Moleskyn

June 26th, 2012 at 2:03 PM ^

Good, I thought they were beginning to look a little short and stumpy.

Seriously though, congrats to those guys. They've obviously been doing a great job.

mpbear14

June 26th, 2012 at 2:10 PM ^

Well deserved indeed.

Give J.B. all the credit in the world for hiring these guys.  But make no mistake about it, Alexander is the main reason we are recruiting so well.  He has been a major factor in the turn around in our program. 

Raoul

June 26th, 2012 at 2:53 PM ^

I think highly of the job Alexander has been doing, but how is he the "main reason we are recruiting so well"? The whole staff is out there working the recruiting trail, and the fact is that Jeff Meyer has actuallly been the lead recruiter for more of the recruits Michigan has landed than Alexander--including Robinson III, Stauskas, Hatch, and Donnal.

jmblue

June 26th, 2012 at 3:42 PM ^

The stereotype that white coaches are strategists and black coaches are recruiters has had a long shelf life.  Even some very knowledgeable people fall victim to that line of reasoning - such as the hand-wringing here a year ago over Hoke not having enough young black assistants, which seems a little silly now, when we have the top-rated recruiting class in the country.  

 

Tater

June 26th, 2012 at 11:04 PM ^

I wasn't going to mention race and stereotypes, but since it's already been mentioned, I'll chip in here.  Kids usually resonate with the coaches with whom they feel they have the most in common.  This crew has the three main bases covered: extremely dark, white as Casper the ghost, and in between.

Is it the only factor?  Of course not.  But sometimes a kid's decision is tipped by how he relates to the coach who is recruiting him. Maybe it matters; maybe it doesn't.  The bottom line, though, is that as these kids grow into men, being exposed to a diverse environment and working together toward one goal, can only help them.  

Hopefully, by the time they graduate or go to the NBA early, they have learned that, despite the stereotypes they were probably taught, we're all cut from the same cloth.

 

M-Wolverine

June 26th, 2012 at 2:27 PM ^

Just a couple of years ago they weren't with the program.  And they deserve a lot of credit for the improvements in the program.  Credit to Beilein for doing it too, because there aren't too many coaches set in their ways that have been successful that would do a major overhaul like that.  I mean, it probably saved his job and turned the program around a lot faster, or at least made the future ceiling look higher, but it doesn't mean that kind of flexibility in a guy of his experience and age is normal.  Hope the team stays together for a long time.

KAYSHIN15

June 26th, 2012 at 2:43 PM ^

This crew has a special chemistry and recruits see it. This year can spring board our beloved program to one of the Nation's elite for years to come. Good move making sure this staff focuses solely on basketball this upcoming season.

Blue boy johnson

June 26th, 2012 at 2:49 PM ^

Great job by the staff and well deserved recognition. I recall Bacari saying he wanted to be a head coach by the time he was 40, so this hopefully gives M a few more seasons of his services

The Bacari Alexander File

Born: September 15, 1976

Hometown: Detroit, Mich.

High School: Southwestern High School

College: University of Detroit, 1999 (BS, Business Administration and Finance)

Family: Married, wife Kesha; children, Mekhi

http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/alexander_bacari00.html