Could Mark Donnal Be An Upgrade For Michigan?

An article composed for Wolverine247 of 247Sports looking at whether Mark Donnal could actually be an upgrade at the center position for Michigan basketball next season.

My breakdown on Mark Donnal and whether he can actually improve the center position for Michigan - http://t.co/RSFPSThj5F via @247Sports
— Thomas Beindit (@tbeindit) July 17, 2014

Big Ten Conspiracies: How The NCAA & SEC Ruined Michigan's 2014-2015 Season

A nice little joke piece looking at a conspiracy about Michigan basketball.  FYI, not serious.

Big Ten Conspiracies: How The NCAA Ruined Michigan's 2014-2015 Season (Satire) http://t.co/z98S8vjDUT
— Thomas Beindit (@tbeindit) May 8, 2014

Jon Horford Transfer Thoughts

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

A piece composed for Wolverine247 of 247Sports analyzing the transfer announcement of Michigan basketball player Jon Horford and its impact on the Michigan roster.

Jon Horford Transfer Thoughts http://t.co/VBMCVNI9SM via @247Sports
— Thomas Beindit (@tbeindit) April 11, 2014

Horford Expects To Return For 2014-15 Season

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

Check out the story and thoughts:

Horford Expects To Return For 2014-15 Season

Preview: Michigan vs. Iowa - Jon Horford's Time To Shine

Photo Credit: Laura Pratt

Check out the preview linked below:

Preview: Michigan vs. Iowa

2013-2014 Michigan Basketball Preview: Big Men

Photo Credit: Laura Pratt

Here's a look at what many consider to be the team's position of strength for this season:

2013-2014 Michigan Basketball Preview: Big Men

What If Evan Smotrycz Had Stayed?

Photo Credit: Thomas Beindit

Over the last few weeks, I have been looking at some of the hypothetical situations that could have impacted Michigan basketball over the last few seasons.  First, I looked at what could have happened if Trey Burke had stayed committed to Penn State instead of coming to Michigan.  Then I looked at what could have happened if Darius Morris had opted to return for another season at Michigan.  This time, I am going to look at what could have happened if Evan Smotrycz had stayed at Michigan.

Smotrycz was not a great player for Michigan.  He played just two seasons for the Wolverines and failed to average 10 points per game in either season.  In his first season, he averaged just 17.8 minutes, 6.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game.  He increased those numbers in his second season to 21.1 minutes, 7.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game.  So he wasn't great, but he was certainly a solid player.  The big problem he experienced in his sophomore season was that he often got put out of position in the lineup due to Jordan Morgan's foul trouble, which significantly limited his play.  I remember even joking during his second season that he had to have the highest foul to minute ratio in the Big Ten because he would often foul just seconds after getting on the floor.  So what would have happened if he stayed?  Let's take a look:

2012-2013 Season:
For as average as his contributions were to Michigan as a sophomore, I cannot express how big his return would have been for Michigan last season.  With Zack Novak gone, Mitch McGary in Ann Arbor, and Jon Horford back from injury, Smotrycz would have started from day one.  The lineup would have been: Morgan, Smotrycz, GR3, Hardaway, Burke.  Then McGary, Horford, Stauskas, LeVert, and Spike would have come off the bench.  Think about that.  That bench lineup would have probably done alright in the Big Ten and they would have been coming off the bench.

The big problem for Michigan's big men all season was that they were inefficient on the offensive end.  Well, Smotrycz was much better on the offensive end than the defensive end contrary to Michigan's other big men.  This would have given Michigan the offensive boost while also adding some size inside to help on defense and in rebounding.  Plus, GR3 would have been able to play his natural position.  McGary would have eventually moved in and started at the 5, but I'm not even sure Louisville could have slowed down Michigan's offense at that point.

2013-2014 Season:
At this time, we're really stretching this hypothetical situation, but it's hypothetical so why not?  This would be Smotrycz's senior year.  Assuming the same players leave after last year in this situation, that would likely give Michigan a starting lineup of: McGary, Smotrycz, GR3, Stauskas, Walton.  Then Irvin, Morgan, Horford, LeVert, and Spike would come off the bench.  For the second straight season, Michigan would have a fully capable bench lineup that could probably beat a few teams in the Big Ten.

It's tough to imagine this roster not going really far in the NCAA Tournament.  They would have a boatload of talent, experience, and depth across the board.  Every single position on the roster would be proven except point guard, where a 4* recruit would be coming to campus and Michigan would have a backup that scored 17 points in the national championship game (assuming this happened again).  I would also be hard pressed to see this team ranked anywhere outside of the very top of the preseason rankings and probably would have been higher than they even are now (Michigan - #4 by CBS & #10 by ESPN).

Overall
If Smotrycz had opted to stay in Ann Arbor, it certainly would have been a welcome addition to last year and this year's Wolverines.  Whether it would have ultimately changed the result remains to be seen, but with his size and his offensive weapons, things would have boded well for the team.  Of course, he did decide to transfer to Maryland and it will be interesting to see if Michigan is slotted to play Smotrycz in the 2014-2015 season for what will now be Smotrycz's senior season.  Interestingly enough, the only player that could be left on Michigan's roster who played with Smotrycz at Michigan would be Jon Horford as everyone else will have graduated, transferred, or went to the NBA from the 2011-2012 squad.

Is Horford The Key To Beating Indiana?

With Michigan's epic showdown against Indiana coming on Saturday, there has been a lot of discussion about which matchups are the most important and who is expected to have the biggest games.  In this post, I broke down Horford's role in the game and his matchup with Cody Zeller.  To read the story, click here:

Is Horford The Key?

Basketball Notes & Updates - Slippery Rock

There has been quite a bit of news on the basketball front in the past few days.  Although this isn't a news site and we aren't in the practice of simply reposting news stories, this seemed an appropriate time to post on some of these developments.  One of two minor developments wouldn't have been that important, but after a bunch happen, it's enough for an interesting post. None of these updates are that interesting alone, but there are definitely some recent developments that will be important both for this season and the future.

The first thing I would like to address is the injury to Nik Stauskas that John Beilein announced earlier today.  In my post following the Northern Michigan game, I talked about the impressive play of Stauskas and about how I thought he was going to be an important part of this team.  He has been having some problems with his back and will likely miss at least the Slippery Rock game.  This shouldn't be a major concern for now since Michigan should blow past Slippery Rock and the following two opponents.  After that, Michigan will get close to a week off before they face the quality teams in the Preseason NIT Tournament.  Let's just hope he's ready by then or Michigan will have to look for someone to make some big contributions off the bench.

Previewing The Roster: Jordan Morgan

One of the most consistent players over the last two seasons has been Jordan Morgan, the 6'8" center out of Detroit, Michigan.  Morgan will be a redshirt junior this season and may not have the same expectations as players like Trey Burke, who was recently named a preseason All-American, but many fans are looking for improved play from Morgan this season.  This will probably be the season with the most depth both at and around Morgan's position during his career, which means that he will have to battle for minutes, even if he ends up being Michigan's starting center, which I have already projected.

Morgan may have been on a better team last season, but that really didn't show in his numbers.  In fact, the majority of his production actually decreased.  He averaged 24.4 minutes, 7.3 points, and 5.62 rebounds per game during the 2011-2012 season.  In the season before, he average 0.4 fewer minutes, but actually averaged almost 2 more points per game and 0.3 less rebounds per game.  Arguably, a big piece of this was due to the emergence of Jon Horford, who got some significant playing time in the early season and actually started the first game of the season, but that kind of decrease is not what you like to see between a freshman and sophomore season, even if he did redshirt.  Of course, the team was better around him and there were more contributors, but if a guy averages more playing time, decreases on his points scored by a significant margin, and barely increases his rebounding, there are going to be some concerns going into the next year.

Previewing The Roster: Bigs

Photo Credit: Todd White

Earlier, I did a preview of Michigan's wings and who I thought would contribute the most for the 2012-2013 Michigan basketball season.  This time, I will be taking a look at Michigan's bigs and how the position group is looking for the season.  In the past few years, this has been a pretty weak area for Michigan.  When Zack Novak is playing the 4 spot and players like Evan Smotrycz play with such inconsistency, it will definitely not be the strength of the team.  However, this year, things are looking different.

Not only is Michigan returning every true big man on the roster except one (Smotrycz), but they are bringing in one of the most heralded recruits in the country at the position; Mitch McGary.  It's rare that a freshman recruit can come in at completely redefine a team's play in the paint, but not only have there been several recent examples (Cody Zeller, Anthony Davis) of big men coming in and changing a team's dynamic in one offseason, but Michigan is also bringing back three very experienced big men and a redshirt freshman with a ton of potential.

Hot Topics: How Should Michigan's Backup Big Men Rank?

On a regular basis, our writers will break down a "Hot Topic" among the Michigan fans and express their personal opinions regarding the issue. Topics cover everything from major athletic department decisions to team apparel. Writers have their own opinions and readers and their views may not necessarily represent Hoke's Mad Magicians as an entity.  Readers are welcome to comment below or contact our writers via Twitter with their own thoughts.



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Previewing The Roster: Jon Horford

One of the biggest offseason stories leading up to last season was the coverage and improvement of Jon Horford.  Rumors were that he had passed Jordan Morgan on the depth chart and was in place to make some major contributions in his second season at Michigan.  Part of those rumors were true.  Horford started at the very beginning of the season and contributed pretty heavily during his limited play last season.  However, he was passed pretty quickly on the depth chart by Morgan and later suffered an injury that ended his season.

Horford had some pretty good production last year.  Averaging 10.8 minutes, 2.7 points, and 3.56 rebounds per game.  Not exactly record-setting numbers, but that's pretty solid production for a sophomore off the bench.  He also amassed 9 blocks and 3 steals during that time period.  His defense was definitely the strongest part of his game and these skills should allow him to get some solid playing time this year, especially anytime starters get in foul trouble.  I didn't predict Horford having a starting job going into this year, but I think he could easily develop into Michigan's most productive bench player.

Previewing The Roster: Blake McLimans

One of the fan favorites on the roster in recent years has been Blake McLimans from Hamburg, New York. He'll be a senior this year and despite making limited contributions during his career, he was an important piece for the Michigan team that won a Big Ten championship last season.  He's certainly not the most talented or the biggest contributor on the team, but bench players are a key piece of any team, especially for getting through some of the more difficult games mid-season.

One interesting thing to note about McLimans is that although he is a senior, he technically still has the option to come back for another year.  During his freshman season, he effectively redshirted, but with Michigan's incoming recruiting classes, it's pretty doubtful that he will be renewed for a 5th year.  This likely makes this year McLimans' last chance to make an impact at Michigan as a player.  Last year, McLimans actually played in 5 more games than he did the year before, but his total minutes and points decreased.  One could argue this was a step back, but part of it was the emergence of Jon Horford, which decreased his minutes, and the later injury of Horford, which meant McLimans played much of his time against the tougher Big Ten teams.  Despite these challenges, McLimans arguably improved his play and has the potential to be a solid player off the bench this year.

Updating 2013 Commit Mark Donnal

For the second consecutive year, Michigan will be bringing in a ESPN100 "big man" for their recruiting class.  In 2012, the Wolverines brought in Mitch McGary and now they will be bringing in Mark Donnal for 2013.  Donnal hasn't received the same hype or rankings as McGary, but he is a very talented player and will complement what already should be a pretty solid team in 2013-2014.  The most exciting thing about Donnal, however, is the fact that fans could potentially see him on the floor at the same time as McGary, which would be a lineup that should leave fans mouths watering.

Donnal has a multitude of talents that will make him a great pickup for the Wolverines.  He has the ability to play above the rim and shoot from distance.  In fact, his shooting ability is one of the main reasons he should fit into Beilein's offense so well.  In a post by UMHoops,it was said that, "A lot of guys can step up and shoot, but [Donnal] can set a ball screen, pop, set a side ball screen and pop, and he's getting better on the block."  This shooting ability will separate him from many other big men and should hopefully pay dividends for Michigan.  He's also been improving on his rebounding abilities, which could make him even more deadly once he arrives on campus.  If this part of his game improves, he may also move up in the 2013 rankings.  This does little to help his actual game, but it is pretty exciting for fans to witness.  Donnal has also been cited as having a great motor, the ability to shot block,and as a good low post scorer.  All things that make him into one of the best players in Michigan's 2013 class.

Recapping 2012 Commit Mitch McGary

Arguably Michigan's most heralded recruit in years, Mitch McGary will be bringing an amazing set of talents to Ann Arbor.  When he first committed to play for Michigan over Duke, the Michigan fanbase seemed to flip upside down.  The excitement level and his ratings have faded slightly, but there will still be a lot of attention when he starts playing for the Wolverines.  He joins one of the best classes in the nation and seems very likely to make an immediate impact for the Wolverines.


McGary offers Michigan something they haven't had in quite a while, an elite big man.  Standing at 6'10 and weighing 225 lbs, McGary is a pretty big athlete.  Jordan Morgan and Jon Horford really aren't that much smaller than McGary and in fact, Horford is just as tall as McGary and weighs a bit more, but McGary is more athletic than both Morgan and Horford.  Imagine Morgan's rebounding ability combined with Horford's speed.  Along with this, McGary's offensive skills don't seem to be completely developed at this point, but I think they're better than what Morgan and Horford can offer.  I really like Jordan Morgan, but let's be honest, if he isn't doing a two-handed dunk, it's probably not going in.  McGary can do much more than this and I think he can get a lot better as he develops his offensive game.  He's a physical big man that really will give Michigan an advantage next season and beyond.

Jon Horford Involved With Dominican Republic National Basketball Team

Michigan basketball has officially started down the path to the 2012 Olympics.  It was released yesterday that Jon Horford, a junior on Michigan's basketball team, is currently attempting to make the Dominican Republic's national team.  What does this mean?  Many reported that he had already made the team, but later reports have confirmed that he is not officially on the team at this point.

I think every Michigan fan would be excited about watching a current Michigan basketball player compete in London for the Olympics this summer.  However, there are a few things to note before the entire fan base starts celebrating this achievement.  First, Horford is not actually on the team at this point.  He is practicing with the team, but hasn't been confirmed as a member yet.  Along with this, national teams have to play in qualifying rounds to make the Olympic games in London.  Basically, just because you're on a national team doesn't guarantee you in a spot in the Olympics.

Right now, the Dominican Republic basketball team does not have a spot guaranteed in the 2012 Olympics. The Painted Area, a basketball blog, did a set of power rankings regarding 2012 Olympics basketball and has the Dominican Republic listed as "strong contenders" to get a spot in London.  I'm not going to make elaborate predictions on whether they'll make it or not, largely because I don't follow world basketball that closely, but the point is still clear, even if Horford makes the team, he may not actually make the Olympic games this summer.

Michigan Basketball Now Faced With Big Transfer Problems

In an extremely unexpected move, John Beilein announced today that three members of Michigan's basketball team were leaving the program and planning to transfer elsewhere.  Typically, almost any program (especially a successful one with some great incoming recruits) has to endure some transfers.  However, this time, it was the individuals that decided to transfer that really took many by surprise.  Evan Smotrycz, Carlton Brundidge, and Colton Christian all decided to leave the team.

The big thing to mark here is that none of these transfers are program or team killing.  The team was not built around any of these three players and I don't think anybody would say any of these guys were the best on Michigan's current or future squads.  Having said that, these transfers are very significant.  You have one player who made major contributions this season, another plaery who was likely going to contribute big time next year, and a guy who, frankl,y shouldn't hurt too much.  The team is likely going to have to make some adjustments now if they want to be able to compete with the great teams next year.

The biggest challenge by far is going to be filling the void left by Evan Smotrycz.  He may not have started for the last several months of the season, but that's primarily because he was replaced by Stu Douglass (who will be graduated before next season).  Without Smotrycz, there is not really a guy who is going to be a great fit to fill the "4" spot on the roster.  Almost everybody assumed he was going to start and play significant time next season in the "4" spot.  This is a better and more natural fit for Evan and this was apparent when he was forced to play at the "5" this year because of Jordan Morgan's foul trouble and Jon Horford's season-ending injury.

In order to address his transfer, I'm assuming that the coaching staff is now going to have Mitch McGary play the "4" spot.  Most had McGary projected as playing center or the "5" spot on the roster, but I don't see how Morgan or Horford are going to be able to move down.  Perhaps Horford could play the "4" spot, but there's no way Morgan is going to be able to play anything but center.  The most logical solution to this problem would be to have McGary play the "4" and leave Morgan and Horford to rotate as the team's center.  This way Beilein can get Morgan and McGary on the floor at the same time.  Without Smotrycz and with Horford's season-ending injury, these guys should be "locks" for the best two "Big Men" on the team.

Michigan is finally going to be able to play "big" next season and this means Beilein is going to want his best "Big Men" on the court.  This should be, without a doubt, Morgan and McGary.  Since I, and I'm assuming most others, don't see Morgan as a "4", the coaching staff is going to have to play McGary there if they want two quality "Big Men" on the court at once.  McGary probably would have done better at the "5" spot, but without Smotrycz, I just don't see another option for Beilein at this point.

Now, addressing Smotrycz's transfer is going to be the biggest challenge of losing these three players, but Brundidge could leave a hole as well.  He was the closest thing Michigan had to a backup point guard for next season and without him, Burke is going to be forced to do what he did this year, play just about the entire game.  This may not have hurt Michigan too much this season, but Michigan was really looking for someone that could pick-up the slack for Burke when he needed it.  Brundidge was certainly the best option for this next year, but Beilein is going to have to look elsewhere next year.

These kind of losses may not seem significant, but if there was an injury to Burke (PLEASE NO!!!), Michigan fans would surely miss Brundidge.  Christian didn't really have a ton of significance for next year's team simply because he was deep on the depth chart and unlikely to get much playing time at all, especially with guys like McGary coming on-board, but Smotrycz and Brundidge's exits will certainly be factors.  Fans just need to hope that for the second year in a row Michigan will be able to replace a player that exited unexpectedly.


Photo Credit: AnnArbor.com