Houstan joins Diabate, stays in draft
Max Christie is not projected as high as either of the Michigan guys…and he still opted to stay in the draft
Because they recruit guys who enjoy being screamed at?
They're losing Max Christie this year after a lackluster season. The changes in draft dynamics are hitting MSU even.
He screams at them so much that they think they are really bad. They have to stay to learn more from Mr. March ha ha ha
This #1 recruiting class turned out to be pretty much a dud. Only one of the guys in the class remains that has even seen the floor, and he has a lot to still prove.
Whoever made him that promise, I hope they keep it, because I personally didn’t see enough to explain how he’d get drafted unless you’re just drafting on pure potential.
His life, his choice, not ours. If he thinks he’s good enough, he owes it to himself to go into the draft and try. I just hope there’s some team out there that sees something in him that we don’t.
So ends another cycle of "This guy sucks way too much to go pro and I'm desperate for him back on my school's team for another year."
This situation is different than Poole and Franz though. They both clearly showed translatable promising skills/attributes. Houstan did not
Agreed.
The constant comparisons to Poole are not at all "apples to apples."
Poole stayed for two years.
Poole also showed he had multiple NBA skills. Were they undeveloped? Yes, but you could see they were there. Quickness. Ball handling. Shifty. Shooting. Drive to the hoop. Etc.
Houstan showed one (very inconsistent) skill...at home...when left very open.
Also, Poole played with his original HS year group. Houstan came to UM a year early. Poole, two years after graduating HS when he should have, just is in no way a fit comparison.
Heavy, heavy revisionist history compared to what people were saying about Jordan Poole at the time of his announcement
https://mgoblog.com/content/exit-jordan-poole?sort_by=thread&items_per_page=50&page=0
"Good luck to him. He's gonna need significant time in the G-league or overseas before he can contribute to an NBA time."
"Maybe he'll play pro ball in Europe. I cant imagine anybody drafting him"
"I shouldn't be surprised. His NBA decision matches his shot selection. Have fun playing in Sioux Falls in the G league."
"One great shot, one great shot of bad advice. Hope we are wrong."
"He has zero elite offensive skills, hes not even an elite shooter, hes an above average shooter in college with poor ball handling skills or atleast not enough ball handling skills to create his own shot. He wont make it anywhere because his attitude is the most of his problems. "
"Good luck to him. He's gonna need significant time in the G-league or overseas before he can contribute to an NBA time."
that is literally what happened, not the best example dude.
So we return Dickinson, Williams, and Bufkin off last year’s 9 man rotation. Need a transfer.
Good for Caleb. He'll get paid to play basketball full time, which is the best way to develop his skills. Whether it's in the G League or on an NBA roster, he's got the chance to develop into a good player. Best wishes to the young man. I enjoyed watching him at Michigan.
He made the choice to become a millionaire overnight.
I get all the "he is making a mistake" crowd. But college production doesn't automatically make you a bona-fide NBA player and lack of production doesn't mean you will suck. The NBA and college games couldn't be more different. Caleb played international ball and played pretty good. Its possible Howard didn't play him in his more natural 4 position because there really were many wing players on the roster so Caleb took those minutes. We will see how he plays in the NBA. I mean Burke and Staukas were productive and had games that should have translated perfectly but they have really torn up the league like many thought. The biggest thing for Caleb is will he be able to guard wing players in the league and im not sure about that yet.
Best case scenario is that he develops into a Cam Johnson type player, but he's gonna need that to happen sooner rather than later before teams give up on him as he's not contributing much else
Bates be coming. Think he was waiting to see who stayed in the draft.
Didn’t he sign with Louisville?
Nope! That was the rumor but he is still undecided
It’s getting harder and harder to care about college athletics. I guess that’s a good thing since I have more important priorities in my life, but it’s still a little sad every time I’m reminded college athletics are meaningless even to those who participate these days.
I feel you.
I wish them both the best. However, the fan excitement of recruiting 5* hoopers is not matched by results on the court. This season was the first time since 2015 that either one-and-done basketball factory (UK, Duke) has made the Final Four.
The multiple 5* recruiting strategy that fans and Jalen Rose clamored for just doesn't equate to overall team success.
Recruit for talent for team needs and fit, and then develop chemistry with the unit. Random collections of talent is shiny and exciting, but college coaches caught up quickly and learned how to win with lesser * talented teams. Recruit good players. Develop good players. Build good teams.
I think cant miss High School prospects these days are going after 1 season no matter what. I would take Sophomore Livers any day and it isnt really close. Livers could move, shot a high percentage, hit threes, played good defense, and was pretty fast. It must be all about the high school recruiting rankings.
Boy, to me this really emphasizes how unsatisfying it is to recruit 5 star basketball players.
Michigan got one inevitably wildly uneven season from Diabate and Houstan, players who showed tantalizing flashes of talent and tons of freshman froshness.. Now they're gone, just when they're ready to become really good.
I would have loved to watch these kids grow and develop into superstars at Michigan. In the G-League? Meh.
Great for them, I guess - good luck, best wishes. I just don't find it much fun to lose guys just when they're ready to become really good.
I'm still not convinced they're better off - both could very realistically become lottery picks next year. Seems to me they're throwing away a ton of potential money for a much lower paycheck one year earlier.
Personally, I'd much rather we bring in less talented guys who stick around and develop. Leave the one-and-dones to Kentucky.
Honestly, Houstan and Diabate basically used Michigan as a way station. College basketball is really broken.
“Honestly, Houstan and Diabate basically used Michigan as a way station.”
Which is no different than what a good number of hockey players have done here. They use Michigan to burnish their draft credentials in order to go pro as soon as possible.
Is there something wrong with using Michigan to get to the next stage of their career? I thought that was the point of college. Players don't owe the school anything beyond playing basketball for the year they are on scholarship.
I think it would be nice to see them produce when they are here. For 5 star studs, these two really were lackluster.
Is there something wrong with using Michigan to get to the next stage of their career?
Legally or morally, of course not.
Players don't owe the school anything beyond playing basketball for the year they are on scholarship.
Maybe so, but this is a two-way street. Most fans of team sports, especially collegiate sports, root principally for the team first. They root for individual players in the context of what they contribute to the team, either in on-the-field performance or in their emotional and leadership roles. It's not unreasonable for fans to place a high value on a player's commitment to the team's future beyond a single transactional season.
Players who play for one single season and then leave for the pros are very rarely going to be as highly regarded by the fans as those players who stick around long enough to mature, improve, and make significant contributions along the way to becoming leaders in the locker room and mentors to younger players.
Those who feel they don't owe anything to the team or the institution beyond the year they are on scholarship will find that approach reciprocated by many fans, especially those who are alumni.
As one of those alumni, I'm not angered by Moussa or Houstan leaving after one season in order to pursue their career goals, but I don't much care what happens to them in the pros, either—they weren't at Michigan long enough for me to form a rooting attachment to them. From the standpoint of what happens on the field or court or ice, my interest and focus is first and foremost on Michigan, and whatever benefits Michigan.
And yes, since it's a two-way street, the institution of Michigan also owes its players a considerable amount of care and concern for them beyond their athletic performance, and unfortunately it's a fact the institution has failed in at least one significant case to do that.
No big loss. He was a disappointment anyway.
Remember another Canadian, Ignas “Iggy” Brazdeikis, who played one season at Michigan? He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2019, taken in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft by Sacramento with the 47th pick and quickly traded to New York.
He has played in a total of 64 games for the Knicks, 76ers and Magic during his NBA career, averaging 13.1 minutes, 5.0 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. LINK It’s estimated that he earned a little over $2,500,000 during his first two seasons as a pro. LINK. He earned $462,629 during this past season with Orlando, is now a free agent and has received a qualifying offer of $1,576,305 for the 2022-23 season. LINK
Are there any 19-year old college students like Caleb Houstan who wouldn't be happy to earn about $4,500,000, and possibly much more, during the next four years, just for playing basketball?
Here's some sobering perspective. Meghan Beaubien was an All-American softball pitcher and the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year during her freshman season at Michigan. She had little choice but to stay at Michigan after her freshman year. She was first team All-Big Ten as a pitcher in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Because of the COVID season of 2020, she was able to stay at Michigan and compete in softball this year as a graduate student. It was her worst season as a softball player by far.
Beaubien has a BA degree in Biomedical Engineering and will be getting her Masters degree from Michigan in that subject. Check her LinkedIn profile and see what she has accomplished. I suspect that she won't be earning as much as $4,500,000 during the next four years, even though the value of her work may equal or exceed the value of Caleb Houstan's work.
Here's hoping that both Caleb Houstan AND Meghan Beaubien enjoy much success in their chosen professions. GO BLUE!
Meghan will be earning a very nice salary for probably 40 years or more though. I'd take the bet on career earnings for her vs Houstan.
I feel like both were disappointing trash.
Good luck I guess. College bball is headed to hell.
Wonder if belien could've got more, probably wouldn't have recruited them.