Anonymous B1G Bball Coach Discusses Michigan's Weaknesses
Here is the full link: http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/02/20/acc-big-ten-big-12-scou…
The nugget on Michigan is about halfway down. The most brutal parts are highlighted:
"Michigan: “Obviously they’re not great defensively, but they’re confident they can score against you. [Junior forward D.J.] Wilson and [sophomore forward Moritz] Wagner have emerged as premiere players. If [senior guard Duncan] Robinson is in the game you want to attack him defensively. Everybody knows that. Sometimes [senior guard Derrick] Walton just coasts on defense. The point of attack is where your defense has to be at its best. You have to keep Walton out of the paint. He can shoot it, but he does most of his damage when he’s breaking your defense down. If they’re not making shots, I don’t think they can beat good teams. Everybody that starts can make shots for them. [Senior guard] Zak Irvin is having a down year. He’s not shooting the ball as well. People have been keying on him a little more and making him take tough twos. I love Wilson, but he’s not a tough kid. I’ve seen guys punk him and he didn’t fight back. They’re real soft defensively. I just think they have to spend so much time and energy getting that offense to work that they don’t have a lot of time to work on defense. There’s nobody who runs better pick-and-roll offense than John Beilein. They get guys eight or 10 points who don’t deserve to score.”
MOD EDIT - Initially took this down because that's what happens when I mod in the middle of a meeting where I don't have a chance to read, but upon reading the tab, a title change - as suggested in the Sticky - works better. My mistake. - LSA
February 21st, 2017 at 11:58 AM ^
February 21st, 2017 at 3:38 PM ^
February 22nd, 2017 at 3:43 AM ^
February 22nd, 2017 at 3:47 AM ^
February 21st, 2017 at 11:20 AM ^
That is a fair assessment and nicer than some things that could be said about this team.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:21 AM ^
seems pretty accurate to me. Beilein recruits country club players, he doesn't recruit players that grew up on playgrounds in the streets or what most would call junk yard dogs. he passes on talented players that might have some issues to run a clean mostly problem free program
February 21st, 2017 at 11:30 AM ^
February 21st, 2017 at 11:21 AM ^
If this is an evisceration then we really are too sensitive a people in 2017.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:23 AM ^
That sounded like a fairly accurate depiction of the team. I immediately thought of Donnal when he mentioned our pick n roll.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:24 AM ^
Um, how dare someone criticize our defense and toughness? Isn't that completely accurate and what we have been hearing (and observing) all year? That said, the coach also compliments several players and praises Beilen for the offense. I think we all agree that this team is a bit soft and frankly not that talented.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:25 AM ^
I guess I have a different definition for the term "Mercilessly Eviscerates."
February 21st, 2017 at 11:25 AM ^
FAKE TITLE!!!!
February 21st, 2017 at 11:25 AM ^
Every single person on this board is guilty of mercilessly eviscerating the basketball team then.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:26 AM ^
February 21st, 2017 at 11:35 AM ^
The only thing he left out is something about recruiting better.
February 21st, 2017 at 7:47 PM ^
February 21st, 2017 at 12:20 PM ^
Hell, at least this article didn't blow a bunch of dog whistles about "toughness" that usually pop up.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:26 AM ^
Nicer review than mine would be
February 21st, 2017 at 11:28 AM ^
This is an evisceration? Looks like a very accurate overview of our team to me.
If this shit offends you, boy I don't know what to tell you except maybe you're just like everyone else in this country who throws their arms up in outrage anytime someone says, does, or tweets something that isn't 100% in line with that they think.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:32 AM ^
BIG ten coach eviscerates Michigan by offering widespread praise of nearly all of their players and their coach."
Huh.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:31 AM ^
Although I hate the "doesn't fight back" criticism of Wilson. A few games ago, he DID fight back and punk another dude...and got called for a horrible technical.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:32 AM ^
I'd go with "critically describe." Most of what is in there has been said here by thoughtful people, sometimes even with bad words thrown in.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:32 AM ^
It's criticism but seems pretty fair. I think this team did look at itself in the mirror after the osu game, maybe it was Beilein's words as well. But they have played a lot better since that loss. Should have been four in a row.
I can't see Irvin doing anything different or helping the team other than by trying to play sound fundamental basketball (and not shoot jumpers). The rest of the guys have been playing pretty hard and if we are to make the dance, we are playing about as well as we could hope for. If we keep up the same intensity, we will get in.
GO BLUE!!
February 21st, 2017 at 11:35 AM ^
Did you even read the fucking article? It specifically says this in the intro:
"If you find that these reports are overly negative, that is my doing, not theirs. We already know these teams are good. I wanted to know their vulnerabilities, because that info can mean the difference between a second-round exit and a trip to the Final Four."
The lack of intelligence is just baffling.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:42 AM ^
Kinda weird they put a Michigan review in the article along with Duke, Baylor and Virginia b/c Michigan is deff not like those other teams in terms of being good.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:55 AM ^
February 21st, 2017 at 11:57 AM ^
February 21st, 2017 at 12:02 PM ^
Touche
February 21st, 2017 at 12:09 PM ^
You're right, Michigan hasn't lost four in a row and six of eight like Virginia.
February 21st, 2017 at 12:19 PM ^
And if I sound harsh, I meant to be. The BS that gets said on here against the basketball program is obnoxious on so many levels. I don't care if you're anti Beilein, I definitely can see why some people are. However, at least do us a favor and don't present that opinion by completely twisting the words of an article that says we're a good team.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:37 AM ^
Everybody already knows that. Our inside guys just aren't that strong and can get pushed around a lot. Donnal looks like he's never lifted weights ever and Wagner looks like he just started lifting over the summer. Wilson is skinny but not in terrible shape at the 4. Minnesota had 3-4 guys built like brick shithouses out there. It's hard to stand your ground and not foul when you are physically weaker than your opponent.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:46 AM ^
February 21st, 2017 at 4:54 PM ^
coaching time spent on offense vs defense seems hard to verify
Mgoblogger MatD (I believe is the screen name) has been to multiple practices and has said the same. Tons of time spent on offense.
February 21st, 2017 at 6:02 PM ^
mattd (if that is the right guy) doesn't have any comments like that in his mgoblog history. There is one person who claims to have seen practices (or a practice, his story changed a bit and he was rather a jerk to everyone, so I tended to give him little credence) and claimed that Beilein was all O all the time.
I was skeptical, but this is independent analysis suggesting that there's some meat there.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:48 AM ^
February 21st, 2017 at 11:49 AM ^
pretty the soft defense is a result of being coached to not foul. there is not usually a lot of challenging the shot at the rim.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:51 AM ^
Yeah, this is pretty spot on. Anyone who even watches half our games and is even half way objective can see this. This is really not being mean at all. There are just as many positives thrown out as negatives IMO.
It is interesint to note that the coachs says the time it takes to invest in understanding this offense leaves little to spend on teaching the defensive end.
But toughness? There is a fairly large lack of it in most B-Line recruits.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:52 AM ^
It's a good article, and a relatively unvarnished point of view. You and I have different ideas of the meaning of the word eviscerate, though.
February 21st, 2017 at 11:55 AM ^
February 21st, 2017 at 11:58 AM ^
Seems like a pretty fair scouting report, and is complementary in spots.
I think earlier in the season Walton did coast on D. His effort level, along with a number of other Michigan players, has increased dramatically as the season has gone along. MAAR is the one that stands out the most as a guy that was REALLY coasting early in the season, and has now been playing with a lot of energy...maybe not all the time, but much more than in the past.
Still, lack of muscle inside and athleticism on the wings is this team's weak spots, imo, and he touches on some of that.
February 21st, 2017 at 8:00 PM ^
of coasting. . . sorely lacking in self-awareness. And (unfortunately) a dime a dozen.
February 21st, 2017 at 12:01 PM ^
If you ask me, this is a perfectly rational take on Michigan basketball in 2017 with which many of our own fans would agree.
February 21st, 2017 at 12:03 PM ^
February 21st, 2017 at 12:04 PM ^
So basically "they shoot really well but aren't great defensively, and if they don't score enough points they lose games." These quotes remind me that perhaps I picked the wrong profession to work in, since apparently all you need is a rudimentary understanding of sports to be an assistant coach on a D1 basketball team.
This is a flawed team, but you could say things equally as positive and negative about every other team in the country, as this article does. It's...fine, in the way people need to fill digital inches and assistant coaches like to be catty off the record, so they'll prattle on about weaknesses of teams they've scouted a couple of times.
February 21st, 2017 at 12:06 PM ^
Wow, this is truly extreme verbal assault. A total annihilation of Michigan basketball. Even I walked away from this article with my tail between my legs. I don't even have a tail. Then what was between my legs!?!?
February 21st, 2017 at 12:09 PM ^
I'd rate this year's MBB team a 4 out of 10, with 1 being the softest. The Minny game was a game that a tough team wins, even despite the bad referees. Part of the problem is we have no true "go to" scorer, ala Ethan Happ, that we can go to when we need offense, and that can force opposing defenses to overcompensate to cover. We need us some Rooster Cogburn grit!
February 21st, 2017 at 12:13 PM ^
C'mon, FauxMo, you're better than that...
(Unless you meant to downvote in which case I agree.)
February 21st, 2017 at 12:16 PM ^
February 21st, 2017 at 12:19 PM ^
But the article is exactly what we as a fanbase and everyone else has been saying, whether it's to our faces or behind our backs. The team is soft on D and if we don't shoot ~40% from 3, we are going to lose most games. I don't care if the opposing coach is butthurt or not, he is telling the truth. Now we are either going to completely flame out in the NCAA tourney in the first round, or make a Sweet 16 run that will have all the "talking heads" showering Coach B and his offense with praise.
February 21st, 2017 at 12:24 PM ^
"anonymous b1g bball coach says things, michigan fans nod, shrug"