U-M offer to Javontae Hawkins; Dan Fife coaching candidate
Commenter posted a link at UMHoops.com with news that Javontae Hawkins, a 6'6 wing from Flint Powers, received an offer today during a visit to Michigan. Class of 2012. He was told by U-M staff that "he is their '#1 sophomore wing recruit'."
You can find the item HERE.
Same page has this bit of news as well:
Dan Fife, head coach of Clarkston, MI/High is considered by some to be the front-runner for the vacant assistant coach position at Michigan.Dan Fife is the father of Dugan and Dane Fife. New York Times article about Dane Fife indicates that Dan Fife had an earlier stint as a U-M assisstant in the 1970s. The first item linked above also mentions others believed to be candidates for the current coaching vacancy: Saddi Washington (Oakland), Bakari Alexander (WMU), and Oronde Taliaferro.
Is Dan Fife the father of Dane and Dugan?
I'll add that to the post.
^^Yes. He is a good coach but I have to wonder is he getting up in years?
Yeah, he must be quite a bit older than Beilein. Great coach though, and would definitely be an asset.
Beilein is 57; Dan Fife is 60.
Just curious but how do you know he is a great coach?
When I was growing up in Michigan, Clarkston always had a great team. They unfortunately played in Class A and would tend to run into some awesome teams from Flint, Saginaw, Detroit, etc.
Clarkston has been District Champs for 17 straight years, Division Champs for four straight years, and perennially go deep into the playoffs.
They may not have the most talented teams, but they play disciplined basketball and stick to fundamentals. Fife would be a good option, however he is older than Beilein. He is also the Athletic Director at Clarkston and very active in the community. Michigan would be a step up for sure, but at this point in time it might be tough to pull him away from everything he has built in Clarkston.
http://www.eteamz.com/ClarkstonWolvesBasketball/news/index.cfm?cat=6198…
I was asking even though I already knew. I grew up in Clarkston. I know him and have been swimming in his pool but I just don't think he is a good option seeing as how he's been coaching high schoolers for so long. He is a very intimidating figure in practices and during games to his players. His methods are too old school. I don't think that translates well to college. If he takes it I'll be happy for him because he's a great guy personally and in the community but if he doesn't I won't feel like we lost out on something.
So why then did you ask?
There is no denying the results, whether you, I, or anyone else likes him. Perhaps Michigan needs an intimidating figure. Bob Knight sure seemed like an intimidating figure with some anger issues, yet he did well in the NCAA.
I doubt he would make the jump after everything he has done in Clarkston, but I don't know they guy, I'm just looking at his body of work.
I asked because he didn't give a reason why. For you to compare him to Bob Knight is ridiculous. He's dug in like a tick where he's at so I would be very surprised if he were to pick up and leave. There is no doubt that he can get a lot of a little at the high school level. If he were to coach at Pontiac they would be winning state titles every year. The only reason I was at all negative is because the leap is huge and he hasn't coached at that level in so long. One tidbit of info on him is that he played professional baseball.
YAH WELL... I BATHED IN HIS BATH. WHAT SON? WHAT.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2005-11-21-fife-i…
From what I hear from Fort Wayne a lot of people just assume that Dane is the head coach in waiting at IU... but I wonder how long he will be waiting for because Crean is still very young. I don't see Crean struggling again this year and wonder if Dane would be interested in the Michigan job in 5 or 6 years when Belein is ready to retire...
Dan Fife was our team captain in 1970-71. For Dugan Fife, coming to Michigan was a no-brainer. Dane picking IU over us was one of the early signs that something was amiss with Ellerbe's program. We never should have missed out on him. It'd be nice to get back in that family's good graces.
From what I've read, Beilein has been rather guarded about what's he's looking for in the new assistant, but there was one little tidbit from an article in a certain Detroit paper. (Entire relevant portion follows for boycotters.)
[Beilein] wouldn't speak specifically about what he was looking for in the vacant assistant position, but he said the duties of fired assistant John Mahoney -- coaching big men and national recruiter -- will have to be covered.Of course, as I read this, the new assistant doesn't necessarily have to cover these duties--they could be taken on by someone else on the staff.
One other basketball item from today is that Larson may not be able to get a scholarship offer from another Big Ten school because of conference transfer rules.
Larson and another ex-Iowa recruit are appealing to get around the rule.
For details, see article from the Quad-City Times.
That doesn't seem fair. They're still in high school. They were supposed to be released from their LOI when Lickliter was fired. The NCAA has to allow this.
The man was fired. But then again, the NCAA has always been a bunch of morons when it comes to common sense.
It's actually a Big Ten rule that's at issue here, so you'll have to blame the morons at Big Ten not those at the NCAA.
Those last three names listed in the OP are outstanding and should all be taken into consideration for the all-name coaching staff as well as ours.
Dan Fife also played baseball at Michigan and was drafted by the Tigers in the second round of the draft. He later pitched in 14 games over two years for the Twins.
with fifes experience he is a great candidate for the job
i heard that kyle vinales might join the U of M squad in 2012 after his year at a prep school
Can he go into Saginaw, Flint, Detroit and get the top talent?
should leave the decision of what he wants to do to Mr. Fife.
Is a true name from the past to me...I remember him as a Detroit PSL coach back in the day, reading about his teams when I was very young with a high interest in PSL and Michigan hs basketball...what is he up to now?
If anything, it would be nice to have him on our staff for recruiting the PSL...despite what you've read, the Detroit PSL ain't dea.
He's been an assistant coach at Kent State, Arkansas, and, most recently, Oklahoma.
But he just resigned from Oklahoma rather abruptly, and among some controversy, so his hiring by Michigan seems at first glance like a long shot. (Do I have to add that he should be considered innocent until proven guilty?)
It'd be nice to have a Michigan Man roaming the sidelines with Coach B.
As a postscript to this thread, the page from Best of the Best Prep BB Scouting linked in the OP has been altered. The key altered sentence is this one:
Dane Fife, head coach of IPFW is considered by some to be the front-runner for the vacant assistant coach position at Michigan.So, yes, it does appear as I speculated in another thread that the "e" got lost in translation.