willywill9

November 12th, 2010 at 11:13 AM ^

Embarassed to admit... i did not know Dumars' kid was on the team.  Horford... I just thought his older bro was Al (didn't realize his dad was in the NBA.)  That's pretty sweet though I'm really hoping for a solid year, somehow.

Raoul

November 12th, 2010 at 11:31 AM ^

In addition to what they can contribute on the floor, one side benefit of having these NBA relatives on the team is the added publicity the Michigan program will receive--with this article being a prime example. This certainly could be a plus on the recruiting trail.

On a related note, I found an ESPN "hot and not" feature for the college basketball season that included a list of NBA sons playing in college:

Famous kids: The college game is littered with the progeny of some pretty talented NBA players -- Ralph Sampson III (proud papa: Ralph; college: Minnesota), Glen Rice Jr. (proud papa: Glen; college: Georgia Tech), Marcus and Jeff Jordan (proud papa: Michael; college: Central Florida), Mychel and Klay Thompson (proud papa: Mychal; colleges: Pepperdine and Washington State); Jai Lucas (proud papa: John; college: Texas); Larry Drew II (proud papa: Larry; college: North Carolina); Alex Schrempf (proud papa: Detlef; college: UCLA); Juwan Howard Jr. (proud papa: Juwan; college: Western Michigan); Tim Hardaway Jr. (proud papa: Tim; college: Michigan); Jon Horford (proud papa: Tito; college: Michigan) and Jordan Dumars (proud papa: Joe; college: Michigan).

Would be interesting to see Michigan face Georgia Tech--and Glen Rice Jr.--in either the final or the consolation game of the Legends Classic.

bronxblue

November 12th, 2010 at 11:31 AM ^

It might be cliche, but the one thing you know about these kids is that they will be fundamentally sound and know how to play the game properly.  They'll know how to handle themselves on the court, and that type of professional behavior is always welcome.

Tater

November 12th, 2010 at 11:59 AM ^

But it is always nice to see Michigan get positive publicity.  I watched Jordan Dumars down here at USF.  I really hope he turns out to be a "late bloomer," because he couldn't handle the pace of college ball as a freshman.  The redshirt year should do him a lot of good, but it may not be enough.  I think he will probably struggle to contribute, but I hope I am wrong. 

As for Hardaway and Horford, I think both will turn into really good college players.  Horford was sorta "under the radar" as a big man, but I think he could turn out to be one of the best in the country by the time he is a junior.  If the family tree is any indication, he won't be flashy, but will get the job done.  I think Hardaway will be a very good player for all of his four years. 

All-in-all, I think this team is setting the table very well for when the one big, elite recruit they need to get them "over the hump" arrives.  If it turns out that the player they need is already here, it's even better. 

Raoul

November 12th, 2010 at 1:07 PM ^

It should be noted that Jordan Dumars is a walk-on, so it's not as if he's taking a scholarship away from someone else. He's pretty solid for a nonscholarship player, and in fact Beilein has put together a nice collection of walk-ons, including Eso Akunne, who may get some playing time this year at guard.

Just noticed when looking at the roster that Michigan has added another walk-on, Darrick Ervin II, a 5-11 guard and former high school teammate of Jordan Morgan. From his mgoblue.com profile:

Junior (2010-11) ... Walked onto Wolverines after fall tryout period

Sophomore (2009-10) ... Did not play varsity basketball.

Freshman (2008-09) ... Did not play varsity basketball.

Prep ... University of Detroit Jesuit (2008) ... Played two years of varsity basketball, earning Academic All-Catholic honors as a senior ... Earned four varsity letters for track, serving as captain his senior season ... earned two varsity letters in cross country.

Personal ... Given Name: Darrick Ervin II ... July 6, 1990 in Detroit, Mich. ... Son of Evangela and Darrick Ervin ... Three siblings: Erica, Donovan, Diana ... Enrolled in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts ... Economics major ... Right-handed ... Former high school teammate of current Wolverine Jordan Morgan ... Walked onto Michigan in October, 2010.