Freep Article: Dakich calls Michigan a "Perfect Fit"
There is a nice Freep story on Andrew Dakich and his place at Michigan. Link: Dakich: Michigan Perfect Fit.
Here are several things I found interesting:
- He turned down scholarships and guaranteed PT at mid-majors to play at Michigan. Having a chance at a Big 10 school was key.
- This is the fifth time a prominent, basketball savvy father has wanted to entrust his son to Beilein. (Hardaway, Horford, Robinson, and even Bartelstein.)
- He knows his role (3rd point guard after Spike & Walton,) but also believes he can earn PT.
- Dan Dakich and Beilein go back a long way, and Dakich also has a good relationship going back a ways with others on the Michigan coaching staff.
Andrew Dakich on the visit, Michigan, teammates, and the fit:
“The visit was awesome, the campus was amazing, the facilities are unbelievable, the academics,” he said. “I’m really close with Mark, and I’ve gotten a lot closer with Zak because he lives near me. I thought it was a perfect fit, and my dad did, too. He said, ‘Your dream is to play in the Big Ten and see what you can do.’
On his father's relationship with Michigan:
My dad trusts him more than anyone. … It’s one of the best coaching staffs, if not the best coaching staff, there is. He’s very excited and thinks I’m in good hands for the next four years.
On the appeal of having a chance to play:
On a team that started walk-on guards just five years ago and played a virtual unknown in Albrecht major minutes in the national championship game, Dakich has hope.
Apart from what anyone thinks of Dan Dakich as a commentator, he knows basketball. The implicit trust and recommendation from him and other prominent Dads in the business (Hardaway, Robinson, etc.) speaks extremely highly of Michigan and the coaching staff.
The other thing I never thought about in the National Title Game was the huge recruiting tool Spike Albrecht has become in reaching out to a player like Andrew Dakich. The fact that Spike spelled Trey Burke, played alongside him, and had an insane performance in the National Title Game, gives hope to all kinds of kids who want to make it in the Big Time. They now have clear proof that they have a chance at Michigan. It is easy for a coach to say that "all playing time is earned, and everyone has an equal chance.." Beilein, on the other hand, proves this when someone like Albrecht (and also LeVert) get substantial time on the floor.
Jordan Dumars (transfer from South Florida) was a walk on who transfered into the program before leaving with cronic knee problems. His dad is none other than Joe Dumars President of Basketball Operations of the Pistons. Technically this counts as a "prominent, basketball savvy father has wanted to entrust his son to Beilein".
is not a word I'd use to describe Joe D after watching the Pistons for the last few years.
Two possibilities here:
1) He's a young whippersnapper who has no idea that, before being a GM, Dumars was an amazing basketball player. Those whippersnappers!
or
2) He was just making an innocent joke about the Piston's recent troubles.
Which oh which could it be?
was name the Bad Boys era starting lineup for the Pistons. I grew up with them, I was making a joke about how Dumars has tanked the team with many, many poor decisions over the last 6-7 years.
I guess my focus was on the current team, but Dumars is certainly basketball savvy. I loved him back in the day when he was a player. He isn't the only one who hasn't seen on court success translate to successful in the general manager's office. IIRC, a certain MJ, along with Isaiah, haven't seen a long trail of success in the front office. But that doesn't take anything away from Dumars for me.
Joe Dumar's son was also a part of the program a few years ago.
Former walk-on Sai Tummala just committed to Arizona State as a scholarship player. Other guys like Eso and Josh turned down mid-majors or playing time at Ivy schools. It might not be quite as flashy as the improved top-end recruiting, but getting these guys is another example of JB and crew doing the work from top to bottom, of working on the top five recruit starter to the practice squad behind the scenes leader.
What if this is the ultimate trolling by Dakich the Elder?
"Apart from what anyone thinks of Dan Dakich as a commentator, he knows basketball."
Such an important distinction to make- I got really fed up with him doing Michigan games this season, but the fact remains that the guy know his stuff. Even though he suffers from color-analyst syndrome at times, his huge compliment of the coaching staff is really, really something, even if they didn't need any further validation.
Connecting Spike's PT with potential for PT for future walk-ons kind of pisses me off. Spike got the PT he did because almost every single time he was in a game this year he worked his ass off and produced. He earned his PT, even with the best player in college basketball ahead of him on the depth chart. Hope Andrew and future walk-ons see that as an example of what can happen if you work hard, not simply what can happen if you come to Michigan
Why not read that as what you are hoping....that it shows that effort plus ability will get playing time...get off the glass half empty view.
I want to hate Dakich. But,after reading the write up,I'm now thinking...he recognize game.
Dear StephenR,
I don't mind Dan Dakich so much. He's a commentator. Of course he's going to say commentator-y sorts of things. It's his job.
And I certainly don't mind a nice story about the Beilein staff. Not so hard to think that Dakich might encourage his son to play where Dan's old friend Jeff Myers is a coach.
What I do mind is this sort of promotion for our old friend Mark Snyder at the Free Press. You do remember Mark Snyder, yes?
Other than some quotes from Andrew Dakich that filled out a story that was largely already-known, I don't see how this is anything other than some low-level feelgood fluff. If anybody other than Snyder had written it, I wouldn't have cared. I hope that as new kids come into the Michigan Athletic Department, they are cautioned as to what Mark Snyder's true history has been. I certainly won't get mad at Andrew Dakich; he might not know about Snyder's history, and might have agreed to talk to Snyder unwittingly.
People here need to bury the hatchet with Dakich. Whatever dumb things he said/tweeted should be water under the bridge now that his son is going to be part of the basketball family.