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The Big Ten is about to be good at basketball from top to bottom again. With the new upgrades at coach in Iowa, Minn, and Michigan, give a few years, these programs will be up there with MSU, OSU and Indiana. I am ready to be excited about UM BBall again.

How can you get excited about a kid who's only other offers were from the dregs named above?

Cheesy Texan,

You are right. He isn't a OJ Mayo. But then again thank god he isn't. Novak plays in a very tough division and just became his school's #1 scorer. He's a foundation building player who can hit a shot from about anywhere, from what I have read. His value will hopefully be shown when he becomes a solid scorer. If you have followed Beilein, that's the type of kids he picks and once Beilein has his system put together, many will see that these no name kids will end up being part of a team that makes other schools scared.

The Warden
Why are you bringing up a USC player? Niether the story or the comment by Cheesey Texan has anything to do with OJ Mayo or USC.

I cannot get excited over this. Those other schools weren't top notch.

Jabril,

First, Mayo is a talented kid and would be in the NBA if not for the rules keeping high schoolers out.

Second, I mentioned Mayo because of his recruitment to USC or lack of. Maybe you don't know how it went but I can tell you USC didn't recruit Mayo. Mayo picked USC for one reason only. MEDIA ATTENTION. Especially before he bolts to the NBA after one year of playing.

This isn't the type of exciting player that Beilein wants only because Beilein wants to build a team and be a one year rest stop for kids who want to go to the NBA.

And don't misunderstand. I don't have a problem with Mayo or any other talented kid who wants to turn pro after one year of college. I probably would do the same. Just making a point that Beilein isn't your typical coach like many in the NCAA.

J Hoya,

Tell that to the kids who play at Drake..not exactly a top notch basketball team yet has put together a fearsome group of ballers.

Novak info

Senior stats:
Team Record: 19-3 (ranked #8 in Indiana)

27 ppg (3rd in Indiana) (37 high)

7.5 rebounds per game (16 high)

2.3 steals per game

39.2% from 3

Scout.com report:

"Outstanding player, unselfish and natural leader. Plays in very tough conference and has excelled since starting as a freshman. HS has produced two former Indiana All Stars that went on to play in the Big Ten - Novak is the better player yet still relatively unknown. Very cunning and heady player that scores from all over the floor, rebounds and shares the ball. Not overly quick on defense but definitely quick enough and gets the job done against other talented players. High character, leader and straight A student."

6'4" and 215 lbs

High character/motivation guys seem to work out well in Belien's program.

Hold it, Coach, my celly blowin' up. Hello? Yes, what is it Coach Sampson?

The Warden: I get your point but the headline makes it seem bigger then what it is. I'm sure he's a fine player but he's far from the best that High School basketball has to offer.

For Michigan to be a consistent threat to make the final four, Beilein must eventually get some big time players, yes even those who might leave early. He might not have any plans to do that, being happy to go for Novak types. Or, he might be having trouble getting that quality player given the current state of the program.

That said, anyone who's seen this team play this year knows they desperately need shooters (and passers). So, as long as they're not a liability defensively, I'm all for shooters in this recruiting class.

Beilein has been able to win wherever he's gone without top notch talent. The first step is getting Michigan into the tournament, and then starting to recruit Michigan well. MSU pretty much owns Flint, but there is plenty of talent in Detroit.

This Novak kid kind of sounds like Mike Gansey, who played at WVU a couple of years ago. Doesn't do anything great, but does lots of things well and plays hard.

How can you get excited about a kid who's only other offers were from the dregs named above?

Cheesy Texan | 03/10/08, 09:36

Well, in all likelihood, Novak will stay all four years. If Beilein recruits more players like him, UM's going to be real competitive in a few years. Senior-laden teams do well come March because of experience and chemistry.

There is no doubt as to why this kid hasn't garnered more attention since he's been a 4 year starter at a school that is known for it's basketball and put several kids into Big 10 Bball programs. All I can say is that Beilein has a history of sniffing out outstanding bball players that weren't highly ranked. I'll take Beilein's ability to pick players over scouts any day of the week.

J.Hova-
must admit that given what we know about this player-character and grades(scout.com) with his obvious abilites, he should be a good team player. Don't you agree?

Jabril,

First, Mayo is a talented kid and would be in the NBA if not for the rules keeping high schoolers out.

Second, I mentioned Mayo because of his recruitment to USC or lack of. Maybe you don't know how it went but I can tell you USC didn't recruit Mayo. Mayo picked USC for one reason only. MEDIA ATTENTION. Especially before he bolts to the NBA after one year of playing.

This isn't the type of exciting player that Beilein wants only because Beilein wants to build a team and be a one year rest stop for kids who want to go to the NBA.

And don't misunderstand. I don't have a problem with Mayo or any other talented kid who wants to turn pro after one year of college. I probably would do the same. Just making a point that Beilein isn't your typical coach like many in the NCAA.
The Warden | 03/10/08, 12:01 PM
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I can't argue with that!

biminator, how can u say that the likes of michigan will be up there with Indiana, MSU, and OSU. HELLO, ever hear of Wisconsin or don't you watch college basketball, because if ya did, you'd see that they're the only team from the Big 10 in the top 10, and they're consistently ranked every year.

Wisconsinite - Win a championship or do something for once in the tourney.

time will tell and thats all you can say about high school basketball recruits ! we are tal;king about HIGH SCHOOL recruits aren't we ? good luck ZACK go out their and strut your stuff !!