Harlond Beverly to U Miami (probably)
Per Jeff Goodman and some other bball insiders, looks like he's gonna be a Hurricane. Time to put the full court press on Quinones/Wagner.
Wagner is top 50 player and potential 5 star if we was ranked according to Brian Snow and Sam Webb. So he definitely could make an instant impact. His ability as a wing passer and shooter would help a lot. Also curious why you think Beverly/Quinones would be able to contribute immediately, but not Wagner
Sam Webb is not a basketball talent evaluator. He’s about as qualified as I am, he’s an insider for the program and talks on the radio, that’s about it. I just don’t see the overall explosiveness and athletic ability to compete right away. Eventually, I think he will grow into his body more and be a good-great player for us. Nunez can apparently shoot too and he didn’t crack the lineup all year, he’s not gonna come in and be Duncan Robinson. He could get some minutes off the bench, but both played against the best young talent in the country with the best basketball players, both are better athletes (Beverly is a freak) and Quinones is a better shooter. Quinones would be the guy I want most.
Yeah I'd probably take anything Sam says down 1 notch. 1 notch below what Sam says is probably a more accurate representation of the truth
It was Sam Webb relaying what Brian Snow said
Looking at the rest of Quinones top schools it really seems like Michigan is an outlier who likely doesnt have a realistic shot. He is looking for some extra benefits that Beilein and Co don't offer.
I was thinking the same thing. LSU and Memphis? Memphis fanboys can talk about how awesome Penny is and how great the Memphis pipeline is, it still is suspicious to be landing that talent right out of the gate.
I wouldn't be too high on us landing him
His top $chools are LSU, Memphis, and Maryland. $ays a lot
Mon dieu! The hopeless handwringing. Where is Chicken Little when we need him?
RELAX - Trust in Beilein.
I don't know anything more than anyone else but I feel like the only recruit we really have a chance at is Wagner. Any other holes will be filled by grad transfers.
Which is fine IMO. There are some solid transfer options (Pierce for one) and they will be more ready to play day 1. Then we still have a 7 man core that are sophomores or younger with DDJ, Johns, Castleton, Bajema, Wilson and Wagner if he comes. That's a good position to be in even if it's not what he hoped going into the offseason.
I'm in total agreement with your first paragraph. It's the second one I struggle with. There is a reason Beilein hasn't targeted many grad transfers and why most players aren't successful in their first year: the system is complicated. I think the advantage with a player like Pierce, is that it seems he plays with some similar parts of the system but he could just as likely be Simmons Vol. II.
I think the biggest concern is that there is a ton of talent coming back but it's very, very unproven talent. I think it's fair to at least consider that next year could be....challenging, putting it lightly. I do find it frustrating, that even with our tournament success, that hasn't really improved our Recruiting that greatly. Yes, Beilein has a particular player he likes, I'll fully acknowledge that but boy, it sure seems like we miss on a lot of players, just saying.
Again, as I echoed above, I trust Beilein and I'm hopeful. But next year's lineup has me more concerned than in maybe the last 4-5 years.
I agree the talent is unproven. But that's what happens when you continue to have early NBA entrants like Michigan has. I'd rather Poole and Iggy return but when they don't you're going to have unproven talent. And unless you're a One and Done factory, this is the best scenario where it's relatively high ranked guys who are young and still have the chance to break out. Eventually all teams fall into cycles with unproven talent, this year will be one of them
I also disagree about recruiting not getting better. We're consistently getting 4 stars/top 100 guys with more top 50 guys coming (Wilson, Iggy last year, Zeb next year). Unless you're Nova and winning 2/3 titles, a blue blood/program with decades of sustained success or dirty, how much better can you get?
Finally I don't think Pierce as Simmons 2.0 is accurate at all. Simmons was a PG which is notoriously the hardest position to play under Beilein. UMHoops had a piece on this but Pierce is an off ball player who has the ability to create for teammates as a second option, which we didn't have last year. He's 6'7, can play above the rim and is good in transition. There are defensive questions but if his shooting is like it was in 2017-18 (when he had a PG and no broken hand) then he's a perfect fit for the team next year.
April 15th, 2019 at 10:38 PM ^
Pierce would be a good fit if there weren’t already a bunch of Wings on the roster. He doesn’t appear to be a second option as a creator at the B1G level (he’s not an above the rim player lol) he used his size in the CAA to create he won’t be able to do that in the B1G. Really unless his shooting drastically improves from last year I don’t see how he’d be more than JSimmons level contributor
April 15th, 2019 at 10:38 PM ^
Pierce would be a good fit if there weren’t already a bunch of Wings on the roster. He doesn’t appear to be a second option as a creator at the B1G level (he’s not an above the rim player lol) he used his size in the CAA to create he won’t be able to do that in the B1G. Really unless his shooting drastically improves from last year I don’t see how he’d be more than JSimmons level contributor
Why does Wagner give everyone the Vapors, lol. Kid doesnt seem committed to what he wants for lunch, let alone a college career.
April 16th, 2019 at 12:34 AM ^
Team will be fine - just X and Teske will keep you in a lot of games. I think sadly not having a 5 who can shoot threes or a point guard who can shoot off the dribble hurts this offense. That won’t change next year but what can change is DeJulius, Nunez and Castleton making big pushes offensively. The biggest loss in my mind in Matthews because of his defensive ability and athleticism. That will hurt defensive efficiency without a doubt. But overall the team will be fine because there is enough talent on the roster to get there. I’m bummed about Poole. I think putting the shackles on him took his fun for the game. He has a pro game and it’s the better move for him but I loved watching him go ham on occasion. Abundance of swag isn’t a bad thing necessarily....
April 16th, 2019 at 11:18 AM ^
Poole has a swaggy p kind of game. It can totally kill an entire team or, on the right tram, can play a good role, but I wouldn't project his future too highly
April 16th, 2019 at 11:16 AM ^
Everyone forgets that this team overachieved this year. Beilien does have to adjust now offensively. He is going to have to tweak the players he recruits and his offensive sets a little bit. I'm pretty interested to see the changes he makes in the next 3 or so years.