2019 MBB Recruiting: 6'5" combo G Austin Crowley
Sounds like this kid may be visiting soon. He's ranked 123 in the 247 composite, and I'm a fan. Just looks young, which seems to be a trait Beilein looks for in a lot of his Plan B late adds. Plus, seems like more of a position of need than PG (Carton).
Has good size, seems plenty athletic, and is apparently a good shooter (not sure what his EYBL numbers were). Looks like he can create separation off the dribble with hesitation, although his dribble is a bit high. I bet his separation improves as he gets bigger/stronger and more explosive.
Video link since apparently I don't know how to embed on this newfangled internet blog:
https://youtu.be/vrIDwhVSYKM
An awful lot for Coach B to work with there, I'd say.
Obviously there's wasn't much to go off of in that video, but I do like the type of player he is. Seems like he's big and athletic enough to play the 1,2 or even the 3 for us and seems like a guy who Beilein and Sanderson can build into what they want and need. Also, #hairteam
Fuggin Carton. Not over that one yet.
247 has him as the 55th ranked prospect overall
Rivals has him as 112 overall.
I didn't see him listed on ESPN, but maybe I'm overlooking it.
ESPN overlooked Crowley. Endless Motor, MattD's site, has him at #140.
Has Michigan ever had a BB player from Mississippi other than Jerod Ward?
Be interesting to see Matt Ds take on the kid, wonder if he's seen him live or just based it on other rankings/film.
Mr. Crowley? Ozzy Osbourne approves.
At this point, it's good to have a bunch of good, solid prospects on the radar, as there don't appear to be guys who are even Michigan leans yet. The coaches just need to work their recruiting charm on a lot of these guys and see where it goes.
What I really like about all these kids is that in their clips is that they make 100% of their shots!!!!!
Otherwise, I like what I see. Looks like a very athletic, versatile talent...sees the floor, shoots well, passes well...nice size...a lot to like...you can go big or small with him.
I've viewed Crowley extensively this Spring/Summer and I don't think he's a very good fit for what we need (isolation scorer), nor am I a big fan of his game.
Crowley is the opposite of what we generally recruit, in that he's a good athlete that isn't very skilled. He doesn't shoot the ball particularly well and does not have the ability to create shots off the dribble at the next level as of right now.
I can definitely see some defensive potential there though as a guy that can defend 2 and perhaps 3 positions at some point in his career.
How did you view him "extensively"? I do not see much tape on him...and these tapes are so (potentially) misleading??? Did you see him play in person? Otherwise, from the tape, your assessment does not hold water...lots of potential.
I don’t evaluate based on highlight clips against low-level comp or settings where defense is not played, such as the clip above.
With regard to Crowley specifically, I’ve watched him live numerous occasions this Spring/Summer on the EYBL circuit for Woods Elite. And it’s my opinion that he’s not very skilled and isn’t a great fit at UM. If that ‘doesn’t hold water’ for you I respect your opinion, but I think if you examine his game from a statistical standpoint (against legit comp) it will lend support to my evaluation.
Thanks. Like I said, these short clips cannot be trusted and while the play seems most lackadaisical...it's just hard to read. A live performance is surely much more telling...in every way. I do see that his rating is very high???
For me, he's #140, and that was a generous ranking to be candid.
His rankings are all over the place elsewhere, as ESPN has him a generic 3 star/76 rating, Rivals has him #112 and 247 has him at #55. The 247 composite is useless at this point in my opinion, as an aggregate ranking from only 3 sites is vulnerable to heavy influence from outliers (247 is the outlier here).
Crowley has the look and feel of a prospect that was far ahead of his peers as an underclassmen from a size and athleticism perspective, especially considering he plays HS ball in Mississippi. However, that simply wasn't enough to cut it against legit competition absent elite athleticism, for which Crowley does not have.
In terms of the potential fit at Michigan, I just don't see it. Crowley needs space to excel on the offensive end...……...in simple terms an uptempo style of play is where he's effective. Michigan simply does not get out in transition with any sort of volume. Under Coach Beilein, we're an extremely methodical team that runs sets that often see us take shots with under 12 seconds left on the shot clock. That isn't the type of system that Crowley projects well to in my opinion.
Do you have any (realistic) names that you think would be a good fit for us? Do we have anyone that is looking favorably at us?
Of the 2019 prospects that aren't currently in the radar, here's a few that I think would be a good fit for us based on need and talent:
Tre Mann
Khalil Whitney
Isaiah Wong
James Bishop
ReJean Ellis
Dahmir Bishop
mattyd
What do you think of Cole Bajema? John Beilein was out watching him today on the circuit. Any info? Spike sleeper?
Can’t offer an educated evaluation on him, as I haven’t seen him live.