Tarris Reed (MBB) to UConn
Tarris hoping for a three-peat?
April 17th, 2024 at 12:13 PM ^
Will definitely be interesting to see how he develops there and to what extent he is featured.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:37 PM ^
I don't suppose all of the people who were maligning the f out of him during this last year--here or at our neighboring U of M site--plan to come out of the woodwork now. May turn out to be another in a long line of players who anonymous fans maligned. . . only to see them head to the league.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:55 PM ^
I mean I dunno - UCONN has fallen off lately. They haven't a won a title in like at least a week. They're probably getting desperate
Unlike Michigan, when UCONN wins the natty, they get who they want because their AD doesn’t shake his fist at NIL while the rest of the country pounces.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:59 PM ^
I mean, he wasn't playing well at UM. Maybe he'll get better with better coaching at UConn but he was still an inefficient offensive player and a mediocre defensive one. That likely is due in no small part to poor coaching he was receiving but it's still the reality. I hope he succeeds at UConn but you can't objectively watch him play this year and come out thinking he played well.
To elaborate on what I posted on Brian's news, maybe it was my wishful thinking but Reed always seemed a better player than the results showed. I felt as if he faltered from confusion about what to do and over-zealous effort, and not because he was a bad player.
Yeah, defensively I think that was team-wide and we've seen him be effective, in spurts at least, as a high-level rim defender with some switchability. Offensively...he had a 24% TO rate which is, as the kids say, not great. And he's not a high-usage offensive player so it's even worse because it means his relatively few touches go the other way about 1/4 times and he's not generating a bunch of assists or scoring at a high enough rate that you can live with it. That's a part of his game that you have to see improve for him to be anything more than a rotational player on a good team.
I do think UConn will have a plan for him and he'll likely do better there than he showed last season, though as we've learned after Howard left there wasn't a ton of coaching going on in an acute way that I think would have been better either under May or even another year under Howard when he wasn't struggling to return from heart surgery. Like, Reed looked like a plus defensive player as a freshman.
Some players' effectiveness is heavily dependent on others around them. Hunter Dickinson's best performances at Michigan were when he could be on the floor with legit outside shooting threats to stress defenses, and Hunter's contributions declined as the team around him did. Tarris could be like that, where he can contribute more with better teammates.
I agree - defensively he'll likely be much better with a better overall defensive system around him. Offensively he had a TO rate of 24% and that's more on his weak handle and limited post game. Those can obviously improve but Dickinson was a maestro with the ball both as a passer and a scorer as a freshman, skills Reed has never consistently flashed.
He was asked to do too much, to be one of the two axes of the offense, and was not ready. We always want to judge players by what we see on the floor right now. . . which is why we often get it wrong. At U Conn, he'll be asked to do less,* and--I'd lay good odds--excel. Big men take longer, generally, to mature.
I think that the team had just one creator--Dug--and that once he could be limited, it was all over.
*And be less exposed on defense.
The offense was sort of forced through him to keep him engaged was my take; yes you want to get him involved offensively but he was a sub-100 offensive player with a 24% TO rate on limited usage. I agree that Dug was the one creator but Reed was always going to be the 4th/5th option most times down the court. What hurt the team was that #2-4 were typically really bad.
I think Reed will be a good defensive player at UConn because he'll be asked to do less and they have a more coherent system where the wings and guards are more active and don't let guys just blow past them regularly. I also do think he'd work with the defensive style I assume May will run.
I know this is your shtick - to act like Michigan fans are a bunch of ungrateful good-for-nothings for not appreciating the inner beauty in an 8-24 season - but seriously, considering how disastrously bad this season was, I think our fanbase mostly handled things in stride. Most people wanted things to work out with Juwan, but they just didn’t. I haven’t seen anyone here wish him ill going forward.
Same with Reed. Our starting center is transferring out and most of us have just shrugged and said, “Good for him.”
Nah, there was a lot of ugly, some of it shading into other things. There was lots of ugly during the Beilein period, as well. A lot of people who were taking the low road are on the high one now--the revisionism even from people like Brian is. . . a thing. Juwan is an icon, a Michigan great, and a great person; he deserved better. But. . . magnanimity late is better late than. . . even if mostly--well, how the world works.
For the record: I think Juwan had to go; he was unhealthy, in an impossible position, and not great at advocating for himself. I have high hopes for May; I like his approach to the game, including the concepts he borrows from European hoop. But if he doesn't get appropriately scaled, permanent, institutional report--which there's no suggestion is coming--what's likely to happen is an uptick and then mediocrity. He may hope to be at UNC by then.
I don't know how exactly you coach a guy to catch the ball, but I'm sure Hurley will figure out a way.
HP it is hard to take you serious now that I know you are a world leader AND a Jets fan!
You can't have one without the other!
Good luck to him. I'm sure his game will develop.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:18 PM ^
Good for him. Will be interesting to see how he develops with some structured coaching.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:19 PM ^
I've got no hard feelings for Tarris. He got thrown in the ring before he was ready. I thought he always tried hard. He should be a nice backup 5 for them (I'm assuming Samson Johnson is the starter).
April 17th, 2024 at 12:24 PM ^
Wow, what an opportunity for Tarris. About to see how truly poor development was under last regime here. Hurley is no nonsense and going to be unlock the beast Tarris truly is.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:28 PM ^
Had a similar thought. If the best basketball program over the past two years wants you it's a safe bet that the talent level is there.
Candidly I'm rooting for all the transfers. I dont think the program & coaching they got was what they were promised.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:40 PM ^
See, I think it was more circumstance than development while he was here. He developed tremendously as a freshman. He was the difference in the state game and was the reason why we were able to fight back in the second IU game in 2023. TJD absolutely abused hunter. Indiana’s entire game plan was to have TJD iso hunter and it worked until Juwan adjusted and put Tarris in.
The development thing isn’t a fair knock against Tarris or Juwan. Juwan developed players like Bufkin and Diabate to the point where they were draftable. They problem is that they didn’t come back to improve their stock, which was the reason why Beilein left after iggy
April 17th, 2024 at 12:51 PM ^
Moussa was draftable before he got to Michigan. I'm not going to knock Howard for his lack of development--he didn't get the opportunity. But I don't recall Diabate being a significantly different player from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.
As for Reed, Reed has had some growth, but it has felt underwhelming for what expectations were. Again, how much chance did Juwan have this year to really coach with his health issues, who knows. But I do believe there's a lot of potential left to tap with Reed.
Diabate was super raw when he got here. It felt like he was less super raw when he left. He started coming into his own.
I’m giving Juwan credit for Tarris’ in season development as a freshman and figure some of the sophomore plateau on Juwan’s health issues that you touched on.
Diabate wasn’t drafted because of his production at Michigan. He was a 5-star recruit and didn’t play like that at all, outside of a couple of games. (He’s also done nothing at all in the pros.) It’s a major stretch to say he “developed” here.
Bufkin indeed had a really nice sophomore season, but also came here as a McDonald’s All-American. He basically did what he was expected to do when he came here. I’m not sure if that qualifies as a big development victory.
At least we got two years out of Bufkin. One of the most frustrating things about the Juwan years was that he had a knack for finding overrated blue-chip guys who didn’t do much here, yet were somehow draftable. We got little out of Houstan, Diabate and Jett and they were all gone after one season, leaving roster holes that we couldn’t fill.
Juwan developed diabeetus, you say? That's too bad
April 17th, 2024 at 12:25 PM ^
Best of luck, Tarris! Go for that 3-peat. Unless they play Michigan in the tournament, natch.
[Insert sad old man blowing a kiss gif]
April 17th, 2024 at 12:26 PM ^
Interesting. I wish Tarris the best there.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:26 PM ^
Even with Dusty May coming in and the promise of a better future, Michigan can't remotely compete with that. That's just a fact.
Back to back defending national champions, far and away the most dominant team in men's college basketball over that time period, and they extend you an offer?
Tarris would've been stupid not to take it. Honestly, no hard feelings. If Tarris was my son, I'd tell him to do the same thing. One program is at the pinnacle and is a straight apex predator right now. Michigan is all the way down at the bottom of the mountain, just trying to figure out how to get back up on its feet.
Why all osu football players should transfer to Michigan for the upcoming season!
April 17th, 2024 at 12:30 PM ^
Sad to see a guy like Tarris go. Obviously very talented, but also seems like a high character guy. Hope he does well and develops to his full potential.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:31 PM ^
Good for him. I'm skeptical he'll see the court much, but I really hope he succeeds. I've always liked Reed. He strikes me as a guy who rises above the worst aspects of college sports.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:32 PM ^
That is awesome for Tarris. Hope he develops and wins a bunch of games.
As long as he is not part of a 30-0 run against Michigan on a national stage in the Elite 8 I am good with this.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:32 PM ^
Good for him. I think he’ll make a huge impact for them and keep them rolling. He’s been a great teammate here and really covered some of hunters shortcomings on the boards and defensively as a freshman.
Good for him was my exact thought as well. I have no idea how he'll do. While I hope he does well, it will be unpleasant if his performance at UConn becomes something of an indictment for how he was developed at Michigan. Assuming we're in a non-zero sum world, let's hope everybody learns from their experience and gets better -- I'm still working on that myself.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:33 PM ^
Hello Goldin .
April 17th, 2024 at 12:40 PM ^
Interesting that the best team in college basketball sees something in a middling player on the worst team in college basketball. Says something…not sure what.
April 17th, 2024 at 12:44 PM ^
wow - guess that speaks to unrealized potential that they see in him. 2 time natty champs say they want him? that means he's got a lot more in the tank. wish he coulda stayed to develop under May
April 17th, 2024 at 12:55 PM ^
Good luck to him. Not a bad place to land.
Good for him. Going to the number 1 program in all of the land.
About to homer simpson in the bush gif, but Tarris to UCONN, Dug to KSTATE, + Nkamhoua and Burnett....
How'd these guys only win 8 games?
Geez...he must be better than I thought, for UConn to take him.
Impressive that he's a take for UConn. I didn't watch much Michigan basketball the last 2-3 years, but read good things about Reed.
Tarris had some monster dunks mixed in with some soft layups. I expect the UConn staff will push him to focus on eliminating any soft aspects of his game. Tons of talent in that young man, all the best.
Sometime next season we’ll be saying “ damn, I miss Tarris!”. Good luck kid, go be a sponge and win.
If we land Goldin, I don’t think we’ll miss him that much.
But good for him.
Thought for sure he was going to KSU with Dug. Fire those guys who reported that. JK
Sounds like a great opportunity for him to continue his development. Wishing him all the best. Would not be surprised if he found another level in his game.
UConn is a low-key tamperer when it comes to 'crootin. That said, Dan Hurley is a great coach and reminds me of Harbaugh quite a bit.