Quick Note on Miami Transfer Earl Timberlake
Wanted to make this a board exclusive, but I have unofficially confirmed that Miami transfer Earl Timberlake (for top 30 prospect and HS teammate of Hunter Dickinson at DeMatha) has yet to be contacted by the staff.
That *may* indicate where things stand in terms of one of Smith/Brooks/Chaundee returning, but I have yet to confirm that.
Interesting, would be great to retain one or two of our guys with how good they are and experience with all the freshmen we'll have next year.
Franz doesn't really need the money urgently either, would love to have him back, he may really value winning a championship, crossing my fingers.
What's your evaluation of Timberlake, Matt?
Franz may not need the money, but he’s clearly got NBA dreams, and rightfully so. Barring an injury between now and the draft, he’s a surefire 1st rounder. He should go pro.
If Franz is a sure-fire first rounder, he probably should go pro. As a non-lottery pick he'll lose out on really big money, but might end up on a good team. That said, you can make an argument it's in his best interest to stay:
- he'd probably end up a lottery pick, meaning much more money in his first contract
- potential for another deep NCAA run, plus chance to finish his degree (if he hasn't already)
- his game and body developed enormously this year. No reason to think that wouldn't continue next year
- Juwan has created a great atmosphere on the team, and after missing out on a year of normal campus life the prospect of a return to "normal" seems pretty compelling
Of course there's always risk of injury or lack of improvement. Whatever he decides, thanks for everything and best wishes to him.
I was away ahead on the Timberlake train, had him in my top 30 for nearly a year prior to the mainstreams. I think that probably tells you where I stand. But to be clear, I would absolutely love to have him on the roster.
I thought it was confirmed Smith is returning. Was that just speculation?
Nothing has been confirmed yet
Matt, has their been any contact with Nimari Burnett? Seems like we could potentially use his services.
From what I've seen, Illinois is the frontrunner on him
As someone that is very tied-in to the Burnetts, I'd be surprised if there was any movement between Michigan + Nimari.
This situation seems a little off to me. We were essentially 1a and 1b with Alabama for him before he chose TX Tech out of nowhere and he’s from Chicago and I believe Juwan is friends of the family. It seems like we could use a combo guard on our roster.
I'm not sure how next year will work. Is there still a scholarship limit? Could all 3 of those guys come back if offered a spot? Will that affect the incoming recruiting class?
All 3 of those guys could come back without affecting the scholarship limit, but you’re not going to get a high-profile transfer who’s looking for immediate playing time to join you if you’ve got multiple 5th/6th year seniors who are returning starters.
Apparently one of the recruits is a shooter, which helps because if we lose Franz, Livers, and Brooks (likely) that is our three best 3-point shooters. Any transfer would have to be a good shooter.
I've been itching for a Matt EM roster update on this! I am very interested to see what this roster looks like next year
Yep, me too.
If scholarship limits won't be a thing for 2021-22 season, I think Coach Howard should do everything he can to get Mike Smith, Eli Brooks, Chaundee Brown, and Austin Davis back for next season.
The injury to Livers highlights the importance of depth. Besides, even talented players need time to adjust and experience is paramount in college. An absolutely stacked 2022 Michigan roster would give us the best chance of winning a National Championship while also allowing for a smoother transition to 2022-23 (b/c the freshmen will have had a full year to acclimate to the college game at their pace).
I really feel like we need another big man unless Davis is gonna come back.
I’m all for the four you mentioned to come back but I definitely would want to expand our rotation to include more than 7-8 players. You have a lot of 4-5 star talent on the roster and I don’t see them staying if they aren’t getting decent playing time. With the above 4, you would have Williams, Johns, Zeb and Hunter returning who have all contributed at least some this year. That’s 8 already. Collins, Diabate, Bufkin and Houstan are all going to want play as well. That means 12 deep not counting Jace, Tschetter or Barnes.
Also, if Franz goes and maybe Nunez enters the portal, we would actually have 2 available scholarships to use on the portal or pickup a late high school player. I guess it’s possible that if those 4 come back that we actually only go two scholarships above and two of them get Franz and maybe Nunez’s scholarship if they both leave.
I'm more curious about Justin Timberlake's eligibility.
I don't think he's exhausted all his time with Jessica Biel yet.
underappreciated there.
Is there even a spot for a transfer even if everyone leaves?
No chance Franz comes back. But Smith is rumored to be a lock to return, and I wouldn't be surprised if Eli does too. Chaundee feels like a coin-flip. Right now he feels like he could maybe be a 2nd rounder.
With the Livers injury, Chaundee has his big opportunity right in front of him.
For the sake of this team, let's hope he goes on a tear and ups his draft profile to maybe 1st rounder.
I don't know that Chaundee Brown can be a 1st rounder but I think he can be an early to mid 2nd rounder with a STRONG NCAAT showing through the course of at least 4 games.
I'm sure Coach Howard's connections will help Brown in that regard.
But, in my opinion, it wouldn't hurt Chaundee to return for another season where he will likely be a Michigan starter than a supersub.
It's newsworthy that a random transfer guy is NOT being recruited by Michigan. Slow news day, I guess.
Matt, heard that Isaiah Barnes hurt his knee a few days back? Any word on the severity of his injury?
Nothing long term, should be fine. Excited for his arrival and potential contributions, particularly on the defensive end.
Sounds like a potential Charles Matthews type, is Barnes a decent shooter?
Barnes a far superior shooter to Matthews at the same stage. Also very explosive, with a physically developed frame. Don't know if he moves as well in relation to Charles, but lateral agility certainly not a negative for Barnes. Tons of potential as a defender in Ann Arbor.
Matt,
I recently read that Isaiah Barnes has improved significantly since he transferred to Simeon (probably due to superior coaching).
If you've seen him play, can you confirm this with some details?
I was super excited when we got Barnes but I could see that he was raw. Simeon accelerating his development would be huge and make him far more likely to contribute substantially from day 1. We've seen how much Hunter Dickinson benefited from playing at an elite HS program like DeMatha.
I've told all of you this time and time again; the chances of *NSYNC reuniting are near zero.
Matt, wouldn’t Timberlake play more of the 2 and 3 positions? Seems like only Chaundee Brown would affect him on our current roster of those you mentioned. Wagner obviously would as well if he were to come back.