All Hail - Juwan Howard? Could It Happen?

I was a huge Fab 5 fan.  When we, Michigan Fans, believed that it was Steve Fisher that managed to land the Fab 5 of Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson, I think all thought that Fisher was a genius recruiter and that Michigan had to potential to be in the National Title search for 3 or even possibly 4 seasons! We believed it so much that a bunch of us (loyal readers and slappies TJH, TMcD and others hopped in a Chevy Astro and drove to the Final Four in Minneapolis in 1992. 

That’s how much we believed.   

What we eventually came to learn was that when Mitch Albom authored “Fab Five” in 1993,  Brian Dutcher played a HUGE ROLE in getting the “key” player in that group to Michigan.  Dutcher realized that if he could get the first domino to fall, the rest would follow.  And Dutcher knew exactly who that was:

Juwan Howard

Juwan was the key as he was the most mature and Dutcher knew that Juwan would assist in recruiting the rest of the Fab 5.  Dutcher paid more attention to him than any of the other 4.  He ate at Juwan’s Grandma’s house.  Had fried greens for the first time.  When Juwan came to Michigan’s Hoops Camp, Dutcher made sure Jimmy King attended Michigan’s Camp at the same time and made them roommates.    Dutcher knew that Howard was the most important piece. 

And Guess what?   Juwan signed first.  If you don’t remember or need to recall, read the first couple of chapters for free on Amazon…

https://www.amazon.com/Fab-Five-Basketball-Trash-American/dp/0446517348

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And right after Juwan signed, Jimmy King followed.   And Ray Jackson soon followed after that.   However, it wasn’t until those three worked on Webber and Rose for a couple of months that those two decided to come along and make Michigan history as one of the greatest recruiting classes to ever go to one university.   Granted, Rose’s coach ended up on the bench at Michigan, also, sort of securing the Rose commitment.  But at the time, there was nothing illegal about that. 

But before I get to far ahead of myself and why I think Juwan would be the “Fit” Michigan is looking for:  A Defining Moment:   On the same day that Howard had signed his LOI, Juwan’s grandmother died unexpectedly and both Dutcher and Fisher showed up to her funeral a few days later.  Howard realized at that moment that Michigan was more than just a school or a university…

Michigan is Family.

So, if you’re asking me what I think about Juwan Howard, I’ll say this:  I don’t know if he can be a head coach.  I don’t have a clue (same as everyone else) as to whether or not he can recruit.  I know he came “THIS CLOSE” to winning a National Title in College.  I know he won an NBA Title with the Miami Heat and LeBron James.  And I know he was on the NBA All Star team several times and has interviewed for several NBA head coaching positions.  But he has either turned them down or they’ve turned him down for whatever reasons. 

But I can tell you this:  Juwan Howard is definitely a Michigan Man.  He still speaks highly of Michigan and the degree he earned from Ann Arbor. 

Jalen Rose seems to agree with me.  And wouldn’t it be great to see Rose as an assistant at Michigan?    I think so!!!

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/130/michigan-wolverines

At the same time, do you go with a guy with absolutely no head coaching experience but a lot of love for his alma mater?   Decisions like this can only really be summarized and judged in the sometimes long aftermath that follows this type of decision.  Nobody had a clue as to whether or not a deeply devoted Jesuit coach from WVU would be any good at Michigan.  Bill Martin decided he WOULD be good for Michigan and would get Michigan back on the map. 

Looking back, it was probably one of Bill Martin’s Greatest Decisions in all of his tenure as Michigan’s AD.   But we needed time and perspective to get to this point.  But not ever decision Bill made paid off like this one.    

Because Sailboat Bill also hired Rich Rod.  From WVU.  And that looked like a better hire, at the time, then Beilein.   And I’m pretty sure we all know exactly how that worked out.

Bottom Line:  Warde Manuel might be making a good or a bad decision with whomever he hires.  We simply won’t know until there’s time behind the decision as to whether or not it was good or bad.  And that’s all there is to it.

Make the best decision you can, support the individual and keep things moving. 

WITAH Aftermath: Rumblings & Rumors

Unbelievable. 

Do you know what the Cavaliers had to pay in the form of a buy-out to get Beilein?  Are you sitting down?  You’re not going to believe this:

$0.00 

That’s Zero Dollar’s and Zero Cents.  Zippo.  Nada….Nuttin’

Warde Manuel just gave Beilein and lifetime contract last year and in the day and age of EVERY SINGLE COLLEGE COACH having a buy-out, didn’t include one in Beilein’s contract.  

Well That’s Fantastic…

Either Manuel is the biggest idiot in the room or had a plan in place already if Beilein did bolt.  I’m nervous that my observation is the former.   And if that is the case, how is Warde viewed in the world of college athletics?  What do coaches hear when they make a phone call to ask about Warde Manuel?  What are the other guys saying?   To me, that’s a big deal. 

Rumors:

There are rumors flying about

 (https://mgoblog.com/content/searchbits-ii-less-depressing)

That Michigan is at least making the Home Run Phone calls they should be making.  But similar to the UCLA debacle, it would appear that most coaches that have a good or great gig aren’t ready to give it up for the unknown, even if there’s more money involved.

Kiss Jay Wright good-bye.

Mike Brey (Domers) and Mike White (Florida) have been mentioned.  I could live with (maybe?) the Brey idea but ABSOLUTELY HATE the Mike White idea.  Don’t ask me why.  If you’re going to go after White, open the checkbook and go get Donovan from OKC. 

It was depressing to read that one of the first guys Beilein is looking at hiring is Juwan Howard.  Apparently they hit it off when the Fab 5 (4) visited Crisler this past season and there was a lot of mutual respect.  Juwan is also very religious and that fits with Beilein’s personality.  So, the idea of Juwan coming back to coach at his alma mater probably just wandered off to Cleveland…

Ed Cooley’s (Providence) name is being tossed about, but to me that’s not even close to a replacement.  I’d just as soon keep Yak or Saddi in the interim role for the upcoming season and see what shakes out in 6 months during the next carousel. 

If you can’t be bothered to read the mgoblog link above, Brian linked to an article that covered the fiasco that was the UCLA search.  Apparently, they had 60 names on the list and they included:

https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/la-sp-ucla-mick-cronin-coaching-search-20190429-story.html?hootPostID=f674f8cbb2374cc25aa37f209bb0cbd6

Calipari – Stevens – Izzo – Wright – Donovan – Few – Bennet – Hopkins – Painter and Prohm. 

Hopkins, Painter and Prohm all declined to be interviewed by UCLA.

So, that doesn’t bode well for the Home Runs listed above.  When Tier II guys are shooting down a Blue-Blood, well, it’s going to be really hard to land a Tier 1.   Granted, UCLA’s AD (Rebholz) is a bit of a tool or melon-head (take your pick) and doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing and that may have been a big contributor as to why guys were saying no.  (Let me remind you about a guy named Dave Brandon).  So we all get why that could be a big part of UCLA’s problem…

But, as mentioned above, what’s Warde’s reputation out in the basketball world?  What has he done as an AD?  He’s raised the ticket and donation prices during his tenure and I think he hired a varsity coach in some sport, but the who escapes me at this point.   I’m nervous that anyone seriously considering the position is going to want at least 5 years guaranteed in order to survive JB’s legacy and hopefully build one of his own.  I don’t know if Warde is shrewd enough to figure all of this out…

I know if I was a coach and I heard that Beilein didn’t have a buy-out, that we be a major concern I would have during the interview and I would need that answered ASAP before I could even begin mulling over the decision. 

The LA Times article also talked about some of the big name coaches not surviving the vetting process (which will be an issue at Michigan) and it makes me wonder about Gregg Marshall (Witchy State).  Why hasn’t he made the jump to a Power 5 and what skeleton is in that closet?  My guess is it’s something big and Marshall isn’t leaving Witchy State any time soon.

Rick Barnes had more or less left for UCLA until his buyout caused UCLA to balk.  Jeez, a buyout protecting a coach – what a novel idea!  So Barnes would probably listen, but at 64, you’re going to be going through this whole process again in 5 years.  OF course, if he’s a bust, you’ll WANT to go through this whole process again in 5 years.

Porter Moser (Chicago Loyola – think Sister Jean) has his name being tossed about, but with the exception of 2017-18 and some very lucky shots going in during the NCAA tourney, he hasn’t done ANYTHING remarkable with teams ranked in the KenPom 100’s…So, no.  Not interested.

Jamie Dixon’s name (TCU) is also getting play.  TCU has been playing better and he was also headed to UCLA until his $9M buy-out got in the way.  Dixon is 53 and is one of the few coaches to stand toe to toe with Kansas and Bill Self.  So he can build a program.  But this doesn’t exactly move the needle for me, either. 

The News just ran an article about how difficult (read: impossible) to get Chris Beard.  So that's over. 

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/2019/05/15/texas-techs-chris-beard-john-beilein-like-path-luring-him-michigan-could-challenge/3679819002/

And that’s about it.  The list of potential candidates is pretty sparse and not incredibly exciting.  Jordan’s name wasn’t even mentioned by the insider so Michigan must not even have him on the list. 

Still More After The WITAH Monday...

Why Did JB Go To Cleveland?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/columnist/dan-wolken/2019/05/13/john-beilein-move-cleveland-cavaliers-loss-college-basketball/1189645001/

Wow.  You people just keep bringing it….

Look, I’m no NCAA Expert.  I’m also not on John Beilein’s single digit speed dial on his I-phone…

No, I don’t know what he was thinking…I only think JB knew what he was thinking…

And in short, that thought process was, “Hey, I’ve been to 2 NC’s in the NCAA with the University of Michigan.  I’ve got a shot at coaching an up and coming team in the NBA.  For guaranteed money.  I’m 66.  I’m going to have time off in the summer time.  To spend with family and friends and not chasing teen-age dreamers who all have NBA aspirations but cannot all possibly end up in the NBA.  Sure, I’ll develop them and help them, but at the end of the day, they have to produce.  But I’m going to get to enjoy some of whatever is left.  After a near fatal plane crash and double by-pass surgery.  Enjoying what’s left is pretty important to me…”

Anyone “blaming” Beilein for leaving that reads this blog can stop reading now.  He might have 5-10 really good years left.  You start thinking about that…I get where he’s coming from.  Shit like that changes you and your outlook on life.  It makes you think and evaluate what’s important. 

JB accomplished more at Michigan than any other coach in the same time span in the NCAA.  More 1^st round picks of non-5 Star candidates than any other active NCAA coach.  That’s saying something…And he did it. 

If you watched any of the NBA lottery show (and I watched more than I should have) and you saw the JB interview, you saw a man who was excited to be taking the next step.  You could see the renewed enthusiasm.  The hope of entering into something fresh and unknown. 

You didn’t see the guy 45 days ago when Brazdeikis, Poole and Matthews all declared for the NBA draft.  If you watched Beilein on that day, you could see how defeated he looked and obviously felt.  Yeah, he put on a strong face and the obligatory, “We’re Michigan!  We’ll be fine!”  But you could tell what he was feeling. 

More recruiting.  More reaching out to grad transfers.  More Transfer Portal searching. 

All the same ole’ crap….

Don’t blame the guy for looking for something else.  He didn’t give up on Michigan.  The players he recruited gave up on Michigan.  You’ll never convince me otherwise. 

Players are getting really lousy advice from family or family friends about what an individual’s value is really worth at the next level.  And in some cases, it’s not worth anything. 

That’s why JB left.  He was tired of annually re-building the Michigan brand.  The last season was ample evidence of that.  Poor shooting, questionable offense.  There’s not one player on the Michigan team that should have been thinking, “I’m ready for the NBA”.   They all needed WAY MORE DEVELOPMENT!

They all should have been thinking, “I need another year with this guy.  Look how far he took us with raw talent.  Another year or two with his tutelage might get me into the first round of the NBA draft.” 

That’s what they all should have been thinking.  But they’re weren’t.  And that’s why JB left. 

What In The Actual Hell #2…

And Because Men Are Still Men (That are roughly my Age) and Women Used To Be Able to Admire Another Woman Without it Being a Problem…

This fan has seen a lot in my 50 plus years of watching “stuff”.  But I never thought I’d see a day where a Burka Clad woman would grace the pages of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue.  I mean, what in the hell is the point of THAT?  And I never thought I would actually read that Bruce (Caitlyn) Jenner would pose nude for the cover of the women’s swimsuit issue…

The transformation act on Jenner’s part a couple of years ago and this new “News” has given me night sweats.  I’ve thrown up in my mouth thinking about it…I kind of worshipped Jenner as an 11-year old kid when he won the Gold Medal in the Decathlon in 1976 and set a record for total points in said event.  Jenner was cool.  He was a man.  Every chick wanted him… He made running and track and field cool…So I ran track and field…

Now – I can’t even have my memories…

So, in celebration of being a man (and/or a woman), here’s some pics and a link to all the SI Swimsuit Issue Cover Girls going back to the 60’s for a nice stroll down memory lane.  Granted, this Blog didn’t start with this type of thing, but during the “Dark Years” of Michigan Football, we all for damn sure needed a distraction.  And Jenner had made revisiting those days with this link and a few memorable photos a requirement to make us remember what it was to be boys and girls!  And feel good about that fact…

https://www.si.com/sports-illustrated/photo/2016/02/13/every-cover-si-swimsuit-edition#25

WITAH Follow Up

E-Mail, Texts and Tweets

First, yes, I was stunned when I heard the news on the radio as I was driving to work.  I wouldn’t have believed it if you texted it to me and I would have gone to the internet to confirm.  You could have told me Izzo was leaving and I would have more readily believed that.  And yes, I’m still a little numb today. 

What did Michigan Lose?

Have a look.   Anyone who doubts what Michigan accomplished under Beilein is either crazy or has a very, VERY poor recall of Michigan Hoops History.  You can see the Frieder, Fisher, Ellerbe and Amaker eras all happening before Beilein.  McCartney and Fisher were good, but not Beilein Good.   

EVERYONE has feelings about EVERYTHING Beilein and wanted to get stuff off their chest.  I’m going to try to include them all:

No successful NBA coaches from college?  How about Stevens at Boston and Donovan for OKC?  Granted, Donovan has been flirting with the hot seat for a couple of seasons, but Stevens seems like the real deal.

Okay, sue me.  I forgot about both those guys and they both had fairly successful careers (Butler and Florida – Donovan 2 NC’s) before bolting for the NBA.  Again, I didn’t say Beilein wouldn’t be successful, it’s just going to be really, REALLY hard in Cleveland – without LeBron.

Can Beilein actually be REPLACED?  He’s tied with Calipari, Coach K and Roy Williams with 18 Tourney wins since 2013.  That’s the most in the country.  He also had 278 victories in 12 seasons at Michigan.  Take out the losing seasons and you’re looking at an average in the mid 20’s.  There’s not many programs that can say that.

Confirmation….

https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2019/5/13/18617764/john-beilein-michigan-basketball-cleveland-cavaliers-coaching-hire-lavall-jordan

Well jeez, when you put it that way…Wait – Izzo’s not on that list?  LOL!!!  Yes, JB is going to leave a big hole.  I don’t think anyone is going to really appreciate that until he’s actually not on the sideline twitching his lips and yelling at referees.  Or recruiting crazy shooters that shoot from anywhere.   So replacing Beilein?   Maybe next to impossible.  Finding someone that’s close?  Good Luck…

Where do I sign the petition for Chris Beard?

Good question.  His name has definitely come up more than any other active coach in all the Michigan twitter accounts and fan sites.  But I just read that TT dumped a new contract on him that will make Beard one of the top 10 paid coaches in the NCAA.  So, I doubt he’s really looking that hard…But then again, who knows?

Should Warde call Jay Wright?  Do you think he’d leave Villanova?

Warde should absolutely call ANYONE and EVERYONE as Michigan is seen as a pretty good gig, has been running a clean program and if you’re any kind of recruiter, should be easy to come in and pick up where Beilein left off.  Wright has always been a guy I thought would be a great coach to cheer for and get behind when things are not always going perfect.  Wright is only paid about $2.6M annually at Villanova and Michigan could easily open up the cash register and beat that.  Wright supposedly turned down the UCLA job for double his current salary, $5.2M, so you might need to at least match that offer.  But I personally think Michigan is a better gig than UCLA RIGHT NOW.  Again, it doesn’t matter what I think.  Someone has to ask Wright what HE thinks… Add you can go ahead and add Tony Bennett (Virginia) to that list, but I doubt he’ll ever leave Virginia and the ACC.   And Bennett is extremely well compensated. 

Is any of this Warde’s fault?  Are you laying all of this at the feet of Beilein?  Beilein had to fight HARD to get raises for his assistants just to get them on par with the other assistant coaches in the B1G.  I’m going to lay some of this on Warde for making things miserable for Beilein for too long.  If a guy is happy, he’s not looking. 

Hmmmmmmm.  Great point.  Michigan just had one of the greatest runs of basketball ever in the history of the program.  Warde should have been bending over backwards making sure that entire staff was happier than pigs in poop.  I have heard rumors that Beilein had to go to the mat for the assistants and getting them raises.  I guess we can partially blame Warde.  But I think we’ll REALLY be blaming Warde depending on who he hires as the replacement.  As far as Beilein looking, if you read his comments, he wanted to see what it’d be like at the next level.   Izzo has looked, they’re all looking.  John just decided to pull the trigger.   

Michigan’s hoops future has been in a downward spiral since the 3^rd loss to the Slime (LNU).   What a disaster!  Although we should be able to attract a very good coach.  Still, we must wonder WHY we seem to have such difficulty with stability and if his leaving is related to player turnover?

I wholeheartedly and emphatically disagree with the first part of that response.  Michigan has NOT been in a downward spiral since that 3^rd loss to the Slime.  They won 30 games and made the Sweet 16 last season in what was supposed to be a re-building year!  Michigan’s defense has improved tremendously was great throughout the B1G and NCAA Tourneys.  And I think the overall talent has maintained the status quo, it just hasn’t developed fully.  The team they lost to  (Texas Tech with Michigan shooting a miserable 1-19 from the 3-point line) almost won the entire Enchilada!  I guess if you want to point at that game and call it a “downward spiral”, you can.  I call it a bad day from the 3-point line.  Yes, Michigan is losing some talent with Brazdeikis, Matthews and Poole bailing.  But they’ve still got some talent on the bench and coming in next season.  With respect to LNU: The Slime was supposed to be very good this past season and we all knew beating them would require Michigan’s best game.  For the first time in a long time, this team didn’t have a go to guy on offense and lacked the precision from the 3-point arc.  However, I do agree that Beilein was probably tired of guys like Mo, Brazdeikis, and others coming in for a couple of seasons and then bolting to the NBA.  So, yeah, in today’s modern NCAA basketball, I think coaches all get tired of losing their superstars.  I don’t think it’s just Beilein.  But Beilein was definitely staring a re-building season or two before getting another shot at a NC.  I do think if we started letting players make a little money while they’re in college, we’d see a lot more of them hanging around.  If Poole could have signed his picture making the “Shot” in the Tourney against Houston for $20 a pop, I’m betting he’d still be a Wolverine. 

You think Yaklich is ready?   He wasn’t even the interim Head Coach when they went to Spain.  Saddi was the guy.  Yaklich is a MAC or Con USA material before any power 5 job.  I don’t think he’s ready for the Michigan job.  But what about someone like John Brannen – too bad he took that Cincinnati job…

Again, great point.  I forgot about Saddi Washington being the interim HC when Beilein had his surgery.  I’m just afraid this thing could get worse before it gets better.  If Yak and Saddi were loyal Beilein guys – are they going to be looking for better gigs also?  They are rumored to be awesome recruiters and everyone is always looking for that ability in coaches.  That’s my major concern.  Can the rest of the band be held together or is this going to turn into a free-for-all with Michigan coaches bolting for everywhere?  I like Brannen.  He did great things for WKU and will probably be successful at Cincinnati.  And while I like a lot of mid-major coaches, I do think Michigan can shoot higher and land a Power 5 guy…

What about Harbaugh’s Brother In Law?  LOL!!!  Tom Crean…

Tom Crean (who’s married to Joani Harbaugh) is currently the head coach at Georgia and I get the impression that they like him there – a lot.  Michigan would be a step up, but Crean has probably had his fill of B1G Hoops after his experience at Indiana.  Still, maybe worth the phone call as Crean was a victim of injury plagued teams while at Indiana and was the superstar coach when he was under Izzo and then subsequently the Head Coach at Marquette (who he took to a Final Four).  While some of you may laugh at the idea of Crean, I wouldn’t be that upset about that decision. 

You said you always liked Tim Miles and he’s looking for a gig.  Or is that shooting too low?

Actually, Miles, in a weird way, makes a little bit of sense.  Michigan is still (ahem) a football school and will always have the 2^nd fiddle be the Head Basketball Coach.  Even though Beilein was doing everything in his power to change that.  But Miles was also a basketball coach at a football school, so he gets that piece of it.  And again, he was another victim of transfers and injuries.  But he seemed to recruit okay – to LINCOLN, NEBRASKA of all places, that cannot be the easiest place to recruit basketball players.  Right now, he’s the associate director of basketball operations at Creighton.  However, I’m not sure.  I’ve got to think about that one.  And yes, it might be shooting a hair too low. 

I’m not thinking Michigan is the greatest job in the world like everyone else seems to think.  Michigan is a football school and if you’re a coach that follows Beilein with 1 or 2 bad seasons where you don’t make the NCAA’s or, heaven forbid, the NIT, people will want you gone.  I don’t care what your pedigree is.  See: Tommy Amaker. 

Well, as I mentioned in the Miles comment, it’s going to take a guy that can handle being at a football school.  But yes, I agree it’s not Duke, Kentucky, UNC, Indiana or a true blue-blood.  But still, I would think that most coaches would at least have the discussion and visit Ann Arbor to see what the place looks like (if they haven’t been there before).   And yes, Tommy Amaker was everything you’d want in a coach and that just didn’t work out.  Manuel has his hands full.

I just read this article that has a list of coaches that could replace Beilein.  It includes some of the guys you mentioned but there’s a couple of other names in here worth considering:  LaVall Jordan and Juwan Howard.

 https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2019/05/13/john-beilein-replacement-michigan-basketball-coaching-candidates/1188924001/

I also saw this article yesterday and the Jordan and Howard mentions were eyebrow raisers.  Jordan is a Beilein disciple and was the heir apparent before taking the Butler job.  I still think he’s maybe too young, but again, what do I know?   Juwan Howard, on the other hand, is currently an assistant coach for the Miami Heat and comes from an era that a lot of Michigan Basketball fans love reminiscing about but would also rather forget.  I don’t think Juwan was ever accused of anything (unlike Weber) but still, Howard may be too much of a throwback for some Michigan fans that have enjoyed the 12 seasons of Catholic School that was John Beilein. 

I’m still pissed.  Beilein lied to me at a Charity Breakfast.  He said the only two jobs better than Michigan would be an orphanage and prison.  The reasoning:  orphans don’t have parents and the prisoners don’t have pissed off alumni!

Very true.  I can still remember during the Caris LaVert injury season all the people (and alumni) that wanted Beilein GONE!  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing but everyone thinks you can’t have a rebuilding season or have a down year due to injuries and you have to be in there every season battling for a championship.

Maybe we should get the smartest basketball main in the world…knows everything, second guesses every action, play and coach….Dan Dakich!

That, would be hilarious.  I think Dan has hung up the whistle or he’d already have a gig somewhere.   

Are you drinking yet?

No, not yet.  Let’s see what Warde does and then maybe it’ll be time to open up a bottle…

Hey – Pitino Sr. is still available!

If that were to ever happen, it will be the last time I watch Michigan Hoops…

What In The Actual Hell....

Well, I’ve been on hiatus for a few months waiting for something that was truly world or earth shattering to get me to attack the keyboard with my opinions and statements of fact. 

This morning, the world for Michigan Basketball Fans Shattered…

https://mgoblog.com/content/exit-john-beilein-seriously

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26737028/michigan-beilein-coach-cavaliers

When something like this happens, I think it’s natural to have a “WTF” moment and let your mind go over all the details as to “Why?”  Some Facts: Beilein flirted with the Pistons and Magic jobs last season, but I honestly believed that was a leverage move to get Ward Manuel off his dead ass and do something for Beilein, the BEST BASKETBALL COACH TO EVER COACH AT MICHIGAN and get JB and his staff contracts that were worthy of the teams that this collection of coaches was putting on the floor season in and season out.

I really didn’t think there was anything more to it than that…

But, when I look at the environment surrounding NCAA Basketball, and if I were coaching (Stop Laughing Now) and I was doing it the Beilein way, straight up, no cheating, no money changing hands, etc., I’d probably be pretty fed up with the entire thing too.  I mean, here’s a guy that’s made two NCAA Title games in the last 6 seasons (2013 and 2018) and runs a program as clean as the new fallen snow.  He had to coach one title game against Louisville, a team that WAS SO DIRTY it should have received the death penalty.   Against Nova, he was up against a bunch of one and dones who all showed up to play for Nova in the same year.  Not entirely fishy, but at the same time…Questions. 

In addition to those facts, the number two guy in the front office at Cleveland, Mike Gansey, played for Beilein at WVU.  Not to mention that Gilbert has been infatuated with both Beilein and Izzo for quite awhile.  Gilbert was no doubt in full support of this decision and probably consulted with Izzo who was probably like, “SURE!!! BEILEIN IS A GREAT COACH!!!  You should hire him!!!”  Thus, paving the way for an easy LNU B1G Title come 2020.   

Gilbert just screwed Michigan twice…

Nice…

I’m still a little numb as I really thought I knew this guy.  I truly believed he had bought into and become a “Michigan Man” over the 12 seasons he spent in Ann Arbor.  And he may still be a Michigan Man.  But, again, the burden of having to beat everyone that was willing to win using any means necessary and recruiting prima donnas (read: Poole) and selling yourself to teenagers that don’t have a friggin’ clue probably gets tedious, regardless of how dedicated you are to the University. 

In a way, I’d really like to see Beilein succeed.  However, going to the absolute WORST NBA franchise in the league that MIGHT get Zion in the draft probably was enough to make the gamble worth it.  And Beilein knows how to get the most out of middling talent players.  And guys like to play for Beilein.  He has a good rep in that regard.

However, the problem is that college coaches simply don’t “get” the attitude of the NBA and the players that can play at that level.  Pitino, Calipari, Carlesimo among others all gave the NBA a shot and couldn’t make it work and a lot of people would argue that those coaches were and are a better coaches than Beilein.   In fact, I can’t off the top of my head, think of a college coach that’s had any success in the NBA. 

Anyone?

Yeah, Coach K managed the 2^nd dream team in the Olympics.  TOTALLY DIFFERENT discussion.  Instead of 30 College games with 3-4 days to prep in between games, you have 82 NBA games with many games going back to back or with a day off in between games that’s a travel day. 

My Point:  It Ain’t a “Practice” league.  You show up ready to play.  Beilein’s a practice coach.  Ask anybody. 

So, in the end, Beilein is gone and Michigan has 12 wonderful fun-filled seasons of memories and remarkable moments that this fan will never forget.  Which sort of begs the next question:

Who’s Michigan going to get?

Beilein’s son Pat was just named the head coach at Niagra.  My guess is Manuel isn’t going to stick his neck out on a legacy and a “hunch” that the son is as good as the old man. 

Yaklich seems like the obvious choice as the brainchild of Michigan’s Vaunted Defense.  However, he’d be a first-time head coach at what has become a premier job in the NCAA.  Yes, Michigan is definitely a top 10 or 20 job in college hoops. 

And hiring a College Hoops Coach in May isn’t great timing for anyone.  I texted the new out this AM and there were many immediate suggestions with the coach from Texas Tech, Chris Beard, being a name that popped up from several people.  I have to admit that after the TT run this season and hearing Beard interviewed several times that I would be comfortable with that hire.  I believe he comes from the Beilein mold and has literally been EVERYWHERE on his way to the HC job for the Red Raiders.

Another name thrown out was Underwood from Illinois.  I like that guy as well and Michigan would definitely be a step up for Underwood. 

Yep – Manuel has got his hands full.  I guess we’ll see what kind of AD he is and whether or not he’s been keeping that list of coaches nearby.  He should have been after last season and the Pistons and Magic discussions.  Beilein wasn’t hiding anything.  Manuel should have prepared in kind. 

Anyway, the MMQ/MMPG is alive and well. 

It just took an earth shattering moment to get the keyboard dusted off.  

It's Been Awhile...

I know its been awhile since I’ve posted.  I actually didn’t even get to watch THE STU, Iowa or Rutgers games due to unexpected travel and family events.  Then, work got very busy.  THEN I got what had to be the worst case of the flu known to man and spent two days laid up on what I thought was my death bed. 

I honestly thought I would have to get better to die, that’s how bad I felt.

Now, in my 2^nd day back on the grind, I feel I can take a breath and post a post.  Instead of going into a deep analysis of all the games, I’ll bullet point a few take aways (I re-watched all the games that I missed on BTN in 60):

THE STU:  Never knew what hit them.  The Wesson scuffle was classless STU shenanigans and Michigan outclassed the visitors.

IOWA:  Watched a little on my phone at a family even and could easily figure that Iowa was simply playing better Defense.   And yep, a re-watch of the game confirmed it.  That and Michigan's shooting was akin to trying to hit the floor if they rolled off the table …

Rutgers:  I would like to play this team twice a season, Pwease!.  They suck….

Wiscy:  Strange when you have good Refereeing and Teske ISN’T on the bench in the 1^st two minutes of the 1^st and 2^nd halves, Ethan Happ turns out to be not so good…

PSU:  I could have and would have predicted a possible upset if I could have found the strength to post on Tuesday.  This was the day that I thought I might still be dying and in fact, I fell asleep before the game was actually over when Michigan had closed it to within 4.  That’s how sick I was…And we’re going to get to the refereeing in a minute. 

So, 2 losses in that stretch where one was somewhat predictable (PSU) and Iowa could have been a W had the team just shot better. 

Why was PSU predictable?  Michigan had just won a big, EMOTIONAL game against Wiscy on Saturday.  PSU had the extra time to prepare for Michigan and is a NET top 100 team ranked at 75.  PSU has lost 8 games this season by less than a possession.  Torvik and Kenpom also like PSU.  Plus, Michigan has traditionally played lousy down there.  In fact, the loss to PSU in 2013 is what sparked the Title Game Run!  So maybe it’s a good omen?

I’ve said it’s tough to win them all.  But 5-3 in the last 8 is a problem.

I wonder if there’s a similar thread to the losses?  Turns out there is!!!

The Referee Conspiracy

As you know, I’m no lover of referees in any sport.  There’s too many blown calls and too many situations where bias and favoritism can come into play.  I thought Michigan got screwed up in Madison when Teske got two cheap calls relegating him to the bench in both halves.  I re-watched the Iowa game and didn’t see anything too blatant, but still, it was a loss.  The PSU loss was some of the ABSOLUTE WORST OFFICIATING I’VE EVER SEEN.  Please see the double dribble no-call in this link (I’m sorry I can’t post the Tiwtter Feed here as my blogger no longer allows twitter embedding – why?  I don’t know…)

https://971theticket.radio.com/articles/refs-miss-obvious-double-dribble-end-michigan-and-penn-state-game-video

If you don’t want to link – Trust me when I say it was a BLATANT double-dribble. 

But before THAT happened, John Beilein got Double-T’d and bounced out of the game after losing his marbles on a moving pick on Xavier Simpson that looked more like something you’d see on a football field than a basketball court.  Beilein got “Beilein Mad” which by any comparison (Izzo, Calipari, K, hell – Anyone Else) is like Beilein scolding a young child to not touch a hot stove.  And we know that Beilein doesn’t curse. 

And he was bounced.  First time since JuCo.  Over 30 years ago….

And then the News printed this:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/2019/02/13/michigans-john-beilein-awaits-interesting-discussion-after-rare-ejection/2856746002/

The Head Referee for Michigan’s only three losses this season:

Lewis Garrison  - Graduate from the U of Minnesota…..where he played as a receiver in Football.

Not only was the 3^rd foul call against Iggy (at PSU) a ghost call, the blatant double dribble was completely missed….

Washington added he was surprised how quickly Beilein received both technicals because while he was fired up, he was trying to get clarification on the last play of the half from the officiating crew of Paul Szelc, Lewis Garrison and Rob Riley.

“I think you guys have been around long enough to know Coach Beilein and the latitude a guy in his position should get after a questionable call,” Washington said. “At the end of the day, we're here to compete.

Now, I’m not a conspiracy theorist.  Most of you know I’m a little league and travel softball umpire and I’ve even umped a few High School games. There’s coaches and players I don’t like, but I never let that skew my judgement. 

You can’t. 

But there’s some pretty damning evidence at this point with this crew.  The calls up in Madison were so Ticky-Tack that it’s beyond discussion.  The Calls and NO CALLS at PSU were abominable. 

Izzo was a driving force with the B1G League office to get TV Teddy Valentine bounced due to his antics and the BS he would pull on LNU every other game or so. 

Beilein and the University of Michigan need to to the same thing with this crew.

NEVER HIRE THEM AGAIN.  Even if there’s no Bias.  There’s GROSS INCOMPETENCE. 

That’s enough to hopefully never see them in a B1G game ever again. 

The PREDICTIVE STATS!

6 Games left with 4 games against Quad 1 Teams

Team                          Date               Day                 Torvik Prediction    Result

@Wiscy                     1-19                Sunday         W  64-60                    L  64-54

Gophers                    1-22                Tuesday        W  75-60                    W  59-57

@ IU                           1-25                Friday            W  70-63                    W  69-46

THE STU                   1-29                Tuesday        W  69-58                    W  65-49

@ Iowa                      2-1                  Friday            W  73-68                    L  74-59

@ Rutgers                2-5                  Tuesday        W 69-57                     W  77-65

Wiscy                         2-9                  Saturday       W 67-57                     W  61-52 

@ PSU                       2-12                Tuesday        W 67-58                     L 75-69

Maryland                   2-16                Saturday       W 73-62

@ Gophers               2-21                Thursday      W 71-63

The LNU                   2-24                Sunday         W 72-68

Nebraska                  2-28                Thursday      W  71-63

@ Maryland              3-3                  Sunday         W  69-66

@ The LNU              3-9                  Saturday       L  72-68

And the Gophers who are sitting on Lunardis Bubble won’t be a pushover.  And neither will the Cornhuskers that are playing for pride and looking to ruin someone’s seed or season.

What’s scary to me right now is that a month ago I was looking at all these games as potential W’s.  Right now, I see them as 50-50 based on the way Michigan is playing (especially on the road where they can’t seem to find the rim) and somehow their defense completely falls off. 

3 at home, 3 on the road.  Michigan is in the hunt for a 1-seed if they can somehow go 6-0.  Right now, that seems like a tall order.  I don’t have a prediction.  I want to see how they come out Saturday against Maryland. 

Sparty is playing better even though Langford is gone for the season.  Yes, they’re still the turnover machine they’ve come to be but they’re finding ways to win.  The visit to Maryland won’t be fun.  They’re playing good basketball right now. 

And Michigan needs to find that form they had a month ago.  I still think they can do it.  It’s just a matter of finding their rhythm. 

And having impartial Referees.

IRONY IS A Funny Thing…

If you haven’t been paying attention, there’s been quite a few coaches that were canned by some universities that are now rocking it at their new homes.  Maybe hoops coaches need a little extra time sometimes?  

Rick Barnes, the former coach at Texas who is now the HC at Tennessee that has his team ready to win an SEC Championship and has a very real chance to make a run at a National Title.  Think Texas has Shaka Smart regrets?  You bet they do…

Bruce Weber:  Fired from Illinois.  Now at K-State and has them in the lead of the Big 12.   Illinois has had two coaches since Weber and while Underwood is still there, his ground is shaky…

Kelvin Sampson:  Fired from Indiana.  Now, has Houston perched atop the AAC and looking to storm the 1-See line if they can win out.  Phi-Slamma-Jamma signs have started appearing…Indiana has had two coaches (Crean and Miller) and haven’t even come close to sniffing a 2^nd weekend NCAA Tourney game…

Brian Gregory:  Fired from Georgia Tech.  Now has South Florida at 17-6 and with a shot to win the Conference Tourney and get an NCAA Autobid.  Georgia Tech:  Doing worse than the football team with 0 NCAA appearances.

BUBBLE WATCH

Still a little early, but look for me to get back to this in a week or so….

The GOAT Gets His 6^th

I know were a long time past Super Bowl Post comments, but I can’t resist pointing out TB12’s 6^th Ring. 

This should end any and all debates.  4-time MVP winning 6 Superbowl Rings.  And you could argue that he was the MVP Sunday throwing those passes to the MVP.  But that’s okay. 

I loved listening to all the doubters and haters last week moaning and complaining about Brady and the Pats.  Granted, somehow, if I wasn’t a Brady fan, this would be Bama for me.  So I get where you’re coming from if you can’t stand him or the Pats. 

To which I say:  Beat Him.  There’s more parody in the NFL than there is in the NCAA.  Somebody get you’re act together and do it.