Beilein and hotseat...is it fair?
I realize this seems to be a trend with John Beilein teams...it's either feast or famine in terms of offense because of the lack of a big man most of the time. I don't remember the defense being this bad overall ever though.
Something has to give though. I don't know if it is fair to say he's on the hotseat just yet, but defense has to improve next year and recruiting has to improve.
Izzo had quite the stretch during the 2000s where they were pretty mediocre. I don't think Beilein should be on the hotseat, but improvements must be made.
February 6th, 2016 at 3:37 PM ^
Have to be honest here, folks. We're probably somewhere between the 4th-6th best team in the B1G right now, probably where we should be. The blow-outs suck but they happen.
Beilein is a proven commodity and unless this team totally tanks the rest of the conference season, we need to poor some cold water on the hotseat talk.
February 6th, 2016 at 3:39 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 3:44 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 4:00 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 4:08 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 4:36 PM ^
I like this guy^^ There is no reason to fire Belein unless you know you can get a better coach. Warde can sit down with him and talk to him about the problems they both see in recruiting and on-court play and he can decide whether Jim can solve these problems. Sad to say, but Michigan isn't the powerhouse and national figure in basketball that it is in football, so it's going to be hard to bring in an excellent coach with a good track record.
February 6th, 2016 at 11:18 PM ^
MSU wasn't considered a national powerhouse in football or basketball...until they were, either. Hiring and firing coaches is pretty murky territory, for sure. If you look at Izzo and Dantonio, when they were hired, nobody but nobody predicted they'd have this sort of sustained success, and MSU would reach the heights they have at the national level. I don't think MSU's admin was dead set on becoming an athletic powerhouse and neither were their fans, it just so happened that the coaches they aquired truly were and have built a sustain machine.
Harbaugh has that fire to do likewise. I'm not so sure Coach B has that same sort of drive, particularly evident in his recruiting approach. When he conceeded early on Winston, and by extension Bridges (who MSU then snatched up to secure a dominant class along with Langford) it spoke to that, I think. We don't know all the details there, but from all appearances Coach B went out with a whimper and not a bang.
Coach B might want to be great and be captain of a sustained powerhouse program, but I just don't think he's bringing that same enthusiasm to the recruiting aspect that Harbaugh is known for. That's the difference.
Harbaugh's, Izzo's and Dantonio's dont grow on trees, for sure; but if MSU can go to the Final Four in both football and basketball in the same year, why can't Michigan with all it's resources?
9 years in and the Coach B has a mixed bag in terms of results. With Izzo bringing in a large top rated class, while Michigan's BB outlook appears less optimistic, this doesn't outwardly seem like a situation that is simply going to heal itself in short order. Coach B needs to be made to change his approach drastically, or a change is likely needed... if Michigan wants to be elite in both sports simultaneously.
It may be a Bo Ryan type of thing were the guy is just professionally exhausted by the rigors of recruiting and is eyeing a more peaceful sunset at his age. I could hardly blame him, he's had a long and successful career. It wouldn't surprise me if he decided to hang it up if Warde had a heart to heart with him.
February 6th, 2016 at 8:10 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 4:15 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 11:11 PM ^
Based upon what I've seen in conference play, I don't think UM is anywhere close to the 4th best team. Iowa, IU and Maryland are the top 3 in the standings. UM is 1-2 against those 3 teams with 2 of the losses being blow outs. MSU and Purdue are tied with UM at 4 losses and UM lost by double digits to both MSU and Purdue. At this point I think UM is battling OSU and Wisky to see who the 6-8 teams are in the conference.
February 6th, 2016 at 4:32 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 3:19 PM ^
An assistant has to go. Maybe Beilein can encourage one of them to take another head coaching gig.
February 6th, 2016 at 3:20 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
February 6th, 2016 at 3:20 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 3:20 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
February 6th, 2016 at 3:32 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 6:31 PM ^
this is the most dirty recruiting sport in NCAA. Michigan will not allow dirty tactics, regardless of whoever is coach
February 6th, 2016 at 10:59 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 10:59 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 3:32 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 3:32 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 3:41 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
February 6th, 2016 at 11:00 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 3:20 PM ^
Too soon but we need to recruit more physical players..The thing is, that is not the Beilein way..I dont know what the future holds but i am seeing signs that UM has to change a little if they want to be more consistent in being title contenders
February 6th, 2016 at 3:20 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 3:29 PM ^
He's clean. This is how it's going to be. BBall recruiting is either "dirty" or "mostly mediocre." Pick one. I'd rather be meh at basketball than Louisville or Kentucky.
February 6th, 2016 at 3:33 PM ^
I don't think it's as dirty as some think. I believe it's possible to recruit clean and win, and I think using the excuse that the whole process is corrupt is a way to mask JB's flaws out there on the recruiting trail.
February 6th, 2016 at 3:35 PM ^
Us here on planet Earth will be busy making sane evaluations, thank you.
February 6th, 2016 at 4:13 PM ^
We just watched Harbaugh earlier this week scratch and claw to the last minute to sign every top player he could.
The BB team, a team that signed a number of top players four years ago, this year signed a 4 man class, all early signing period, 3 of which are well outside the Top 100. Because of course now as opposed to four years ago, it can't be done. Is that a reasonable conclusion?
I think his conclusion might have more substance, or at the very least a notion they seem to have that you can unearth a Burke or Caris at will instead of going for the top players.
February 6th, 2016 at 4:45 PM ^
The fact that you think football and basketball recruiting are similar tells me all I need to know.
What "top players" four years ago? Dude, Trey Burke was a three-star. McGary and GRIII were the best recruits Beilein's ever had, and we were very fortunate to have them at the same time. I recommend doing at least some cursory research first.
February 6th, 2016 at 5:54 PM ^
Well why do you think the two sports are that different, other than recent results? They're both dirty... I can tell you with no research at all that between 1982 and 1987 UM signed 12 Top 50 players, and no they were not all on the take. Maybe I overestimated Stauskas' ranking but the point remains, in 2014 we had 4 Top 50 players on the team, so it can be done.
So when he suggests that maybe an all early signing class where 3 of the 4 are well outside the top 100 (not disparaging, hope they all wind up being great players) might not be solely because we can't get anyone higher, but instead may be a case of choosing not to try, what exactly is wrong with that?
February 6th, 2016 at 7:04 PM ^
one has an entire parallel system to the high school system - and that parallel system is filthy through and through.
February 6th, 2016 at 8:32 PM ^
I agree, it's dirty. But is that why a team that has shown they can pull Top 50 players is being outrecruited by Harvard?
February 6th, 2016 at 8:58 PM ^
but reading that article about Curtis Malone, Gary Williams (and Coach K) was eye opening. People who are trying to minimize what a flithy mess it is trying to recruit pretty much any high level talent are absolutely kidding themselves. Curtis Malone is not the exception. That kind of player control by nefarious actors is everywhere. Because it's the only way you get noticed as a middle school - high school player - these guys - *not* high school coaches - have a monopoly on the top talent.
February 6th, 2016 at 3:43 PM ^
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/curtis-malone-co-foun…
Read the Curtis Malone story. You could not possibly be more ignorant.
February 6th, 2016 at 3:46 PM ^
I think "blue_shift" actually makes a reasonable point.
Those who disagree: is your standpoint really that EVERY "top" player is getting paid? That there are NO honest folks (players) out there who want to do it the right way? It may be hard to find such players, but I suspect that that it is not impossible.
And unless you are in the business yourself, you probably don't know.
February 6th, 2016 at 4:01 PM ^
the situation is so much worse than most people realize.
It's disgusting and it's ridiculous that no one does anything about it.
February 6th, 2016 at 6:32 PM ^
well than your dumb and ill-informed
February 6th, 2016 at 10:05 PM ^
February 6th, 2016 at 3:38 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
February 6th, 2016 at 3:42 PM ^
Then I am ashamed that there's a part of my own fan base that wants to cheat to win.
February 6th, 2016 at 3:50 PM ^
So Harvard is cheating too? Harvard is out recruiting Michigan. Think about that.
Your foolhardy notion of every team other than Michigan is cheating is the epitome of Maize Koolaid drinking.
February 6th, 2016 at 4:03 PM ^
Harvard that is coached by our former coach at that.
February 6th, 2016 at 6:35 PM ^
lets go out and get their coach then. If you can win at Harvard, you can win at Michigan
February 6th, 2016 at 4:02 PM ^
I'm sure you were saying the same thing when the 1989 team was going around town in their nice cars and wearing their expensive clothes.
February 6th, 2016 at 3:21 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
February 6th, 2016 at 3:33 PM ^
No tournament this year or next and it should be time to move on.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
February 6th, 2016 at 4:34 PM ^
His lack of a front court is maddeningly frustrating. If this offense is predicated on shooting, then it would seem that you would need to have a strong front court for the pick and rolls, basket protecting, and for rebounding and inside scoring when the shots aren't falling. I just don't know at this point. There seems to be no willingness to address this glaring weakness.
February 6th, 2016 at 6:35 PM ^
Morgan?
February 6th, 2016 at 3:43 PM ^