MBB Recruiting: 2018 G Jamal Bieniemy
John Beilein was in-school today to visit a 6'4" guard, Jamal Bieniemy (2018). He is the #40 ranked shooting guard according to 247. Seems like he's in the mid-to-low 100's to most of the recruiting services.
Notable offers are from Texas A&M, Okie St, Creighton, and New Mexico. Offer sheet doesn't blow you out of the water, but I don't really care. I'd love to pair this kid with David DeJulius.
His build just screams that he's a late-bloomer like Levert and will continue to grow. It's been years since I watched Edmond Sumner's h.s. tape, but that may be a decent comparison. Looks like he could play point down the line since he has good change of direction in small spaces when pressured. Shows excellent vision in traffic. Obviously will need to put on weight, but so do most kids. Has good form on his jumper and can work on getting a quicker release.
Interview with mattD here: http://endlessmotor.net/2017/01/25/catching-up-with-jamal-bieniemy/
at all with Jamal. I talked to him today and there's definitely some interest.
Trust me when I tell you this kid is very underrated. He will likely be a universal 4star at the end of summer, as he's going to get tons of exposure this year playing with Houston Hoops on the EYBL circuit. Last year he played with a non-shoe circuit club, and didn't get a ton of exposure.
If he's 6'3" now, I assume he'll end up at 6'4" or 6'5". He obviously has the ball skills to play PG at the next level. Tall PGs like that don't grow on trees, and he'll be an especially hot commodity if he shows he can shoot this summer.
A 2018 class of DeJulius, Hunter, and Bieniemy would be a fantastic haul in my opinion.
EDIT: Plus, his h.s. offense seems to be tons of high p-n-r. Tailor-made for Beilein.
Zero top 100 players would be a "fantastic haul'?
Cormac Ryan should be the top priority at guard in 2018.
1. You're assuming that no one moves in the rankings..which is a dumb assumption.
2. Hunter and Bieniemy both have very high ceilings.
Look, I like getting 4*s just like everyone else, and I can tend to be a stargazer. However, I watch tape for the guys UM shows interest in and Hunter and Bieniemy are two of my favorites. Ryan has a ton of skill and would be a great get, but I'm not sure his ceiling is as high.
A dumb assumption is assuming every one of those players is going to move up into the Top 100. You know who else watches tape? Recruiting analysts. They see these kids in person more than anyone and their livelihood depends on it. I'll trust their evaluations over anyone else's at this point because history has shown in both football and basketball recruiting rankings matter.
I'll trust Beilein and his crew over all of the analyst when it comes to knowing who will fit his system and the team. Blending skill sets and personalities is extremely important in basketball. It's why Beilein doesn't offer until a player has had a chance to be on campus and play with the current players. He wants to see how they fit in. Recruits also have to actually want to consider Michigan and that is a smaller pool than players considering Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, and UNC.
March 29th, 2017 at 12:24 PM ^
So that tells me they also prefer the higher ranked kids. Same was true with the last few classes. People always ignore this point when they talk about JB targeting sleepers. For the most part they have been plan B or C kids for the staff when they missed out on the higher ranked plan A kids
college coaching experience over some jock sniffers with a blog making 5k a year off google ads and "premium subscriptions", but that's just me
I'm not sure what your point is when coaches like Roy Williams, Coach K, John Calipari, Bill Self, Tom Izzo, etc. are all going after the 5 star players per the recruiting rankings year after year but OK.
so you obviously trust them more than the coaches you just mentioned, why are those guys all getting paid millions and most of the analysts are living in their parents basement with second jobs?
As for me, I know nothing about basketball prospects so I tend to rely heavily on the opinions of others. And I trust ypsituckyboy and Matt D much more than "recruiting analysts."
Ypsituckyboy has been breaking down hoops prospects here for a long time and has demonstrated that he knows his shit. Matt D has instant cred from his recent pieces on Livers. Both of them have a good understanding of the type of players likely to thrive in Beilein's system. One of them saying "X player will do well playing for John Beilein at Michigan" means more to me that some national recruiting analyst saying "X player is really good," or some compilation of national recruting analysts' opinions saying "X player is the19th-best shooting guard in the country."
That 18 class under JB would make my heart palpitate. That's my realistic dream class
What are your thoughts on Eli Brooks vs Xavier Simpson for next year? I see two very different players on tape with a more all around game for Eli. The things X does well however can really hurt an opponent.
Do you see Eli playing many minutes and would you put odds on his potential to pass X during the season?
I don't think of it as Brooks vs Simpson. I think eventually, the plan is to play 2 of Simpson, Brooks, and DeJulius together for long stretches. Simpson isn't a shooter at this stage of his development but Brooks and DeJulius certainly are. No problem playing them together. All three pg's of the future are exciting offensive players. I wouldn't want to defend the trio in a John Beilein offense. It will be entertaining basketball.
March 28th, 2017 at 10:47 PM ^
to play DeJulius and Brooks together. Very difficult to play 2 small guards together when neither are great defenders. Definitely think you want one of your guards on the floor to be at least adequate on the defensive end if your roster allows for it.
March 28th, 2017 at 10:45 PM ^
I preface this by saying I haven't seen Brooks play live, so my opinion isn't very informed and is obviously subject to critique.
That said, I'm not a huge fan of Brooks based on what I've seen on film. He doesn't handle the ball particularly well, and he's only a legit 5'11-6. Based on what I've seen on film, Eli appears to be a small shooting guard with limited athleticism. I think he'll be best served as a catch and shoot guy that has some ability to hit the midrange jumper off the dribble after a ball screen.
However, I do see Brooks getting some minutes next year out of necessity if Simpson cannot make big strides offensively. I have concerns about Xavier in that regard, so I do expect Brooks to get some time in the early going at least. It will sort itself out on the court.
If I had to compare the two, X has a better handle, moves better laterally, and is more aggressive going to the rim as a creator. Brooks has a much better shot, not as good athletically, not as good of a defender.
March 28th, 2017 at 11:12 PM ^
impressed with Brook's film than you were. I think he has a good handle, good shot and very good passer. Pretty good bounce for a sub six footer.
There's a reason Brooks is ranked where he is. Matt sees these kids Michigan is recruiting more thany anyone. I would take his opinion very seriously.
Came here for the Maizen Rage. . .but I actually agree with this post.
God damnit Maizen, you're infecting me too now.
/but uh, seriously guys. . . I'm assuming the negs are just cause "Maizen", and not the comment? Matt D, the recruiting analysts, and the offer sheet state that the kid isn't someone to write home about. Am I going crazy here?
Does anyone know if he's related to Eric Bieniemy? I've literally never seen that last name anywhere else, so there probably aren't that many of them out there.
I wondered the same thing and for a second i thought we were talking football...
"A wedding and seven cross-country moves later, they’re now settled in Kansas City and have two sons together, Eric III (20) and Elijah (16)."
http://www.chiefs.com/longreads/2015/ericbieniemy.html
- Edit -
According to an Oklahoma State site, Jamal is his nephew.
https://www.orangepower.com/threads/2018-g-jamal-bieniemy.226924/
- Final edit -
Eric has a brother named Jamal (who would currently be 35 years old, so definitely old enough to be the dad of a junior in high school), so assuming this is Jamal Jr, that would confirm he's Eric's nephew.
http://articles.latimes.com/1992-10-23/sports/sp-828_1_eric-bieniemy
...and I'm done with Googling.
Ha! The first thought that came to my mind was: God I hope he commits. Because then we can make the (very old) Chris Berman joke whenever he does something and call him Jamal "Sleeping With" Bieniemy...
March 29th, 2017 at 10:58 AM ^
I still think Berman's best nickname was Bert "be home" Blyleven.
Eric "The Enemy" Bieniemy has to be one of my favorite nicknames of all time. I hate University of Colorado football for obvious reason, but man, I loved his nickname back when I was a young-un.
Edit: was meant as a reply to Magnus
One of my favorite Chris Berman nicknames, too: Eric "Sleeping With" Bieniemy.
Let me hear you make some NOISE for Jamal Bieniemy!
Armageddon...has been in effect. Go get a late pass. Step...
So what you're saying, is that Beiniemy is a Beileiny type player?
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Sweet 16 'Cruitin paying off.
The one pain in the ass dude who always seems to show up in basketball posts continually complaining, PMSing, talking trash on our recruiting, and about Coach Beilein, is a real douche wagon. Thanks for the thread Ypsi on a potential new addition in 2018.
Cry me a river. Stop attacking the messenger instead of the message. It's lame.
Its me. And the guy you responded to. And the other guys you responded to. Everyone else is wrong.
MaizenRage!!!!
March 28th, 2017 at 10:59 PM ^
The good thing about it is I'll be able to compare them on a level playing field, as Ryan will be playing EYBL this summer as well. Hopefully the two will actually match up against one another. Either way, both will play vs. the best competition in the world for their respective age group.
March 29th, 2017 at 12:55 AM ^
Not a lotta height in those genes. Have to check his measurements to see if they are legit.