I enjoy surfing Ebay for crap I don't need. Why not share that?

The game was known as baby seal.. So was the program they sold. The most un-athletic cover in Michigan Program history.

Michigan seem to hit a peak when beating OSU. Then MSU lost to OSU giving Michigan its first Big Title since 1986. The team was different. Their edge was gone. The defense intensity seem to vanish. Our two seniors no showed in the last three games which is odd since Stu and Zack been pretty consistent players over the years. So what happened?

After so much promise and what seemed liked nothing but momentum has been building until the team has hit a rough skid. End the season losing two games and three transfers and Burke looking at the NBA(which he should). My take on this all goes back to winning a share of the B10 title. The goal of winning it was a tall order and they some how did it. I really think they became content. Stopped digging in on defense. They were a whole other team after the B10 trophy showed up at Crisler. The ball even stopped moving. The team was in a funk. No more where they the rag tag bunch of over achievers playing the under dog role. As the season moved along they were expected to win and now are the hunted. I think that all mounted on them, along with being champs. All new territory for this team and Michigan. They started flat and looked lifeless vs Minn,OSU and Ohio.

Seniors go M.I.A

Corner pocket!

Its strange, Stu and Zack were never stat stuffers but they were always good for some 3pt makes,rebounding and just making smart plays. It seemed they both hit a skid at the worst possible time. They hit it at the end. The end of of everything.

Zack Novak combined stats vs Minn,OSU and Ohio

FG: 9-20 3pt: 4-10 Reb: 11 Turnovers: 4

So not as bad as I thought but there is no doubt there was some thing missing from his game. Only 11 Rebs in three games when he avg almost 5 a game. May not seem like much of a drop off but how bad Michigan is at rebounding it doesn't take much to make an effect.





Stu Douglas combined stat vs Minn, OSU and Ohio

Aww Stu. I remember when you were a pumpkin pie haircutted freak freshmen.

FG: 6-18 3pt: 3-9 AST: 4 Steals: 0

Stu struggled big time in the last three. He avg almost a steal a game and got 0 in the last three. Ast down a bit as he only avg 2 and hit a shooting slump.

All these little drop offs add up in a game. When you got six or seven deep and can't go to another player on the bench  it matters a lot. Maybe they were just tired? I'll go back to the winning a B10 title. Being settled and happy have set in. It can be only human nature when you achieve such a tough goal.

The Trey Burke Offense

I think the team became watchers. Going from a team that has always moved the ball well to a team that dribbles out the shot clock and watches Trey Burke go 1 on 5 with a high pick roll is going to lead to drop off in the teams performance and team moral. I put this one on Beilein. I have never had any issues with his system or his coaching(ok maybe his 2 foul policy) but he became to dependent on Burke. Putting Burke in bad spots with the shot clock almost gone to score. Where did all the Hardaway plays go that Michigan ran earlier in the year? Where did the ball movement go? Teams figured out that they had to hedge on Burke's pick and rolls and push him out so he couldn't make the pass to Morgan or put him into a difficult shot.

As the season went on the four other players on the court became watchers. The last 4 positions of Michigan's season showed how dependent they became on Burke. IMO that was their undoing. Expecting that out of a 5'11 Frosh PG is asking for it.  It also doesn't keep people happy..

Transfers.. THEY GONE.

Just from my experince from playing my whole life on AAU and high school teams and coaching kids. You have to keep the players happy. I have no idea if this was a major factor in Evan leaving but I gotta think he wasn't crazy about how Burke Happy the offense was going. Standing around the 3pt line and watching will cause one to become pissed. Put that along with losing PT and having performance issues from time to time on the court.. Oh and maybe not being as mentally as strong as you would like and you have a kid who is out the door.

For Brundidge he wasn't ready to play major minutes but IMO he could have gave Michigan 2-3 a half to spell Burke a bit. Another thing I blame Beilein for. Of course I am not at practice don't see how he acts or how he works but from the small sample size I saw from Brundidge was that he was capable of giving you 4 to 5 mins off the bench. You don't want Burke to hit the wall which he sorta did. Brundidge should still stick around since Burke will leave sooner or later(lets hope not like in a few days) and I think with even Burke around he will play major back up role next year.

Colton he should leave if he wants to see the floor. Its no question that he will be stuck to the bench after this year.

The Game vs Ohio

I held off on posting about this game since I was pretty negeitive. So a week later. I am still negitive about it. I have covered how flat they were. Had that deer in head lights look about them all game but the final four positions had me pulling out my hair. Again we just let Burke dribbling the air out of the ball and jack a three with a bigger defender on him. It was like they forgot that 2pt shots count too. Down three and that many chances you try and get to the hoop to cut the lead and put pressure on them make free throws. Again how did Tim Hardaway not get a look at any of those last shots? Everyone went into watch Burke mode. I won't be saying anything bad about Evan's turnover since he was one of the few reasons we were in the game. I felt like John Beilein is one of the best X and O coaches around but on this night he failed. You have to use some logic in the final mins. Same for the players. Ending the game like that can leave a sour taste in players mouth. Enough for some to leave.

The Future

If Burke stays then everything is fine. The new kids will take some time to find their feet but by B10 we should be comepeting for a title again. The only thing that can hold this back is Burke jetting for the NBA which would be a mistake IMO and bad team chemistry with Zack and Stu gone. I expect Burke to stay since I can't see him going in the first round. This team will be very young next year but as talented as Michigan has been in years. I expect big things. Let this just be a learning experience and a bump in the road. It was fun watching this team all year. I look forward to the future.

I am pretty sure this was what all the Michigan basketball fans looked like yesterday. Cries could be heard across the internet. Grown men fell to their knees in pain.

-If Burke leaves that means our best chance at winning games will be to start the Dolphin at point guard. No for real. It would be our best option. If you are Burke you have to look into it but waiting a year would make more $ sense imo. Don't want to be a borderline guy and get pushed into the 2nd round.

-Smotrycz leaves for a more 3pt happy offense I guess? What the fuck? He did look unhappy. He was growing a beard. My best guess is that Smotrycz is the kind of player you have to treat like he is your 15 year old girl friend. Any criticism will send him off the deep end. Some players are like that. I don't think it was a PT thing. I think there also maybe this unsaid thing among the team that they got sick of watching Burke dribble the air out of the ball and then run a pick and roll with 7 secs in the shot clock which seemed to happen more and more after the PSU game.

-Brundidge... Ahhh at least give it more then one season? Might be surprised what a off season can do for a player. Colton... I get it dude.

Its a good as time as any to dive into THJ game. He just scored 25 points vs The fighting Webers on 7 shots which in the basketball world we call "efficient". It was what everyone was waiting for after THJ blew up in his Frosh year. I really was hoping he would come back this season with some better dribbling and become better at attacking the hoop. I wasn't really looking at him as a "star" like many were. He did improve on his dribbling and attacking the hoop but still not at the level it needs to be.

Height: 6'6"
Weight: 200lbs
His game reminds me of: Glenn Rice but more streaky

Strengths

A thing of beauty

-Length and NBA size
-Good rebounding for a guard when his head is right
-Shooting when his head is right
-Dribbling to his right and pulling up. 
-Finishes well at the hoop
-Intensity 

THJ has a great NBA body. He would be a two guard at the next level and has what teams want in size and length. When Tim gets open looks and his head is screwed on straight he can flat out fill it. His form is a thing of beauty from a purest stand point. Some people wonder if its a mechanical issue with his struggles this year but from what I can see its not. Its all up stairs. His follow through and form is pretty much perfect on all accounts and will be teaching kids how to shoot a basketball well into 60s at basketball camps. When THJ wants to and things are going well in the game he can really rebound well for a guard. Its just a matter of how the game is going for him. As you saw vs Illinois when things are going well he really hits the boards which is what Michigan needs badly at times.

Something Tim doesn't do enough is use his shot fake dribble to his right and jump shot from 15 feet. When he does do this it has pretty good results. But in his defense I don't think Michigan runs enough things for THJ off the ball to get these kinds of looks for him. After watching the Memphis and UCLA games again from earlier in the year, Michigan made more efforts to get Tim these looks off from curls, stagger screens ect.
When THJ gets to the hoop he can really finish well. He surprises me at times with some dunks I think are going to be lay ins. He has shown to be able to finish in traffic and draw fouls. It would be nice to see him go to this more when the shots are not falling.

I think his intensity is a plus but can a negative at times. His dad played with the same intensity. The problem comes in when getting to high or to low. When he is right where he needs to be he seems like good leader and gets the crowd going pretty well. You will see a lot of  chest thumping from him or jumping straight up in the air when Stu Douglas is throwing down slams in the NCAA tourney. He wears his emotion on his sleeve for sure.

Weakness

-Mental game
-On the ball defense
-Help defense
-Dribbling 

Its the part of his game that reared it ugly head this season when the shots didn't fall. The metal game. THJ gets worse with every miss. He can't forget the misses. They just build on him. Before you know it he is slumping his shoulders, not playing defense or rebounding and jacking bad shots trying to shoot himself out of it. He just needs to learn to keep his emotion in check and move on to the next play. He lets it effect every part of his game and its a major knock. NBA scouts have and will take notice of this. Lets hope some growth and maturity helps this next year(or just shooting better). THJ is pretty lucky there is no one with a pulse on the bench.

The weird thing about THJ game is that he is a terrible dribbler. His dad was one of the best in NBA history yet he struggles with it. THJ really struggles on the break when it isn't a simple one on two break. He always pulls up since he doesn't want to dribble into the teeth of any defense. I think his dribbling is a major factor on him not attacking the hoop more. If he has to do more then right handed power dribble then he has high % of coughing up the ball. He never going to be great at it but it can get better. His on the ball and help defense can be alright at times but when the shots are off he is pretty bad. I swear I've watched him let teams have free layups and dunks when he could have rotated over for either a foul or charge. He just goes into watch mode when he hits a funk. On the ball is a struggle for him at times. His feet are a bit slow at taking away the driving lane. His height does help challenge shots but for the most part he is a average defender.

Conclusion

Tim Hardaway Jr is very good player but isn't the star people want him to be. Is he one hell of a 2nd or 3rd option? Hell yes. He made a living his freshmen year off of Morris sucking defenses inside the arc which opened his 3pt looks and teams not having much of a scouting report on him. I think Tim felt the pressure of being the "man" and has pressed himself when shots haven't fell. I just see him as a good spot of shooter and a good but not great athlete who can finish at the hoop. After his great year last year, people put the world on him.

Letting the game come to him would be ideal instead of jacking contested 3 balls. Trying to get to the hoop and coach B running more curls,screens and pick pops for him would help as well. I also think him playing for team USA maybe leading to some of his problems on the court. Its just been a really long season for him. With some post presence next year from Mcgary and GR III skills to get to the hoop that should open up the 3pt line for Hardaway and get him back on track.

In no way Tim Hardaway should leave for the draft. His mental game just needs a lot of work, along with his defense and shot selection. Another year at Michigan will help and as of right now he is isn't first rounder. Not dressing on a NBA roster or not having a guaranteed contract isn't a good reason to leave. I expect him to really bounce back next year and play off the new talent.

Testing Testing... 1..2..3? Yup the Blog still works. Been a long time. I doubt anyone is even checking the site these days besides damfan1. I've been super busy. Officiating a lot of basketball games. I wasn't even going to bed from Wed 8am to Saturday 9am due to Evan, work and officiating. I might get an hour here or there but I was a zombie for those days of the week and had no energy to blog. Work has been tougher and my kid just turned one. Damn.. Time is moving.

I knew when we had Evan that my time I could put into hobbies(blogging,coaching,games ect) would be limited a bit but I had no idea. I used to blog on days off but that is not even an option anymore since he needs my attention 100% of the time. I now have some time at work again to get back on here.

I have been watching all the Michigan basketball games of course. I broke down Tim Hardaway Jrs game in a Mgoblog post and someone said I should do something to that effect on here but in bigger detail. Basketball unlike football is something I know inside and out from playing all my life in high school and AAU. Coaching and officiating now as well. So I might be breaking down a few dudes off the rosters. If I have to do Evan Smtokdldlkasndknk I might break my laptop in frustration.

I also want to say sorry to the people who have helped on the site. Simply Complex, Brook Banks and Scout Exile sorry for not keeping this train chugging along. Life just got so damn busy. I see you guys having been providing great content to the Michigan community on other blogs. I'll keep reading. Scout Exile I think jumped on a space ship to Tatooine since I have not seen any evidence he still lives on this planet. Good luck to him where ever he is in the Galaxy.

I think I will try and spend more time posting random bull crap then messing with live blogs for the time being. Work is still touch and go. Maybe I will inject a bit of my life into the posting to spice things up. I dunno. Again I can't write so bare with me.  If you still read Midnight Maize. Thanks! You are like Cubs fans. Stick in there no matter what. If you stopped reading then screw you(JK)! But jump back on the band wagon at anytime! Stay tuned.

Allen Gant is the son of former Michigan great, Tony Gant. Gant was widely considered as the top prospect in the state of Ohio prior to him suffering a knee injury at the start of his junior campaign. Gant plays both safety and wide receiver for South View High in Ohio. Gant is a three-star recruit according to Rivals, Scout, and 24/7 Sports. Gant has a 77* rating on ESPN, which is wrong on so many levels that it's borderline crazy that he's ranked so low.

Allen Gant in coverage.

I was able to get in contact with Allen to catch up with him and discuss his senior season and what lies ahead for him in the future.

SimplyComplex: What are some things that you think you have improved on from last year compared to this year?

Allen Gant: I think that I have improved on my speed and quickness by a large margin and I have also gotten a lot stronger. I think that it has helped me out in run support and has made me a better tackler.

SC: Hows your high school team doing so far and what are some of your strengths and weaknesses?

AG: Our high school team won the league and we lost in the first round of the playoffs. My strengths are I'm a very good tackler and I know exactly what's going on and every one's job. My weaknesses are my speed and quickness.

SC: Some people say that you might grow into a linebacker once you reach college. Do you agree or do you think your better suited at safety?

AG: I feel that I can improve on my skills at safety but you never know. I could end up like and outside linebacker and it doesn't matter to me because I want to help the team in any way I can.

SC: Do you like what you've seen from the Michigan defense so far in the season? Are you excited to play for Greg Mattison?

AG: I am extremely happy about how well the defense played this year and I cannot wait to play for coach Mattison and the other defensive coaches.

SC: Do you ever talk with any other michigan commitments?

AG: I do sometimes talk to other commits, but not on a daily basis. I especially talk with Chris Wormley however, since we are from the same area and we have always been close. We even talk about being roomates at Michigan.

SC: What were your stats this season? 

AG: I'm not sure about my offensive stats but for defense I had 67 tackles, 12 tackles for los, 1 interception, 3 forces fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 5 touchdowns.

SC: Do you feel like you could live up to your dads reputation? Do you and him ever talk about Michigan?

AG: I do feel like I can live up to my dads reputation. I am hoping that once my career is over at Michigan, that I will have a better reputation than my father, though. We also talk about Michigan all the time.

SC: How many times did you visit Michigan last year? How were your experiences?

AG: I went to 6 Michigan games this season. And they were the Western Michigan, Notre Dame, Eastern Michigan, Purdue, Nebraska and Ohio State. My experiences were all great. The fans showed me all kinds of love and it was just an amazing atmosphere. I can''t wait until I can be a part of that.

SC: What are you looking forward to, when you enroll at Michigan?

AG: I am looking forward to being a part of the great tradition of Michigan and of course graduating with a degree at Michigan.

SC: What do you plan on doing after college? What are you planning on majoring in at Michigan?

AG: After college I want to go pro but if that doesn't work out then I would want to be a sports agent and I am majoring in sports management.

SC: What did you and the michigan coaches talk about when you got offered? Do they still keep in touch with you?

AG: When I got offered the coaches basically just talked about how I will fit in with the system and just how they are excited about me coming to Michigan. Yes, we all still keep in touch often.

Allen Gant Film:


After his senior season, Gant stands at 6'1 and 208 pounds and runs a 4.5 forty. Gant is another high character athlete that will fit in nicely at Michigan. Hopefully he lives up to his fathers name and can make everybody in the Michigan community proud.

Devin Funchess is the second commit in Michigans 2012 class that hails from Farmington Hills High School in Michigan. The other being his teammate Mario Ojemudia. Funchess stands at 6'5 215 pounds and has the athleticism to play either wide receiver or tight end. Most recruiting sites(and the Michigan coaches) think that he has more upside at the tight end position. Funchess is a four-star recruit to ESPN, Scout and 24/7 Sports, while being a three-star to Rivals.

Devin Funchess showing off his athleticism.

I had the honor of talking with Devin about his senior season and his excitement about attending Michigan.

SimplyComplex: What was it about Michigan that made you want to commit to them?

Devin Funchess: The atmosphere and how involved the coaches were with the players. The education was a big factor in my decision as well.

SC: What was the atmosphere and experience like when you visited Michigan?

DF: It was very live . Everybody was very friendly and it seemed very family oriented, which made me feel very comfortable with the university.

SC: How often do you talk with other Michigan commits/prospects?

DF: I speak to the instate commits often, but I rarely speak with the others. Although, I do communicate with some out-of-state commits over twitter a little bit.

SC: With Michigan having depth problems at the TE position, do you feel like you could see early playing time?

DF: I think I could come in and play right away if the coaches needed me to contribute right away in an emergency or just to evaluate my performance. The coaches also tell me that I can, but I just have to come in and be ready for action.

SC:What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses at the tight end position?

DF: My main weakness is my size. I'm a little on the slim size for a TE, so I definitely need to bulk up and let my body develop properly. My biggest strength is that I have a great match up with the linebackers. I'm usually faster than them, so it's a huge advantage for me.

SC: What kind of stats did you accumulate during your senior season?

DF: I caught 21 passes for 433 yards and 6 touchdowns.

SC:What do you think is the hardest part about being a tight end? Are you looking forward to the challenges of playing the position at the college level?

DF: The hardest part for me would be learning the different and more difficult blocking schemes. The different footwork is also a bit of a challenge for me. Yes because I think it's the most underestimated position and I want to show people what I'm capable of.

SC: You're a teammate with Michigan commit Mario Ojemudia. How would you describe his game on the defensive side of the ball? Do you like going up against him in practice?

DF: He's just a complete monster. He is the type of player that just never gives up. He has a motor that just keeps going and going. We didn't really go up against each other in practice because we both played both ways.

SC: I did an interview with another teammate of yours, Gairus Coleman. How good of a player do you think he is? Have you been recruiting him towards Michigan at all?

DF: "G"(Gairus Coleman) is a fantastic player. He is the total package at wide receiver. The only thing he needs to work on is his speed. If he gets his speed up, then he will be great. We talk about Michigan all the time.

SC: How do you feel about Ohio State,uh, I mean "Ohio"?

DF: I don't care for them personally.

Devin Finchess Junior Film:


Devin is just one of the many top-notch athletes that Hoke and company are bringing in to restore Michigan to what it once was. Be on the look out for many other football prospects to come out of Farmington Hills in the coming years that may end up wearing the Maize and Blue.