@HokeMania21 What should we expect from Trey Burke?
@MichaelIanPPete I know there is no way of knowing, but what is your personal feeling on Trey Burke starting, % chance? In your opinion

Trey Burke was far and away the most popular subject among submitted questions. Everyone wants to know whether Burke will start, what impact he will make and how he fits into the team. The last two times I saw Trey play live he displayed the full spectrum of both why he could excel and why he might struggle.

The first game, an 84-81 win over Lakewood St. Edward’s, showed off everything there is to love about Burke. He was aggressive, played with emotion and single handedly kept his team in the game. He finished the game with 35 points on 14 of 21 (7-12 3pt) shooting and played well enough to turn a few northeast Ohio natives into Mr. Basketball believers. His competitiveness, leadership and feel for the game are impressive but it’s his three point shooting which could enable him to make the biggest impact on the 2011-12 season. His shooting ability will prevent defenses from sagging off of him, a luxury that Darius Morris never had and will prove more effective with other viable offensive and shooting threats surrounding him.

The second game was the Division I semifinals at Value City Arena in Columbus. Burke’s Northland team won the game but he struggled in both of their final two games, finishing with 15 points on 4 of 17 (0-5 3pt) shooting and more turnovers than assists. Burke was frustrated with Garfield Height’s pressure defense and could never find his shooting stroke. At a listed 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, he’s the smallest player on the Michigan roster and could struggle with the physical nature of the league. Play close attention to the impact that Burke can make on the game when his shot isn’t falling. If he’s getting his teammates involved and not forcing things, it’s a safe bet that Michigan is winning. The concern is that he reacts like a traditional freshman: getting frustrated, overdriving and settling for below average three point looks.

I won’t deny that I’m a fan of Burke’s game. He lives and breathes basketball and seems to have the right approach to the game. There will be bumps along the way but right now Burke is in the driver’s seat.

@Haveninak: have the bigs gained good weight? Especially interested in Smotz and Horford.
@hailtothevictor:  saw jon horford the other day in the league, it looks like he put on a bit of (good) weight … target weight?

Jon Horford was the heavy gainer over the summer. He was listed at 6-foot-9 215 pounds as a freshman and is now listed at 6-foot-9 250 pounds on the current roster. Horford was the player that obviously needed to get bigger and 250 pounds makes him the heaviest player on the roster. It remains to be seen how he carries the new weight and what impact it has but it’s certainly encouraging that he was able to put on that much muscle.

Evan Smotrycz added 10 pounds, from 225 to 235 pounds, which is impressive considering I thought he had to turn bad weight into good weight. Reports from Smotrycz’s summer gym back in Boston were that he added onto his vertical and improved his shuttle times significantly over the summer.

Finally there’s Morgan, who checks in at the same 240 pounds from a year ago. Of the three returning bigs, Morgan is the one player that didn’t need to add weight and could do to just improve conditioning, vertical, etc. Some other notable measurements: Max Bielfeldt checks in at 6-foot-8 240 pounds and should provide muscle. Colton Christian and Zack Novak are the same weight from a year ago, 215 and 210 respectively.

@RealGarthVader Who’s your starting 5? I’ve got Hardaway, Douglass, Novak, Morgan, and Smotrycz.

Right now I’ll go with Burke, Novak, Hardaway, Smotrycz and Morgan. Novak, Hardaway and Morgan started all but one game last season and are as close to sure things as possible. Smotrycz and Burke are the question marks. Smotrycz provides Michigan the offensive look with the most potential but he obviously has to earn it. Burke is the only true point guard on the Michigan roster and, if you remember, Beilein wasn’t scared to start Darius Morris from day one during his freshman year.

@BrandonGerth: after Novak is gone. Who is stepping up to take his vocal leadership role that has been so vital to there recent success

This question is probably a year too early because we are just about to begin this season, but it’s an interesting storyline to watch as the season progresses. Novak and Douglass are the unquestioned leaders of this team, with Novak obviously the more vocal and impactful of the two, but part of their responsibility is to help the younger players on the team begin to take ownership of the program. Novak addressed that mentality and much more in a Q&A with Chantel Jennings from Wolverine Nation:

If anything, this year, I don’t want to say I’m going to take less of a leadership role but hopefully I don’t have to do it as much. Because the idea behind a sustainable program is that you have someone to step in right away. I’m not going to be here next year, so I think if it’s just two years in a row and it’s me leading all the time and no one stepping up, next year what would happen would be what happened our sophomore year where we had this huge void.

As for the players that would seem most likely to step into a leadership role in 2012-13, a couple stand out. Novak mentioned Hardaway as someone that has stepped up his leadership role but I’d look for Jordan Morgan to make strides in the leadership department as well. Two other candidates are Matt Vogrich, who will be the only true senior on that roster, and Trey Burke, who has a fiery competitive attitude and could make strides entering his sophomore season.

@dangerdav: mitch mcgary
@bouje what are michigan’s chances with mcgary? So youre sayin’ there’s a chance?!

Yes, Michigan has a chance at McGary. He thoroughly enjoyed his official visit, his AAU coach is in the Wolverines’ corner and the Michigan staff continues to do everything that they can. Most recently, Bacari Alexander stopped by Brewster’s open gym earlier this week.

That being said, there’s no denying that Duke has made an impact in McGary’s recruitment. Last week’s report that McGary’s family was favoring Duke hints at what the Michigan staff are up against. Mitch continues to reiterate that he’d like to take officials to Kentucky, Florida and Maryland and for now the Wolverines have to wait things out.

Don’t hesitate to tweet or e-mail any questions that you want to see answered in future editions of the mailbag.

Blazefire84: @umhoops With the renovations to Crisler, does anyone know if the student section will be moved/enlarged, or will Maize Rage be the same?

From what I understand, the Maize Rage bleachers will be moved to the other side of the arena when the new renovations are complete. They’ve already been removed, as you can see from the picture above. This is to make room for the new tunnel, which will be located on that side of the arena. it’s worth noting that everything else will be flipped to the other side of the arena as well – TV cameras, team benches, etc. So you most likely won’t be able to tell that the student section has moved on television. The basketball team has posted many more construction pictures on the Facebook page.

Early reports were that the Maize Rage has pre-sold more tickets than it sold last season and that’s before freshmen (who usually purchase the highest proportion of tickets relative to class size) have made any purchases. The actual section will stay the same size but I assume that there will be a similar wrap around effect with more student seating next to the band.

lancegordon: @umhoops Which 2011 freshman from do you see taking the biggest step fwd next year? (I say @evanMsmotrycz)

That’s probably a fair guess, and Evan Smotrycz will have every opportunity to display his improvement. Smotrycz provided Michigan with a scoring boost in several games last season but unleashing him as a consistent scorer at the four position would make Michigan significantly tougher to guard. He’s shown that he can shoot the three and if he’s able to attack the basket a bit better next season, or learn to knock down the mid-range jump shot, he can be extremely effective in the Michigan offense.

HolyGhostDJ: @umhoops what part of Hardaway’s game needs improvement for him to take the next step?

His handle and aggressiveness taking the ball to the hoop. This was the primary difference between the Hardaway that we saw for the first 20 games and the Hardaway that took over during the final 15 games. Hardaway needs to play with that attacking mentality and continue to improve on his two point shooting percentage – 48% last year – to become a more well rounded player.

MGoShoe: @umhoops Will the Maui Invitational make or break 2011-12?

That’s a good question. Make or break is too harsh of a description, especially before the schedule is released, but the tournament will certainly be important. The field is loaded – Duke, Kansas, Memphis, Georgetown, Tennessee, UCLA and Chaminade – and a couple of early season losses can be extremely deflating. (A couple of wins can have an equally as empowering effect on a team.)

Two years ago we saw the season spiral away in late November as Michigan went 1-2 at the Old Spice Classic before losing at home to Boston College in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. That season illuminated just how slippery the slope becomes when you drop a couple of early games. Michigan did a much better job at rebounding from early tournament disappointment this season. The Wolverines went 0-2 in Atlantic City but bounced back and won on the road at Clemson.

Early season losses tend to infuse doubts in a team’s psyche and it’s always better to get off to a hot start in November. Those marquee early season wins also serve as a trump card come March whether it’s for tournament selection or seeding. It’s tough to really say how important those games are until we see the schedule. Michigan should have a very difficult road game shortly after with the Big Ten-ACC Challenge and have been reportedly looking to add another high profile home-and-home to the schedule.

JTPaulisin22: @umhoops Around what time are the schedules usually released?

Big Ten single plays were rumored to be slated to be released in April but time is running out. The full schedule isn’t typically finalized until August but more information should leak out over the coming days and weeks.

What we do know thus far is listed here and we’ll continue to update that page. The Big Ten schedule won’t have any dependence on the football divisions and Michigan will play four teams once, and we know that Michigan will play Purdue and Illinois twice.

JTW313: @umhoops If Darius leaves does Burke become the number one option at point or do we resort back to Stu like 09-10?

This depends on one person: Trey Burke. Darius Morris received every opportunity to make an impact as a freshman, starting his first nine games, but was eventually relegated to the bench after struggling early. I think Burke will be awarded a similar opportunity if he proves himself this summer and fall. Of course, as I noted during Morris’s freshman season, true freshman point guards generally struggle throughout their freshman years.

Beyond the concerns of Burke playing the point as a freshman, the greater concerns surrounding Morris’s departure are how his loss effects other players on the roster. Expecting Burke to run the pick and roll as efficiently as Morris is probably wishful thinking, something that will limit Morgan’s production. History also says that the more minutes Douglass plays on the ball, the worse his shooting numbers will be.

Carlton Brundidge can play, despite being often forgotten, and he could complement Stu Douglass quite well. Brundidge can be effective attacking the basket and running the screen and roll which would allow Stu to float more to his shooting role on the offense. Morris leaving would be a frustrating blow, but it’s convenient to have two guard recruits headed for Ann Arbor that are two of the three or four highest rated signees since Beilein arrived at Michigan.

FreshlySnipesJr: @umhoops what do you think of UM’s bball recruiting under Beilein so far? Will we be able to compete for top in state kids soon?

Beilein’s recruiting continues to trend upwards. It seems that each class is better than the class before it and the general talent level on the roster continues to improve.

When Beilein arrived in Ann Arbor he was recruiting guys without scholarship offers. The recruiting board in the spring of 2008 looked something like Zack Novak, Kyle Cassity (SLU), Justin Watts (UNC) and Kyle Kuric (Louisville). Michigan fans were giddy when Justin Watts was scheduled to make a weekend visit to Ann Arbor. Zack Novak committed on Friday and Watts’s visit was mysteriously cancelled. I’m not sure that Michigan’s 2008 class – Zack Novak, Stu Douglass, and Ben Cronin – had one high major scholarship offer between them.

Darius Morris, Matt Vogrich, Evan Smotrycz and Tim Hardaway Jr. were all steps in the right direction. Carlton Brundidge and Trey Burke appear to be similar, probably bigger steps, in the same direction. Add in Glenn Robinson III and Nick Stauskas and you can start to see the pieces really fitting together.

Michigan landed one of the top instate kids in the class of 2011, Carlton Brundidge, but Tom Izzo cleaned up in 2012 by grabbing Matt Costello and Denzel Valentine. I think the true test for instate recruiting will be in the class of 2013. Michigan appears to be in a very good position for several instate prospects in that class and at this point it’s tough to cherry pick who the very top kids are.

Things will start to heat up this June, when scholarship offers are handed out, and it will be interesting to see what prospects pick up Michigan and Michigan State offers and where they choose to commit.

RyanParrill: @umhoops How much will we see Horford and Morgan playing at the same time? #mailbagquestion

We won’t. I don’t think either of them have the perimeter skills to play the four position on offense, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Michigan didn’t really have two consistent options at the five position last season. Jordan Morgan was phenomenal but Jon Horford or Blake McLimans were never able to provide consistent back-up minutes. Evan Smotrycz emerged as the best back-up five, a situation that is probably suboptimal for both Michigan and Evan.

In a perfect world, Horford improves enough this offseason to be that productive backup five man. He can come in the game when Jordan Morgan picks up early fouls and not miss a beat. A 25-15 split of minutes at the five position would probably be healthy for both.

The keys for Horford are becoming more comfortable on offense but also, more importantly, learning to play and react faster on the defensive end. Improved performance in those areas, combined with the stellar rebounding ability we saw last season, would go a long way toward making Horford into a consistent contributor.