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Michigan Basketball Needs an Influx of NBA talent

By Chris Peterson

Mar 18, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (12) controls the ball against Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Rex Pflueger (0) in the second half in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman (12) controls the ball against Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Rex Pflueger (0) in the second half in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /
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Not long ago, the Michigan basketball team was filled with NBA players. Now the Wolverines are lacking in pro-caliber players and the lack of talent has turned into a glaring weakness.

To win in NCAA college basketball you need a lot of things: A great coach and great resources are two, the other is talented players and the latter is something the Michigan basketball team is starting to lack.

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Don’t get me wrong, Michigan basketball is not void of talent. In fact, the Wolverines have some nice college players and with their entire starting lineup back from last year’s NCAA tournament, UM really should be dancing once again in 2017.

Yet, is getting to the NCAA tournament good enough? The answer should be no.

After all, this program is just a few seasons removed from playing in the National Championship game; appearing in consecutive elite eights and getting a piece of the Big Ten championship two times in three years.

Head coach John Beilien set the bar high for Michigan basketball and after coming within a shot of back-to-back trips to the Final Four, it seemed as though the Wolverines had established themselves as one of the nation’s top programs.

However, the past two seasons have brought them back down to earth. Of course, the injuries to Caris Lavert didn’t help. But outside of Lavert, there was no player with sure-fire NBA ability.

Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin both came into the program with high expectations and while they have each had their moments, neither has developed like they were expected to.

However, the biggest problem for Beilein and Michigan isn’t the lack of developing players, it’s the outright lack of star players.

Trey Burke and Nik Stauskas won Big Ten Player of the Year in consecutive seasons, a major achievement for any big-time college program. Lavert should have contended for one in 2015 and 2016, but was limited by ongoing injury woes.

Yet even if Lavert had fulfilled his promise, it wouldn’t change the fact that Michigan basketball is falling behind in the recruiting game and fast. Beilien’s last couple of classes have been anything but impressive and with no big-time star on the way this season, that trend could continue.

The 2016 class does features a pair of four-star players in point guard Xavier Simpson and center Jon Teske, but unless they exceed expectations the way Burke and Stauskas did, I wouldn’t expect an earth-shattering impact from either guy.

For a short time, Michigan had a chance at big recruits; the program had momentum it seemed destined to be one of the big boys.

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Now, those days are long gone and the only thing that will bring them back, is the return of some star players to Ann Arbor.

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