David DeJulius vs Mike Smith
I never heard a reason for his transfer as it seemed like he was the heir apparent point guard and likely would be the starter for us this year. If he hadn't transferred it is unlikely that Mike Smith would be here.
At UCinn his stats so far are:
30 min/game; 3-16 3pt; 5 asst/g; 10.5 pts/game
For comparison Mike Smith is at:
28 min/game; 4-15 3pt; 5 asst/g; 8 pts/game
I haven't seen one minute of a Bearcat basketball game this year but statistically it would seem Mike Smith is what DeJulius would have been this year.
December 16th, 2020 at 9:11 AM ^
Also, Justin Feagin.
December 16th, 2020 at 10:40 AM ^
i'm sure i'm just short on caffeine today, but i got nothin' here. what's the connection?
December 16th, 2020 at 10:44 AM ^
Everything comes back to Justin Feagin.
December 16th, 2020 at 11:03 AM ^
"Justin Feagin" is a reference to the MGoBoard FAQ on post titles, which itself references an example from *checks notes* 2009 on whether RR QB and onetime program savior Justin Feagin. A bad, undescriptive thread title deserves "Justin Feagin" as a retort.
December 16th, 2020 at 11:33 AM ^
onetime program savior Justin Feagin
That's a funny way of saying warm body that RR signed out of desperation in his first recruiting class.
December 16th, 2020 at 12:44 PM ^
oof, thanks. never would've gotten there on my own...was about this close to creating a "david dejulius cocaine" google alert.
December 16th, 2020 at 9:11 AM ^
Justin Feagin
Edit: Beaten to the punch. Please people, use descriptive titles!
December 16th, 2020 at 9:16 AM ^
Maybe he just wanted a fresh start. Would have loved to see his potential at Michigan but I hope he does well at Cincy (excluding games in which they ever play Michigan).
I like Smith a lot as a PG. His experience as a starter is extremely helpful for a freshman laden team and he's a true mentor to Zeb Jackson who will probably start as the PG next year. I think Smith will increase his average points per game as he's getting more comfortable with the offense. Hopefully that will also decrease the number of turnovers he's been making.
December 16th, 2020 at 9:29 AM ^
I think Collins will start at PG from day 1,
December 16th, 2020 at 10:28 AM ^
Zeb will not be starting next year.
He just looks like he's in over his head.
He needs to get a lot better or he'll be in the portal...
December 16th, 2020 at 10:36 AM ^
Zeb is a true freshman. Why can't we at least give him a chance to develop over the next two years before declaring that he's a transfer portal candidate?
Do you remember watching Darius Morris in his first year? He showed flashes (as does Zeb with his athleticism), but was still transitioning to the speed of big-time college hoops. Would you have similarly besmirched his prospects after 5 games in his first season?
December 16th, 2020 at 10:45 AM ^
Xavier (still spelled that way at the time) Simpson didn't set the world on fire as a freshman either.
December 16th, 2020 at 11:09 AM ^
Also, both Trey Burke and X Simpson led teams to the Final Four as sophomores. There is almost always a big leap from lost freshman (especially in the first 6 games of the year) to sophomore starters. Add in the lack of practice due to the pandemic, and it's not surprising that Jackson doesn't look great so far. He'll be fine once he gets more practice and playing time.
December 16th, 2020 at 11:43 AM ^
Yeah. Beilein isn't here anymore, but you'd think people would have learned not to write guys off just because they haven't set the world on fire in their first five games as a true freshman. People were actually calling Simpson a bust in his first year (often in the process of arguing that Beilein should be fired). Other highlights include insisting that Eli Brooks wasn't a B1G-level player, Teske would never turn into anything, etc. (And now that I've hit post here I'm remembering how down people were on Duncan Robinson for quite some time. What has he been up to since he graduated, btw?)
The major takeaway here isn't about evaluating a whole career based upon a tiny sample size, though. It's that categorical message board judgments are often stupid.
December 16th, 2020 at 12:48 PM ^
You, jmblue, and Sambo all highlight Simpson as another exemplar for not writing off a true freshman after 5 games. Derrick Walton could almost be placed in the same boat.
Will Zeb Jackson be a 1st team Big 10 player before all is said and done? Perhaps not. But writing his hoops obituary after only a few games seems ludicrous.
December 16th, 2020 at 11:27 AM ^
Always great to reduce turnovers, but Smith hasn’t been bad in this regard. He’s averaging 1.7 TO per game vs. 4.8 assists. That’s roughly a 3:1 A:TO, which is pretty decent.
December 16th, 2020 at 3:27 PM ^
I'd go further - that's excellent.
Last year Simpson averaged 7.9 assists to 3.2 turnovers for a 2.5 :1 ratio. In his career his ratio was 2.7 to 1.
December 17th, 2020 at 12:32 AM ^
Love how he pushes the pace. Glad to see this team playing fast.
December 16th, 2020 at 9:17 AM ^
David DeJulius is taking 10 shots a game. That's more than anyone on Michigan. And far more than he would have had at Michigan. That's why he transferred. He wanted more opportunity. Whether that's a good or bad thing for Michigan's team success I'll leave open.
December 16th, 2020 at 10:09 AM ^
Great observation and I believe you are correct. He, along with G Keith Williams, are the focal points of the offense. DDJ is a star there - leads team in minutes, rebounds, assists; second in FGA, points, and steals.
One slight correction - Livers is also right at 10 shots per game (60 shots, 6 games), per ESPN.
December 16th, 2020 at 9:18 AM ^
Wait. Didn't this dude open a smoothie place in the mall? It's the same Orange DeJulius, right?
December 16th, 2020 at 9:18 AM ^
Boubacar Cissoko
December 16th, 2020 at 9:37 AM ^
My favorite DB ever. No other guy could showboat like he could when a WR would drop a ball after torching him down the field.
December 16th, 2020 at 10:14 AM ^
He made me laugh/cry every game. I have vivid memories of exactly what you said. He was so good at that.
December 16th, 2020 at 10:16 AM ^
He was also like 5 years older than he reported
December 16th, 2020 at 10:29 AM ^
and didn't he end up doing time, if I'm not mistaken?
December 16th, 2020 at 9:19 AM ^
Keith Jackson
December 16th, 2020 at 9:21 AM ^
I've been happy with Mike. He seems to gel with the team well, has a presence on the court and has not seemed like a problem in games. I like his seasoned leadership potential the most. Assuming he brings that, I'm good with this trade.
December 16th, 2020 at 9:22 AM ^
Kelly Baraka
December 16th, 2020 at 9:30 AM ^
What is his TO rate? Smith hasn't been particularly great in that category.
December 16th, 2020 at 9:40 AM ^
According to Kenpom:
DDJ TORate: 10.7 good for 293 in the country.
Smith TORate: 20.1 good for DNQ in the country.
December 16th, 2020 at 9:39 AM ^
I think DDJ's defense is stronger.
December 16th, 2020 at 9:45 AM ^
DDJ isn't a slight defensive liability like Smith, they're very similar offensively.
With the ability to pull Smith for Brown, it really doesn't matter. I don't think DDJ was going to play over Brooks when Brown comes in...so it's actually pretty close to a wash.
I think Smith will get better as the season progresses. DDJ, IMO is who he is, he would've been the perfect backup guard for Smith and Brooks. No question he's better than Zeb Jackson right now.
December 16th, 2020 at 9:56 AM ^
Yea, I really liked DD (still do!), so I was bummed that he transferred. I just didn't make sense that he did so. He would have been a great fit for this system.
December 16th, 2020 at 11:54 AM ^
If he was such a great fit for this system, he wouldn’t have transferred.
December 16th, 2020 at 10:01 AM ^
I think there was legit concerns with DDJ as to whether he was actually a PG in Juwan's offense rather than more of a small shooting guard. He wanted to be more of the focal point and wasn't even sure he would start this year. He had a lot of opportunities last year and didn't do much with them. He never really showed he was going to be much of a facilitator or PnR player. I'm glad he seems to be doing pretty well at Cincy (in limited sample size).
Mike Smith is indeed probably here because we needed one pure PG on the roster this season. I personally have been really happy with him so far in the role he's asked to play. He's capable of going out and scoring double digits if he has to, but is focused more on running the offense and facilitating. He's not good at defense....but I don't think he's that much worse than DDJ.
The reality is that we could have used both DDJ and Castleton this year - but neither would have been a big factor this year or part of our future so I'm happy they've found places where they are getting more opportunity.
December 16th, 2020 at 10:10 AM ^
If he's bad at defense, it's not by a lack of trying at all. That dude is constantly in people's face trying to swipe the ball. I just think he's a bit too small to slow bigger guards down.
December 16th, 2020 at 12:33 PM ^
DDJ would be playing starter minutes with the upside of another season on a team that could contend for Championships. His move confused me.
December 16th, 2020 at 10:01 AM ^
I really like Mike's ability to split defenders. I don't know if that's something DDJ did a ton at Michigan, but Smith seems to be able to get into the lane pretty easy and make a decision from there.
I definitely want him to shoot more. I feel he gets a lot of open looks he turns down.
December 16th, 2020 at 10:08 AM ^
Mike Smith... more like the HAIR apparent. Amirite?
December 16th, 2020 at 10:35 AM ^
Playmaking for Others - relatively even
Shot Creation for Self - DDJ
Spot Up Shooter - lean Smith
Defense - DDJ
Overall, DeJulius is likely the more naturally talented player that moves better. Probably relatively even in terms of overall offensive impact (I'd lean DDJ a bit), but defensively is where the gap truly exists. Definitely think DDJ would've been a better fit for this year's team.
December 16th, 2020 at 11:59 AM ^
Disagree. If DDJ was a better fit for Howard’s system, he would still be here because Howard would want him here and would have convinced DDJ of that.
December 16th, 2020 at 12:37 PM ^
I have no inside information, but perhaps the lack of fit didn't have anything to do with DDJ's playing or ability?
Could be a personality issue between the player and the coaching staff.
Maybe DDJ wanted to be the lead dog...which he wouldn't have been on this team.
Maybe he didn't like being at U of M.
Maybe he wanted to go down a level of competition.
There are a variety of reasons why a player would leave...or be asked to leave.
December 16th, 2020 at 1:00 PM ^
All I can say is that fit, at least from the perspective of the staff, had nothing to do with the transfer.
Also, it doesn't necessarily follow that just because the staff wanted DDJ here, that he would still be at Michigan because of it. In other words, the staff can want something in a major way, convincing someone else that their wants are best for all parties involved is entirely different.
December 16th, 2020 at 10:49 AM ^
While I like analysis as much as anyone, I'd prefer here to simply support our guy Smith.
December 16th, 2020 at 12:12 PM ^
No one is talking about Josh Christopher but I believed that played into it.
December 16th, 2020 at 12:36 PM ^
Forgot about him....imagine adding him to this roster. Ugh.
December 16th, 2020 at 12:45 PM ^
I'm glad we didn't get him. Kid just jacks and thinks he's Dwayne Wade. Plus he's a one and done. I'd rather have Mike Smith or Dejulius over him.
December 16th, 2020 at 12:20 PM ^
We'll have Mike Smith for another year, correct? Nobody's eligibility expires this year due to #COVIDMadness
December 16th, 2020 at 12:47 PM ^
Technically, but we have a big class coming in and not a ton of spots.