2022-2023 Annual Abla Report

24th Annual Abla Report
The 2022-2023 University of Michigan Men’s Basketball Team Scouting Report
Reviewed after the game against Ferris State University on 11/4/2022.
By Tim Abla

0 Dug McDaniel (Fr.)
worked on ball handling in warmups…really had the ball on a string, nice and crisp and quick…but it was warmups of course…definitely on the short side…but can dunk!…first off the bench with Jace….nice dribble drive early…shot looked ok but rushed…has to get it off fast…not sure he’s a top shooter yet…nice hands on D…quite a big pest on D actually…deflected or flat out stole a lot of balls…might have trouble with bigger guards though…really provides a nice spark and energy…didn’t look over matched at all…beautiful buzzer beater after a great save from out of bounds by Jace…heady play to get the shot up quick…don’t blink or he’ll be past you in a heartbeat…strange release on his FT…like a rushed, slightly low release…had a really nice drive and bank shot late…8 ppg player based on shot quantity alone…not sure he had any turnovers…maybe one tops

1 Hunter Dickinson (Jr.)
started…almost looked a little slimmer but hard to tell from my seat…still so physically dominant in his own special way…very good FT for such a big man…drew contact like it was going out of style…air balled his only 3…also air balled a five footer in traffic along the baseline…and somehow caught his shot on the other side of the rim…not sure I’d seen that before…thought it might be a travel but they didn’t call it…will likely lead the team in scoring but we’ll see what Jett has to say about that…17 ppg player…just didn’t need him much tonight…lefty of course

2 Kobe Bufkin (So.)
started…lefty…starting PG…really nice FT…attacked the rim a couple of times…hit a few nice 3s too…would be a nice bonus if he takes a sophomore leap…nice hands defensively…shot looked good…had an outstanding game overall tonight…quite a leap from last year…on the skinny side still…nice length for a PG…posterized an FSU player on a second half slam…12 ppg player…could be an emerging leader

3 Jaelin Llewellyn (Grad student)
started…not sure about his athleticism…can play PG and bring the ball up the court…Bufkin and DG are the PGs but he’ll fill that role plenty…was hoping to see a little more from him tonight…wasn’t terribly aggressive…which can be good and bad…hopefully we’ll see more than I saw in this game…at least he was very under control…curious how assertive he’ll become…didn’t shoot particularly great tonight

4 Ian Burns (So.)
Did not play, will not play (DNP WNP)

5 Terrance Williams II (Jr.)
started…didn’t waste an ounce of energy in warmups…liked his all-business attitude…nice high release on his 3s…maybe a slow release though…played very little in the first half…did he have 2 early fouls maybe?…just didn’t contribute a whole lot tonight…or show as much energy as usual…expecting a lot more from him this year…8 ppg player

11 Isaiah Barnes (So.)
first half PT…but didn’t do much…played later in the second half…may be in danger of getting passed up…banked in a 3…then hit a more traditional 3

13 Jett Howard (Fr.)
started…woo boy did he have a game tonight…30 points in probably low-20s minutes…moved his feet well defensively…puts in the effort…but maybe a little slow against quicker guys…hit a nice step back 3…then hit a bajillion more 3s…not afraid to shoot it…but they were all quality looks…not forced…and he had the HOT hand…only thing stopping him was when he came out of the game…very nice FT…was beyond hot tonight…maybe not elite athleticism…but can really put the ball in the basket…22 first half points…scored several ways but mostly from 3…almost drained a 70 footer to end the first half…put it off the back of the rim…it’s a shame that counts as a miss…only had one other miss from 3…more points than minutes is pretty good…can he compete with Hunter for leading scorer?…at one point I think he had 14 straight points for Michigan

15 Joey Baker (Grad student)
Duke transfer…came in early…got some extended minutes…will contribute…nothing flashy or notable…looked like a solid player though…nice FT…will be interesting to see if his role grows

23 Gregg Glenn III (Fr.)
played a little in the second half…liked his energy…good sized frame…and decent athleticism…won’t play much in season though

24 Youssef Khayat (Fr.)
reminds me so much of Mo Wagner…showed some quickness and ball handling in warmups…don’t think he is a very high jumper though, we’ll see…nor was Mo…brought some energy in warmups…like Mo…could use a little more weight…nice rotation on his shot…second half PT only…got a flop warning on a missed 3…which gave FSU a technical foul shot…looks like an energy player…of the future though, not this year…perhaps some flash too…have a feeling he’ll redshirt…a little bit of foul trouble in not too many minutes

25 Jace Howard (Jr.)
first off the bench with Dug…helped break the press with Dug a few times…but won’t be a regular ballhandler…heady player…role player…won’t fill up the stat sheet…seems like a leader from a role player role

32 Tarris Reed, Jr. (Fr.)
came in early…good size…showed really nice footwork with his back to the basket…a polished move for a freshman…has a great coach for his game…Juwan spent some time with him during timeouts…highest arcing FT ever…might need a little work on that…ok more than a little…I think he missed all 3 or 4 of his attempts…wedged one between the rim and backboard…it doesn’t look bad, just isn’t accurate…Ferris State had wedged one earlier so we hit our quota of wedges…had a nice and-1 on a fast break…well, missed the FT…Big Ten body for sure…got lost defensively once or twice…will spell Hunter this season…not sure they’ll ever play together…shows promise…will definitely be needed this year

34 Jackson Selvala (Sr.)
late PT only

42 Will Tschetter (Redshirt Fr.)
first half PT…hit a nice 3…but it was waived off after an obvious travel…big question mark…will he be a regular…can he contribute…will be interesting to see if he can crack his way into the lineup…uphill battle

45 Cooper Smith (So.)
came in late…decent handle…looked good in warmups with the ball in his hand…nice drive and got to the line…not sold on his FT though

Miscellaneous Team Notes
starting lineup jersey numbers added up to 24…that’s tough to do…might lead the nation in lowest sum of starter jersey numbers…protected the rim early…then got really sloppy on D…against Ferris State…Juwan got a lot of guys PT in this exhibition game…game wasn’t as close as the score…looks to be a better 3pt shooting team this year…maybe not elite but improvement over last season…which would open things up a little for Hunter…good depth at PG with Bufkin, Dug, and Llewellyn…not sure about the team’s rebounding or defense…more on that below…crazy to think Hunter and Williams are the only returning contributers from last season…FT shooters are very hit or very miss…hitters are Jett, Bufkin, Hunter, Williams…maybe Baker…misses are Reed, maybe Dug…not sure about the rest…not sure who the second center would be if Hunter or Reed were out

Other random thoughts
scoreboard operator was a little slow on the substitutions…for all those who thought Martelli would be here one season, maybe two…guess they were wrong…such a good guy to have on the bench…as demonstrated last season

Most important questions for the season

1) Surprise of the night?
Easy answer, Kobe Bufkin. Really looked in control, nice looking shot, good passing, decent defense. Came in with some hype last year but didn’t really live up to it. Looked really promising to be a major contributor this year, which would solve some PG issues and give Dug some time to adjust to the college game. I chose Bufkin over Jett because of Bufkin’s unimpressive freshman year. Jett was a close second given how he played offensively, he was absolutely on fire all game. Third surprise would be how little energy Williams played with, be usually brings the hustle every team needs. Nothing to be worried about with a history like his (but let’s go Terrance!).

 

2) Strength of this team?
This is not as easy of an answer. I’d go with the fact that it has a monster at center, which many teams just can’t handle with a single defender. Hunter changes the game in a lot of ways at the offensive end. He is a major weapon in the college game. Beyond that is a tough call, I’d have to go with Jett’s hot shooting. It feels like so much new blood is going to contribute this year: Bufkin, Llewellyn, Dug, Jett, Jace, Reed, Baker, maybe others. The only consistency from last year comes from Hunter and Williams. That is quite a bit of turnover in one season! This feels like a solid team but it’s hard to say what the strengths are with so much new blood. Stay tuned on this one.

3) Biggest weakness?
I think the lack of elite athleticism concerned me a little. There aren’t a lot of plus athletes on this team. Combine that with the inexperience of the players playing together and it showed itself in the team’s sloppy defense and slightly poor rebounding. The rebounding concerns me, not a lot of guys who can get up on this team. Who can get the tough rebound besides perhaps Williams? I believe teams with elite athletes may give this team some problems. But a slight lack of athleticism by no means dooms this team. That said, let’s work on the defense and rebounding ok?

4) Down three, who gets the last shot?
Based on tonight’s performance, Jett is the easy answer. Probably Bufkin next. Definitely not Dug yet. Williams hit some clutch 3s last year even if he didn’t show much tonight. Didn’t see much from Llewellyn so he’s a TBD. Early indications are that Jett and Bufkin are my early picks by a long shot (no pun intended).

5) What’s the rotation come Big Ten season?
Hunter, Jett, and Williams are locked in starters (I’m assuming Williams will be more involved than he showed tonight). Bufkin is also a lock if he plays anywhere near tonight’s quality. The only question mark to me is Llewellyn, but I need to see more before making a decision. He could lose his starting spot, but who would replace him? As far as the bench goes, once it narrows down I believe Reed and Dug are the most significant contributors, along with Baker next. Beyond those 8, Jace Howard will get some time and perhaps Tschetter a little, but that might be it once minutes get tight. I think it’s the top 8 plus Jace and maaaaybe Tschetter. Might not be good news for Barnes, we’ll see if he can change that.

Predictions
20-11 regular season
8-3 in non-conference
12-8 in the Big Ten (plus 2 wins in the Big Ten tourney)
6 seed in the NCAA Tournament (with 2 tourney wins)
24-13 overall