Recruiting Notes: Novak, Douglass and Cohen
Novak and Douglass look to have had solid games yesterday in the Indiana North/South game. I was not able to watch but Douglass was 3-9 (2-6) in the game for 8 points and Novak was 5-9 (3-6) for 13 points (Box score). Contrary reports also say Novak had closer to 17 or 18 points and this box score is a little off.
I was not able to watch (or listen to) the game but the best report I have seen was on the Rivals free board from poster blue_in_chicago who attended the game.
On Douglass:
First, Douglass. In the first half, he actually looked kind of bored out there. Had better energy in second half and played quite of bit of the lead guard in the second half. He clearly has EXCELLENT vision and can pass real well, particularly off the pick-and-roll. He actually made a couple of passes that surprised his teammates and they went the wrong way or dropped them. I would say Douglass is a definite 1/2 type of guard.
On Novak:
Much bigger and has big, strong shoulders. More of a 2/3 type of guy and much more physically ready to play in the Big Ten. It would not shock me if he was a starter next year if things go well with LLP and Manny moves to the 3 like the coaches plan to. He is great shooter and had some nice drives down the lane for a lay-up. Like Douglass, he capable of shooting it as soon as the ball crosses mid-court and that is just going to be big help to Manny, Grady and LLP. I think he will be an effective scorer all over the court and is capable of finishing inside b/c of his strength. BTW, I think both Novak and Douglass are about the same height (6-4″?) so they will fit in with Beilein’s desire for bigger guards.
There is a lot more there so check out the whole post, it seems pretty clear that at least one of Novak and Douglass will play a good amount of minutes this year because of how deficient this team is at shooting the three.
I also received a scouting report (thanks to Nick) from a coach in Jake Cohen’s high school conference on his game. Cohen looks like a plan B/backup type kid right now but certainly one to watch.
Cohen would not wow you right now some people are having a hard time thinking he is D1 vs the Lions he went for 11pts and 7 board but you need to get passed that and think what will this kid look like as a 20 year old man and that is why Jake has a chance. He is very skilled but I will say not as skilled as the kid Dan Geriot from Springfield who is at Richmond right now. So I am not sold on him, if I was at St. Joes he would be on my list as a back up.
Stephen Curry is Worth the Price of Admission
I had the pleasure of attending the regional action at Ford Field this weekend and thanks to Stephen Curry it was worth it. The kid simply put on a show this entire tournament and rightfully was named the region MVP.
I was not that impressed with the setup at Ford Field and was somewhat disappointed. I had sub-par seats in the endzone and they were FAR away as expected. However I had the chance to sit in the risers behind the basket for the Kansas/Villanova game and those seats were far worse even though they were in the 10th row. It will be interesting to see how the set up works for the Final Four next year but frankly I just don’t think basketball is meant to be played in a dome. It allows the NCAA to sell more tickets but it just doesn’t have the atmosphere that we all love in college basketball.
I have to admire the Davidson program though, a school of 1,700 students was the best crowd at Ford Field by far. Of course they had the neutral fans on their side but they were passionate and dwarfed the Kansas fans in terms of noise and numbers.
One argument that I don’t want to see is that because Davidson created an exceptional team with a spectacular under the radar player we should expect the same from Michigan’s “under the radar” players. There are hundreds of under the radar players and only one Stephen Curry. One note, Novak had around 18 and Stu had 8 points in the Indiana North/South game, more on that tomorrow.
Thanks to Curry and Davidson for giving us an underdog to believe in this tournament that has given us the first final four of #1 seeds. This Final Four will be special with some great games though, I don’t think there are many holes in these four teams and they are all at the top of their game.
2008 North/South Indiana All-Star Classic
Stuart Douglass and Zack Novak will join an elite group of Indiana senior basketball players at the 2008 North/South Indiana All-Star Classic on March 30 at Vincennes University. The doubleheader will feature the girls’ game at 2 p.m. and the boys’ game at 4 p.m. at VU’s P.E. Complex.
Tickets cost $8 each and are available by calling the VU Alumni Office, (812) 888-4354 or (800) 945-2586. Tickets may also be purchased by email at events@vinu.edu.
The games will be broadcast by WVUT-TV 22 and WVUB 91.1 FM, and streamed on VU’s Web site: www.vinu.edu
The North/South Indiana All-Star Classic is sponsored by Vincennes University, Hoosier Basketball Magazine and Pacesetter Sports of Terre Haute. The games are directed by Harry Meeks, women’s basketball coach at VU. Information is available at www.hoosierbasketballmagazine.com.
If anyone is planning on attending or if anyone gets WVUT-TV shoot me an email here. Thanks and good luck to both Stu Douglass and Zack Novak.
Guest Blogging: The 2007-2008 Season
Thomas McCanna is going to be helping out around the site in various ways and he agreed to write a review of the season. I figured that you have heard what I have to say on the season every game so it would be good to get an outside perspective. After this I am going to work on putting together a report card/review of each players season and what they need to work on. But here’s Thomas’ recap:
Going into the 2007-2008 season, there was a sense of rebirth in the Michigan Basketball program. Tommy Amaker had done an admirable job of putting some respectability back into the Michigan Basketball program after the Ed Martin scandal and the failure of his predecessor Brian Ellerbe. Unfortunately, restoring a clean image was the best Amaker could do in his 6 year run at Michigan. Amaker seemed to always be on the fringe of getting the program back to national relevance, but whether it was injuries, poor performance on the floor at the worst possible times, or some tough luck in recruiting, Amaker just could not get the program over the hump.
John Beilein was hired in April of 2007 and he came to the Michigan program with a reputation as a rebuilder of ailing programs. His track record at Canisius, Richmond and West Virginia suggested that given time, Beilein could get Michigan back to national relevance. In his early days after his hire, Beilein made it clear that he was no miracle worker and getting Michigan back to the NCAA’s would be a process. Beilein also said in no uncertain terms that he came to Michigan because he thought he could recruit the kind of talent that could bring UM back to an elite level.
Thursday Links
- They Wear Yellow And Blue, But Do Not Suck
Brian from MGoBlog takes a look at West Virginia’s sweet sixteen team this year compared to Beilein’s WVU team last year. WVU’s offensive efficiency went down and defensively they were much improved. - Lights, camera, action
A look at the Ford Field regional this weekend and the various story lines. Buy Tickets (20% off: WEL03081) - MSU vs Memphis
Spartans Weblog has tons of coverage on MSU’s regional action this weekend and is a very good read. It’s funny that the weak Big Ten may get 2 teams in the Elite 8, guess that “boring” defensive basketball is effective come tourney time. - Chris Webber: Talented youth, unfinished life
McCabe on Webber - Remember Webber as one of the best power forwards ever
Nick Meyer on Webber
Quincy Roberts has a Final Five
Quincy Roberts has announced a final five of Virginia, Michigan, Georgia Tech, St. Johns and Temple. This one is interesting because Quincy’s name has pretty much fell off the radar over the last few weeks but now he comes out listing Michigan. I am also skeptical that he has offers from the five schools he is listing but who knows.
Introducing Jake Cohen
A new 09 name has popped up on the radar. 6-10 big man Jake Cohen from Pennsylvania lists Michigan along with Penn State, Northwestern, Penn and others.
Penn Live.com reported that Cohen was offered by PSU on 3/10 after Penn State’s upset of the Hoosiers. They also provided this scouting report:
Cohen is a slim big who nonetheless is adept at posting and scoring but also has the ability to step out and shoot to 16 feet. He is an intelligent passer, already adept at kicking out from double teams and feeding from the high post. But his slim build and lack of strength are issues that must be addressed.
Cohen was named honorable-mention All Southeastern PA this year (his junior year), which isn’t all that impressive in itself but there are some ballers on that team Tyreke Evans, Maalik Wayns, Dalton Pepper are just a couple. Rivals posted this premium article today on Cohen and his plans for his recruitment. For you rankings people there are a few Cohen mentions in these PA rankings (thanks to BL).
Cohen definetely seems like one to watch but I think Andy Brown has the be number 1a on the board right now. It is clear that our main focus for recruiting in 09 at this point is getting a point guard and a skilled big to go along with Morgan.
A couple more recruiting notes. Congrats to Stuart Douglass for being named to the all-MIC team. And also congrats to Novak for being named the 2nd best senior in Indiana according to the IBCA.
Ebuka Back on the Board
Well this is why we follow recruiting right. Ebuka decommitted from Colorado just a few days after he committed. I don’t know how much of a shot Michigan has in this one but I can certainly feel Colorado’s pain after Legion, Beverley, Horford and Crawford. I would expect Texas A&M and the instate schools to be the major players for Ebuka, but I thought they would be before and he verballed to Colorado. I also have not heard anything on the Watts front either after Beilein’s planned visit to North Carolina.
Quick Hitters
- Fast start powers Wolverines
Womens hoops team lives to see another day with win over VCU. - Michigan Wolverines: Pure Back Page News
Ouch, a good laugh from a “columnist”. Bleacher Report is a good idea, anyone can write a column or article. But some of the stuff on there (the Pryor article comes to mind) is very slanted and biased to say the least. - Spartans want to run with Memphis
I think MSU could knock off Memphis but now that it’s the trendy upset pick I am hesitant. - The NCAA Midwest regional is being held at Ford Field Friday/Sunday and I am attending. It will be quite an experience to watch a basketball game with the 70k expected fans. The games are Davidson/Wisconsin and Kansas/Villanova, Stephen Curry alone is worth the price of admission. If you don’t have tickets get them here.
- On a related note Eric Lacy wants to know where all the hoops passion is in Metro Detroit.
- I am working on getting together some great post-season wrap up type stuff and it should be up soon. I have been working on this stuff so updates have been a little scarce.
Another Award for Novak
Novak was named the NW Indiana Times Player of the Year. Former winners of the award include Luke Harangody and E’twaun Moore. Memphis 5 star commit Angel Garcia did not make the team.
“You just want to prove (skeptics) wrong,” Novak said. “That made it easier. I was up against the wall, in recruiting terms. It got to the point where I really had nothing to lose. I prepared really hard to make something happen. I was just worried about winning games and if I was playing well, I knew things would take care of themselves. It worked out perfect in the end.”
Hopefully Novak keeps playing with a chip on his shoulder at Michigan because I really think he can be a great player here. Check out the article for some more good quotes.
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