Good for him, hope it works out for him there
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Smotrycz to Maryland
Evan, you brought us wonderful memories. You are and will forever remain, a Michigan Man. Good Luck with the rest of your career and life.
best of luck to him. won't be too far from home. still can't believe we ran him off.
You really think that's what happened? I sure don't.
his displeasure with being constantly booed and criticized is well known.
It might have been a factor, but I don't think you can say having fans boo/criticize him was the only reason, otherwise he should just stop playing sports, cause it'll happen everywhere.
And if being criticized was a huge factor, then why go to Maryland? It's not an elite basketball school, but it's more of a basketball school than Michigan
While it's true that Michigan fans are less than charatible toward players, particularly qbs, that, through no fault of their own, are forced into playing time before they're ready (see Navarre-Sheridan-Threet) I can't imagine that the criticism that any basketball faces rises anywhere near the level of football players. Add in that Maryland is well known for having the worst fans in the ACC, and I think we can discount fan criticism as a major factor in the transfer. I think it's likely that Smot either didn't like the coach, didn't like his teammates, or didn't like the school. It happens. Best of luck.
If criticism really was a factor, Maryland would not be the place to go. Colorado would have been better since it is not a basketball school, has positive media and it relaxing. But Maryland would be bad if it was criticism that got him to leave just because they may not be an elite program, but their fans sure as hell think they are... I hope he chose Maryland because he was homesick and it is closer to home for him.
i didn't say that it was the only factor and i understand that maryland comes with the same pressure. but the fact is that we fans are not infallible, and that smot left - in large part - because he felt uncomfortable with how he was perceived and treated.
Please elaborate on how he was "perceived and treated." Nobody criticized Smot more than we criticized anybody else. He left because he felt he should play a more integral role in the offense rather than just a supporting role. He knew that going into his junior and senior year he'd likely be competing with Mitch McGary for a starting spot.
Re: perceived and treated...
Nick Fairley was known to be "Poking Smot in Al"
He's certainly free of that now.
The word on campus is there were some academic issues, also.
Wahh wahh gimme a freakin' break.
I don't accept your premise.
And even if he were "constantly" booed and criticized, boo-freaking-hoo. He's an athlete at a major college program - who publicly made some mistakes. It comes with the territory.
Look at Hardaway's reaction to his critics. He stayed late and practiced more. He acknowledged flaws in his game and worked to erase them. THAT is how you handle your critics. We drove him away? No. If that's the real reason he left (which I still don't believe it is - he won't fare much better at Maryland), he needs to grow up in a hurry or he won't succeed anywhere. I think that's all moot, though, because I think he left for different reasons.
how well known are we talking? i don't remember any in particular and i watched a lot of M basketball these past two seasons. i'll grant a decent amount was in a bar setting without sound access, but it's not like the M fanbase is big on booing.
his displeasure with being constantly booed and criticized is well known.
What? When did this booing take place? It wasn't at any of the several games I attended. And as for criticism, maybe I'm wrong but other than in the immediate aftermath of the NCAA tournament, I don't remember all that much. Over the course of the season, Hardaway probably took a lot more flack.
good luck at Maryland, where they are really passionate about basketball.
Look what they did to Boozer's mom.
http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/shocked-terp-fans-pelt-boozers-mom
Where exactly do you get the idea that we "ran" him off?
Was Evan Smotrycz the source that Goodman used for his "Burke going to the NBA" story? Because Goodman has had the scoop on Smotrycz's transfer process the whole way through.
Best of luck to Evan at Maryland.
Goodman has been absolutely lights out in breaking transfers and NBA draft entrants this season. He has been ahead of everyone regardless of what school. Guy is at the top of the game.
He was definitely ahead of everyone on Burke.
I would guess his main contacts are similar to Ken Rosenthal's i.e. agents.
Wonder if we will be playing Maryland in the B1G-ACC basketball challenge series while Smotrycz is still there?
That would be awesome. I'd love to see Smot try to guard McGary.
If he left because Coach B was too hard on him, then Maryland won't be any better...
Turgeon is one of the bluntest coaches I have ever heard.
If he couldn't play well enough in the Big Ten to be a star, I hardly think the ACC is where he should be going. If he can't take booing and criticism, the ACC isn't the right place for him. If a coach like Beilein is "too tough," it isn't going to get much better at any major program.
This move probably isn't a great one for Smot in a basketball sense. He should have gone to a mid-major school, where he could have been one of the better players on the floor more nights than not. Unless he thinks JB's system isn't right for him, and that he would be a star in a more conventional one, there really isn't much of a reason for him to transfer to another major college.
Good luck to Smot anyway, because he has been (so far) classy on the way out the door, but I just wish he had thought things through better and gone to a place where he could get what he is looking for.
Bottom line: it's a lot easier to average 20 points in the MVC or the A-10 than it is in the ACC.
Best of luck to him in MD!
Hard to see him go- would have been huge to have him for what is looking like a fantastic year coming up.
But for the students its best to be where you are happy- and I hope he has found that.
Does anyone know what went on with Evan.. He played a lot and left for no apparent reason. Competition for a spot in rotation should only make you better. Lost on this one.
I think it came down to him just not feeling at home here at Michigan. Judging from the comments he has made since he left something about Michigan just wasn't working out for him.
he thought he would be a bigger part of the offense at Michigan and really didn't like how Coach B was "coaching him".
There were comments from coach like: " I love coaching Evan, not sure he loves the coaching I am giving him" .
If he thought the pressure here was tough, it won't get much better in College Park.
If he thought Coach B was tough, he's in for a rude awakening. If he thought the M fans were mean, he hasn't seen anything yet.
he wanted to be a bigger part of the offense. That was not going to happen next year and we all know it. Hopefully MD helps unlock that potential that he feels would have gone untapped in A2. I personally did not feel like Smot had NBA potential, but who knows. I felt the same about Udoh, until he got to Baylor...
Well at least now we know where to mail the Lobster costumes
Smotrycz Crabcakesrycz
Maryland is always a program I like to see do well, and I hope to see Smotrycz help them get back to the tourney next season
Fire Harbaugh?
What's interesting is that I heard he was struggling with the pressure of a big-time athletic and academic program.....so Maryland seems an odd fit. I was expecting him to select more of a mid-major or a lesser established major program.
the enforced redshirt year will be just what he needs.
This tool box dribbled the last gm out ( nice crossover) then 2 days later transferred... He needs to be in MAC if he want to be THE man.. 6ft 9in and no post game... WEAK. Same goes to Brundidge
is it wrong to hope he doesnt succeed? dont get me wrong, i dont want him injured, i just hope he never starts and hates it. i hope he succeeds about as much as i hope ohio state players succeed. its not like he chose a different team during the recruiting process, he willingly left the team when we needed him, i hope he never starts or makes the tournament .
Yeah, that's wrong. Kid did what's best for him, deal with it.
is it wrong to hope he doesnt succeed?
Yes.
I hope you never succeed for posting that comment. In fact, I hope you never start for a D-1 basketball team or make an NCAA tournament.
I bet he never made it off campus. No one who has actually visited the city of College Park would want to spend time there.
Sounds like he really likes Maryland and the ACC because they have a history of teams that like to run and score in transition....compared to the B1G (his words, not mine)
Who cares he's gone. Valla con dios amigo.
it's "vaya."
Does anybody else find it funny that the guy correcting the Texas guy's spanish calls himself Oriental Andrew? Anybody? No, well carry on then.
My first thought when I hear about Maryland is the chant that Cameron/Duke gives them at the start of games - "NOT OUR RIVAL[clap-clap-clapclapclap]NOT OUR RIVAL[clap-clap-clapclapclap]. I always kind of felt bad for them, but they did win a NC a few years back (2002?).
who cares what cbs sports says. they lost all credibility between calling joe pas death early....and calling trey burke leaving...which never happened.
was reported correctly. They said Burke is expected to enter the NBA draft. There was no definite word from Burke that he is in fact declaring for the draft and it gives room just in case Burke had a change of heart in which he did. Burke was all set to go to the draft and changed his mind at the last minute. You have absolutely no idea what's happening behind the scene.
I used to work at Maryland...loved it. I'm sure he'll have fun down on Route 1. With that said, he provides them with something they don't have, BUT he's not going to get away with dribbling the ball up the floor when he gets there either. He's not going to see near the minutes simply because his game is so specific.
He'll be a nice add when they play Duke and teams that don't want to run up and down the floor all game. But I hope he doesn't think he'll start and be a main player at Maryland. He just doesn't fit what they do other than in a specialty or role situation. I don't think he'll play any more than he did at Michigan last year. With that said, he could be starting at Michigan NEXT year.
...AND he wouldn't have been playing Center with Horford healthy and McGary in the fold.
He would've been playing the 4 where there are clearly minutes to be had if Beilein isn't playing a 2 post offense.
If Smot left because of criticism he received, I'm sorry but he ought not be in a major-league program. Michigan fans do some complaining about basketball -- but nothing compared to what you'll see at other major programs. I think Smot left just because he didn't fit into the program and frankly wasn't playing as well as he would have liked. He said as much in the weeks prior to his transfer. He said he was disappointed with his play, his defense, and his confidence.
Uhm. Mods? ^
Solid post. Way to spell and think. Nice work.
I see a well deserved ban hammer in your future.
Sumbitch
Not sure that Maryland is the best spot for him. If you look at Maryland's depth chart, he could have some problems entering the rotation. Maryland's recruiting class of 2012 features 4 players who are between 6'8 and 6'9, (3 of whom are on Rivals' top 100). Jake Layman, who is the #70 prospect, has a very similar skill set to Smotrycz as well. There's also current freshmen Alex Len and Ashton Pankey, who are also talented big men. By the time Smotrycz becomes eligible in 2013-2014, the rotation may not have an opening for him.
This doesn't completely ease the depth chart issues, but my guess is that Len is gone after 2012-13.
end up meeting Maryland in the B1G/ACC challenge while he is there. Double interesting if the game is in Ann Arbor.
but I can't create a new thread. Did anyone catch the comment in the McGary article about his recruiting rankings?
"maybe it was the constant bout with plantar fasciitis, a foot affliction that has bothered McGary since the seventh grade."
Uhh, that sucks. Was this known? First I've heard of it.
Any word yet on where he may land?
The style of basketball played in the BIG is pretty lame. What offensive minded player wants to play in games where 70 points is a scoring onslaught? Udoh, Manny, Dmo, Burke, Smot, none of these guys prefer a slow tempo. Don't blame any of them for seeking out a more satisfactory brand of basketball.
It's a good thing Udoh was able to hone his offensive skills in a "real" basketball conference to prepare himself for great success on the offensive side of the ball in the NBA.
Does anybody else think that he vastly overestimated the booing and criticism he would recieve because of the last play of that Ohio game and that play alone pushed him over the edge?
Really? I've never heard of College Park being such a terrible place. I live in DC and it's just 10 minutes out of town with a subway stop. Pretty picturesque with low crime for our region. As much as I love Ann Arbor as a Michigan grad it isn't a subway ride to Detroit and even if it was Detroit isn't DC.
I do get out to Terps games a couple of times a season though and I look forward to following Smotz play with my 2nd team.
EDIT: Sorry this was supposed to be a response to mschol17 on page 1. Somehow me being an idiot I managed to foul that up.