U of M Basketball Recruiting Discussion

[Mike]

I’d rather have Dickinson than Wagner anyway. At least at the college level. If Hunter picks up another move or two he’ll be nearly unstoppable down low. Should be another really good season.

[Cody_Russell]

Michigan picked up a commitment on Saturday from Davante Jones, a SG from Coastal Carolina via the transfer portal. Jones fills the spot left by the departure of Mike Smith, who was also a transfer player. Jones was the Sun Belt player of the year last season, and has been one of the top players in the conference for the last three seasons.

Michigan is now one player over the limit for scholarships but they expect to lose at least one of Franz Wagner or Hunter Dickinson. Jones will also be testing the NBA waters to be evaluated, so its possible he may choose to go to the NBA instead.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sp...es/4903356001/

Nice pickup for M.
Mike Smith was a pleasant surprise. I think Jones has much more potential than Mike Smith did coming into last season.
In other words, DeVante Jones at Coastal Carolina >>> Mike Smith at Columbia.

If only Nunez would transfer... we wouldn't have to worry about the scholarship count.... come on Nunez, you aren't cracking the rotation.

[lineygoblue]

DeVante Jones at Coastal Carolina >>> Mike Smith at Columbia.

Yeah, I think it looks that way on paper, but we'll see how it translates over to the court. Big Ten competition is better than Sun Belt. But then, basketball is basketball, so we'll see.

Coach Howard seems to be good at blending his talent, so this could be a big addition. Hopefully Jones doesn't scratch that NBA itch.

[WM Wolverine]

Sholarships shouldn't be an issue with covid years...

Regardless, expect Wagner is gone but think he could use another college season. He's room to grow as an All american rather than being on the outside of an NBA rotation.

[hack]

IMO Wagner is absolutely ready to go. He's right at that nice midpoint between productive college player and talented teenager with loads of upside, and he's not going to be out the fringes of any rotation. I don't know that he's a day-one starter on any team in his rookie year -- depends where he goes -- but he's a mid-late lottery pick and well deserving of that status. He and Scottie Barnes are in that same neighborhood.

I don't like Devante Jones this year as much as I liked Mike Smith last year, on offense at least. On defense he's certainly an upgrade. Jones gives me ballhog vibes. But Juwan wants him and so Juwan should have him. Assuming he buys in to what is going on here, we should again prepare to contend for the conference title and the Final Four. If Dickinson comes back with a left hand and if two of the three McDonalds All-Americans truly thrive as frosh -- most likely Houstan on both ends and Diabate on D -- Michigan has the potential to be a real contender. Probably will match up exceptionally well with Gonzaga.

[lineygoblue]

Heading 180 degrees opposite of football recruiting, Juwan Howard got some good news today when DeVante Jones, a guard from Coastal Carolina, withdrew his name from NBA consideration, and said he will be attending Michigan next year as a graduate transfer. He says in the Detroit News article that he wants to exhibit his skills on a higher level like the Big Ten in order to gain some respect from NBA evaluators.

Apparently his NBA evaluation was not so good, and some feel that his skills will fall off, when he plays in a tougher conference. Sounds like he's highly motivated.

Now if we could just get some good news from Hunter Dickinson this week, the upcoming season could be looking good.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/2021/07/05/devante-jones-withdraws-name-nba-draft-michigan-wolverines/7865120002/

[THE_WIZARD_]

shaddup

[lineygoblue]

You need to shaddup the shaddup up.

[lineygoblue]

Jett Howard went #11 in the draft tonight to Orlando.

Kobe Bufkin went #15 to the Atlanta Hawks.

I have no idea why. Neither of them helped Michigan very much this season.

[Da Geezer]

Well, it happened again.

https://brobible.com/sports/article/johnell-davis-michigan-admissions-denied-transfer-basketball/

Pride is a sin, and the only rationale for this type of nonsense is a false sense of pride. Santa should interveen.

[Mike]

Unbelievable.

[Jeff Buchanan]

It's unfortunate but not unexpected. The Provost, I believe it is, has the responsibility to audit the transferee's academic grades and records. There is probably a record of what were acceptable transfer credits and what weren't for this guy but they are not public. Neither is the bar that a transferee has to get over wrt college credits that can be transferred.

If you start making exceptions from the standard for athletes, the U will get sued by those seeking transfer without being an athlete. I'm not saying that's right, it isn't but I believe what credits are transferable and what credits aren't is subjective allowing a bias to develop for persons doing the reviewing. I don't know but the way to fix that is to publish the bar a transferee has to get over. This is where Santa Ono could have an impact. Force an audit of the Provost and order standards for acceptable transfer credits. That takes the subjectivity and bias out of the equation.

[Da Geezer]

It's unfortunate but not unexpected. The Provost, I believe it is, has the responsibility to audit the transferee's academic grades and records. There is probably a record of what were acceptable transfer credits and what weren't for this guy but they are not public. Neither is the bar that a transferee has to get over wrt college credits that can be transferred.

If you start making exceptions from the standard for athletes, the U will get sued by those seeking transfer without being an athlete. I'm not saying that's right, it isn't but I believe what credits are transferable and what credits aren't is subjective allowing a bias to develop for persons doing the reviewing. I don't know but the way to fix that is to publish the bar a transferee has to get over. This is where Santa Ono could have an impact. Force an audit of the Provost and order standards for acceptable transfer credits. That takes the subjectivity and bias out of the equation.

I agree with the thrust of this with a few comments:

1. Both Hinton and Nugent transferred to UM from Stanford. According to them, they were forced to retake courses they already had at Stanford. Nugent particularly noted a freshman writing class that used the same book that he had used at Stanford during his freshman year. I'd rather see the Provost tell us why these men have to retake classes they already have taken at a university that is more challenging than UM (and more highly rated). In this sense, auditing the Provost would be positive. I'm against reducing any of this to writing because that will set up another bureaucracy. I strongly recommend the book The Death of Common Sense in America. The thesis of Howard's book is that law, legality, and bureaucratic process are drowning Common Sense in the US. It was writen in 1995, but is more relevant today.

2. There is no law prohibiting UM from discriminating in favor of athletes, particularly those in revenue-producing sports. These athletes contribute to the finances of the university just as much as any other donor. Now, with DEI, athletic stars can be treated like employees of the University, and the U has a right to "hire" those who are most productive. That is why the head coach is paid more than the Provost. Babe Ruth, when asked if he was embarrassed to be making more than the President replied, " No, I had a better year than the President." These star transfers like Terrence Shannon, Troy Love, and now Johnelle Davis had better years than any UM basketball player, and they deserve preferential treatment, for the good of the University,

Further, DEI proponents argue that having a spectrum of folks on campus benefits the learning environment. Having a sports star in your class is a college "experience". I have a friend who lived in the dorm with Reggie McKenzie. He still talks about that. IMO diversity arguments are total bullshit, but if the administration justifies their actions in other matters on DEI, then they should logically do so for star transfers.

3. This process will always be subjective. It is the job of the President of the U to overrule mistakes by his employees, and Santa doesn't need any more justification more than "for the good of UM" to do so. He should. Only pride keeps these academics from following the vast majority of colleges.