Ken in Vegas, a frequent commenter on the site, made it out to see Moses Morgan play in the Nevada Class 4A State Championship game. Moses and his Palo Verde squad were taking on Bishop Gorman, a team that had beaten them just a week earlier. Moses had 10 points and 9 rebounds in the loss and it sounds like he never really got going on offense. Ken’s thoughts on the game are below and there are also some links video clips and photo galleries after the story.
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When a final full-court desperation shot was blocked and the buzzer sounded, a dejected Moses Morgan knew he had let a state championship slip through his fingers and the young junior couldn’t help but show emotion. Morgan walked back to the bench in disbelief, which eventually turned to anger as he punched a folding chair and ripped his jersey off. Palo Verde parents screamed obscenities at the refs, who had arguably cost them the game. The coaches clutched their heads in shock, before finally sulking over to congratulate an uproarious opponent.
Palo Verde and Bishop Gorman battled it out for the Class 4A Nevada State Championship on Friday night at The Orleans Hotel and Casino. The final score was 56-55 in favor of Gorman, and the final 2 minutes were absolutely heartbreaking. The game had been sloppy and unimpressive throughout, another indicator of the level of talent in Nevada, but Palo Verde had control the entire way. With 2 minutes left to go and a 6 point lead, all Palo had to do was control the ball, but a few turnovers later Gorman had tied the game with two clutch 3-point baskets. Palo still had the upper hand, however, as they had the ball with 16 seconds left and a chance to take the final shot. A streaky Palo guard drove through the lane and botched a contested lay-up with 3 seconds left on the ticker. What transpired next, was basically a replay of the Iowa game when DeShawn was called for a foul while trying to tie up a loose ball. Instead of swallowing his whistle and sending a hard fought game to overtime, he called a reach-in foul on Palo Verde as they tried to secure a rebound. With 7 team fouls, this sent Gorman to the line with 1 second left and a chance to ice the game with a free throw. The crucial shot of a 1-1 fell, and the second one rimmed out, which conveniently gave Palo Verde no chance at a solid miracle attempt.
Moses Morgan was virtually a non-factor in this game. He scored 10 points according to my tally on a poor shooting performance and never seemed to be in good positions to score. My overall assessment of his play is nearly identical to my first scouting report. In that report I said that I felt he had been overrated due to poor competition, and my opinion has not changed. Moses never once created any offense for himself or tried to score off the dribble. If we are recruiting him to replace Manny Harris, then we are going to be sorely disappointed. He will have to gain a wealth of coordination and confidence in his senior year to be that kind of player. He’s just not a good enough ball-handler to take it to the rack or find a crease yet. 90% of the points I have seen him score in the 3 games I have attended have been offensive rebounds or open jump shots. That being said, he is a good shooter (although not last night) and has a great wing span. At this point in time, he reminds me of Anthony Wright, and I would project him to be a slightly more athletic and productive version of him. Again, this is only my assessment at this point in time. I have no experience scouting high school talent and may just not have proper perspective, however I suspect that watching the likes of Zeigler or Hardaway Jr would have left a very different taste in my mouth. It will be interesting to see how Moses develops as a senior and I will certainly keep you updated.
More on the game:
- Official Box Score (pdf)
- 4A BOYS: Loyd breaks tie at foul line, lifts Gorman to title over Palo Verde
Game story from NevadaPreps including a video and photo gallery - Bishop Gorman pulls off miracle comeback for state championship
Las Vegas Sun game story which also includes a video and photos.
Based on the Ken reports I view Morgan as a backup plan. I know it sounds crazy to say that about a top 100 kid but he seems over-rated. JB hasn’t offered him yet so it looks like he is waiting to see what happens on the Trey Zeigler and Casey Prather front. What concerns me is that Alex Dragicevich is coming for a visit soon and visit=offer. I’d hate to see Alex take a spot away from Prather or Zeigler but then again, you can’t wait forever on these guys. It’s all about balancing how long you can string Morgan, Dragicevich and Timmy Jr. along while waiting for the big fish. If we could get one of the creators (Trey or Prather), one of shooters (Morgan, Dragicevich or Timmy Jr.), and the JB big man (Will Regan) I’d be ecstatic. Beilein won’t be on the radio show tonight so that tells me he is out recruiting, maybe heading to Nashville for Prather since his last trip there got cancelled I believe.
I’ve heard a lot of people commenting about which three recruits they want us to get in 2010. Where’s the third scholarship coming from? We only have two open for that class. I know a lot can happen to open a scholarship, but some people are acting like it’s a sure thing that we’ll have a third. Manny leaving early seems like the most likely way to free up another scholarship. Personally, I would much rather have Manny for a fourth year than add another recruit to 2010.
Moses was robbed, the refs should of let the game go to OT. But with Gorman that will never happen. Anyways Morgan is in no way I REPEAT NO WAY a backup plan. This kid is the real deal, and needs to be in the plans along with Zieg, Prather, Hardaway, and McCallum. Im Sorry UMQuasi, but with this class coming in you would expect us to be a lot better next year with a SR Peedi and a JR Manny leading the way..it would almost be impossible to expect Manny back as a SR if he improves he will be a lock in the 1st rnd if not lottery.
You know it’s weird these rankings. From what Ken has said it sounds like Morgan is overrated, and from the video I have seen of Trey Zeigler he appears to be overrated as well. Almost all of Zeigler’s baskets came off of offensive rebounds and he did not seem to be extremely athletic. In college he will not be able to get away with offensive rebounds because he will no longer be the biggest guy on the court. Therefore I would absolutely love to get Casey Prather but I feel he is more of a long shot than Zeigler or Morgan.
Not giving Anthony Wright his fifth year is what most people are banking on for the open scholarship.
Jay, I completely respect your opinion, but I’m interested to hear your analysis. If you are just looking at his stat line, than I can see where you are coming from, but have you seen him play? What stood out to you? My biggest problem with him was that I never saw him put a move on anybody in the 3 games I saw him play. There were always 3 or 4 other players on the court who had more athletic ability. Moses was always one of the tallest and longest, and he’s only 6’5. What happens when he leaves the Las Vegas midget league?
Has anyone seen Trey Zeigler play? I’m curious is he can penetrate against Big 10 defenses.
The difference between us and Wisconsin yesterday is that with 10 seconds left on the shot clock Trevon Hughes can beat his man off the dribble and make plays. He did that multiple times yesterday, we don’t really have someone like that.
Manny can’t really beat his man off the dribble because he has poor ball handling skills. Manny has an incredible first step so he’s killer out of the three point stance but can’t create off the dribble very well.
Hopefully Morris fills this role but from the scouting reports on this site it seems he has a great handle but isn’t quick and can’t finish. I guess if you want someone with a great handle, who is quick and can finish that guy goes to UNC (e.g., Ty Lawson). So maybe I’m just pining for the glory days of Michigan basketball when I was pissed off that we accepted players who weren’t McDonald’s All Americans. I remember during college I was pissed that we got Brandon Smith as a recruit because he was only rated #67 or somewhere around there. That’s what happens when you grow up in the late 80s and early 90s!
A couple thoughts on Moses…
First, his school was a point away from winning the state championship and clearly has some good players besides him. He’s only a junior and might not really be in a position to look for his offense. It seems like he has really made a living on the AAU circuit and maybe he plays better against better competition.
Because of his length and shooting ability he definitely has tremendous upside despite maybe not posting huge numbers. For some more scouting reports check espn, http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb.....Id%3d55251
I think when the kid is only a junior it is a little early to throw out “overrated” tag.
Yeah, you’re probably right about the overrated tag. I admit I don’t have much of a frame of reference. I definitely will stand by my statement that he’s not a replacement for Manny. There was nothing he did that reminded me of Manny in terms of style.
when various scouts are have these kids ranked as some of the best in the country i dont think that morgan and zeigler can be overrated……..mulitple sources have them as being some of the best players in the country……nonetheless should be interesting to see how things pan out
Dave, these same sources had Kendric Price and Brent Petway as 4-star, Top 75 players. I wouldn’t necessarily call those two “overrated” out of high school, but it’s just so hard to project how kids will do in college unless they’re OJ Mayo / Kevin Durant / Michael Beasley / etc.
Zack Novak and Stu Douglass, both “1- or 2-stars” depending on which site you look at, contributed more in their first game as Wolverines than 4-star Kendric Price contributed in 2 years.
Agree with Giddings. Jevohn Sheppard was a 4 star #22 Shooting Guard in the nation out of high school as well and he amounted to very little. It seems like basketball players are so often rated solely on potential and are very difficult to project into actual playing ability.
Giddings, adam, agree with the sentiment that ratings are not always accurate…however, you forget that all of the recruits you mentioned had tommy amaker developing them. i firmly believe that sheppard and petway especially are NBA-class athletes. Who knows what they would have become under 4 years of a different coach.
that said, everyone knows that a kid’s ranking coming out of high school is only one factor determining success, and not necessarily the most important one.
yeah giddings thats many good points…….
Which is why Beilein doesn’t even bother looking at the ratings. He would rather have a hungry Stu/Novak than the baggage that comes along with a AAU 4/5 Star type of player. And I think this will tick a bunch of Detroit people off. I think it already has, by the way he offered the boys from Indiana over the Detroit kids…
the only thing is that detroit kids will win championships…..these other kids wont or probably wont…..id much rather take a kid with loads of athleticism than one who can shoot threes…..we have seen what happens when 3s dont work….but then again athleticism is not beileins system and thats why i prolly dont know what im talking about……..however i find it hard to believe we will ever compete for national championships or even big ten championships under beilein unless he gets kids that are athletic enough to defend and make plays with the other great teams in the conference
Dylan,
One question that I would really like to have answered, that I thought of again when I read this thread: Why all the talk about Manny being a lottery pick when he shoots so funny? He reminds me a fair bit of a Jamaal Crawford type player, a tall, quick, thin guard that can go inside/out and create off the dribble. That NBA talent part I understand. But one thing I’ve noticed, that I’ve never heard anyone say anything about, is the funny hitch he has in his shot. To me, that split second longer it takes him to shoot because of it and the way it forces him to shoot the ball somewhat lower, will be exploited in the league. Is there any talk of him getting lessons and fixing that? Was it worse in prior years? Does anyone disagree with me/am I going crazy since I seem to be the only one concerned about it?
Ya, you’re right. Manny does have the ugliest shot on the team. I thought JB would have fixed it by not, maybe he’s waiting for the summer.
I can’t say much about the current recruits, but I did watch Manny play many times in high school, and I don’t remember him taking a single 3. He definitely does have an unorthodox shot and until this year I don’t think its fallen all that often. Manny was a straight up stud in high school, impossible to stop and was putting up HUGE numbers in the PSL night in and night out, although a good majority of his points were from the free throw line. I’m concerned with these guys like Moses, Jordan Morgan, Blake etc. who certain games only put up 8-12 points, if we expect them to be huge contributors I would think they would be putting up better numbers than they are. Hopefully JB is finding diamonds in the rough, but I don’t know.
Some good points steve… I saw Manny play twice in highschool, he didn’t have a jumper. Nothing, it was ugly and it didn’t usually go in. He did have game though, he dominated the PSL night in and night out and led Redford to the state title game with basically no one else on his team. He has pro potential because thats what the NBA draft is about, potential.
I think scoring numbers have to be understood for what they are. If a guy has a ton of other great players around him he’s not going to score 50 points night in and night out. Manny is a hell of a player and scored the ball because that is what he does. But if Manny played on the same team with a couple other D1 prospects he probably wouldn’t do that much scoring. Then again I’m not saying that you should just throw out all numbers. Just try to analyze them within context of the team the kid is playing on and the kind of game he has.
Stu and Zack are another good example. Zack did a lot more scoring in high school but Stu played on a much more balanced and well rounded team.
There were a couple times in high school when Manny got hot and was dropping multiple threes in games, I remember watching a video on Rivals of him crossing dudes up and knocking down fadeaway threes. But like you guys mentioned, the majority of his points came on drives, free throws, and fast breaks.
If you look side-by-side at his jumper now compared to his jumper in high school, the improvement from Beilein is obvious. The problem is that his form was so awful to start with that it’s going to take a long time (if ever) to completely fix it.
SO, Which recruits are really coming to Michigan? Everyone talks this and that player but, will somebody give me some names please.
I’m not sure what you mean, Paul. If they were already coming to Michigan they wouldn’t be recruits. They would be commits. If you are wondering who we have a great shot with, well, Regan seems to be the only one that has us as a clear favorite.
Ok ,Thanks Ken. Sorry kind of “jumping the gun”, its really to early for 2010 class of commits. Had heard Regan’s name.
Need that guy badly.
In Beilein We Trust…
In response to Tom Too saying that Beilein recruited the Indiana boys over the Detroit boys, we need to remember that by the time he got to Michigan that class was pretty much picked over. If I am wrong just tell me what Detroit boys were still on the table who have proven themselves better or even maybe as good. And, yes in Beilein we trust, although without the capitals.
In response to Tom Too saying that Beilein recruited the Indiana boys over the Detroit boys, we need to remember that by the time he got to Michigan that class was pretty much picked over. If I am wrong just tell me what Detroit boys were still on the table who have proven themselves better or even maybe as good. And, yes in Beilein we trust, although without the capitals.
Just for fun I went out at looked at the ESPN rating numbers for some of our current players. Interesting that Novak & Douglass are both rated about 40 (that’s like calling them major projects) but they’ve both fit in well.
LLP was something like 89.
Those numbers are like trying to predict the high temperature from two weeks away. It’s just one predictor.
Jim, every player on espn is rated atleast 40. That normally means they havent been seen play.
If we for one reason or another end up with a third scholarship available in 2010, then I think we need to get an athlete. Beilein is gonna get his shooters no matter what, so if he’s going to get an extra scholarship in two years, why not go get an athletic scorer to take Manny’s place?
What if, God forbid, Manny takes off for the NBA after next season? Who will be our go-to guy? Sure, the ideal Beilein system has no go-to guy, but he will need another slasher/scorer to fill that huge void left by Manny. Somebody like Prather or Zeigler would fill that hole perfectly.
They are clearly gunning for a replacement for Manny in 2010. I actually think they want to take two wings and a big as long as there are three ships.
I’m pretty sure Beilein is going to try for a big man every year. They are always at a premium, and while they aren’t needed in his system, he has probably realized that he won’t win anything without some strength in the middle. If the guy can shoot the 3-ball, that’s a bonus, but I think he knows that the Big Ten revolves around physicality, and with the size that he has now, we will never succeed.
We got a head start though: Cronin is the ideal size, McLimans appears to be the typical Beilein big man, and Morgan appears to be somewhere in between.
My problem with JB is that he is happy with being a middle of the pack team. His teams have always had mid major talent, and in turn mid major production. I have seen people on here say well what about Joe Alexander. Remember people, Joe didn’t play well until Huggins got to WVU and turned his potential into production. Don’t be surprised to see JB sign Drag’s before Prather and Zeigler have made a decision. He’s a better fit with what JB is trying to do. I also believe that Shep could have been an all-conference player if he were on a different team. He is to athletic for what JB wants, and he also can’t shoot good enough. JB doesn’t want a kid who can create on his own but can’t hit the open three. Don’t say Manny because he was a Amaker recruit who loved Michigan so much he was willing to stay and play for JB. Everyone says in JB we trust, trust in what? His best finish ever is 1 elite 8. We will see improvement with JB, just not championships. As long a JB is there, we will be looking up at the championship calibur teams. Fire JB and hire Brad Stevens from Butler. At least he’s a better recruiter and has his players ready to play every night, unlike JB who has his players ready every third game or so. Go ahead and trash these comments I’m making, but you can’t argue the facts. I love Michigan just as much as the rest of you guys, I’m just tired of being mediocre. I will be thrilled when JB gets us into the tourney, but then what. Will we be happy with year after year after year of first and secound round NCAA losses? Thats what JB will do. Get us in the tourney but never a championship run.
Really raiderfan? He coached at West Virginia and was an overtime away from the Final Four. Why would he leave WVU? He knew the ceiling was higher at Michigan.
Why would you ever say that Beilein doesn’t want to win championships? You think his goal is just to make the tournament? The whole thought behind that is absurd.
There are really no facts behind your argument, at all. If there were I would love to hear them. Did you want him to get Tyreke Evans instead of Stu Douglass? LOL. Give me a break, we were coming off of a 10-22 season and it’s not like kids were lining up to come here. Check out the target list for 2010, most of those kids are athletic and being recruited by plenty of “championship caliber teams”.
Raiderfan (and all other JB critics for that matter), has it ever occurred to you that he has had middle of the road teams because that was the best that could be done at those particular schools.
Before now, the best program he’s been at is WVU. It’s tough to recruit guys to WVU. In his years there, JB never signed a 4-star recruit, and had several 2-stars and lower. I really think this is because that was about as good as he could expect to do at that school. I really don’t think JB would rather have a 2-star than a 4/5-star. Also, Huggins getting a 4-star and a 5-star this year does not prove this theory wrong. For next year’s class, he’s right back where JB was, with a couple of 3-stars.
As the team continues to improve, we will see recruiting getting easier because of the Michigan name. We’re already starting to see that. Morris and Vogrich are each 4-stars in at least one recruiting service. They may be the best two recruits JB has ever signed.
We’re in good shape with Regan. He’s a 3-Star now, but with the numbers he’s putting up, I really expect him to move up when the recruit rankings are updated. Morgan, Prather, and Ziegler are all pretty high on UM (all 4-stars). His recruiting is improving because it is easier to recruit at UM than WVU.
Yes, he may sign a lower rated recruit for 2010 because one of the three listed above is waiting too long, but that’s just him being smart. You don’t want to wait too long and end up with nothing. The fact that we are getting interest from highly rated players is encouraging and it will continue to improve as the team improves.
People said Rich Rodriguez couldn’t recruit based on his classes at WVU, but look at the two classes he’s brought in (especially this year). The Michigan name makes a big difference, it will just take JB longer than RR because the basketball program was in much worse shape.
We are playing above our talent level this year, which is the norm for JB teams. Just think what he can do when he’ll finally be able to bring in better talent.
sorry, didn’t mean to post almost the exact same thing as Dylan, ha ha
Dylan,
I have no stats to prove it? Come on man. Beilein said he left WVU because he couldn’t recruit the talent to win a national championship. Two years later, Huggins signs a 5 star recruit in Devin Ebanks. Beilein’s top 2 recruits he ever signed at WVU were Alex Ruoff and Joe Alexander. Joe Alexander’s average while Beilein was there was 7.9 ppg. His sophmore year, JB’s last, he averaged 10 ppg and shot 131 3′s. His junior, Hugg’s first, he averaged 17 ppg and put on 60 pounds of muslce to maximize his potential. He developed a mid range game instead of the Beilein offense of standing at the 3 point line and only attempted 41 3′s. He was then the #8 pick to the Milwaukee Bucks, no thanks to JB. Ruoff averaged 6.2 ppg under Beilein. Under Huggins, he has averaged around 15 ppg in 2 seasons, putting on 25 pounds to improve his overall game. I am not questioning his abitilty to coach as his resume speaks for itslef, but thats the problem. He WILL turn our program into a winning one, but not a national championship calibur one. What JB brings is class, discipline, and 3′s. Im sorry Dylan, I am just not satisfied with making the tourney, I want championships. Michigan was there once, and we will be there again. Just not with Beilein.
And another thing, it doesn’t matter if you are “IN” with top recruits. It matters if you sign them. We will not get Zeigler, we will not get Prather, we will not get McCallum, we will not get Ayers. We might get Morgan, but its sounds like that may not be as good as it looks. JB really missed out on a perfect fir for his system and last years Michigan Mr. Basketball Brad Redford. You have to have top talent to win Big Ten and Nat’l championships, and we will never get “top class talent” with JB.
JB “missed out” on Redford because he was already signed when JB was hired. What do you want him to do?
http://statsheet.com/mcb/playe.....shawn-sims
DeShawn Sims’ development versus Joe Alexander’s is also interesting. They both became interior focused players their junior years. I have no reason to believe that Joe wouldn’t have blossomed under Beilein as well. I don’t buy the Joe Alexander argument at all, especially when talking about recruiting. Who taught Joe to dribble, pass, and shoot?
We all know that Huggins recruits how Huggins recruits. He’s a recruiter not a coach. He’s not afraid to get “messy” shall we say either.
I think it is a little, no I think it is far too early to make some kind of claim like Beilein won’t land “top class talent”. He landed 2 top 150 kids the year after a 10-22 season and is setting himself up in good position for the class of 2010 as well.
The way I see it, there are two ways to bring in truly “top-tier” talent.
1) Play the AAU game and participate in some shady practices (hiring AAU coaches / paying AAU coaches speak at your school / possibly flat out pay players) – even if you haven’t had much success recently this is the “easy way out” (teams like USC, Kansas State, and Memphis come to mind).
2) Hire a coach who will install a system that’s good enough to consistently make it to the NCAA Tournament and win games in the Tournament so that top talent wants to come and win. Doing this at a big-name school with some good history certainly helps (teams like UCLA with Ben Howland come to mind).
Thankfully, Michigan (and JB) are taking Route #2 rather than Route #1. The only thing is, we need some patience.
raiderfan
Half the bloggers in here have a better jump shot than Shepherd. He is an athlete not a basketball player and that’s why the little freshman white boy, who Shepherd could probably jump over, gets every single one of his minutes.
Also in regard to your post on the bubble talk. You asked why did we have Manny stop driving in the second half?
First off I think Manny did try to get to the hoop but you have to realize there was another team on the court. This isn’t golf where you just play your game and hope for the best. In basketball you try and play your game while opponent tries to prevent you from doing so.
Second you implied that it was a conscious decision to stop driving. I know you don’t seriously think that so why say it?
Avery,
I was more questioning why he stopped curling off the picks. They were still following him around the picks, he just began to flare off the screen. I do honestly think a higher authority, JB, told him to stop curling. And the Sims thing. He always has had the talent, just not the pt. His numbers from this year compared to last are very similar. In comparison to Alexander, well there isn’t one. Put Sims on a Huggins team, or a coach who utilizes his post presences, he easily is a 20 10 guy. Beilein has to make his players get him the ball. He is the coach so he reserves the right to tell his players what to do. There is no reason why Peedi should ever shoot 3′s. He is our biggest mismatch no matter how you look at it, and he doesn’t get anywhere close to enough touches a game. That is on the coach, not the players.
Giddings kind of touched on this, but I’ll post it anyway
I understand being “In†with top recruits isn’t enough unless you actually sign them, but that’s a big jump to make for a program which has had a decade like ours. It has to be a progression. When you’re bad, you get no interest from top players. When you’re improving, you get interest and you may miss out on signing them or you might pull it off. When you become good, you will be able to sign those top recruits.
I expect to start getting big time recruits on a consistent basis by 2011 or 2012. Have some patience
6-foot-7 centers are CLEARLY the biggest mismatch on the floor.
I don’t see what you guys are trying to say about not bringing in talent. Every year Michigan has brought in top 100 players. I have said it before that this is probably Beilein’s most talented team he has ever had. We currently field 5 former rivals top 150 players: Manny, Shep (I know, I know but he was still a top 150 player), LLP, Grady, Peedi. In the past, I know it was Amaker, but still very talented players, Daniel Horton, Dion Harris, Lester Abrahm, Brent Perway, Courtney Sims, Chris Hunter, Kevin Gaines, LaVall Blanchard, Jamal Crawford. I can keep going but I hope by now you guys have got the point. Michigan is and will always be Michigan. Regardless of records or whatever, players still want to come to Michigan because it is an elite school. Just like football, even though we are down, players still want to go to school here.
Seriously Dylan, so you don’t think Peedi is a mismatch.
Well, the biggest reason Peedi is a mismatch is BECAUSE he can step out in the mid-range shot or the 3
Precisly, he can hit the mid range, 51 percent, definetly not the 3, 28 percent.
Peedi has improved substantially both years under Beilein. Some games he doesn’t get the ball enough. Some games (OSU at home) he gets the ball in the perfect spot to score a lot and it’s not his day. The number of threes he has taken this year has gone down dramatically and he is averaging 15 and 7 and is near tops in the league for rebounding and scoring.
Also keep in mind the Huggins is pretty sketchy.
I completely agree with what everyone is saying about Beilein doing things the right way. My personal opinion aside, JB does a great job of turning these boys into very well-mannered, respectful, student athletes. While I may disagree with his recruiting success, he is definetely no Kelvin Sampson. He does everything by the book and refuses to bring in players who will mess up the chemistry of his team. This could also be a reason why he doesn’t go after the top recruits, as oftenly those players can be a distraction to the program.
Let’s give Beilein a chance to recruit AT MICHIGAN before we start labeling him a good recruiter or a bad recruiter. We can really only judge him on one class. Considering we are coming off the worst season in program history, I would have to say he did an EXCELLENT job.
I wouldn’t say he did an excellent job with his first class. Novak and Douglass average 12.8 ppg between the two of them. That is about 17 percent of Michigan’s total points. In comparison, West Virginia’s three freshman, Ebanks, Jones and Bryant average 25.2 ppg. That is about 38 percent of WVU’s total ppg. Beilein’s first class is well below the national average for freshman production. His second class, however, looks to be much more talented and deeper so hopefully that will produce better results.
that’s a fair point.
i think the key is how you evaluate recruiting. there getting big time recruits part (4/5 stars) and there’s picking winners like joe d taking stuckey (obviously not recruiting but same idea).
evaluating what beilein has done so far clearly the 08 class was lacking in top recruits and i don’t think you could have hoped for much better. he has made progress already with the ’09 class but it’s just too early to really evaluate. what you can say is he took two nobodies and look at what we got. stu would get time for any team in the big ten that gave him a shot and probably start for a handful of teams. novak is more of a role player and is playing that role pretty well considering he is definitely not a real 4.
Ken..I respect your opinion but his work speaks for itself. He is a solid player trust in that. Hes put up numbers against Anthony Marshall who is going to UNLV, he also looked good in games vs Elijah Johnson from Cheyenne who is going to Kansas, one of the top PG’s in the nation. Every night out these kids are not going to face equal talent. But this kid is good, and at about 6-4/5ish with the possibiliity of growing I would take him in a heartbeat. A true wing, who can put it on the floor and attack the rim with a strong J? I cannot knock that at all.
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Thx for the post