GBMWolverine
Fansided

5 thoughts on Michigan Basketball moving forward

By Chris Peterson

PISCATAWAY, NJ - FEBRUARY 23: Head coach Juwan Howard of the Michigan Wolverines gestures as he talks to Kobe Bufkin #2 during the first half of a game at Jersey Mike's Arena on February 23, 2023 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Michigan defeated Rutgers 58-45. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ - FEBRUARY 23: Head coach Juwan Howard of the Michigan Wolverines gestures as he talks to Kobe Bufkin #2 during the first half of a game at Jersey Mike's Arena on February 23, 2023 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Michigan defeated Rutgers 58-45. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
John Beilein is introduced during halftime as Michigan honors the 10-year anniversary of the 2013 run to the Final Four and national title game at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023.
John Beilein is introduced during halftime as Michigan honors the 10-year anniversary of the 2013 run to the Final Four and national title game at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023. /

Recruiting more like Beilein

John Beilein had an interesting recruiting strategy. Most of the time, he wouldn’t offer recruits until they took a visit to campus, and rarely, did he go after one-and-one type players.

Some of his players developed very quickly and wound up leaving for the NBA draft sooner than expected. That’s going to happen, but if Michigan loses Bufkin and Howard to the NBA draft, it will make two years in a row that potential stars leave early.

Imagine if Houstan and Diabate had come back? Michigan would have had five All-Big Ten caliber talents. It might not have worked out that way with different shot numbers but there’s no doubt, depth wouldn’t have been an issue.

So how do you strike that balance? You need to get guys like Jalen Wilson. He was a Michigan commit before Beilein went to the NBA and he’s still leading Kansas.

Dug McDaniel is exactly the right kind of player. He will be a four-year point guard. That’s more of what Michigan needs. The Wolverines don’t have the NIL game to land five stars anyway, so they need to find their sweet spot in the 50-100 range and hit on those guys, as well as the portal.

One-and-done types bring talent, but most of the time, unless they are the elite of the elite, their impact in the first year is limited and just when they are about to become productive, as with Houstan and Diabate, they head to the NBA.

Juwan has already done a good job of recruiting those multi-year guys, but it just needs to become a higher priority and the evaluations need to be better or the development does.

Home/Michigan Basketball