High praise from Matt Painter
Well deserved praise I might add. Classy comments from Coach Painter.
"As a coach, you think you've got them figured out … you don't have them figured out."
https://michigan.rivals.com/news/michigan-basketball-matt-painter-heaps-praise-on-big-ten-champ-u-m
clASS
"He used to be out there and be a liability, but now he's not. That's being a well-rounded player, because he can shoot the basketball, he's a good offensive player and now he's a good defensive player, and you've got to give somebody like that credit to them.”
Been saying the same thing myself.
I've been a fan of Painter since he was at SIU. Really loved to watch them back when Bruce Weber and him were coaching. Then Chris Lowery ran it into the ground and they have been awful for a decade. But now Michigan is good again! I'll take it.
Oh man, Chris Lowery. I remember when we hired Beilein, there was a vocal faction that really, really wanted Lowery instead, and was angry at the Beilein hire. That was in 2007, at the height of Lowery's success. His program fell apart right after that and never recovered. In retrospect he seemed to have lived off Painter's recruits.
That's some effusive praise, right there! Congrats to Coach Painter and his team, also, on a great year. I wish them well in the tourney, until they meet UM...
Classy. There's a ton of mutual respect between him and JB. You can just tell at handshake time.
I have major respect for Purdue's program. Dakich was commenting on a previous Purdue game and marveled at the little things Purdue does right, like being the hardest cutting team he's seen in awhile. Their players absolutely haul ass on their cuts to get open. Hard-nosed team and well-coached.
I always like when coaches and players make positive comments about their opponent, especially when they are on the short end.
Three fierce battles this year - a ton of fun to watch. So glad we came out on top in the big one!
Easy to be classy in victory, less so in defeat. His facial expressions were priceless today. We're a tricky team playing hot, he was right to be flabbergasted. Comparing him to Izzo is like comparing a decent person to someone who aids and abets rapists for personal gain. Today's game was far more enjoyable than yesterday's - I got to actually think about basketball.
Comparing him to Izzo is "like" comparing a decent person to someone who aids and abets rapists for personal gain?
the Boilers were on fire from the three point line and scored 92 points, which is 26 fewer than they scored today, actually getting 33 points in both halves. Whether Vince Edwards was at full strength, and it appeared he wasn't, Michigan did a fantastic job of guarding the three point line and keeping Mathias from doing any significant damage.
Outside of Haas' 23 points, Michigan shutdown the outside shooting game to a minimum with most of Mathias points coming after the 10 minute mark of the second half. By then, it was far too little too late, and Edwards never got going while Carsten Edwards hit a pair of first half threes and got to the basket several times, he's not the prolific scoring challenge, the others are. And because Edwards couldn't score, and Mathias was held in check so long, the effect was Haas was only a two-point threat that would never mitigate three-point scoring at the other end.
Can't believe Michigan came out on top, since they were defending the outside so much. Moe (17) and Teske (14), outscored Haas (23) and Haarms (2). All points were earned too with Haas, Moe, and Teske with 4 fouls. Hopefully Haas didn't do anything more thatn a bruise that can heel quickly from that fall.
He reminds me of Beilein in two ways:
1) Seems to be a classy dude, which is becomming less of a given for power-five jobs.
2) Every couple of years, it seems like his teams should be due for a down year or two, and by the end of that first season his teams are usually far ahead of schedule.
What a contrast with the whining, sore loser, excuse making Izzo
Coach Beilein had something special to say to each of the Boilermakers' seniors.