UMHoops.com Mitch McGary Interview (Pt 1)
I want the traffic to go to UMHoops.com, so I won't give you much if anything from the interview. It's sufficient to say that the interview is a must read. So go there and read it. And put comments into their comments block. Then come back here and put comments here.
I lied. This is awesome and deserves a block quote:
“We [he and Zack Novak] both have an assassin’s mentality — going after it no matter what, giving 110 percent, diving on the floor for loose balls. In high school Zack was kind of the main guy and then when he got to Michigan he told me, ‘You’re going to have to work for everything.’ So I guess something just clicked when I saw him his freshman year diving on the floor for loose balls and I thought, ‘If he’s doing that, why can’t I?’ Something clicked and we talked about it and that was big. I never really looked back. Since then I’ve had this Tyler Hansborough mentality, like a psycho-Mitch thing. I’m always trying to work harder than people on the court.” [emphasis added]
Why did he drop so much on Scout/Rivals. I know he had one bad game, but a 6 spot drop?
...the interview. Go hence.
Really?.......the kid had scholarship offers from every big basketball program in the country.
A few possible reasons:
there's always the "living vicariously through your child" thing
maybe he was concerned some of the offers might be rescinded or considered "non-commitable" (or whatever)
maybe he's a cocky mother who likes to brag about his son being one of the top 2 players nationally
maybe he was concerned that it might have indicated his son was slacking off
but really, who knows and who really cares? I don't.
My guess and hope is just that it was to keep him motivated and hungry. It's easy for an 18 year old (maybe 17 at the time) to think they're the greatest when everyone around them is kissing their butt, they're getting interviews on espn, etc.
One of those dads who are screaming at their son at a pee-wee league soccer game, huh?
Hey, "Champ:" you know how it's sort of an "unwritten rule" that we don't say a bunch of negative things about recruits here? You may want to revisit and reconsider making baseless accusations about the parents of recruits, too: especially when the recruit in question is probably the crown jewel of the recruiting class.
So there's that, if you're worried about what Mitch might read. I'll admit that I saw a couple of those references to his dad - arguing about dropping in the ratings, always making Mitch play up - and my QBForce antennae went up just a bit. Champeen might be toeing the line, but I don't personally think what he wrote was egregious.
Of course, there's nothing in the interview that compares to, ya know, actually home schooling your kid so he can work out with Marv Marinovich (YTMM). So maybe we can reserve judgment.
Although I think we should all try to temper our expectations for Mitch (me included), I can't help but be sucked in to the hype. Dude is going to be an absolute beast down low, and his blue-collar attitude is something the fan base will eat up. Looking forward to reading parts 2 and 3 of the interview.
I will be looking forward to MOAR REBOUNDS from our overall increased team height, and Mitch plays the key role in this department. I don't really care if Mitch averages only 5 pts/game next year. I think his true worth - at least early on - will be on the defensive boards.
Defensive and offensive boards. That added height down low and mentality will be nice to have when it comes to grabbing rebounds and going back up to score.
Sounds like a quality kid with lotsa heart who'll rep our university well. Par for the course with Beilein.
For Mitchapalooza!!
Rating Drop: The kid played on an all-star team that looked like an And 1 mixed tape. Big fundamental players get lost in these type of games because the play is guard dominated. His offer sheet should speak to how good he is. Not all bad, the kid isn't taking it hard & less pressure (as crazy as that sounds with our expectations) on him. He's going to bring some much needed grit, size & rebounding to our team. VERY excited about him & GRIII, who I think is going to be really good.
I think of McGary as a slightly less experienced, taller version of Zach Novak. On steroids (not literally).
I think other teams won't know what him them (literally) when he steps on the court. Really excited for him and the team.
Next year is going to be fun though we will need to see some leadership which will be very hard to replace.
I am really excited to see what this kid does with superior coaching. There is nothing McGary can't excel at in the college game except maybe shot blocking. The kid already has the size, effort, and talent to be a great college player, once the coaches help him refine and improve his skill level, the sky is the limit.
McGary will make everyone around him a better player, most noticeably, I think, the unduly, much maligned, Jordan Morgan. I am looking forward to great chemistry between those two big fellas. Morgan will benefit greatly by not being the only show in town in the post area.
NWIndiana pipeline to M.....love it! Looking forward to watching the Region connection of GRIII and Mitch tearing up the B1G the next few years.
im not concerned about mitch's rankings drop for whatever reason he dropped he rose to #2 for a reason too and im confident he will be a great player in aa for the reasons he rose
Mitch is exactly what this team needs. Gritty hustler with size. I know his prep school team was basically an AND1 Guard oriented team which contributed to his drop but ive also heard he was carrying a bit of extra weight which was limiting his explosiveness. I suspect that will not be an issue once we get him on a college strength and conditioning program.
I've heard the extra weight concerns as well but have an inkling it was exacerbated by a plantar fasciitis condition. I am hoping the following interviews expound on his weight and foot issues.
Yeah I'm hoping it's due to some sort of an injury as opposed to anything else. From what ive heard plantar fasciitis can linger for a bit if not properly treated. The earlier Mitch gets on campus the better (training staff, etc).
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/plantar-fasciitis-topic-overview
will be awesome to have a legitimate and talented center for the 1st time in over a decade.
Really excited to see him play!
Best case: All-conference type player
Worst case: Gritty tough-guy getting boards and being a "glue" type player
"...he was always three years older than me" teehee
psycho-Mitch: make it happen! I'm thinking cardboard chainsaw, paper mache ax, ketchup blood.
Maybe we need a psycho-Mich section.