Caris LeVert: ESPN "Way Too Early" 1st Team AA
http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/10746819/…
Title says it all. ESPN is clearly going off the assumption that Nik, Mitch and GR3 are all going pro and no one knows that for sure...but it's not just B1G fans who saw what Caris is capable of. We are going to be just fine either way!
McGary may not be included because ESPN is using 2013-2014 performance as a metric.
EDIT- not neccesarily 2013-2014 NCAA experience, considering there are high schoolers on that list.
More top level talent. I don't blame JB for that. The rotten culture of the game (AAU etc) doesn't have anywhere near the high caliber type of kids that JB seeks out. Michigan has done a fantastic job with the players JB gets. The question is how long with that last now that Michigan is back.
Mitch McGary was ranked as high as the #2 recruit in the country as a high schooler, and GRIII was a top-20 national recruit. We're not getting five incoming All-Americans each year like Kentucky because the culture of the program is different; guys who are looking for a quick one-and-done aren't going to go to an academic school like Michigan.
Yet after coming in #2 in the tournament two years ago and #5 this year, how is this year's recruiting class shaping up? I'm no expert but it would have really been nice to have at minimum a top 15 class after all of this success. However, JB has earned my benefit of the doubt for several years.
appreciative, and plans to let you know himself.
doesn't occur until class of 2016. 2014 is way too soon because they have been recruited since they were freshmen. Michigan was solid but not great program at the time.
They landed Kameron Chatman who is highly regarded recruit and landed him over Arizona and UCLA. So Michigan got some effect from last year's run but like I said, you won't be able to see it until 2016 class.
Imagine it's 1985 and no one knows what a recruiting ranking is. Are you still displeased with John Beilein? "Golly, he's only had like 6 NBA 1st rounders in 3 years. What a disappointment. That other team had lots of tall guys who could jump a lot and now they play in the D-League. I wish we had that"
John Beilein is better at evaluating talent than Rivals or Scout or ESPN or 247 is. I truly do not care about recruiting rankings when it comes to John Beilein because guys like Caris LeVert (non-descript 3* poached from OHIO!) is outperforming plenty of 5*s from his class.
Seriously, do we think it's just random luck that guys like Nik Stauskas, Trey Burke, and Caris LeVert completely blow up at Michigan? Neither of them were in the top 50 for their class but all are/were projected to be Top 20 guys in the NBA draft (which also includes international prospects). Beilein is a damned wizard at recruiting, developing, or both. I don't care if Kentucky's players are 5*s. Caris and Nik are better than most of them and if you think that's luck then I have a tin foil hat made up for you.
A lot of truth there, but we have also tried getting some higher rated players like Blackmon, Kennard, Booker, etc and we have struck out on a lot of them. So yes, we there is still MORE talented players that our coaches have as their first choice and we aren't landing them. I love our team, but let's not pretend that we can improve our roster on a pure atheltic and size standpoint.
Lavall Jordan is a big reason that our guards are developing as they are...
Final game last year, Elite 8 this year, multilple first round NBA picks. Shame we can't attract more top level talent
What do you mean by "top-level" talent? Kentucky may have had 5 freshmen this year start, but part of the reason is that Coach Cal kicked out a couple of other "big name" recruits from last year's team that didn't pan out. Attracting top-level talent in terms of development on the court isn't the same as top-level talent according to the AAU and recruiting circuits.
Yes, Beilein doesn't pull in a team of top-5 kids each year, but that's only if you gauge it by the services who need to keep pushing their ranking services.
for Moar Caris!!!! What a great season he had! Looking forward to next year!
ill add to the hype. nbadraft.net has levert as their #4 (!!!!) prospect in their 2015 mock draft http://nbadraft.net/2015mock_draft
Ahead of GR3 and McGary. So, they think both come back and then fall behind Caris in the draft. Bold prediction.
I would absolutely second that. LeVert seems to me like he will be at that level next year.
Also notable that all three (LeVert, McGary, and GRIII) are 1st rounders in that mock.
Pretty much every "expert" agrees that Caris is the better pro prospec. 6'6'' combination guards who excel in iso, transition and PnR don't grow on trees.
necessarily always pan out in the NBA either. Looking at you Quincy Douby...
was 6'3". Just wikipediaed him, and boy has he bounced around the world. . . .
Been saying since last season that he reminds me of Scottie Pippen
double
Double posts seem to grow on trees.
That site is a joke, man. Has been for years.
You shut your whore mouth. He is not.
LALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU
Sorry I can't find the article I read, but I remember seeing a blurb about Irvin and Donnal both staying in Ann Arbor all summer for the mushroom level up program. I believe Walton was included as well.
And honestly, I think Caris could probably use another mushroom level up physically as well
I'm sure he will be working on his strength and his game all summer in Ann Arbor. He has been referred to as the ultimate gym rat.
I thought Levert and Stauskas worked in A2 all summer because they weren't invited to any camps? Hopefully Levert showed enough this year to get invited to several camps, although I'm sure he'll still work out extra in A2, and hopefully help out the younger guys too. I fully expect Irvin and Walton to explode next season like Levert and Stauskas did this season.
That's true for Stauskas at least. Coach was calling around trying to get him into a high profile camp but none were interested. Caris was really far off the radar last year. It worked out for both, obviously. Glenn went to the camps and imo his game didn't benefit in the same way. I wouldn't mind the whole team staying for the summer based on this year's results.
We have an established culture of work ethic in our basketball program. Stu and Zack got every ounce out of their potential by working hard, Trey and THJ worked to improve every offseason, JMo has been great, Caris, Nik and GR3 put in some heavy work in transforming this offseason, and it sounds like our 13 class is planning on doing the same. Long may it continue, as it is helping perpetuate our success.
Major props to JB for being a great coach and teacher and finding kids with great attitudes and work ethics. And major props to the kids that will do anything to get better.
I think Irvin is the front-runner from the J. Ira Memorial Stauskas/LeVert Offseason Improvement Sophomore Leap Award. I can't wait to see him on the court next year.
I agree. And I think that when you combine it with even a moderate improvement from Walton, we're going to have a lethal perimeter lineup.
Kinda depends on what plays out at the other schools.
State obviously loses as much or more. OSU loses Craft and Ross (I know, a great recruiting class), the way transfers are going, IU may have no one left s/, etc etc.
Other than the possible, but unlikely, loss of Dekker, Wisconsin should be the near prohibitive favorite. But give us a healthy Mitch--even losing Nik and GRIII---and I like our prospects just fine in 2015. Even without him, we will be very competitive--certainly as competitive as the 2011 and 2012 teams.
It's not carried away at all. I know many UM fans like being negative and defeatist these days, but this is how it is now...we have a shot at a championship every year in hoops. Just wait til you see the Zak Irvin frosh/soph jump.
It's not carried away at all. I know many UM fans like being negative and defeatist these days, but this is how it is now...we have a shot at a championship every year in hoops. Just wait til you see the Zak Irvin frosh/soph jump.
Michigan found themselves behind in some games,BUT found a way to win,all but a few we came up short. BUT,we battled to the end in those too. Coach B,won't allow this program to slide cause the lack of recuriting,teaching or coaching...those days have been over.
I trust the Michigan coaching staff...you should too.
j/s
But looking at that list of players, and you have to believe Stauskas would be the Wooden/Naismith Player of the Year favorite if he came back for another year.
One can dream...
He was the best player on the floor on more than one night this year
Seconded re pro potential. I think long-term, he's going to be the best pro out of all of these guys, which is no slight on the others. I don't know that his NBA career will exceed Burke's, though.
This is no surprise considering a mock draft had him at #4 overall in 2015. It's hard to disagree. He's got length, quickness, shooting ability, a filthy crossover...just needs 10 pounds and a respectable mid-range game and the sky's the limit.
That said, I hope it doesn't go to his head. From everything I've read, he's a pretty down-to-earth guy and he obviously worked his butt off last summer. ONe more offseason like that and...look out
Geez.... # 4 overall ???? I predicted last year that McGary could be the top overall pick....
Wow, I hope this encourages both Stauskas and McGary and Glenn, to stay one more year... if LeVert projected at #4, then surely those two would be in lottery.... not dissing LeVert here......
I am not officially encouraged that all three will stay another year, when they see how thin it is in 2015... though I do predict that Harris stays at msu for the same reason.
I will say that, if you're going to make a way-too-early list for something like this, Levert has some pretty good base numbers to work from as I assume this season's performance in the metric being used. He averaged 12.9 points per game and was 43.9% from the field, including 40.8% on three-pointers. He had the third-highest total in rebounds and the second-highest number of assists, so his play has definitely been key to how Michigan performs in-game. If he even made modest improvements on some of these measures, I would think he'd be in the discussion for first-team All-American when the time actually does come next season.
The Young LeVert Rises.