Michigan Basketball Open Practice Thoughts

 

Another football season is almost over, and with it another blog absence. Last year I forced myself to get through most of the atrocious season, and this year I stopped caring before the leaves changed. However, as the football team blindly stumbles to a finish it brings the start of the basketball season.  Coach Beilein held an open practice for Team 99, and I was lucky enough to attend. Even though many writers have posted their opinions of the 60 minute practice, I wanted to throw out some of my impressions.

 

First thing that I noticed was just how much I enjoyed sitting with a friend listening to John Beilein coach the game that I love. This was not just a shoot around or midnight madness type event. The B1G’s best coach used the hour to actually coach and try to make his team better. From running ‘warm-up’ drills that had most of the team reaching for towels to sending a few players up the stairs for playing ‘pretty’ basketball.

The practice started with a series of drills and then ended with a few minutes of light scrimmaging.  While there may be questions about the team’s physicality or defense, there is absolutely no question about their athleticism. It seems like Michigan is preparing to run a 9 man rotation with Biefeldt and likely MAAR inserted in times of foul trouble or injury, with 10 of those 11 players being extremely athletic. Right now it appears to be Coach Beilein’s most athletic roster since coming to Ann Arbor. Athleticism doesn’t equal wins (just ask Kentucky), but this program has been rebuilt.

Some quick individual notes:

Aubrey Dawkins will play valuable minutes for this year’s team.  I really don’t understand how his major offer was Dayton until Michigan came calling late in the recruiting period. He jumps out of the gym, runs well, has a very repeatable/smooth release that is unblockable thanks to his jumping ability, seemingly has a high IQ being the son of a coach, and has a very solid 6’6” frame.  He is light years ahead of where Caris LeVert was at this point of their freshman seasons. Of course I need to note that Dawkins took a prep year, while Caris is extremely young for his age so NBA scouts would look at both of them as ‘sophomores’. I am going to go out on a limb and say, with this coaching staff, Dawkins has the ability to develop into an all-conference type performer that will get a shot in the NBA. Not bad for another late recruiting find.

A lot of players worked extremely hard this summer with Strength Coach John Sanderson. Derrick Walton, Zak Irvin, Spike Albrecht, Caris LeVert, DJ Wilson, and Ricky Doyle all have different bodies than they did in April.  Most notably Derrick, Zak, and Spike put on a lot of muscle which should help them withstand the physicality of the B1G schedule.

Kam Chatman looks very comfortable with the ball in his hands. This should add another dimension to Michigan’s fast break game as the Wolverines will likely have 4 players on the floor that can handle the ball and push the tempo. Having this versatility should create a lot of open transition threes (remember most of Irvin’s shot attempts?). Of course he is still a freshman and will likely be looking to add 15 pounds of muscle next summer, but he will be your starter at the 4 spot from day 1.

The Center position still looks up for grabs. Mark Donnal got the run with the first team last night but is still struggling with his confidence, especially when catching the ball in the post. Ricky Doyle seemed to be dealing with some sort of minor injury, and was only able to participate in roughly half of the practice. However, when healthy Doyle offers a much bigger body which will really help in the pick and roll game, but will likely be limited by conditioning (think freshman McGary). DJ Wilson also got some playing time at the 5, and immediately his length impacts the game. He is the lone true rim protector on the team, but his strength will be put to the test against some of the bigger players in the conference. Each player brings a different specialty to the table, and all three will see the floor this season.  All Michigan needs is a passable center that can hold his own on the glass and is not a complete defensive liability, and I think these guys will be able to offer this by the end of the season.  But watch out when these guys feel comfortable in their roles because John Beilein’s last two offenses have been some of the best college basketball has seen the past 20 years, and that is without a center that can stretch the floor.

Coach Beilein ended practice by pointing out this team’s potential, and said ‘watch this team grow.’ I don’t know what Team 99’s ceiling is or how they will finish in the B1G, but I do know  they will continue to improve and it will be another fun ride.