Michigan basketball freshmen 'destroy' veterans in first scrimmages
Tim Hardaway Jr. thought he knew how good the Michigan basketball team's 2012 recruiting class was before it got to Ann Arbor.
He knew they were athletic, he knew they had talent and he knew they could do a lot of things in several different areas.
He thought he knew it all.
And then he really found out.
"The first two or three (scrimmages), they destroyed us," the Michigan junior guard said with a laugh.
http://annarbor.com/sports/um-basketball/in-first-scrimmages-michigan-b…
Edit: Here's today's Detroit News article on the same topic
"Everyone has that chemistry back from last year and with the freshmen coming in, I really think we're national championship contenders," said Burke, who flirted with leaving for the NBA draft. "Last year, a lot of people overlooked us and didn't think we were that good. Losing to Ohio gave us some experience and we know what to do in those situations now."
!!!
That is all.
just as much I'm looking forward to football season this year. This has never happened before.
Given the brutality of the football schedule, things feel decidedly more ambitious for basketball this coming season. I see no reason why we can't strongly contend for the Final Four.
At a minimum, they're very well-positioned to win defend the Conference title this year (wow-when was the last time we felt confident saying THAT going into a season?)
Bama looks like a loss, but there really isn't anyone on the schedule Michigan can't beat. Michigan is now going to be the team with a lot of upperclassmen on it, who have been to hell and back. Meanwhile, there is a reason why every "tough" game on the schedule is winnable.
@ND: ND is a train wreck waiting to happen. I have yet to see evidence that Kelly truly has control of his team.
Sparty: OVER-RATED (clap, clap, clap, clap, clap). Seriously, they have lost too many good players and their rebuilding/reloading ratio will be too low this year.
@Nebraska: Taylor Martinez "progressively got worse" as a passer? He has to prove that he can throw the ball at a D-1 level.
Iowa: they were lucky to beat Michigan even when they had superior personnel. They don't have superior personnel this year.
@Ohio: Meyer isn't always great the first year. Braxton Miller has to prove he can carry the load as he works with his third offense in three years. Michigan's defense is in its second year of Mattison. We should probably be scared shitless of Ohio starting in 2013, but this game is in 2012.
B1G Championship game (if they get that far): Wiscy may be the best of their division, but they won't be pushing around a bunch of freshmen and sophomores this year.
In other words: I'm not writing the football season off yet, and you can be sure that nobody in the locker room is, either. "Leaders and Best" doesn't mean "I wet my pants and choke on tough games." I think this team will be very ready, and I think they are catching a potentially difficult schedule at the right time, due to the circumstances noted above.
but our team's lines currently lack the depth necessary to go against all those quality opponents over a season. Hope for the best, expect the worst? Idk, but I like our chances that the coaches will get the most out of the players.
I hope BWC and Richard Ash step up their games such that Pipkens is an option after them; then this season could be special. The Alabama game should be telling.
State is not overrated just because we hate them. That defense is full of studs and is going to make them a very difficult team to beat regardless of how Maxwell looks. Nebraska is going to be seriously fired up against us with the game at night. I don't expect OSU to be great this year, but they have NOTHING else to play for except the Michigan game this season. They are going to take a hell of a shot at us.
Nebraska, Notre Dame and Ohio State should never all be on the same home-away cycle, but when they are, you have to Patsy Up in the non-conference in even years. You don't schedule Alabama.
Trey Burke: Freshman Nik Stauskas hit 78 three-pointers in five minutes in practice...no fuzzy math there, either. #zonebuster
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120712/SPORTS0201/207120455/1361/I…
Here is the article from Rod Beard.
Caris is 6-5 and is built like small Kevin Durant and has all the tools Durant has — he can dribble really good, can shoot," Burke said.
Did Fred Jackson write this?
Trey learned from the best.
Durant is the favorite absurdly optimistic comparison for lanky guys now. Durant comparisons were actually given to Austin Daye not long ago, which, yeah...
Solid workout on the shooting gun on a Saturday afternoon. #MichiganBasketball twitter.com/NStauskas11/st…
— Nik Stauskas (@NStauskas11) July 7, 2012
Can this be? A pure 3-point shooter in Beilein's system? Drool...
what?! Do you guys know how hard that is? I wonder how many of you have done five minutes straight of three pointers - it gets real tiring. You likely will have a few streaks where you make 8-10 or so, but 78 in 5 minutes is pretty nuts. That's a MADE 3 pointer every four seconds over the course of five minutes (amazing math skills provided free of charge).
Oh boy, oh boy.
That 5 freshmen would try to repeat (only the good parts please!!!!) history?
That article is really encouraging. It's great to hear that they new guys are humble and hardworking.
The best part of the article is how the veterans came back and turned things around on them. The freshman really seem to be pushing the veterans and making the team better overall and more competitive.
This can only mean good things if it elevates the game of our veterans.
Games to 11 can be fluky things. The freshmen winning 11-6, 11-7 says they're talented. The seniors coming back and winning 11-2 and 11-1 says they know how to play and are conditioned. I think the best part of the article talks about how well they mesh, that they're already hanging out together and all working hard.
please moderate as redundant.
I remember hearing that someone's incoming freshmen destroyed the varsity was the 1965 UCLA recruiting class with Alcindor/Allen et al. who manhandled the remnants of the two-time national champion Bruins. A year later, the Alcindor-led UCLA sophomores were national champions. Let's hope for a replay with this class.
There should be a (-1 Jinx) in the moderation options.
^guy who was in a coma during 1991
This is just a pickup game. No need to get too excited. It's only...
ah, screw it.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
we could be really good if they work at it. The team is much longer than it was with Stu and Novak. The frosh have to catch up with their defensive IQ though.
It's going to be weird not seeing 6'4" white guys playing PF
God,
Protect me as I raise my excitement level and expectations for Michigan basketball. I shall not tempt thee by being overly exuberant, but.....
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
I'm sure the veterans will turn things around, but this bodes well for the competitiveness of the entire team this season. Having younger guys pushing the upperclassmen all the time will make this Michigan team much better. Hopefully this will push Hardaway in particular over the hump.
I don't know there is a hump Hardaway needs to get over. At this point I'm inclined to think Hardaway is what he is: Nice scorer with a bad handle. THJ does not look fluid, or naturally gifted when handling the ball. His overly upright crossover is a turnover waiting to happen, and kind of surprising considering his Papa; Tim's not really much of an NBA prospect at this point. I would expect Hardaway to be at M for 4 years.
“His ball handling looks really good and he’s improved a lot.” Burke said . . . We actually played against him [a couple times]. He looks good, shooting the ball really well and attacking the rim strong.”
. . Hardaway’s focus in the offseason has been developing into a complete player – even one that Michigan fans might not care for but have to respect.
“I’m going to have a Draymond Green type of year,” Hardaway said. “He just does everything: rebound, pass, steals, assists, running the point a little bit. He just makes his teammates better. I know the fans might not like that but he’s a dog out there.”
For the record, I like that.
There is also this review from the LeBron James Skills Academy via http://www.nbadraft.net/2012-lebron-james-skills-academy-top-college-prospects
The skinny:
Hardaway's biggest Achilles is plain to see as he really struggles to get by defenders off the dribble as he's severely lacking an explosive first step
same as not /having good ball-handling. In my experience, ball-handling is fundamental and more about ball security in general.
Lacking a quick first step is specifically about attacking the hoop. Some players seem to do this naturally without issues; THJ doesn't seem to be one of those guys. If that's his only issue this year, I think we'll be good.
I hear you. I don't even necessarily agree with the "first step" issue, honestly, I hadn't noticed it. I was just giving a less ringing review of THJ from this summer. THJ's Ball handling deficiencies, which I've noticed firsthand, are a much bigger concern for me.
And, perhaps most impressive, the duo said they witnessed Robinson make a flat-footed broad jump of 11-feet, 11-inches.
It's the mental that could make us a really good team-
"They want to learn, they don't talk back, they want to do whatever it takes to win. Coming into a freshman year, that's very good. They're not trying to just make an impact on offense, they're doing it on defense and making hustle plays -- they're doing whatever it takes."
....there is also the productivity:
"Sophomore point guard Trey Burke noted how Stauskas made 78 3-pointers in five minutes earlier this month during a shooting drill, something he said was nearly a Michigan record."
That's about 46 points a minute. I will take that.
It sounds like this squad is shaping up to be a potentially formidable one, and I like that they want to both play hard and play smart and, if Robinson's broad jump is any indication, simply leap over defenders. The talent and the ethic are there to make the next few years some good years indeed.
This will be the first time in the Beilein era M has the Bigs to bang with MSU and other physical teams.
Last season Beilein had Morgan, Smot, and Mclimans at his disposal
Next season Beilein has Morgan, Mclimans, Horford, McGary and Bielfeldt at his disposal; Huge difference literally and figuratively
Honest question, will Mclimans and/or Horford be factors? I dont remember seeing their names much last year and that was before the influx of talent you recieved.
Horford was hurt much of last year, he will def get a lot of quality minutes, especially early in the year...How well and how fast McGary and Bielfedt catch on to the college game will determine if those quality minutes extend throughout the whole season
I doubt you see much of McLimans at all by conference season
Horford could be a big factor. He took a redshirt last year due to injury, (right foot), but iirc he actually started the first game of the season ahead of Morgan. Horford was the best defensive presence M had inside, prior to the arrival of McGary.
McLimans is unlikely to contribute much, but will add a big guy with 5 fouls to give, and gives M a little insurance if the injury bug bites again. Part of the reason Bielfeldt took a redshirt last season was due to tendonitis in his knee and then there are reports of McGary having off and on bouts with Planter Fascitis since 7th grade. Probably a good sign for M if McLimans role is limited next season, but you just never know...
so Mclimans and Bielfeldt are going to be benchwarmers most of the season, with Morgan Horford and McGary getting most of the big man minutes pretty much ?
That's the most likely scenario IMO
but with McLimans, we know we're getting slight improvement in his game since he'll be a senior; he might show leadership by producing at key moments though.
Contrast that with Beilfeldt who still has a chance to be a good college player (significantly better than average; sorry, McLimans, if you're reading this). He was injured last year I think and took a redshirt.
Yes, he can have a major impact this year.
Chris Balas of Rivals has been writing very glowing reports ever since the new Fab 5 stepped on campus.
Today it was in the mold of "legit national championship competitor" this year. Take a second and think about that. 10 years without a bid in the NCAAs to where we are now. It's unreal.