Here is the video from Jon Horford’s Friday game at Jackson. Horford had 27 points, 21 rebounds, five assists and eight blocks on the night. We missed a little bit of footage at the start of the game (including a nice alley oop) but this should start to give you a decent idea about Horford’s game. Calvin’s scouting report is here, my impressions from earlier this year are here. (Sorry that the video is a little bit small, my Adobe Premiere skills are a bit lacking. I recommend putting it in HD mode and blowing it up to full screen.)
Monthly Archive for January, 2010
Michigan beat Iowa by 14 points and the result was never in doubt but it’s tough to get too excited. Iowa didn’t record their first field goal until the 10:34 mark of the first half. Michigan controlled the game but there were probably only 10 minutes total where I’d say Michigan looked impressive.
Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims scored 40 of Michigan’s 60 points but they weren’t very efficient doing it. The duo combined to take 34 of Michigan’s 58 field goal attempts and notch 8 of their 12 turnovers. It’s tough to blame Harris or Sims because they are forced to carry the load but Michigan is going to need a better effort going forward.
Continue reading ‘Game 21: Iowa at Michigan Post Game’
I set this up so that the in-game comments can live at the top of the page. Preview is here. Jon Horford scouting report is here. Tip off is 4:35 PM EST on the Big Ten Network.
We haven’t put together a formal announcement but Calvin is going to be helping out a little bit around here. Last night he made it out to check out Jon Horford in action versus Jackson. Here’s his report and we should hopefully have video up later this weekend. A commenter, Sam, also made it out to the game and here are his thoughts if you are looking for a second opinion. -Dylan
Yesterday I took a trip to Jackson to watch Michigan recruit Jon Horford and Grand Ledge take on Jackson High. For a nice primer on Jon Horford from Dylan, take a look at this post after a game against Lansing Eastern.
Horford’s stat line against Jackson: 27 points, 21 rebounds, five assists and eight blocks. Despite Horford’s monster numbers, Grand Ledge lost the game, 65-64.
The first thing you have to say about Horford, and something Dylan mentioned, is that there isn’t much of a “wow” factor. He’s extremely skinny (think a taller Manny Harris, but with slimmer shoulders), which means there aren’t any points in the game when he can just move somebody out of his way. Every offensive move is a finesse move–which isn’t to say they’re bad moves, that’s just the kind of player he is. He has a nice quick drop step and he knows how to use his pivot foot in that way that seems like it should be traveling but definitely isn’t and it’s just a good move. He has great touch around the basket and is an exceptional finisher given his frame. He is also a very, very good passer. Horford was double-teamed almost every time he touched the ball, and he almost always found the open man. Very good instincts on offense.
BasicsWho: Michigan (10-10, 3-5) vs. Iowa (8-13, 2-6) |
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10-10, that’s Michigan’s record after 20 games. Before the season, even a Michigan State fan wouldn’t have predicted that. Anyone who follows the program is left with nothing to say but: What happened?
This season is like a bad dream with each loss another twisted chapter of frustration. Some were expected, some are explainable, but then there are those unexplainable losses that serve as a hollow reminder of what could have been.
Michigan is .500 after 20 games. We’re beyond the point of blaming sample sizes, luck, or shooting slumps for poor play — this team is what it is. At this point they need to win 6 of their final 10 games to finish over .500 with an NIT eligible record. That’s only two fewer wins than the 8-2 mark they would need to somehow squeak back onto the bubble at 18-12.
There are certainly winnable games down the stretch. Michigan faces Iowa twice and plays home games versus Wisconsin, Penn State, Illinois, and Minnesota. Road trips to Northwestern, Minnesota, Ohio State, and Michigan State are obviously a little more difficult but Michigan did score two of their three conference road wins at Northwestern and Minnesota last year.
At this point it’s tough to pencil any game into the win column for this Michigan team, given how thin team morale has worn over the year, even a home game versus one of the conference’s doormats.
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