Thoughts on Beilein to Michigan and his recruiting

[MUCrisco]

 went to Michigan for a year and I loved it, although I had a little too much fun there.  I was there when it was the Fab 2(Jackson and King) and they had gotten their Fab Five 2 in Maceo Baston, Willie Mitchell, Jarrod Ward, Maruice Taylor and I forget the last one's name.  Except for Maurice Taylor, they turned out to be not so Fab and Ward was a complete bust while many thought he was the number one recruit in the country.  Watching sports in Ann Arbor was great.  The football games were incredible.  Seeing all those people at once literally left me speechless and you don't realize the size of the stadium until you walk in since it is dug into the ground.  Even though I don't really follow the sport, the hockey games were the most entertaining since it was played in a small barn and the whole crowd chanted in unison.

However, the basketball games were very dissapointing to me.  Like the rest of you, I am a huge college basketball fan, so I had high expectations.  Chrysler Arena looked so cool on TV, but in person, the place seemed old and without character.  They had pictures of their famous players and their tradition and I remember thinking,"Who the heck are these guys?"  Even though the student section was general admission like it is now at Marquette, there was no mad rush for good seats, and the crowd was very tame.  People there really are not passionate about their basketball team.  I lived in a wing of kids who played high school basketball and when we played Michigan State, all those guys were cheering for Shawn Respert and the rest of the Spartans.  In my opinion, Michigan basketball is overrated.

Now, I understand that Michigan has had some recent tradition.  Glen Rice had an incredible performance and Rumeal Robinson finished off one of the best ever championship games over Seton Hall.  The Fab Five, even though they cheated, changed college basketball.  Also, the state of Michigan is great for recruiting. 

However, is Beilein really going to change his recruiting style?  I know people have claimed that Beilein has been extremely successful with not that much talent.  I disagree.  The players that he has to recruit for his system to be successful is very specific.  They all have to be able to pass, shoot, cut, and they must have a high basketball IQ.  He won't go after athletes who can't shoot 3's.  Now, he might be able to get players that are more athletic that can pass and shoot, but he is not going to go away from those types of players.

So why did Beilein leave WVU?  Michigan probably will give him a better chance for his program to succeed.  He can also build it back up and call the school his own, instead of replacing a successful coach and trying to live up to expectations.  But, in my opinion, the situation in Ann Arbor is not as geat as people think.  The Marquette job is head and shoulders above that program.

[sailwi]

Growing up in Detroit I had great interest in UM Bball back in the 70's and 80's.  They actually have some good tradition if you go back to Rudy T, Cazzie Russell, Phil Hubbard and Ricki Greene teams along with the walking advertisment for the NBA drug policy Roy Tarpley and the national championship. 

I went to a number of games at Crisler (no y) while home on Christmas or Spring break from MU and the atmosphere was nothing compared to the Arena, seemed more like a movie theatre atmosphere and they had good teams back then, elite 8 against UNCC in 77.  I don't think they have done much remodeling to Crisler so I have to imagine it is pretty old and tired these days.  Unlike the old UW field house or Allen FH at KU it never had a lot of character so age likely hasn't improved it. 

I know MSU is now the dominate school in hoops in the state but you have to believe that with the right coach and the fertile recruiting areas of Detroit, Flint and the Saginaw Valley UM could be a very good program in spite of the lack of facilities.

[MUCrisco]

Except for Rudy T, those were the names that I didn't know about.  I guess I'm just ignorant about their history.

I definitely think that Beilein will be successful there.  He will have their program back.  However, the Michigan job is not on the same level as Indiana or even Arkansas.  I wonder if it is that much better of a job than WVU since Beilein looks for a specific type of player.

[sailwi]

I've never been to Morgantown but have to believe AA is a step up as far as palces to live.  Agree UM isn't IU etc but could be a good job.

[Niv Berkowitz]

AA will give Beilen much more recruiting moxy. And, it's a very, very, very nice place to live. It's Madison without the lakes (and I love Madison too). He now has the tradition and reputation of U of M to carry w/him wherever he goes. And even though he's recruting hoops, the football team definitely adds a bit of aura around the school from a tradition standpoing. (not enough to land a 5-star over Duke or UNC per se, but enough to maybe entice one or two recruits a year to swing to U of M).

I don't think they have a great hoops tradition. Crisler is a dump. The rest of the facilities are all dedicated to football. Apathy has set in w/the fans. Amaker rejuvenated the program, but it's now in a purgatory-like state of average-ness. Beilen, I think, can get them over that hump and consistently put up 9-7, 10-6 or better seasons in the B.Ten and get them into the dance (a huge first-step to rejuvenation). 

I think it was a pretty good hire for U of M. I also think w/all the garbage that program brought on itself, it is no way as good of a job as Arkansas or Marquette for that matter, especially when you consider the facilities. I don't think either are light years ahead of Michigan, but enough that if a good coach were considering all schools, they'd coach Arkansas and MU before choosing Michigan.