It looks like Michigan is the #1 or #2 seed in the tournament to me and I would expect them to be one of the favorites to win the whole thing. It will not be a cakewalk but I think the odds will be on Michigan or Florida State. A 2nd round battle against Xavier or Marquette looks difficult, however Xavier will be breaking in a first year coach and Marquette lost some very good players.
For a team that relished in the underdog role last year, it will be interesting to see how they react to the favorite role early in the season. The pre-season hype continues to build, Dick Vitale put Michigan at #11 in his pre-season top 40.
In terms of the first round match-up, Creighton fell on the wrong side of the bubble but won 27 games last year before being knocked out of the NIT by Kentucky. The Jays lose Booker Woodfox, last year’s returning scorer and reigning MVC player of the year, to graduation. They also lose Josh Dotzler (21 mpg) and Dustin Sitzmann (2 mpg).
The leading returnees for the Jays include P’Allen Stinnet, Justin Carter, and Kenny Lawson Jr however there are a number of guys who played 10-25 minutes last year that will be back. Former Michigan point guard target 4-star Andrew Bock headlines the Jays’ incoming class.
This is just a quick rundown from looking at the Creighton roster and I’m sure it’s too early to judge. The Jays have proven that they are a quality mid-major program and they definitely shouldn’t be underestimated in round 1.
By Dylan Burkhardt | Recruits | Posted on August 3, 2009 at 12:15 am
Darius Morris & Open Gym Reports
MGoBlue.com continues their series of profiles on the incoming class with a look at Darius Morris. Darius talks about the transition from the west-coast, his relationship with Jordan Morgan and his family, as well as his faith. Darius also reiterates his feelings for Beilein and the Michigan program:
“I knew in my heart that Coach Beilein could turn it around and he did. He told me that he was very confident and that if I committed, I could contribute to the turnaround as well. I just have faith in him and his philosophy in basketball, the way he teaches the game,” Morris said of the third-year coach.
Judging by his quotes, it sounds like he’s adjusting quite well. He doesn’t appear to be having much trouble on the court either. A respected message board poster at TheWolverine, socalgoblue, posted a nice recap of the open gym action that he recently got a chance to view. Darius Morris is apparently playing very well with his new teammates:
Darius Morris was also a guy that really stood out. At this point, for me, the only question I have on Darius is how quickly D-Mo will pick up the offense. Otherwise, D-Mo is definitely a guy that will bring a lot to the table. He is fearless attacking the basket and understands how to find his teammates. His shot is still a bit funky, but its not horrible. But Darius is a high IQ bball player and I think he understands what he needs to do to help this team. Given that his such a smart kid, I think the learning curve should be pretty smooth.
Check out the full post for thoughts on Cronin, Vogrich, DeShawn, Manny, and Stu. The report on Stu are very encouraging, especially because he a guy who might be in for one of the biggest transitions this year.
Most impressive player was Stu…his upper body is really developing. He is not a hulk by any stretch, but his shoulders are broadening and seems much stronger. No one works harder in the open gyms. Stu really looks good coming off of screens and shooting or talking the ball off the bounce. I’m not sure Stu will ever be a guy that will get to the rim regularly, but he definitely has the ability to get in the key and create offense for himself or others. He was uber aggressive off the dribble and looked really comfortable in this role. Very encouraging.
As always, open gym reports should be taken with a grain of salt. But at the very least, they are something to get us through the summer.
The final seven include: Kentucky, Florida, Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina, Clemson and Vanderbilt. At this point North Carolina and Kentucky have not offered.
The cut to seven is interesting because a recruit can only take 5 official visits. The next step will be figuring out which schools to visit which will likely result in another cut. As long as Michigan gets a visit, I really think they have a shot in this recruitment. A big time offer like North Carolina would definitely hurt but the Michigan staff has put in a lot of hard work into this recruitment.
Spencer Turner
Spencer Turner is arguably the best shooter in the state of Indiana class of 2011. The 6-foot-3 shooting guard was lights out for long stretches this summer and high major programs are taking notice. Michael Johnston from the Louisville Examiner caught up with Turner for an interview.
Turner mentions that IPFW has offered and Wisconsin, Ohio State, Illinois, Michigan, Purdue, and Minnesota have been keeping his phones busy. He adds that he doesn’t have a favorite at the time and is just enjoying the process.
Turner also has kind words for John Beilein, calling his Elite camp one of the best he attended and complimenting his offense:
I liked it. He has two shooters in there, so I feel like that fits me pretty well. Beilein is a great guy. He really knows the game. I sat down and talked with him for abut an hour and he really knows the game. I like his style and I feel it fits me well.
The 2011 class will be very interesting because there are a very limited number of scholarships to give (Michigan has 3 more to give between the 2010 & 2011 classes). With top ranked recruits like Carlton Brundidge, Brandan Kearney, Patrick Lucas-Perry, Percy Gibson, and Amir Williams giving Michigan very serious looks it puts the staff in a bind with a guy like Turner.
But we know how much John Beilein loves shooters and Turner appears to be the best shooter that Michigan is recruiting in the class of 2011.
The official company announcement is due on August 12th and the launch is scheduled for sometime in September. Make sure you follow Dave on twitter (@davidmerritt15) and check out his latest YouTube short.
By Dylan Burkhardt | Uncategorized | Posted on July 31, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Just a couple links on the tail end of this Friday…
Michigan in the mix for Prather
Per Rivals’ Jerry Meyer, Casey Prather is expected to visit the second weekend of September. This would be huge because getting him on campus is a big step. Beilein and Mahoney have been pursuing Prather tirelessly over the summer.
That Strangely Benign New Three-Point Line
Gasaway examines the impact of the three point line move last season in a slightly more eloquent fashion than I managed, and decides that the move doesn’t seem to have effected POTs very much.
End of Summer Rankings: Class of 2011 P-Hoops State of Indiana rankings, some relevant names: Zeller 8, McGary 9, Etherington 10, Gant 11, Turner 14
End of Summer Rankings: Class of 2012 More from Indiana, I’m sure we’ll know a lot more of these names later but two relevant names are DeJuan Marrero (2) and Kellen Dunham (12)
Team Detroit security another AAU championship after beating D-One Sports 56-48 in the RBK Summer Championship. Team Detroit features a number of Michigan recruiting targets including 2010 prospects Trey Zeigler and Ray McCallum as well as 2011 prospects Brandan Kearney and Percy Gibson (5 star prospect Dominique Ferguson also played with Team Detroit this weekend). Zeigler led Team Detroit with 16 points and added 7 rebounds and 3 assists. McCallum had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists while 2011 target Quincy Miller scored 16 points for the opposition.
Trey Zeigler: 5-Star Potential
Trey Zeigler seems to impress anyone that sees him play and this weekend was no different. Rivals already thought highly of him, but after seeing him in Vegas they are even more impressed.
Maybe we just didn’t see at first, but it looks like Zeigler’s is adding to his game. Whether it’s an extra gear or an added dose of confidence, Zeigler is continuously impacting the game. He is now in five-star discussion.
Zeigler has been a priority for Michigan for a very long time, and that will continue to be the case. Max Preps jumped on the Zeigler bandwagon as well after they saw him score 25 points in a game versus the New York Panthers. There is no doubt that Trey can score the ball as well as the best in the country.
The next step for Trey appears clear, he wants to trim his list to five schools by the end of August. It would be great if Trey wants to decide in the Fall but it’s also very possible that he waits until the spring.
Point Guard U, an Arizona basketball website, conducted a (slightly leading) video interview with Trey in Vegas.
For a little more Zeigler video, there is a nice little adidas Promo with a couple very short clips.
Casey Prather: Dancing and Singing
Memphis Roar caught up with Casey Prather for a video interview at a recent AAU tournament. Prather talks about his recruitment as well as his singing and dancing abilities.
Michael DeCourcy lists Prather as one to watch after seeing him play at the adidas Super 64 tournament this weekend in Vegas and mentions that roy Williams was there watching Prather. Here’s DeCourcy’s scouting report:
Prather is a solid ballhandler who effectively creates opportunities for himself. He tends to shoot the ball without arc, which causes him to be less accurate, but that could be corrected. Coaches from nearly a dozen schools would love to try: including Michigan, Clemson, Florida, Alabama and Vanderbilt.
Prather reportedly shot the ball with more confidence ($) over the weekend and with his length and athleticism, a consistent jumpshot would make him deadly. We all know that Beilein is one of the best shooting coaches in the country. I’m sure that has been a point of emphasis in his recruitment, his comments about skill development in the video interview are definitely encouraging.
Mentioning the filth that is associated with AAU basketball is becoming a broken record but it seems like there is always a new issue being pointed out. Pete Thamel wrote a New York Times piece this weekend about coaches being forced to buy a $295 roster packet at AAU tournaments. People that don’t think AAU basketball is a cesspool of corruption really need to open their eyes.
Ray McCallum continues to play well this summer as well. DeCourcy profiled McCallum over the weekend and MaxPreps is also a fan.
Patrick Lucas-Perry has flown under the national radar a bit this summer and he played in Orlando over the weekend ($). Here’s a recent scouting report from Slam Online: “This rising junior has good court vision and did a great job moving the ball up the floor. He made a couple of impressive entry passes and also found a way to get himself to the rim. Patrick can knock down the 3-ball and also does a nice job in getting to the free throw line. He is definitely a sleeper!”
Evan Derman got a chance to meet with Tim Hardaway Jr’s shooting coach. NBADraft.net also saw Hardaway Jr. in action: “Tony Wroten was guarded by 6’5″ shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr., the son of former all star point guard Tim Hardaway. Hardaway Jr. has a solid package of tools (decent athleticism ball handling, defensive abilities and a thin yet strong body), but his shooting ability is really the only thing that would allow us to consider him a pro prospect.”
Jonathan Arledge played well over the weekend but reports of a Michigan offer appear to have been false. In a recent Rivals update, Arledge lists offers from “George Mason, Temple, Penn State, Vermont, Tulane, Siena, Providence, Fairfield, Niagara, and Vanderbilt” and interest from Xavier, Boston College, Michigan, Michigan State, James Madison, VCU, and Georgetown.
Michigan (and surprisingly Dayton) didn’t make Adreian Payne‘slist of five.
There is endless coverage of this weekend’s AAU events on the internet and I was away all weekend. So if I missed something and you have seen other worthwhile articles or scouting reports, make sure to post them in the comments.
By Dylan Burkhardt | 2009-2010 Season | Posted on July 23, 2009 at 12:13 pm
The Columbus Dispatch released a list of all of the “one plays” on next year’s Big Ten schedule. The list looks like good news for Michigan who will play Illinois and Purdue only once. Illinois will play at Ann Arbor while the Purdue game will be a re-match of Elbow-Gate back in West Lafayette. Michigan will play every other team in the conference twice.
This is a good draw because Michigan doesn’t have to worry about playing bottom feeders only once (Indiana last year). The Purdue home game was probably a chance for a quality win which may be a slight loss. However, it seems like Michigan never wins at Illinois so that’s definitely a positive.
Ohio State at Michigan State
Northwestern at Ohio State Illinois at Michigan
Minnesota at Illinois
Indiana at Penn State
Michigan State at Indiana
Iowa at Wisconsin
Penn State at Iowa Michigan at Purdue
Purdue at Northwestern
Wisconsin at Minnesota
Spencer Turner is arguably the best shooter in the state of Indiana class of 2011. The 6-foot-3 shooting guard was lights out for long stretches this summer and high major programs are taking notice. Michael Johnston from the Louisville Examiner 
I briefly mentioned Dave Merritt’s upcoming apparel company earlier this summer and it appears to be progressing nicely. AnnArbor.com 
Photo Courtesy of 
