5th Annual Abla Report
The 2003-2004 University of Michigan Men’s Basketball Team Scouting Report
Reviewed after exhibition game against Fayetteville of the NBDL on November 14, 2003.
By Tim Abla
2 Lester Abram (So.)
looked more aggressive in getting to basket…looked comfortable down low…tough defender, long arms tip balls…gets up for rebounds, even if it’s just to tip it to a teammate…definitely a two guard but can play point in a pinch…might lose a few minutes if Dion Harris plays well, but only because Horton won’t lose any minutes…hits tough baskets, reminds me of a smaller Jalen Rose
4 Daniel Horton (So.)
looked very calm and relaxed, like the game has slowed down for him…THE team leader…will lead the team in free throws and scoring if Robinson Jr. doesn’t (both will average 15-19 points/game)…still hate the way he “squares up” sideways…best three-point threat team has…underrated defender…will be All Big Ten First or Second Team…can he improve on last year’s performance?
5 Dion Harris (Fr.)
supposedly was the best player on the floor last week but disappeared like a freshman tonight…showed he can use both hands around the hoop…can get to the basket…looks confident, but forced some shots like most freshmen guards do…threaded the needle with a nice long pass over defense…decent size and strength, looked like he has a football player mentality…could be good down the road but frustrating early on…will be the third guard in a mainly three guard rotation
21 Bernard Robinson Jr. (Sr.)
drained everything 15 feet and out, looked very confident outside…played under control, which is a great sign…still the toughest defender on team, will hand that torch to Abram next year…needs to be team leader with Horton…senior year, needs to show it during Big Ten season…great athlete on a team of great athletes…needs to pass better on fast breaks…can play point in a pinch
23 Brent Petway (Fr.)
The Human Pogo…do not look away when this guy is on the court…had top-3 dunk in the history of U of M basketball 7:30 into game, lefty full windmill leaner slam with power (and took off from around the free throw line)…four other solid dunks, including big alley-oop and rebound slams…motor is running on high…looks a lot like Jason Richardson of MSU minus any kind of shot…10 of 13 points were from within zero inches of basket, other basket was about a foot away (and 1-2 on FTs)…won’t even acknowledge that the basket is there unless within two feet…only points will be via offensive rebounds and feeds right under the basket…will lead the team in FG percentage…fan favorite (of course)…gets up for rebounds quicker and higher than opponents…could set season and career records for FG percentage
25 Graham Brown (So.)
did not play (DNP)…minor injury
31 Chris Hunter (So.)
looked much more aggresive offensively, very confident…still doesn’t have great touch but is much-improved…actually has some moves on the offensive end now…will make you say wow (good) and wow (bad) within minutes offensively…will lead the team in blocks…will also lead the team in shots off the side of the backboard…looks like he’s ready to explode, will be most improved player on team…played forward when Sims was in (and possibly when Mathis was in) even though team’s longest player…a little better range, but still not too much…looks comfortable facing basket or back to basket
32 J.C. Mathis (Jr.)
hardest worker on team…one of stronger players on team, which isn’t saying much…will help Brown against stronger centers but still could be overmatched…hustler on both ends…high energy guy…quick rebounder, gets up for ball before opponents likePetway does…not much range offensively…even though first season playing with team, looks like he’ll be one of team leaders
44 Courtney Sims (Fr.)
took jump ball instead of Hunter, not sure why (shorter and didn’t seem to be an incredible leaper)…started at center with Brown out…has decent offensive game, more polished than Hunter was as a freshman, but still no Chris Webber…seemed to want to work on his outside shot in warmups and took a few during the game, hopefully will be reigned in by coaches…decent but not incredible quickness…a little stronger than Hunter, not quite as strong as Mathis…will get plenty of minutes as a freshman…looked like a freshman in the first half and a sophomore or junior in the second…won’t wow you, but looks dependable/solid…fairly good rebounder
50 Amadou Ba (So.)
didn’t play until garbage time, didn’t show much then either…will mainly be team cheerleader…big body, could be used as a body when in foul trouble…otherwise won’t play much…set about 10 screens per offensive possession…seemed to stay at the top of the three point line during possessions…Jose Lima lookalike (Lima-Time?)…fan favorite, but more of the sympathetic variety…high release, reminds me of Juwan Howard’s shot
Miscellaneous Team Notes
high energy team…plenty of quickness…definitely guard-heavy scoring…finally have some depth…lots of long bodies, plenty of heighth…not nearly enough girth, will get pushed around…very quick team, including several of the “big” guys…will have quick hands down low on defense, tough to pass in paint against us…quick rebounders, quick jumpers, quick feet…biggest weakness is definitely lack of physical strength inside defensively…just too inexperienced to be considered potential Big Ten champion, but certainly top-half team…will have better scoring balance, most players in a while with double-digit scoring averages…tough backcourt, will just be better and more athletic than many teams’ backcourts…will also be too athletic for some teams…will be too thin against other teams…lots of lefties (Abram, Brown, Robinson Jr., and Petway)…will be fun and frustrating to watch…can rotate several big men finally, seems like we have big men and little men and nothing in-between…big-time hustle team, which means some games we’ll be in big-time foul trouble…we didn’t get to the line much, could be a problem during Big Ten season…not your prototypical Big Ten team
Predictions
17-18 Wins
4th place in Big Ten
NCAA tournament bubble team (my guess is IN, 8-9 seed)
definite NIT invite if not