After all the positive Michigan talk this is a bit surprising and very disappointing to say the least. The scholarship issue hadn’t been resolved but all signs had pointed to a March decision for Angus. It would have been very nice to add Angus to the mix next year, especially with all of the size issues. I guess it is on to the class of 2010.
Update: Ben points out in the comments that Nate Pomeday (bio) is an Oregon State assistant who was an assistant coach at Lake Forest Academy last year and was also involved in the Full Package AAU program. Not trying to accuse anyone of any wrong doing but this is a connection that certainly can’t hurt.
AAAaaahhhhhhggggggggg!!!!!!!! damn.
FWIW, this almost certainly has a lot to do with Nate Pomeday, a first-year assistant coach at Oregon State. He used to be an assistant at LFA.
Nnnnnnnnnnooooooooooo!!!!!!!!
Maybe this is just a bad dream.
not that surprising………no scholarships available, 2 big guys coming in already and we look in very good shape with will regan…….so i suspect that regan commits to us….but if he doesnt then yes this is sad…..id rather have regan though anyway
I wonder if it was more about UM just having to take a pass on Angus.
As much as he would help, the discussion about roster balance was valid and having that many Bigs in such a short time span coming on board wasn’t ideal.
Probably a little of both…I’m sure Pomeday was influential but it isn’t like UM’s depth chart was ideal for Angus. Add that to what I mentioned above and it makes sense.
Can’t say I’m not a little disappointed, but such is life.
He was an assistant coach at LFA, actually. But thanks for the props!
Whoops, corrected.
This might mean that Beilein spoke with Ant and he indicateed that he wanted to return. I don’t think JB is the type of coach that would have given a current player’s scholarship away. This isnt’ surprising to me whatsoever.
It is always nice to stock up on big men but getting Regan and two more in the 2010 class would be better for class balance.
Key is getting Regan.
Assuming we can get Regan, the long term effect isn’t that bad. It’s the short term effect, this would have made a big difference for next year.
Key to everything, IMO is Cronin. If he is 100%…the need for Brandt is basically minimized to zilch, IMO. Brandt was an insurance policy.
Next year, Gibson and Cronin are the 5’s, Sims is the 4. You can spot play Morgan or McLiman’s, whoever is the most ready to play and RS the one who isn’t. In a pinch, you can certainly play Sims at the 5 and go small.
The above reaffirms to me, how big losing Cronin really was this season. Just giving Beilein that added flexibility would have been so nice for this team.
at least we don’t have to speculate who will be leaving the team. Welcome back, Ant and Kelvin. Hope that Cronin will recover well, at least the next season starts 10 month away.
Likely we will now take two wings 2010 plus Regan.
Tom_McC: If Cronin is ready to go and be a big time contributor I can see that. I just would have loved to have a guy like Angus who could probably backup both post positions and is probably much more ready to play than either of the other big men coming in.
To be honest I’m kind of glad this is over. No more talk about Ant/Gibson/Kelvin not returning to the team next year, these are all great guys who have contributed to the program in different ways and I would hate to see them “forced” out to open up room for a guy who seems to have a lot of potential but hasn’t exactly been “dominating” this season in HS.
That’s not to say that I wouldn’t love to have Brandt, but I think if Cronin can be effective next year and Regan the year after we might not have needed Angus as much as we thought.
So its settled. Paying players is wrong, but paying off their coaches is right.
Again…Brandt was insurance, IMO. I would certainly have liked to have his services, but at the end of the day it isn’t like he is an essential piece to the puzzle.
Certainly, short term help is nice to have…but at what cost? Since we don’t know all of the particulars, we’d be just guessing but there are so many reasons that Brandt makes sense and so many others where he doesn’t.
I glad he isn’t coming to UofM. I didn’t want to see 4 bigs in one class. Also I know Gibson isn’t very popular amongst the fan base but Gibson helps this team win more next year than Brandt does.
As long as Regan comes here I don’t mind a bit. I think Will Regan is going to be a stud! He is the perfect big man for a Beilein team. I just hope he commits soon so I don’t have to worry!
Plus Brandt not coming in leaves us an extra scholarship for 2010 and we are in on some big time players. If we could land 2-3 of Regan, Zeigler, Morgan, Prather, etc. I would be ecstatic.
Mark: It would have been three big men in a class correct?
He’s thinking Cronin, Morgan, McLimans and Brandt. My guess is that McLimans and Morgan would have redshirted if Brandt came but then that would have left 3 for 2010 if Regan came.
It will be interesting to see who the redshirts are now. Detroit News suggested today that McLimans and Morgan will both redshirt even without Brandt coming. McLimans needs to bulk up a bit and Morgan is young for his grade.
Ahh ok. I would assume a red shirt in next years class. So if you are going to move Cronin, you will have to move one (maybe both) of the other two bigs.
I don’t think 3 in a class would be too many, especially when there are 2 on the roster.
I know Regan is high on Duke also. What are the realistic chances we get him?
I think Mark was referring to Cronin coming in off of his medical redshirt, sense he added nothing this year. So moving forward it would essentially seam like 4 bigs if Brandt was added. I am with Tom McC on this one. I dont really think its a big loss at all. Sure Brandt probably could have stepped in and helped out, but the way this season has gone, with us not really knowing what our true potential is with having the services of a ligit big man, and a banger powerforward I think its safe to say that we wouldnt be so upset at losing Brandt if we knew what type of team we would have if those guys were playing this year. Help is definitely on the way with Cronin, Morgan, and Mclimans. I think even Mclimans might have been a factor in Brandts decision. It will be very interesting to see what Regan decides to do. It would be beautiful to steal him away from Duke and among others. My wish list for 2010: at least Regan, and Prather. Prather would be amazing, maybe a long shot but its a wish.
raiderfan: Check out the video interview with Regan in the last recruiting roundup (http://www.umhoops.com/2009/02.....up-2-1-09/). Things look pretty good with Regan, will be interesting to follow after his season wraps up.
AG2 — wrong. Brandt enrolled at Lake Forest Academy (for one post-graduate year) in August of ‘08; Nate Pomeday was never his coach, and was hired by Craig Robinson at OSU long before it was clear that Brandt would enroll at LFA. It’s simply a case of Pomeday having close familiarity with the program and the coaches. (As do I.)
Thanks Dylan!!! Man that would be huge to get him. Whatever happens JB has us on the right track.
Yep, I think we need Cronin, and one or the other in Morgan, or Mclimans, whoever is ready to go and contribute. That would give us a nice rotation in Sims, Gibson, Cronin, and Morgan/Mclimans.
Mark, agree with you, I will not trade Gib for Brandts.
WHATAP, my bet is that Morgan will redshirt but McLimans might see some actions.
Adam, even I believe that we will take 3 for 2010, we still need not giving Ant his fifth year or Manny turning Pro to get the third scholarship for 2010. But this is a lot better than forcing a guy out.
Since when is Duke in on Regan? I thought ASU and Maryland were the major competition but I’m not sure. I haven’t heard who he likes besides us but I don’t think Duke is even recruiting him.
He is high on Duke. Duke is not high on him, yet. Yet is the key word. He hasn’t received an offer from Duke but if he does, which is very possible, they may jump to the top of his list.
I don’t think Duke has room for any more big men, just by looking at their recruiting classes.
duke is definitely out he is down to 5 schools…..dukes not one of them………that video interview is leading us to believe we pretty much have his committment….so hopefully he doesnt play with us like others have
Checked out the video, its a tad more reassuring that Regan might GO BLUE. From the looks of his game, could he even dip down and play some at the three? Would it make sense for matchup advantages. I dont know, just asking.
Dylan, when did Will say he would make his decision? This summer?
I feel like I read it somewhere…
thanks!
Hey Dylan, who do you think we have a realistic shot a grabbing other than Regan in the 2010 class. Zeigler, Morgan, Prather, McCallum? If we could bring in 3 of the 5 names mentioned we would have to be considered a top class for 2010 one would think. Right?
Prather and McCallum are long shots at best I would say. I’ll try to get a recruiting update with more than just stats on Monday now that the plan is starting to look a little more clear.
I don’t think that Regan is the 1st priority for ‘10 class. He’s definitely behind Zeigler, that’s for sure.
Another thing I have wondered is where do you guys see Zack Novak in the rotation over the next few years? I love his hustle, but his lack of heigth and athleticism added with the overall level of talent of all of our recruits, I honestly see this season probably the only one where he sees significant minutes. Not trying to hurt any feelings, just want others input. Thanks!!
My guess is Novak will be backing up Manny at the 3. He should still play a significant role next year bc he has a year of experience in the system over the freshmen, even if they are more talented
Yep. Im sure JB will have Novak on the court while he has other 2 dimensional guys in there. Novak will be better in every facet by next year as well, its just JB’s ability to develop players. His ball handling, shooting, quickness, strength will all get better I am sure of it.
I find it hard to believe that Novak won’t be in the rotation. He can play three positions on the court, and has played two of them (the 2guard and the power forward) and he can shoot the ball. Not to mention the experience he has gained this year and a whole off season in the program.
Thanks Ben. You just hear so much about schools getting players by hiring their high school or AAU coaches that you’re not sure what’s going on.
When you hear JB talk about Novak you know he will get minutes somewhere. Coach loves the kid.
As far as priorities, we are on Zeigler pretty hard but Regan is the #1 guy in terms of who we are counting on getting and class needs. We have landed 3 bigs in the last two classes but they seem to be more rotation players while Regan would be counted on to be a starter.
I have a good feeling about Regan and Morgan. I think we have a shot at Zeigler but wouldn’t be surprised either way. After that it’s up in the air.
I agree with Beast on this one.. Zeigler is definitely more talented than Regan, and though Regan may fill a bigger need, Zeigler is pure undeniable talent. He would be a huge huge grab for us. And although Prather is probably a big longshot, I think he would be a bigger catch than Regan too, regardless of class needs
Just because a player is better does not mean he is a bigger priority. Prather is regarded as better than Zeigler but priority wise, I think Zeigler is ahead of Prather. Regan may not be the best player on the board but as far priority, I think he is #1 at this point.
I would hate to see an Amaker situation where you place too much emphasis on a kid that ends up going elsewhere and it kills you down the road.
Just remember that you can’t always guarantee which players will pan out. I mean, Kendric Price was a 4 star recruit, and he doesn’t even play college ball anymore.
As far as height goes, it’s obvioulsy a significant need, but I wouldn’t be surprised to continue to see Novak getting a few minutes at the four next year. Even though we don’t really have any options, it has worked out well at times (tonight) this year.
I’m not that worried about losing this recruit. WOuld have been nice to stock the bench with height, but I’m not convinced we NEED that many guys in one class when none of them are studs. I think Cronin can contribute 10-12 minutes for defense and rebounding next year. My money is also on Morgan to come in for the same purpose while McLimas redshirts. (Though that could flip flop)
What I want to know is what the rotation is going to look like. I see two options:
1. Use the 2009 method: Go small with the same starters as this year (Grady/Morris, Douglas, Manny, Novak, Sims).
2. Go bigger. They move either Novak or Douglas to the bench for a scoring punch later in the game and start both Gibson and Sims. Then you can back them up with Cronin and a freshman or even bring in Novak at the 4 for stretches.
It’s funny how all of you say that you didn’t want Brandt and you are happier with Gibson, but you are just saying that because he isn’t going to Michigan. Michigan wasn’t sure if they were going to have a scholarship, so why should the kid wait? Also, cut the crap about hiring coaches to get players and there being some shady things going on with Pomeday. Nate and the rest of the staff at Oregon State are top notch guys and never even flirt with the line of doing something immoral or against the rules. Angus fits Coach Robinson’s system perfectly and will have the opportunity to start as a freshmen. Congrats to Angus.
AC1997. I’d say you have to go bigger next year. This way Peedi gets a lighter load on his shoulders on the defensive end, so he can have more energy offensively. Maybe have Cronin/Mclimans/Morgan (whoever is most ready/fits the system) start over Gibson, since he seems to play better off the bench anyhow. Douglass should start, and Novak should come off the bench for that spark
Its funny that Brandt commits to Oregon State and then the other Australian Rhys Murphy commits there a couple days later….