Good UMHoops Article on Beilein and Michigan's Prep for Syracuse
Really good write up on Beilein's philosophy about reducing the number of plays he has to call, looking for what he calls "flow". Also discusses the emphasis that has been placed on outside shooting in practice and using Horford, Morgan and McLimans on the outside defending to mimic Syracuse's length.
“I would prefer to be all flow if we can. I still think that we call too many plays, but it’s within the action,” Beilein said after Tuesday’s open practice. “You’ll see the same set, but we’re going with a different action. If we can get to a point with a very veteran team, they can run it all themselves. Now with three freshmen out there, we still have to assist a lot of them in what to run and why to run it.
And something else to file in Brian's John Beilein is first season Walter White theory:
“It’s tough to do the Harlem Shake sitting down,” Beilein said, laughing. “We had some other people trying to hog the camera, in case you didn’t notice that.
“We had some really great music on the bus. The bus driver had a CD that was very good. I had to cover my ears a couple times because he said he didn’t have an edited version. We had some dancing on the bus, it was wonderful.”
The whole article is worth reading. LINK
Objectively, is there a more likeable coach in college basketball?
I like that Beilein mentioned that he would watch old WVU game footage, because he's a student as well as a coach, and while he may not have had much luck in the end with Boeheim's defense when he was at WVU, I think he has the tools and talent on this team to dissect the 2-3 zone rather nicely if we can distribute the ball well and stretch it out to get penetration and good shots - the numbers say we have the offensive firepower to do this if we can get those looks.
I fall more and more in love with this team by the day. Comparing Beilein to other coaches, particularly with Rutgers in the news, is amazing. I don't know of a more centered and balanced coach anywhere. And that is obviously impacting the players.
During the Kansas game, I wondered, "What would Beilein do if one of his players gave a cheap groin shot to the opposition?" I immediately knew the answer. It simply would never happen. That player would never have made it into the system to begin with, much less stayed in it or ever seen the floor.
This isn't a great coach. This is a great human being who also happens to be one of the finest coaches in the NCAA.
Great news, I thought I didn't know where I was.