Top 5 recruiting classes in the Final Four, recently
I posted similar information during Coach Howard's first season when many fans and pundits were clamoring for him to recruit 5* players and McDonald's All Americans. But, the recent history of teams who base their recruiting on that criteria is not very good. Well, not for reaching the Final Four.
The last team(s) to have a Top 5 recruiting class and make the Final Four in that classes freshman year were two 2014-15 teams - Duke and Kentucky. The Final Four has consisted of teams without Top 5 recruiting classes every year since. I don't think it's a coincidence that Duke and Kentucky haven't been to the Final Four in 5 tournaments. Good coaches have found a way to beat Frosh and Soph laden teams en route to the Final Four. I didn't go into this basketball season thinking Final Four because of Michigan's youth. Let's hope Coach Howard finds some Beilein-type player development, and maybe by year 3 this class will be mature and complete enough to make a Final Four. I'm not sure though, because Duke and Kentucky have had Top 3 classes for the last half decade, and neither have made the Final Four.
November 22nd, 2021 at 1:22 AM ^
What is this argument? It makes zero sense lmao.
Bufkin, Collins, Barnes, Tschetter are all “Beilein” 3 year players.
Houstan and Diabate are supposed 1-and-dones.
So where did Juwan go wrong here? He even got Jones (highly touted transfer) to help with the PG hole on the roster.
Was he supposed to stop Brown, Franz, Livers and Smith from leaving?
The problem is the ratio of youth to experience has never been this biased towards youth since… beats me.
Next years class is full of 3-4 year types outside of Jett
November 22nd, 2021 at 1:40 AM ^
Do you really think we pushed hard to keep Mike Smith or Chaundee Brown?
I highly doubt it. Im sure we deferred to our younger guys and them being blocked from playing time.
Honestly, i think if you push and make promises to Brown, we are much better right now.
Spare me the for competitors only angle.
I mean we turned down potential transfer interest from Kessler because we told him Dickinson was the guy.
Only for Dickinson to unexpectedly enter the draft at the last second and nearly leave despite our reliance on him.
November 22nd, 2021 at 6:40 AM ^
How do you push for a guard that’s played 6 years? Also what in the hades do you tell Chaundee I’ll pay you myself, if you stay? You need a tutor.
November 22nd, 2021 at 7:55 AM ^
I think the poster is saying he actually is Franz and he should have given Chaundee his signing bonus to keep him at Michigan and babysit the team that he left, instead of joining the Lakers and paving his own path. Otherwise why is our beloved and humble Franz saying anything about his friend and former colleague and his private decisions?
In all seriousness, if Juwan Izzo'd a great guy and fantastic player into giving up his dream when he had his best shot at it, would you really still respect him? Juwan isn't Izzo. He actually loves the NBA, his players and wishes them success in life. If those things conflict with his next season or might cause some early struggles, he can accept that. Why can't you?
November 22nd, 2021 at 2:22 PM ^
Don't forget about Austin Davis. He was so clutch last year and he saved us so many times.
November 22nd, 2021 at 7:22 PM ^
I think you are both on the same page really. It’s tough to make a run with youth and this team is young.
Houstan and Diabate both look like they will be back next year unless things change drastically.
November 22nd, 2021 at 1:32 AM ^
Juwan Howard is in over his head. Revisit this in three years.
November 22nd, 2021 at 1:45 AM ^
You aren't totally wrong.
We are all laughing at msu giving tucker a $100 million contract based off of one year.
I think there is some weird hero worship of him going on.
We won the Big Ten in a fake COVID season.
And if we are being honest, if forced to play the 3 games we canceled, we probably lose one given how bad we looked to end the regular season/Big Ten tournament season.
We botched one of the easier Elite 8 games in recent history.
Odds are we are a middle of the pack Big Ten team again.
November 22nd, 2021 at 2:42 AM ^
Juwan Howard isn't getting $100 million over 10 years and has accomplished more at Michigan than Mel Tucker has at MSU. If we are middle of the pack, so be it. The future is bright.
November 22nd, 2021 at 4:01 AM ^
It feels like you been waiting for this to happen. You think that UCLA team was an easy win? The fuq is going on? Ask Gonzaga about that. Dude we look like horseshit tonight but you gotta pump the brakes. UofA looks like a pretty dominant team. You can only beat a team like that with great 3 point shooting and thats not us.
November 22nd, 2021 at 7:26 AM ^
The same Arizona team that destroyed powerhouse Wichita State by four points?
November 22nd, 2021 at 2:25 PM ^
Livers was our best player. If UCLA played without jonny juicebag it would have been different.
November 22nd, 2021 at 10:41 AM ^
What makes you say this? Please elaborate on why he isn’t equipped to be Michigan’s coach
November 22nd, 2021 at 2:39 AM ^
Duke and Kentucky both have a national championship in the last decade.
November 22nd, 2021 at 7:27 AM ^
But not in the same year, right?
November 22nd, 2021 at 6:42 AM ^
Username checks out!
November 22nd, 2021 at 7:40 AM ^
That makes sense. I think the thing that has shocked me the most is how many stupid and careless turnovers there have been. Along with so many easy charges and defensive lapses that I’ve realized freshmen are going to freshmen no matter how good they are.
They will improve, but I doubt it’s to the point will they will be an elite team. It’s early yet the guard play and shooting is alarming.
November 22nd, 2021 at 8:13 AM ^
O boy...let the hot takes roll!
I knew there would be some struggles out of the gate but I thought that Jones, Brooks and Dickinson would carry the youngsters until they got their feet under themselves. It may not be as pretty as I thought it would be but I still believe that, in the end, this is going to be an elite team who will challenge for an NC.
November 22nd, 2021 at 8:15 AM ^
This is where we get to see how Juwan can develop players. He was very fortunate his first two years to have a number of experienced players (from Beilein's guys to transfers) that just needed coaching/managing more than training. Now he has mostly raw talent with less experience. I think he can pull it off, but this will not be a rapid process.
November 22nd, 2021 at 8:23 AM ^
We, as a fanbase, drool over elite freshmen recruits, but they are still freshman. Seton Hall and 'Zona demonstrated that a team which has experience and plays as a team is pretty formidable at the college level. We look like a bunch of freshmen out there. Our star is still only a Sophomore, Brooks is our only truly seasoned player (Johns could be, but he still looks broken). We look confused at both ends of the floor and it isn't surprising that we are getting worked over by less talented, but more experienced teams. Nor is this an indictment of Juwan and his staff. Time will heal all wounds. As an aside, I don't see anything in their play this year that suggests that any of them will be ready for the NBA next year, but I'm also not an agent...
November 22nd, 2021 at 11:49 AM ^
The more experienced team looks better four games in to the season? Wild. Good thing championships aren’t decided based on who has the best November and December
November 22nd, 2021 at 8:42 AM ^
This is gonna be a long maturation process. No quick fixes. Pain. Growth. Pain. Growth. We just have to wait it out and see where we are in January.
November 22nd, 2021 at 11:46 AM ^
Yeah national basketball champions of the last decade are a real whose whose of small time recruiting schools like unc, duke, Kentucky, Villanova, etc. Clearly those teams that recruit good but not elite players are dominating the game, that is why Purdue, Wisconsin, etc have had all the championships. Yeah it’s hard to win with a team dominated by true freshman, might be why Michigan starts a guy in his 4th year, two fifth years guys, and a sophomore