Where would this team be without Sims and Harris? I think you’re looking at five wins at best and that’s being kind. Morris is currently alright and would have improved with more minutes this year. There’s really not much to say about the other members of the team.

If Manny doesn’t turn things around ASAP I have serious doubts about his draft stock. He does two things quite well: gets to the free throw line and gets a lot of boards for his size. He seems to be a pretty good distributor (probably would be better with more surrounding talent) but his shooting and ball handling are frankly not NBA caliber. I’m sure he’ll get drafted if he goes but I just don’t feel confident he’s destined for the NBA, hope I’m wrong.

If Manny doesn’t make it, then the only people Amaker brought in that had or will have any sustained success in the NBA are Crawford and possibly Udoh (neither of whom helped our program whatsoever).

I think it’s already clear Beilein is a better player developer and in game strategist, but does anyone legitimately think that Beilein won’t top Amaker’s recruiting too?

Amaker didn’t bring in Crawford. He was an Elerbee guy.

Rick – I don’t get your point. Where would OSU be without Turner and Bufford? Where would Illinois be without McCamey and Tilsdale?

Ah my bad. Thanks.

In my opinion, our supporting cast is one of the weakest, if not, the weakest in the Big 10.

I thought Jamal Crawford was an Ellerbe recruit.

Wow, 48 possessions? Not surprising considering Wisconsin waited until the exact end of the shot clock to take a shot. And then they almost all went in. I know people say that its tough to defend for 35 seconds but when a team finds itself with a wide open layup or 3 every single time, it makes you wonder if Michigan was playing good defense or Wisconsin was just toying with them.

My only hope is that Wisconsin gets paired with a team like Missouri in the NCAA tournament that never stops running and pressing. I’d like to see Slow Mo Bo’s team handle that buzzsaw.

Michigan better get there act together even if they dont make the NCAA tournament. Guys like Carlton Brundidge and Amir Williams were there and they could both still go to different schools if we keep playing bad.

Little off topic and I hate to be a pest, but the Maize Rage has got to acknowledge when recruits are in the house. Dylan or UM students can please pass the word on to the President of the Maize Rage.

I know they research opposing players, they must also do the same for recruits so they know who they are and their name. Show these recruits some love at Crisler. We NEED top level recruits.

If the Maize Rage doesn’t know how to do that, just attend a MSU or OSU game and you will learn quickly.

As for Morris I think he looked really good against wisconsin. He took the ball strong to the hoop and got us some penetration the we really needed. I think hes gonna be alright for us in the future.

Where would MSU be without Lucas? Oh wait…AHHHH!!!

MSU was within a basket of winning on the opponent’s floor. Not losing by 18 on their home court.

AG2:

Wisconsin has two senior guards and Taylor has something like 30 assists and 4 turnovers over his last five games or some such. What MI fans saw yesterday was a well coached, disciplined team playing its best ball. Every year folks mock Ryan’s approach and every year his teams scrap their way to the top of the conference.

Michigan basketball is simply unwatchable. It’s not surprising since Beilein has recruited MAC level players at best.

Rick – I agree our supporting cast is pretty weak right now but it was last year too so something else is missing. At this point I think we run the risk of completely falling apart and miss the NIT. BUT, I really feel strongly that our team will be better next year even without our two most talented players.

KevinTh, if you really want to watch NBA talent play basketball. Watch NBA games. This is college. And in college, teams play a lot of zone, shoot inconsistently, and have smaller lineups. That’s just the way it is.

And once again, UNC has 4 Mcdonalds All Americans this year, so what’s THEIR excuse?

AG2, regarding the UNC part. Don’t you understand that on internet comment sections we conduct our ‘analysis’ at the most horrid elementary school level. We make broad unsupported statements. If we do support them, it is only those instances that confirm our statement (confirmation bias). We absolutely never take context into consideration, primarily because we have no idea how to do that. God forbid we would ever take a random sample to support an idea, when we can vomit anonymous garbage.

Statements like “the coach sucks we need better players,” passes for quality analysis here in the internet world.

Recruiting 5 stars equals national championships, is also outstanding analysis.

Man, B10 officiating is just atrocious. I’m watching the IU, NW game. Indiana’s Dumes went in for a layup on a fast break. NWs Rowley hammers him across the arms, a clean, but hard foul, that knocked Dumes to the ground. The official just stares at it and lets play continue. I really hate the way the B10 is officated-it’s more like football than basketball.

The coach sucks we need better players.

Sorry had to try that.

As crazy as this sounds i blame part of the loss on us fans. Crisler was ASLEEP yesterday for the entire game, except for the Maize Rage. I hate that. I go to the games to yell and get my Ya yas out, and I feel like if I stand up and make noise it’ll bother the people around me. What the he(( is that about?

@Joel – Can’t get too down on the “regular fans.” The arena was pretty much full except for the student section of the gold. Does an apathetic performance beget an apathetic crowd, or vice versa?

I think they’re just worn down and too small at this point. Too many guys playing out of position, too many guys who have a limited specialty that can’t perform that specialty. Zero field goals from Douglass and Novak will be a loss everytime. It’s too bad that two perfect role player types are in such significant roles as sophomores. Chitown has done a nice job of showing the recruits of the last few years and it sums up the issues we have now. Beilein’s first class on his own just doesn’t have the talent necessary and unfortunately 2/3 of the class he inherited isn’t on the roster now. I think Morris will be just fine and we can hope with some workin the weight room or something Vogrich will come around. I feel good about Hardaway, Smotrycz, and hopefully Ziegler or Sykes for next year. I think it will work out long run.

That being said, this team pretty much sucks at this point. Harsh, but true. I have faith in Beilein like I have faith (although less) in Rodriguez, but it’s hard not to say that this season has been an abject failure for both.

What a disappointing season. I think Beilein is fine (but I don’t agree with such a long contract extension), but there are just too many things working against the team for Michigan to be successful. It’s painfully obvious.

1) team is just too small. We need size. Udoh leaving, Cronin injury, and Morgan injury, were all unfortunte. Playing 4 guards and a forward has it’s limitations and we must shoot well from the outside to have a chance.
2) Harris while sometimes a very good player, is overrated and is often not a difference maker. I don’t see him as a NBA pro but hopefully for him that will come in the future.
3) We lack quickness in a couple of areas.
4) We don’t shoot well and at some point we have to stop saying we aren’t shotting well and concede that we are not good shooters.
5) It appears we have little floor leadership.
6) We have no depth coming off the bench. Little margin for error amongst the seven players in basic rotation.
7) An experienced point guard I think is critical for a successful college team. We lack that.

Well,, that’s just my perspective but nevertheless I will continue to root on the Wolverines and hopefully things will get better.

The majority of the team is intact from last year. I don’t think that talent is the key issue (it is an issue just not the issue). I think last year, Merrit and Lee would redirect the flow and involve others. This year, when Manny and Deshawn get hot, there’s a lack of flow/continuity that includes the entire team. There’s no flow or control of the game. If there is a disruption with this kind of offense, its tough to recover. I actually think once Bielen has all his players, the flow will offset (some of it) the talent deficit. Again, what’s the biggest difference between this year and last? Lee and Merrit. It may be addition by subtracting when Deshawn and Manny leave. And yes, they are my favorite players (one on one).

Our supporting cast is basically the same as last year but minus Grady and plus vogrich. I don’t see how you can criticize beileins recruiting when this is the same bench as last year. That was 2nd round NCAA If you remember…

Do not underestimate the usefulness of Jevohn Shepard!

Who dat!

Ha ha AG2. I stand corrected. Though I like to think Shepherd never existed. Anthoer waste of a scholarship if you ask me. These guys just flat don’t pan out.

I kinda liked Shepard. If you want to talk about a waste of a scholarship, what about Kendrick Price. Now that was a bust!

ERik this is nothing close to last year’s bench. Right now we have Morris or LLP off the bench playing around 15-20 minutes depending on the game. Then Gibson and Wright getting somewhere between 5-10 minutes each at most, sometimes less then 5. Vogrich isnt even playing lately.

Last year, Gibson was getting more minutes. Sheppard was playing 5-10 a game and was pretty productive during those minutes. He may not have scored a lot but he defended well and could rebound. Plus he was an athlete that could occassionally drive. Merrritt was playing something along the lines of 15-20 a game. LLP was playing 10-15 a game, sometimes more if he played well. Wright was being used as well from time to time. Thats ten deep when all things were rolling.

The lack of depth, and the lack of productivity from that depth, is absolutely killing this team. Not the only problem, but a very large one. In most games this year we only get production from 6 players. It is really tough to win that way, unless you got 6 real solid players. UNC back in the late 90s (98 i think) played only 6 guys and were damn good. But those 6 guys were very good players. We got two real good players, and then 4 supporting cast type guys, then virtually nothing beyond that.

The margin for error was just so small this year and unfortunately there were way too many errors to overcome.

ahh Kendrick Price. Wasnt he the highest rated guy in that class?

If anybody is an ESPN insider there may be some news about Ziegler. The title is that he’s still undecided so it is probably nothing but it seems like MSU is going after him. In some ways it makes sense since it would be stopping us from gaining a great recruit. They already have four commitments though and one of them is a highly rates SG.

Don’t blame the fans. What are we suppose to cheer for? Oh Nice miss Manny!
Hey, Nice brick Novak! Way to Miss them free throws! Nice pass Darius. Woohoo you passed it to a Wisconsin player. Clap clap clap… Hey your down
double digits with 2 minutes plus to go and Beilein puts in the walk ons woohooo way to go blue! I cheer every game just as loud as the last game and so do the fans that sit around me. Losing doesn’t only take it’s toll on the players and coaches.

Dylan, what is the deal with State on Ziegler? I thought they had used up all their scholarships for next year? However, a couple of my State friends say that they are making room for Ziegler. Do you know what the situation is?

Yeah we really need Zeigler…losing out on him to MSU would be crushing. It’s interesting that Deshawn Sims’ layup rattling out against State really solidified this year as lost. I think the morale is gone from the Wolverines; maybe Zeigler doesn’t want to be part of a sinking ship.

It’s easy to be pessimistic, but I think Michigan is still a better fit for Zeigler and a more likely destination.. A dark horse is that Zeigler just goes to CMU to play for his dad. Either way, we’ve got to make a push for Zeigler; he’s a great player that has seemed to like Michigan. He’s a must-get to keep our program afloat.

re: Manny’s poor play. Have seen several people say he is ‘not a difference maker, just not NBA-caliber, etc.’ Yet last year he DID make the difference in a number of games, taking over down the stretch. And he is STILL, after this miserable run of games, the second leading scorer in the conference.

You cannot take over down the stretch, however, when your team is down 10-15-20, or when the entire opposing team can sag around you on D knowing no one else can shoot. I have never heard rims clank so loud as they seemed to on Saturday in Crisler.

Plus, I’m not sure Manny isn’t still a little bit injured. He doesn’t seem as quick in his first step. Could be indecision, too, or maybe it IS a flow thing, uncertainty about whether to go strong or keep working for the coach’s open shot. . . which never comes. Really, EVERYONE needs to be a threat for Beilein’s O to function optimally.

I wouldn’t call CMU the darkhorse for Zeilger at all. I’d still call them the frontrunner. Doesn’t mean it won’t be UCLA, UM, MSU, or Duke but I’d put my money on playing for Dad.

michigan isnt a sinking ship……….we have 4 upperclassmen on the team of which 2 only get significant mins……..we have a 6’4″ kid playing out of position………….michigan is far from a sinking ship and i think any player or potential recruit realizes that beilein still doesnt have things how he wants it……….if he can win in the big east he can win in the big ten………..just things havent fallen into place yet

Mattski – Do you agree that Manny’s draft stock is dropping from over the summer?

Am I alone on the fact that I want manny to leave after this year?

I haven’t seen Manny struggle like this since his freshman year. Here are his B10 numbers: 15.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.1 apg, 3.1 tpg, 41.3% fg%. His 3pt% is actually slightly up at 30.8%. Other than the 3pt%, his numbers are way down across the board in B10 play. The fg% and turnover numbers in particular, are terrible. He looks supremely frustrated to me. Teams clog the lane whenever he tries to drive and he makes a lot of nice passes that get wasted. For his part, he hasn’t been able to improve his jumpshot, handle, or ability to go to his left. I think this has been a very trying season for him.

ryan: no, you’re not, and that is the most astounding thing to me. where do you people come from?

Maxwell’s: Yes. But I don’t think that alters the truth of my assertions. It’s a ‘what have you done for me lately’ world, but I don’t think you go from being a good player to a bad one as a 20-year-old. And although I can read Beilein’s mind, esp. given the personnel on hand I would be shocked if even secretly he hoped Manny was leaving. I hope he stays, too, though he might be facing another long season next year or possible injury.

And I don’t really know how much his family needs money–$200,000 bucks and a prayer looks like a lot of money to most people. Gives you some perspective, in these hard times, re: how much pressure is ON that 20-year-old kid.

We need Manny back in the worst way. For his sake I hope he can improve-I am not sure. In some ways he holds back the development of other players but without him we will really struggle next year. The fact that he fought with other players during practice really suggests he does not have the leadership you need from such a dominant player on the team. Novak is the natural leader on the team but if he does not play well it is harder for him to lead and I doubt he has much influence on Manny. Darius looks to Manny so you can see how Manny coming back may limit the leadership of the team. Without Manny, however leadership will mean nothing-we won’t have the horses.

Manny should do what is best for him whatever that might be. He was a major reason for last year’s success however you feel about him this year.

Either way Michigan is not a sinking ship.

@ryan i’m sure you’re not alone, i’ve gone back and forth myself. For his sake, i hope he stays.

Meant to write that I CAN’T read Beilein’s mind; yikes.

Hope I’m not posting too much, but I am interested in Merlin’s remarks; you seem to have insight about personal dynamics on the team??? Michael Jordan fought quite a bit w. his ‘supporting cast,’ FWIW.

I think you guys are nuts if you want Manny to leave. Have you looked at the roster?

Two things.

1, Hoping Manny leaves is crazy. Literally crazy. The talent gap between Harris / Sims and the rest of the team is HUGE. Even when he’s not on his game, he draws the best defender and is the focus of the opposing defense. If you think Novak / Douglass / LLP / Vogrich would be better off with the opposition’s top defender on them, you’re nuts. Chemistry, grit, flow are all well and good, but they’re meaningless without talent and a real threat to score. I can’t be the only one that looks out there when Manny comes out of the game, looks at the lineup and says, “how are they possibly going to score?”

2, People respond to different types of leadership. This is a huge generalization and probably not fair, but the vibe I get from Novak is that he’s a rah rah, buzz word, b-school type leader. Some people respond to that, some people get annoyed by it.

Let me rephrase my “I want Manny to leave” comment because i didn’t make it. But ryan is probably echoing the fact that you, me, and everyone else in here gets *&*&() mad at him sometimes when he spaces out. That’s all this is about. Just giving it air, no real thought, insight, or edification involved.

Just want to put that on the table.

I hope Manny gets a degree.

@JimC – For sure, I definitely get frustrated with Manny, I guess I just haven’t gotten frustrated enough to let that enter my brain.

a darius, manny, trey, smot, and morgan starting lineup next year could be entertaining maybe…….very young but more talent michigan has had on the floor at any one time within the last 10 years proabably, end of the year with that might be better not to mention having experience and some depth coming in off the bench finally……hope all pans out

First of all, I think Michigan getting Zeigler is extremely unlikely. If MSU and Duke are now in the mix, I just don’t know how we could compete. If he’s decided to wait until the late signing period its probably because he’s holding out for a better offer or he’s seriously weighing his options. Either way it gives him more time to realize he’d rather play somewhere he can get on TV a lot or at a school that gets a visit from College Gameday or at a school that will make a Final Four run. Frankly, I’m not convinced he’d choose us over UCLA, either.

As far as Manny, it still about whether he thinks he can get more out of Beilein’s coaching. If he does, he’ll stay. Otherwise he’s only going to hurt himself more by coming back. If he thinks he can get better coaching from a European pro team or NBDL or whatever then he’d leave.

I can see why some are frustrated enough with Manny that they don’t care if he leaves, but if for no other reason than we need someone to hold down the fort while guys like Smotrycz and Hardaway grow into the college game.

If Zeigler wants to play early, he’ll come to Michigan. There are a lot of junior guards on MSU’s roster and I don’t really see many of them leaving early. UCLA has a committment from Tyler Lamb who would most likely play Zeigler’s spot and they have a guy by the name of Malcom Lee who you could be hearing a lot about eventually. Duke always has killer classes coming in and there’s no telling how many people he would have to compete against to get the starting job. Oklahoma has 3 committments as of now and 2 are small forwards and one is a shooting guard who are all built just like Zeigler.

Zeigler coming to Michigan would be great for us and for him I think. I would say every high school student coming to a division one program wants to start as a freshman and if he comes to AA, he’ll have the best opportunity.

Manny needs to stay for his senior year. And Michigan needs him to stay.

We have no one ready (yet) to take DeShawn’s minutes. Gibson will not be missed, nor will Wright if this turns out to be his last season. Morgan/McLimans/Smotrycz/Horford(?) will need to play and contribute in the front court next year. We need their size.

Grady will help tremendously even if he only plays 15 minutes per game next year. The Stu Douglas as Point Guard experiment needs to end. D. Morris needs to shoot jumpers all summer and prepare himself for the responsibility — he can be a leader on this team next year. Someone out of the LLP/Douglas/Hardaway/Vogrich logjam needs to step up and average 12 pts per game next year.

Zach Novak needs a vacation. Now. He looks physically beaten down and wasted. I’ve never seen anyone work so hard with so little to show for it.

If Ziegler commits, that’s a nice bonus, but it is difficult to count on him. He would be a good fit in the UofM system. He is multi-skilled and has an excellent basketball mind. Does he want to be a superstar at CMU, a star at Michigan, or a contributor at Duke or MSU?

Beilein Ball will work (with patience). He just needs more talent and size. Sometimes I wish he would pick up a “T” just as momentum changer.

Hang in there hoop fans. It will get better. In the meantime, we just need to find out where Novack’s headed for on vacation — he looks like he could use a beer.

Matt, the problem with that theory, is that someone with Zeigler’s talent isn’t going to worry that much about playing time. I would think he has the confidence that he’ll be able to earn playing time on a good team. One thing is for sure, all players want to win. Right now, it’s a lot easier to win at MSU, Duke and UCLA. I haven’t given up all hope of getting Zeigler, but I would have liked our chances a whole lot better if we had been able to build on last season instead of taking a big step backwards.

This may be a completely foolish comment but what if he is waiting to see if Manny stays? Can recruits make their final decisions after the season ends?

Recruits dont have to make their final decision until i think may 19th. I also think that could be a factor in Zeigler’s decision, he may not want to have to come into a program and take the reigns right away.

If guys want playing time, c’mon down!!!! Geez they’ll be talking about it in HOURS per game, not minutes. Well, i get excited, but Manny + Darius are the only guys with guaranteed major PT next year, in my view. Am i forgetting someone? A clanker?

I don’t think you are forgetting anyone but I do think Jordan Morgan will come in and start for us next year. He’s the only player on Michigan’s entire roster that can play the 5 spot and I think Beilein realizes that we need some muscle down low and giving Morgan his redshirt really shows his patience. And not to mention, he was injured for the majority of the fall and winter campaign. I’m really intrigued to see what kind of play comes out of Blake McLimans. I know he has literally no “bulky” size but he is 6″10 and I really think he could spread the floor for us if his shot is as good as it was before he got to AA.

While Manny has his shortcomings as a player (poor shot selection at times,unreliable shot,losing the dribble in traffic, etc.)he has never struck me as a selfish player unwilling to make the pass. He would do better with a better supporting cast, one in which driving lanes might actually exist and open threes might actually get knocked down. We must get bigger and more talented next year. That means Novak cannot start at the four. If he starts at the three (I think he would do better here than trying to guard twos), then Manny needs to start at the two. Barring unforeseen improvement ( I say unforeseen since there was so little from last year to this season) from Stu or LLP, neither belongs in the starting lineup next year. A starting lineup of Morris, Harris, Novak ( or Zeigler or Hardaway), Smotrycz, and Morgan/McLimans holds some promise. In addition, a bench with Stu, LLP, Vogrich etc. is pretty decent. mtung makes many good points a few posts back. There will be better days ahead.

I’m not going to say I wish Manny would leave but I can understand the mentality. I don’t think anyone is suggesting we would be a better team next year without him. I think it’s more along the lines of: (a) Manny can be pretty frustrating to watch (b) despite his talent he doesn’t seem like someone that can lead the team (c) it would be nice to just move forward with the program and develop Beilein’s recruits.

However, for recruiting sake we can’t afford another terrible season so if Manny wants to stay then we definitely need him. Plus he could always improve.

Rough….

The regular signing period can’t come soon enough for me. I hope the team finishes strong so that Ziegler and Horford feel better about coming to the program. If they were to come Beilein’s 2010 Recruiting Class would be loaded.

MSU has to be worried about Ziegler possibly coming here. If both Ziegler and Horford come here things could get really interesting in both games versus Michigan State and recruiting.

Manny is exactly the same size and build as Rick Hamilton. Rick has made a very good living in the NBA on curls and pull up jumpers. Why does Manny try to knife his way between two defenders once he starts his drive? He could just get his man moving and then stop and shoot like Hamilton does! He did it once against Wisconsin and made an easy shot from the foul lane! He needs to do it more often!

But isn’t Rip Hamilton super duper fast with his cuts too. I don’t know if Manny has THAT much speed.

Manny’s strengths: driving & drawing fouls, FT, spot-up jumpers, ball handling is good, rebounding, anticipating the pass for steals, and he loves to throw down a dunk.

Manny’s form on the pull-up is sometimes off; improving that might be one reason to stay. Hamilton moves with incredible efficiency, stops so fast; I always admired his play. Clearly, Manny would be benefiting if Michigan’s passing and off-the-ball movement on offense were crisper. Against MSU and Wischonsin, they sometimes looked like they were laboring in mud.

It’s a worn-down, dispirited team; the starters play way too many minutes. That’s why global judgments on these guys, on how good they are, often miss the mark; Douglass and Novak played better last year, too, in many respects.

Chuckie, I really agree with you on that. He’s not a good long-range shooter, but he seems to be a lot better from closer in. The lane gets so clogged and so many fouls aren’t called, that sometimes it may be a better option for him to pull up and take a shorter jumper. I wish more players on this team would attempt midrange shots. Sims seems to be the only one who does it. Novak for example, I’ll see catch a pass just inside the line, then step back to take an off-balance three. Inside of just shooting it from where he catches it.

Hamilton was in another world in college in terms of his offensive game compared to Manny’s. Hamilton was an extremely fluid offensive player that could score just about any way he wanted. He was really more of a skilled player that happenned to be pretty athletic.

Manny right now is an athlete that has some skill. He doesnt handle the ball well and his offensive game is limited to going to his right and shooting spot up jumpers. IF he had the ability to consistently shoot and score off midrange jumpers, I am sure he would be taken more of them.

Manny is not getting open shots as it is, so he needs to create some space himself! I think the pull-up jumper would do it! It also would make him less predictable. Does he read these blogs?

Im not saying it would not be a good move, I just dont think he has the ability right now to make that shot with any consistency.

JimC,
Who you’re forgetting in terms of major PT next year: Novak and Smotrycz, with Douglass and LLP getting time at the beginning of the year, theirs to lose, which they very well might.

ill maybe accept novak getting mins in the fir 5-8 games but if he is getting major playing time next year then something is wrong, unless of course we have injuries again………i dont care how much the kid hustles we will finally have multiple guys to play at the 4 if come midseason he is still starting at the 4 i might not watch michigan basketball any more

hustle and intensity can only take you so far, after awhile, size, skill, and being reasonable need to take over……..douglass and novak after this season need to see their mins start to decrease by a lot. the kids may have experience but they are not capable of carrying a team against division one athletes, and never will be able to…..put the kids that are going to be the real contributors in and let them work out the kinks…….which is exactly what beilein should be doing with vogrich at this point…..if that means starting multiple freshmen then so be it, but douglass and novak are not big ten starters and nor do i believe they give michigan the best chance at winning

it needs to come to a point for beilein to say ok lets start over…….lets get back to how my offense is supposed to be run…….having 2 bigs on the court and going from there……..people want to see what his offense is suppose to look like, i for one am sick of waiting to see it

I would love to see Douglass’s minutes eliminated altogether, and I don’t think Novak should start at the 4, per se, but I bet he gets starts at some undefined Novak position early in the year, and averages 20 per game. Beilein loves him, so it’s going to be hard for the youngsters to supplant him. I agree that hustle isn’t enough, not enough to justify 30 min., particularly when theat hustle is accompanied by 31% shooting, or whatever he’s at exactly, but it does count as a positive contribution–he definetly contributes.

I don’t think 2 bigs is his offense. His most successful years at West Virginia really only consisted of one big man, Kevin Pittsnogle. His forwards, Mike Gansey and Frank Young, were only 6″4 and 6″5. I don’t think Beilein is restricted on height only, it’s how the players play the position. He wants a banger at the 4 (Jordan Morgan) position who rebounds, plays good d and can block shots and a player who can stretch the defense at the 5 spot and get valuable rebounds on the defensive end. Getting to the basket is huge in Beilein’s offense because it allows the defense to collapse and for the shooters to have wide open shots around the arc. I really do think Beilein’s one and two spot are essentially the same. They have to be able to shoot beyond the arc and have the ability to get the ball to teammates.

Darius Morris will be excellent for us in the long run if he can develop his shot from three. He can get to the basket, he plays good d, and he can pass the ball well.

I really do think Beilein recruited Blake McLimans to come in and play the 5 spot like Pittsnogle did. Smotrycz I think we’ll play the 3 spot eventually. I hope he can develop his game a lot like Joe Alexander did. If Morgan can be anything like Young was, I think Beilein will have a well developed team in the next 2 years.

The only question I have is the 2 spot. Who is going to play the position next year? It’s really between 5 guys in my opinion.

Fresh, you may be disappointed next season. While I agree with you that Novak and Douglass are best suited to be reserve role players, I still think, Novak especially, will get lots of time next year. I know a lot of us were hoping that this years freshman and Cronin would be taking some of their PT going into this year, but that hasn’t panned out at all. Freshman often don’t contribute much in Beilein’s system. As far as next year goes, I can see Douglass’ time getting cut. Morris looks like he’ll be ready to play 30 mpg at PG next year. So Douglass will probably split time at SG and backing up Morris. You have to remember that Douglass appears to be firmly ahead of LLP at this point, so the hope would be that Vogrich makes a big leap next year and takes more playing time. I’ll be surprised if Hardaway is ready to play heavy minutes right away. With Novak on the other hand, your choice is to play two freshman at the 4 and 5 or keep playing Novak at the 4. Also, other than Smotrycz you’re talking about freshman who were marginal recruits. I hope I’m wrong, but I still think we’ll see a lot of Novak at the 4 next year.

Beilein’s Elite 8 team (05) played D’Or Fischer a pretty good amount. He was a traditional big man.

Also, someone is comparing Jordan Morgan to Frank Young? Huh!?!

I was just referring to Frank Young being “Frank The Tank” and Morgan being a banger like that. I know Morgan won’t step out and hit 3 point shots cuz that is not his game. I coud really see Morgan and McLimans switching the 4 and 5 spot constantly. Depending on what defense the teams is running during the game, they could switch spots during a game. And I totally forgot about D’Or Fischer. I loved his game. It’s just crazy to think about all those players that Beilein had at WVU and see how they weren’t highly recruited and weren’t high on many recruiting boards.

I know I am way too optimistic but I look at Beilein’s career and that’s what makes me optimistic.

Morgan is a five man. McLimans I think can play the four.

I’m going to watch Izoo pop a vein in his voluminous neck tonite. That is, unless they don’t cancel due to snow.