Michigan Basketball: Tidbits on the Team, Recruiting, and Renovations

Posted at 4:00pm — 6/20/2008

Michigan Basketball: Tidbits on the Team, Recruiting, and Renovations
Regarding Darius Morris and not visiting Ann Arbor yet do not worry. We believe the kid got ahead of himself and really wanted to visit during the summer, but when he talked with his family about it that makes it tough. Right now, a plane ticket from Los Angeles to Detroit is around $500.00 or more and then you throw in food, hotel stay that is not cheap in the Ann Arbor area either, a rental car that gets quite expensive as well since the parents were planning on attending.

We think Michigan will get one of his first visits when he can take his official visit. It just makes it quite hard now for a working class family to be able to attend across country with the economy the way it is and throw in gas prices that really bites into a family’s wallet. Another point is he is extremely busy with all the basketball going on right now all over.

***Darius Morris will be coming in after all for the basketball camp*** so hopefully that is some good news.

As we stated before for the past several months and we know there has been people saying the opposite about Coach Beilein and his recruiting, but his recruiting is going quite well and it is starting to show. Some people only look at what he has done locally, but when you can have players like Darius Morris and Andy Brown on the Michigan radar your doing something right.

Jordan Morgan is going to surprise some people as well and we remember this kid was getting bashed by the message board members that Beilein can’t recruit people and going after lower tier prospects. Well his stock is rising and it helps that he loves Michigan and he is helping spread the word about Coach Beilein and Michigan.

Coach Beilein might not be the fastest coach in America to offer a kid right now, but the one thing he is doing is making sure kids know that they are very interested in certain kids and they do not offer kids just because other programs have offered. The coaches also are telling the kids that Coach Beilein is more old fashion and wants to see these kids in person along with let them be kids and offer them when he feels it is the right time. He is getting many younger players coming to Michigan for visits and showing interest in Michigan and that is a good thing right now.

Basketball Renovations:
Regarding the basketball facilities, I have been sticking my neck out there a lot about this debate from the Martin haters and Beilein haters. Some people do not understand no matter how many times you explain it to them how things are done at Michigan. If Bill Martin had somebody step up 5 years ago with the money the basketball, practice facility would have been built. Bill Martin is still waiting for that major donor to send in a check. He is going ahead with the project and that is in regards to the football renovations going over so well this early.

Rumors are they have over forty-five of the luxury boxes sold and could be closer to sixty by now out of the eighty-three they have to be sold. They have until 2010 football season to sell them so they have along time yet. Also hearing that a lot of the outdoor seating is going well along with the towers which they have four of them and have donors stepping up with naming rights to two of them already. Why is all this matter to the basketball facility because Martin is taking some of that money to get the basketball practice facility started while he is still waiting for a donor to step up for the basketball program and he is tired of waiting for them and the promises that they were giving the coaches and players. Also shows that Martin is not going to be blackmailed into accepting money from somebody that is demanding certain things that will not happen at Michigan at least not now and for sometime.

A newspaper person wrote an article about it took the Carr over six years to raise money for the football practice facility worth around 25 million dollars. Well it was more like twelve years, but for the “cash cow” to take that long it shows how things are done at Michigan.

Another thing that a newspaper person put out there that the basketball practice facility will not be started until the football renovations is over. Well again, we aren’t disagreeing with this person and many other people that do not have a grasp on things. We have been told that the basketball practice facility could possible break ground this year yet (if things go right), but most likely it will done in the spring of ’09. Martin has to take the idea to the Regents and this is usually a three to four step process.

We believe he will take the first step to them in August or September and of course they have to approve every step and if they see something wrong then it has to be corrected before they can move onto the next step. Therefore, it could be done this year yet, but everything would have to fall into line perfectly and that includes getting the bids out there and the companies starting on it immediately after being rewarded the job. In addition, weather at that time could be a huge factor especially if it starts in December of ’08 or January of ’09.

Now for Crisler Arena we have heard they will wait until the football renovations are over in ‘10 just so it will not be as congested with all the construction going on especially if the basketball practice facility is going on at the same time as well. We have heard anything from twenty-five million to 75 million ranges to upgrade Crisler Arena and expect it to be in several phases such as the practice facility, inside of Crisler Arena, then the concourse/outside areas.

They had the same type of ideas with Michigan stadium where they had three plans and choose the middle of the road plan so we are assuming that they will do the same thing here and be around the fifty million range.

They have already added several things to upgrade the facility, which includes, as many people know the locker rooms, the weight room, lounge area, film room, lights in Crisler, speakers in Crisler, redoing the floor in Crisler.

Several suggestions were handed out to the basketball program during their meet and greet several months ago to get the student body more involved and some of them were have more get together with the students and even invite students in for practices. There were suggestions of more bench seating for students and other fans that want to stand and make a lot of noise during the game. Well the first thing is need to sell the spaces they have first and get students to the games. We heard they are thinking of adding more benches possible around the baskets on both ends of the floor, but students are going to have to start participating for some of these changes to occur. Also with these types of changes, they could actually move the band up into these benches, be closer to the students, and be up in the air a little bit so the entire arena can hear the band.

Not saying these types of things will happen, but they are looking at ideas of making Crisler Arena more fan friendly along with making it into a place tough to play in.

Just a reminder, you must be a member to participate on the free Message Board. Here is the link for the registration page for those people interested in becoming a GBMWolverine member of our message board. GBMWolverine Register.

Please comment on our GBMWolverine Message Board about this article and read what others comment.

You can contact us at our e-mail address: GBMWolverine

Please follow us on Twitter: @GBMWolverine

Written by GBMWolverine Staff

Go Blue — Wear Maize!