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Point guard is the hardest position to play as a true freshman. Similar to the quarterback position on the football field, the point guard has an overwhelming amount of responsibility. First, he has to have a great understanding of the offense. He is also typically tasked with defending one of the opposition’s best players. And even more importantly, he has to keep the team grounded through thick and thin because he has the ball in his hands every possession.

Because of the stress surrounding the point guard position, it’s very hard to find true freshmen making a major impact as point guards. The John Walls, Derrick Roses, and Mike Conleys of the world are the exception rather than the norm.

The strenuous nature of the point guard position is also why I think that Darius Morris has the ability to make a major jump in production from year one to year two.

Inconsistency is the trademark of a freshman point guard. Flashes of brilliance are intertwined with boneheaded turnovers. It’s no surprise that teams led by freshmen point guards also tend to be woefully inconsistent.
Continue reading ‘The Life of a Freshman Point Guard’

Michigan had eleven players start five or more games last year, everyone but Eric Puls got at least 5 starts.

This much starting lineup variability is not optimal and with a team that returns so many players, it is unlikely that we will see a similar situation next year. John Beilein’s best teams have been extremely consistent with the starting lineup. For example, in 2006 John Beilein’s Elite Eight team had the same starters in 32 of 33 games, the one exception was senior night and Pat Beilein got the start. His 2005 team had four consistent starters and his 2007 team started the same five players every game.

It is clear that Beilein would like to stick with one starting group and ride them as far as he can. There were circumstances last year, namely Laval Lucas-Perry’s eligibility situation, that made things a little more complicated but down the stretch Beilein found a group that worked: CJ Lee, Stu Douglass, Manny Harris, Zack Novak, and DeShawn Sims. That group started the final 10 games and went 6-4 including big wins over Purdue, Minnesota, and Clemson.

Despite Michigan being a team that returns so much of their production (points, minutes, etc.) there is a remarkable number of question marks with the starting lineup. The only player who is really locked into a position is Manny Harris. The rest are question marks: Who starts at the point guard? Does DeShawn Sims play the four or the five? Does Zack Novak stick in the frontcourt or move back to guard?

Over the next couple weeks, I’ll be going through each position and examining the candidates to play at each spot as well as some of the requirements of the position. Today, we’ll start with the point guard position.

Continue reading ‘Position by Position: Point Guard’

Eddie: Knowing what you know about Beilein’s 1-3-1 zone defense, where do you think you’ll make the most difference– playing at the top, at the bottom, or on one of the wings? (Related: Did you play the 1-3-1 at all in high school? -Charles)
Darius: I think I could play the top well, but also can slide to the wing or the bottom so we’ll see. Yes, my team played a little bit of it in high school but I’m sure we didn’t use the tricks Coach Beilein does.

Adam: What would you say is the greatest strength to your game?
Darius: I would have to say the greatest strength to my game is being a playmaker on both ends of the court and knowing how to use my playmaking skills make others around me better.

Justin C: Darius, which area(s) of your game has Coach Beilein asked you to focus on the most during the offseason?
Darius: Coach Beilein has not specified what he wants me to focus on most during the off season basketball wise but in his offense the guards really have to be able to shoot it, so practicing my shooting will be a focal point in my off season workout.

W3: What kind of knowledge do you have of Coach Beilein’s offense at this point? Do you have a general idea on what your role will be this coming year in the offense?
Darius: I have watched and will be watching a lot of game film of Beilein’s offense and know the basics like his offense spreads the court, really shoot it well while involving a lot of off ball movement like back door cuts, v cuts, screens, and hand offs. I don’t know what my exact role in the offense is, but as the point guard it will be my duty to make efficient and smart decisions to put my teammates in positions where they can make plays and also take advantage of my opportunity to score when they are present.

Merlin: Do your family and friends in LA have access to the Big Ten Network to watch the Michigan games? Did you watch the Michigan games last year and if so where do you think you can help the team most? (Related: What was it like watching Michigan beat UCLA last year? – JBlair52)
Darius: My family and close friends will have access to the Big Ten network (Thank God for the Big Ten Network) since I’m far from home they can still watch me in the coming years. I watched quite of few Michigan games when I was able to and think I will bring leadership while adding another threat on the perimeter along with the good guards already there (Manny, Stu, LLP, Zack) and create mismatches with smaller PGs offensively and defensively.

Being from LA and watching my school, Michigan, take down UCLA while ranked highly was great for me. I watched the game with my high school teammate, UCLA commit Anthony Stover, and he was shocked. I think a lot of people were but I wasn’t.

michael: Which college player of recent years do you most liken your game to
Darius: I honestly thought about it and couldn’t think of one.

steve: What are your relationships like with other current Wolverines so far? Obviously you’ve played in the Feinberg Academic All-American Classic with Matt Vogrich, do you talk to him often? How about the other guys? Do you speak with Manny and DeShawn much? (Related: What incoming recruits have you played with and how would you describe their games? -ZRL)
Darius: My relationships with the other wolverines are great. The summer time is good because we get to know each other better. Matt and I really clicked at the FAAA and have talked frequently ever since, same with my roommate Jordan Morgan after the NBA TOP 100 camp, I stayed in contact with him as well. The rest of the incoming freshmen Blake, Eso, and Josh are great. Manny, Zack G, Ant Wright and Peedi are great and help me with getting accustomed to college and college basketball.

Paul: I believe your high school team won their championship game, was that the highlight of your B ball career so far?
Darius: Yes we won the CIF and Regional Championships en route to the State Championship. All were a first in our school’s history. I would have to say as PG, leading my team to the championship is up there in rank with highlights of my career.

Tom Too: There has been a lot said and posted about Beilein’s inability to recruit. I believe this will all go away after a couple more high caliber commits like yourself. That being said, when did you know you wanted Beilein to be your coach in College and what sealed the deal for you (ie. warmth of his demeanor, number of contacts, early contact with you, your family liking him, UM Campus visit)?
Darius: Thanks for the compliment Tom. As for Coach Beilein, I have no clue how people can complain about results regardless of who is on the court, he is a proven winner at every program he has been at and consistently beats opponents who have so called top recruits on them. To be honest it is harder to recruit at a program like Richmond or West Virginia, than say at the University of Michigan just because of lack of resources, TV coverage, location, and educational opportunities compared to other universities. However, I must say my coach is very selective he doesn’t just recruit players, he recruits smart men with good ethics like himself not just basketball players but mostly good athletes that will work to be successful on and off the court. But at Michigan, I can assure you Coach B will find high touted players nationally that want to be a part of a special place like Michigan and who fit his system and wheel them into AA. Coach B and Coach Mahoney recruited me well. For me, Coach B was big for my decision because he didn’t promise me the perfect world or break the rules, but proposed to me a great opportunity to try to earn early playing time and compete for a starting spot, and help rebuild a great program and to better myself on and off the court. Also I felt like getting away from home to experience something new and Michigan is one of the best universities in the world and the tradition here is great. My fam loved it as well and that was enough for me to decide.

old fan: Have you ever read Michigan (or other) blogs or had your decision affected by the postings/writings by the media or readers? Do you think that this matters to any of the recruits that you have encountered.
Darius: I have read a couple of blogs and after my commitment I read a couple of Michigan’s. I personally find them interesting. I don’t feed too much into them but it’s great to know you have great fans that care and support you and the team. But for me it wasn’t a big factor for my decision, however I can’t speak on the effect it has on other recruits.

Dirtgrain: What have you learned from your toughest struggles in basketball, especially in terms of technique, skill and mentality?
Darius: Keep GOD first in everything, never take the game of basketball for granted, and cherish every moment you get a chance to play the game. Stay humble. Stay reachable.  Always stay positive even if you just had the worst game ever, get ready for the next one you are judged by your last game not your first so bring it all the time. Also keep working hard because there is always someone out there better.

JBlair52: Would you rather throw the “alley” or dunk the “oop” ?
Darius: Both (laughs) but I guess if I had to choose one throw the alley because not everybody can do that.

Continue reading ‘Darius Morris: Questions Answered’

Editors Note: Hot board updates should also be done this week (2010, 2011, and maybe 2012).

I didn’t make it up to Ann Arbor this weekend but plenty of other people did. I’ll try to mix in the reports that I received while throwing in links to other observers. Wolverine3, a commenter and friend of the blog, also was nice enough to share a very detailed report on the Saturday action at team camp.

Tim Hardaway Jr.

All eyes were on Hardaway Jr. this weekend as this was billed as his chance to “earn an offer.” With so many eyes focused on Hardaway there are naturally many differing opinions.

Wolverine3 sees Hardaway as a bit one dimensional:

One dimensional. Two if you count finishing its own aspect of the game. Kid can certainly finish, but he’s a shooter, and a streaky one at best. Just not efficient. He lets them fly, he misses a lot, makes a couple. Great LOOKING form. Does not take the ball to the hole. Not much of a handle. Is very long and finished very well on the break today. Potential I guess.

Next Generation Sports points to his length and ability to finish:

Tim Hardaway Jr. (2010)- struggled with his shot but showed why he is high on Beilein’s list of recruits by using his length and explosion to jump passing lanes and get to the basket.

Hardaway had his ups and downs over the weekend but exploded on Sunday to lead his team to the camp title ($). It’s clear that Hardaway is a shooter first a foremost and every shooter has an off day or two.

I think Hardaway appears to be much more of a 2-guard in Beilein’s system rather than a three. His length is intriguing for playing at the top of the 1-3-1. I think he’s a good fit with his length and shooting. While he might not be the star player that some other targets in this class are, you are stuck with the bird in hand vs. two in the bush mantra.

Incoming Freshmen

Darius Morris

Darius Morris was the class of the weekend. He left just about everyone impressed. Wolverine 3 was no different:

Darius Morris- WOW. Grew a half inch. Legit 6′4 now. I saw him last year when he was,arguably the best player at the camp along with Lubick. Even with the limited action he saw today, he left NO QUESTION who top dog was on campus. These kids couldn’t even come close to stopping Darius. And as Sam said this was against a pretty stellar Clarkston team who BLEW OUT Will Regan’s Nichols team by 20 (30pt gap at times during the game).

Morris came out and scored the first 5-7 points for the Red Oxen vs. Clarkston. Hit a three, baseline drive and pull up J, fast break lay in. Probably had 13-16 in the game before getting injured. He locked down his man at the other end all game, just as he did last year vs Eso Akunne (who was now his teammate).

His first step is quick, he handles the ball with confidence and strength even more so then last year. He could go anywhere he wanted on the court at any given time. Fathers on the Clarkston team kept looking at each other like “are you kidding me right now? How do we compete?”

Lastly on Morris…. he is in GREAT shape. Last year he looked like a high school player, this year he looks straight D1. Put on at least 8-10 lbs of muscle over the past year, another reason for his straight dominance this weekend. I really am not over hyping him either…he was killer.

Darius was limiting by an ankle injury over the weekend but it shouldn’t be anything to worry about long term.

Continue reading ’2009 Michigan Camp Wrap-Up’

This year’s incoming class will arrive on campus at the end of the month. The first sign that basketball will eventually be back. Of the four incoming freshmen, Blake Mclimans is the mystery man. There wasn’t a lot of media coverage of Blake or the Worcester program more than an occasional box score. I stumbled across this McLimans video from WIVB and figured it was worth posting because we have barely seen many pictures of Blake, nonetheless hear him speak.

The first hurdle for the freshmen class is Beilein’s camp. I would expect the entire incoming class to participate in the Elite and Team camps similar to last year. A team of Darius Morris, Matt Vogrich, Blake McLimans, Jordan Morgan, Eso Akunne, and Josh Bartelstein should give other teams a run for their money. It will also be a chance for people to see the a few of the freshmen for the first time.