"Michigan was a school I loved in like 7th and 8th grade." - Mo Bamba

Submitted by Maizen on

Mo Bamba said today that biggest factor in his decision will be relationship with the coach. "Me and the head coach have to be very tight."

— Brendan F. Quinn (@BFQuinn) March 28, 2017

Bamba said he was at U-M vs VCU in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. It stuck with him. "Michigan was a school I loved in like 7th and 8th grade."

— Brendan F. Quinn (@BFQuinn) March 28, 2017

Big part of Beilein's pitch to Bamba is putting him in ball screens & pick-and-pop spots. "They have versatile bigs, which appeals to me."

— Brendan F. Quinn (@BFQuinn) March 28, 2017

Sam Webb has said he has advocates in his circle pushing for Michigan (Wes at Nike). Frustrating this kid had to ask to be recruited. He might be committed by now if Michigan began recruiting him a few years ago like the other schools on his list. Based on his comments I would think Shaka Smart and Texas have the edge given he coached Bamba on the USA U18 team.

Maizen

March 29th, 2017 at 2:27 AM ^

C'mon, man, you say you haven't "ripped" anyone and you rip everyone at the end of that very paragraph. You flame people all the time. Your threads not infrequently turn into nuclear disasters.

No I don't, and I would appreciate it if you would stop with the sweeping generlizations. I made one off handed comment in this thread after every one of my posts (all fair and factual) had gotten neg banged to hell and back all because I was a vocal critic when the basketball team was 14-9. If anything I should get applauded for exercising restraint in the midst of such ridiculousness. Michigan fans on this blog don't accept criticism of their teams and coaches well. The treatment of Marcus Ray and Jim Harbaugh (after he made the academic comments) are living proof of that. I can't help how people react to things they don't want to hear. 

No you don't. You call people names. You call them insane. You suggest that they continue to take their medication. You are openly contemptuous of people who disagree with you and you express it in the most caustic ways available to you.

I've been called an asshole and stupid in this thread, god forbid I tell someone to take their medication who continues to be rude to me. I hate to parse my own words but I said for the most part. I'm not perfect though. Your lack of context here is astounding if not predictable.

To my knowledge (and certainly within the available posting history, which currently extends back to before the B1G tourney run) you have never said this.

And, frankly, I wouldn't expect you to and I don't think you should. You clearly do not support him 100% and if you are a man of consistency and integrity you shouldn't. And you don't need to offer such support to be credible or to grant that this year's postseason run was impressive. It's possible to root for a team and not be totally sold on the coach. To suggest that you support him 100% now is simply dishonest, and this thread is a better example of your true feelings. 

Now you're calling me a liar. Contrary to your opinion, it is possible to support someone and still have concerns about their professional weaknesses. I have never been shy about expressing my thoughts on Beilein, so I don't know why digging up old posts is news.

C'mon, man. You've turned reasonable threads (often started with original thoughts that, whether I agree or not, are legitimate topics to talk about) into circuses with the way you respond for almost two years here. What's unfortunate is the denial that you ever overreact or exacerbate the situation with your distinctly harsh verbage. If I didn't know better, I would think that you were accessing mgoblog from the White House.

Ah yes, more sweeping generalities and subtle personal digs from the man who loves to claim the moral high ground. Amazing I've racked up almost 10K mgopoints for being such a pain in the ass. Sean Spicer would be proud of you.

Why take things so personally so often? You alienate the vast majority of the board with your tone, even when they are inclined to agree with your positions (I mean, c'mon, nobody dislikes WD more than you and TIMMMMAAAY, and yet you even annoy him). You're 110% throttle enraged about everything. 

I'm not even going to dignify this with a response because it's so laughably off base that I don't want to waste any time or brain cells thinking about it.

You can do better. You could be one of the sharpest posters here. But 50% of your content is verbal anthrax. Drop the hate and dial down the heat.

I love it when strangers on the internet tell me what to do. Works 60% of the time everytime.

Wolfman

March 29th, 2017 at 3:25 AM ^

You just spent 20 mins, I'm guessing, in thinking an typing that respomse you ended with a declaratation, ""I'm not going to dignify that with a remark;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;" I am your friend and a fellow UM fan. Time of got to bed, sir And serioursly, no disrespect inendd...in ay form. 

BigBlue02

March 29th, 2017 at 4:22 AM ^

If you have concerns about someone's professional weaknesses, you don't support them 100%. And pretty much the entire basketball season has been filled with negative comments from you, calling for Beilein's firing, and bitching about his recruiting. You don't even 50% support Beilein

pescadero

March 29th, 2017 at 10:04 AM ^

People are negging him because they've repeatedly said "We want to live in an insulated echo chamber" and he won't shut up with things that pierce that veil.

 

He's right (about many here not ever wanting to hear anything negative) - and he is wrong (it's socially inappropriate to keep informing people of things they don't want to hear, no matter how factually correct).

 

 

Wee-Bey Brice

March 28th, 2017 at 8:49 PM ^

Literally nobody has said JB is perfect. Your daily crusade to hammer home every imperfection is equally annoying to everyone else as defending him is to you. Seems like you only post when you feel there's an inch of negativity you can point JBs way. If WD is the apparel thread guy, you're the bitch about JB guy. It's old. We get it. Seriously.

chomz14

March 28th, 2017 at 7:33 PM ^

Calapari is a great recruiter. Probably the best in college sports. It's got him 1 championship and a ton of dissapoiting finishes. I'll take my chance with a great teacher and a man with pride. The dude was a inch away from his 3rd elite 8 in 5 years. His system and recruiting works.

Maizen

March 28th, 2017 at 7:37 PM ^

Calipari's finishes since hes been at UK:

09-10: Elite 8

10-11: Final 4 

11-12: NCAA Champions

12-13: NIT 1st round

13-14: National Runner Up

14-15: Final 4

15-16: Round of 32

16-17: Elite 8

Yeah, imagine Michigan basketball with all those "disappointing finishes."

 

 

TIMMMAAY

March 28th, 2017 at 7:41 PM ^

We're not so far off of that over the past five years. I think even you could acknowledge that Beilein's system takes a bit of time to get up and running, very different from the street ball they play at KY. 

Six weeks ago, I was on board with Beilein at least being on a very hot seat. Since then I have changed my opinion a lot. 

stephenrjking

March 28th, 2017 at 10:30 PM ^

What actually helped me form an opinion about this was the week leading up to the first NCAA weekend when I did some research on Louisville. Now, they're a funny case, since we know they're a dirty program, but it was striking to me that they have found success without one-and-done type players. Pitino, it turns out, recruits guys that can play his system (sounds familiar) and then coaches those guys for several years before they're fully armed and operational (also sounds familiar).

He recruits higher-ranked players, typically one guy that's ranked between 25-35 and a lower ranked guy or two, on occasional two guys ranked in that higher range. But I don't think he's gotten a guy ranked above #25 in at least 7 years. And the contributors on his better teams are guys that have been in his system for a while, guys like Russ Smith.

Obviously, he's cheating to do it. But he's also not recruiting one-and-done types, and his classes in a typical year are much better than Michigan's have been lately.

I think Beilein specifically prefers to avoid one-and-done players, and that's a valid decision, but I wonder if there's room to improve his recruiting without the cheating and still plug better athletes into his preferred system.

stephenrjking

March 29th, 2017 at 1:48 AM ^

"Six weeks ago, I was on board with Beilein at least being on a very hot seat. Since then I have changed my opinion a lot."

I have a lot of respect for this kind of statement. Accurate but often unsaid. I'm probably in the same place, but it's easier to just pretend we were all totally pro-Beilein the whole time.

dakotapalm

March 28th, 2017 at 8:05 PM ^

1. Those kids aren't getting admitted at Michigan.

2. I don't want my basketball coach at Michigan recruiting/doing things which Calipari certainly does.

 

So, yeah, I'm glad we aren't getting those results, because I know what goes in the recipe.

Wolverine Devotee

March 28th, 2017 at 8:22 PM ^

John Beilein just took this team that was 14-9 after a loss to a horrible team and won a B1G Tournament with it for the first time ever officially and the first time actually in 19 years. Along the way winning at Bloomington, handing Izzo his worst loss to Michigan since his first year and slaying the Wisconsin demon twice, impressively in the B1G Tournament final.

2-0 against the B1G Champions two, one of them the game wasn't in doubt. 

He's got us our first B1G title in 26 years in 2012.

Our first Regional title in 20 years in 2013.

Our first outright B1G title in 28 years in 2014.

Our first B1G Tournament title in 19 years this year.

There's only one more left to get.

I certainly know others won't, but I'm gonna shut the fuck up about ever having any doubts about him ever again. I had serious doubts after OSU for the first time since before the MSU game in 2011 that turned the program around.

Anyone who wants him to be fired if we slip up in the future under him is just wasting their energy, because he is our greatest coach ever and he's not reaching into the grease pool like Frieder and Fisher were. 

He will retire here on his own terms. Love it or leave it. 

The Maizer

March 29th, 2017 at 12:48 PM ^

This is a great post, WD. My only nitpick is about not having doubts "ever again". You could have made a similarly awesome list of accomplishments about Red a decade ago; but I don't think you're affording him the same treatment as described here. There may come a time when it's reasonable to question Beilein's future here, it just certainly isn't now.

TIMMMAAY

March 29th, 2017 at 4:19 PM ^

You had a lot more than "doubts" about him after OSU. You tried to lead a charge for him to be fired. That happened, I watched it happen. I was actually on board with it at the time. I was wrong. 

Why do you always try to lie your way out of stuff? Man up. 

Wolverine Devotee

March 29th, 2017 at 4:57 PM ^

Show me the post because I did not ever say "Fire Beilein" once. I said I'm about done with the assistants because it looked like those hires were duds since the defense wasn't working.

spoiler: you can't (as usual) because it didn't happen.

What you can show is all the beatings I took from people like you over the years defending him. 

Stop making things up for once in your little life.

TIMMMAAY

March 29th, 2017 at 6:08 PM ^

Yes you did. And I just might take the time to pour through your shitposting to find it. I'm quite sure I'm not the only one who remembers it. 

And the irony in you telling me to stop making things up in my "little life" is too much. I don't lie. Period. You're a terrible person. And a liar. 

edit: oh, and your reply there is pretty typical "I know you are but what am I", elementary school bullshit that everyone has come to expect from you. Keep on being you, wd.  

Wolverine Devotee

March 29th, 2017 at 7:26 PM ^

Nah. I like focusing on the funny trolls who come up with funny names for me on twitter or my youtube.

WDouche is a good one. Another one said WD also stands for Weird Douche.

The poster on here DemetriusBrown is also pretty good, too. He told me to go to beat it to my Jordan socks LOL

WestQuad

March 29th, 2017 at 12:32 AM ^

Michigan the last 6 years

11-12  Round of 32

12-13  Sweet 64

13-14  National Runner Up

14-15  Elite 8 

15-16  Round of 32

16-17  Sweet 16

Yes. A couple of more players could make a difference for Michigan, but we've faired pretty well.

When you consider the historic level of recruiting Kentucky has had, their results are very disappointing.  The Fab 5 were national runners up two years in a row and then the elite 8 without Webber.  I think the Fab 5 were ranked like 2,3, 10, 50 and 90, or something like that.

These are UK's player rankings for the past few years. 

2013  2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 18, 129, 194

2014  5, 10, 19, 22

2015  2, 10, 12, 14, 50,59, 91

2016   9, 6, 11, 14, 25

2017  9, 13, 14, 20, 24, 35

I'd rather have Michigan's results with a clean coach than Kentucky's or Louisville's with the stuff they have going on.  If you're a sure thing one and done play for Kentucky and take the cash and play against the top guys in practie.  If you're a 2nd round draft pick, play for Beilein and develop your skills.

AlwaysBlue

March 28th, 2017 at 8:25 PM ^

up Fisher and Webber? I don't think you have any idea how basketball recruiting is done, otherwise you wouldn't be comparing it to football. Beilein isn't interested in whoring out the school to kids whose only interest is the shortest distance to the NBA. He's not interested in kids whose scheme is to get through one semester and leave. Basketball recruiting can be very sketchy, there's a reason not many 5* come to the conference.

LDNfan

March 29th, 2017 at 5:11 PM ^

That's your assumption...that he made those positive comments re. JB's recruiting approach out of politeness and because he's smart. Other could assume that he meant exactly what he said. 

But that doesn't explain why you left out his comments in the first place. They should have been included and then others could decide for themselves if they thought he was just being nice. 

FauxMo

March 28th, 2017 at 7:04 PM ^

MO MO MO MO MO BAMBA!

MO MO MO MO MO BAMBA!

Se necessita una poca de gracia

Una poca de gracia

Para mi, para ti, ay arriba, ay arriba

Ay, arriba arriba

Por ti sere, por ti sere, por ti sere

mbwolv

March 28th, 2017 at 7:06 PM ^

I mean Bamba wasnt necessarily your average player, supposedly his test scores are unreal for an athlete of his caliber. That is exactly the 5* player Michigan should take a crack at early on