5 basketball practice takeaways from UMHoops
I know MGOBLOG is in full football mode right now but Dylan over at UMHOOPS has an article up with his takeaways from the Basktball Media day and open practice. It's worth checking out for those that love Basketball as much or almost as much as football.
Link:
http://www.umhoops.com/2016/10/04/five-takeaways-michigan-media-day/
October 4th, 2016 at 12:01 PM ^
I can't remember what our potential starting five will be. Harbaughmentia has set in.
October 4th, 2016 at 12:06 PM ^
1. Walton/X
2. MAAR/X/Watson
3. Irvin/MAAR/Watson
4. (toss-up) Robinson-Wilson/Irvin
5. (toss-up) Donnal - Wagner/Davis - Teske
4. and 5. are the "position battles"
October 4th, 2016 at 12:19 PM ^
October 4th, 2016 at 12:20 PM ^
strongly hoping Mo stakes his claim as our starting big early on. Time will tell.
October 4th, 2016 at 12:26 PM ^
Wagner should take that position over this year, if not this year next. If somehow something happens to Wagner, Davis or Teske could take it over as well.
October 4th, 2016 at 12:32 PM ^
He just needs to be more consistent. Hopefully he takes that next step this season.
October 4th, 2016 at 12:54 PM ^
October 4th, 2016 at 3:41 PM ^
October 5th, 2016 at 7:49 AM ^
Donnal needs to improve, but not many guys get double digit rebounds in college, especially in a Beilein offense. No one is Ben Wallace in college.
October 4th, 2016 at 12:42 PM ^
Based on what I've gleaned the depth chart is 100% gonna be closer to this
PG - Walton / X
SG - Rahk / Walton / Irvin
SF - Robinson / Irvin / Watson
PF - Irvin / Wilson / Robinson
C - Mo / Donnal / Teske / Davis
PG/SG is gonna be a three man rotation between Walton, Rahk and X. Irvin will play the 2 on offense if someone gets injured (not Ibi).
Robinson and Irvin are 100% the starters at the forward spots, and then Ibi and DJ will be competing for the last spot in the rotation. Ibi will exclusively play 3 and DJ will exclusively play 4. So Robinson will be playing some 4 if Ibi breaks into the rotation.
Center is clearly Mo and Donnal. One of Teske and Davis will redshirt, while the other will be the emergency center. Davis is more likely to redshirt because he is not good.
October 4th, 2016 at 12:54 PM ^
Wow... That last sentence. Brutal! He's a B1G scholarship BBall player. He's good.
October 4th, 2016 at 12:58 PM ^
Most think that he should not be a B1G scholarship BBall player.
October 4th, 2016 at 1:37 PM ^
Who is "most?"
I guess we'll see on how good he really is over time, but the last time I remember people making statements about a Michigan player's skill level before he even had a chance to complete fall practice, Spike scored 17 points in one half of the national championship game in his freshman year and ended up being a fan favorite throughout his career. Sometimes we just need to be a bit more careful about how we assess a player's skill level based off of recruiting rankings and "experts" opinions, especially before the kid has a chance to even prove himself.
If you've seen him play in person, you can add that bit of information, otherwise I suggest pulling back on making statements of fact like that based off a perception that was gained through people writing stuff about his high school game.
October 4th, 2016 at 1:49 PM ^
I'm not most. I absolutely think he should be a B1G scholarship BBall player. He is in a program that teaches basketball, and his primary contribution of exeptional size is the thing that can't be taught. He will turn in to a strong rotation player in time. His upside is better than that of, say, Jordan Morgan. Donnal has some ball skills, but inferior size, and I think in 4-5 years we will be more impressed with Davis' career than with how Donnal's winds up.
October 4th, 2016 at 3:57 PM ^
I don't think Davis has near the lateral agility/athleticism that Morgan had, and he's even worse than Donnal as well. The dude is SLOW. He did not hold up well whenever he went to camps and played real comp.
October 4th, 2016 at 4:51 PM ^
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October 4th, 2016 at 2:07 PM ^
Who are these most that you speak of? You should get some new friends, they sound pretty pessimistic.
October 4th, 2016 at 3:26 PM ^
Didn't he finish second in Mich Mr. Basketball?
October 4th, 2016 at 4:01 PM ^
He played high school ball in the boonies and never played anyone within 6-7 inches of his height (keep in mind he is only 6-9/6-10). So yeah, he racked up stats there.
October 4th, 2016 at 12:59 PM ^
as Beilein discussed yesterday. Walton will be moving to the off-guard position increasingly; X seems to be impressing.
October 4th, 2016 at 1:26 PM ^
as Beilein discussed yesterday. Walton will be moving to the off-guard position increasingly; X seems to be impressing.
October 4th, 2016 at 1:35 PM ^
Davis's criticism is that he's not quick enought to even play the 5. I don't necessarily agree with that, but the 4 is a big stretch.
October 4th, 2016 at 1:46 PM ^
I meant Wilson. All these generic Anglo surnames. : )
October 4th, 2016 at 12:08 PM ^
1: Walt, X
2: MAAR, Ibi
3: Irv
4: DJ, Duncan
5: Moe, Donnal
RS: Teske, Davis
Sound about right?
October 4th, 2016 at 12:10 PM ^
replied similarly. I'd just say based on the media day bits I read, that Beilein is very much expecting both X and Walton out on the floor at the same time for good portions of time. Although now that I think about it, probably will be X at the 1, Walton at the 2.
I also hope we don't keep RS for both Teske and Davis. We'll want to be 3 deep at the Center position, especially if we're going to be more defensively aggressive.
October 4th, 2016 at 12:08 PM ^
always in for some hoops talk, particularly because I think we are going to surprise a lot of people this year including our own fan base.
October 4th, 2016 at 12:11 PM ^
help me get to where you're at. I see nothing but anger and frustration from this year's squad
October 4th, 2016 at 12:12 PM ^
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October 4th, 2016 at 12:16 PM ^
October 4th, 2016 at 12:37 PM ^
October 4th, 2016 at 12:44 PM ^
It sounds like that is the case, and based on the drills that were ran, there appears to be much more of a defensive focus. That likely also means that the freshman are gonna be really bad running the offense in the halfcourt.
October 4th, 2016 at 1:38 PM ^
October 4th, 2016 at 2:12 PM ^
If you read the acticle you'll see that he felt he needed to make a change in the way the team's being coached. That takes some balls to admit. He's giving up some of the control which is a new thing for him. We'll see whether or not it leads to improved defense, but he's definitely changed his approach.
October 5th, 2016 at 7:51 AM ^
"Literally not even discussed in coaching meetings"
lol go away
October 4th, 2016 at 12:16 PM ^
two years featured a team waiting and wondering whether or not they were going to be playing with or without the best player on the team. Nobody was able to comfortably settle into roles because they did not how long they would be in them. The end of the season last year saw flashes, Irvin made some outstanding late game plays (with a few frustrating ones mixed in), Walton became a pretty tenacious on-ball defender out top, and Wagner showed some real promise on both sides of the ball down low. A senior Irvin, a senior Walton, Robinson now has his feet wet, a good class coming in, and Wagner with a lot of potential. MAAR was also playing some very good ball at the end of last season. The pieces are in place. I think you are going to like this team more than you think.
October 4th, 2016 at 12:24 PM ^
Nothing was more fun than those couple of deep tourney runs a few years ago. I just don't see it this year. I think where you and I disagree is on what they can expect out of Irvin and Walton. I think we've already seen both of their ceilings as players, and that ceiling isn't all that high. I also think the lack of a bench is going to kill this team dead. I hope I'm wrong!
October 4th, 2016 at 12:32 PM ^
I think we may have just about seen Walton's cieling which I think is fine. I think you are selling Irvin short. The end of the last two seasons he's shown flashes of being something more and last year he reportedly never was abile to get back to 100% after back surgery (not in terms of his back but in terms of athleticim because of being limited in the weight room). He claims that it is no longer an issue and he can already tell the difference.
October 4th, 2016 at 12:39 PM ^
is his decision making. He is a very gifted athlete and has a lot of talent, but his decision making and shot selection can be borderline terrible. Those aren't things that generally improve between years 3 and 4
October 4th, 2016 at 12:46 PM ^
has trouble creating his own shot. (I also disagree with you that he is a particularly gifted athlete). He is really good off the bounce if he gets a screen but has nothing if he is just one on one with a defender. That is why I am very hopeful that X can play and get some dribble penetration to complement MAAR's ability to drive to the basket and draw defenders. What Zak Irvin needs more than anything is some uncontested shots and those have been few and far between the last couple of years.
October 4th, 2016 at 12:37 PM ^
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October 4th, 2016 at 12:41 PM ^
besides Simpson?
October 4th, 2016 at 12:50 PM ^
looks pretty good man. We did not go out and get the Fab Five or anything but our commits were not scrubs. Livers and Poole are both four star prospects also coming in next year and Matthews will be eligible as well. Things are not as bad as a lot of people around here would tell you they are.
October 4th, 2016 at 1:00 PM ^
What about Watson looks good in your opinion? Looks like a poor man's Dawkins to me. Above average athlete, doesnt't D up. Can't really handle. Has a decent 3 point shot (but significantly worse than Dawkins).
October 4th, 2016 at 1:09 PM ^
you are hating on the kid before he plays a game? That is where we are now with our basketball team?
October 4th, 2016 at 1:12 PM ^
Being objective and realistic isn't hating man. He's a very low ranked recruit with unimpressive tape. I (and most other people) do not see anything exciting about him. We'll see what he can do, but going into the season with high expectations for him doesn't make any sense.
October 4th, 2016 at 1:16 PM ^
know what you can get from his tape other than his release is somewhat unconventional. We have seen that fixed before. I certainly don't think you can come to any concrete conclusions about him defensively. He looks quick and athletic around the rim. I agree, we shouldn't expect the kid to be all BIG next year but I don't see any reason to be kind of blindly pessimistic either.
October 4th, 2016 at 1:20 PM ^
He shot 34% from 3 in high school and 32% in AAU. I've heard many first-hand accounts of him defensively, and it is not good. Very lackadaisical. And then from his tape, it is clear that his handle is nothing impressive and that he isn't much of a creator. Definitely a good athlete though.
An informed opinion isn't a "pessimistic" opinion.
October 4th, 2016 at 1:24 PM ^
mean, I hear you, but I guess I am just trying to take your pulse right now as to what your evaluation means to you as a fan. That he rides pine for two years before transfering? Is there not a chance that we can capitalize on his positive attributes as a player or develop him? That is what I mean by being pessimestic.
October 4th, 2016 at 1:34 PM ^
I think he tops out as an average role-player and can be an okay piece if he improves his shot, although he could definitely end up buried depending on what happens next year. Upside is a slightly better Dawkins, but the floor is noticeably below Dawkins. I have no expectations for him to be a positive contributor in year 1. The only reason he's even in the rotation discussion is because of how disappointing DJ has been.
October 4th, 2016 at 1:15 PM ^
that is not hating on a kid. You said you wanted to talk hoops. You have to be able to hear differing opinions