ^
Their campus reminds me a lot of AA, but my friend made sure to show me the Dean Dome, and the basketball museum. It was a very impressive facility all around, it blew me away.. for that reason I'm def. nervous about him making his visit there, but the positive is we have brand new facilities to show McGary!
September 8th, 2011 at 1:52 PM ^
Novak will be gone but the time MM is in college. Unless Zack has an eye on giving it a shot in Europe, I think we should strongly consider giving him a position so he remains involved in the program (and not just because he's McGary's buddy).
September 8th, 2011 at 1:52 PM ^
Wasn't it posted somewhere that McGary also wanted to go to a school with a good football program? I'd be curious to see pix of him in the stands at Duke & UNC football games and compare his smile and enthusiasm with those pix from last Saturday.
September 8th, 2011 at 2:40 PM ^
Someone mentioned the football program thing the other day, and I would love for someone to come up with a link to where McGary said that because I have extreme doubts that it wasn't just something that someone made up and is now being passed around like gospel truth. First, if that were true, Sam Webb would be mentioning it every time he talks about McGary because he is quick to list any Michigan-positive point he can, and I've never heard him mention it. Second, McGary came up with a very curious final six if "good football program" is one of his main concerns.
I think people are blowing the whole McGary had a great time at the WMU game way out of proportion. Even Sam said the other day that he expects McGary and his family to have a great time on every visit and that people shouldn't place too much emphasis on that.
Take this for what it's worth, but someone on a Kentucky site mentioned a recruit doing the Gator Chomp at a Florida basketball game who nevertheless ended up at Kentucky. This sort of thing is probably not that uncommon.
September 8th, 2011 at 2:53 PM ^
Yeah, but if you look at his final 6 and now his supposed final 3 the football thing makes sense. Michigan, Maryland, and Florida are obviously the 3 top football schools of those 6 and the other 3 are basketball blue bloods.
September 8th, 2011 at 7:42 PM ^
Feeling I should do due diligence since I may have contributed to the spread of faulty information:
- I checked UMHoops and didn't find anything.
- I'll eliminate Sam Webb since you say he hasn't said anything about football in his enthusiastic discussions of him (my only other possible legitimate source, having listened to the podcasts, naturally without taking notes at the time), other than this here blog, and
- Then I found this in the blog entry about McGary at the game:
I know for a fact McGary wants to go to a school that has a big football program. That being said the only other school in his top 6 with a solid football team is Florida. It looks like he had a great time at the game and hopefully everyone who saw him there told him we need him in blue next year.
The poster is DiehardMichigan who joined on 9/3/11 [the day of the post] and has exactly one point. So how he knows for a fact is anyone's guess.
Although finding this assures me that my memory is relatively intact, I now I know that I don't really know. And never really did.
September 8th, 2011 at 2:14 PM ^
Not sure how true it is though, I do know he's visiting Duke for Stanford, LOL hope he enjoys the 33,000 plus compared to 110,000
September 8th, 2011 at 3:53 PM ^
What's his connection with Novak and Bielfeldt?
September 8th, 2011 at 4:14 PM ^
I believe Novak was a teammate and a mentor to McGary. And a good friend.
September 8th, 2011 at 5:04 PM ^
Novak is a former teammate and mentor as stated. Mitch, Glenn III, and Max play on the same AAU team.
September 8th, 2011 at 6:10 PM ^
I feel a tingle up my leg.
I never believed the possibility of us getting him...but where there is smoke, there is fire. I think that we are definitiely in the game. Which, frankly, I cannot believe.
Transformative...that is what getting him would mean.
September 8th, 2011 at 9:04 PM ^
see more Gifs