It's a fair cop on Sims, although our rebounding would be atrocious without him. But Harris's turnovers aren't really just his fault. Who could blame someone for over-dribbling when there's no one to pass to? Who else is going to make a play from the perimeter? David Merritt? C. J. Lee? Kelvin Grady? This guy's playing offense by himself, and that leads to turnovers. Not to excuse his play, but that's got to be a factor. Losing Smith and Morris left Michigan with almost no D-I level athleticism in the backcourt. Lucas-Perry and Douglass should help rectify that situation.
- Even the two four-star guys on the roster are kinda crappy: Sims is a horrendous defender and rebounder and Harris is a turnover machine. Ten Minnesota points were a direct result of Harris getting the ball slapped out of his hands.
- They're going to be bad again next year. Lucas-Perry won't be eligible until midseason and the current recruits, while undoubtedly better than Jerrett Smith at all things, are not exactly instant impact types.
I agree with what Brian says about Amaker's recruiting. Through his attitude and his recruiting, he instilled an aura of laziness into the program. We're still dealing with that, especially on defense. As Beilein gets his type of players and more time to train and condition the players he has, we'll see improvement. And don't underestimate the influence of having seven-footer Ben Cronin available to clog the paint!
I do think that the best we have to look forward to next year is mediocrity. But mediocrity with Beilein is progress to something greater; mediocrity with Amaker wasn't progress, it was a pattern.
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