2024-2025 Annual Abla Report

26th Annual Abla Report
The 2024-2025 University of Michigan Men’s Basketball Team Scouting Report
Reviewed after game against Cleveland St. on 11/4/2024.
By Tim Abla

1 Danny Wolf (Jr.)
starter…only saw him take 3s in warm-ups…not a huge fan of his 3pt shot motion…right-hander that shoots from the left side of his face…same with his FT…not sure how people shoot like that…big body…moves decently though…not the quickest feet but moves them and works hard the whole time…had a pretty dribble drive for a nice bucket…and another one…feels plenty quick on offense…hard to defend…really good with the ball in his hand…I like a lot of his game…good passer…but also prone to forcing bad passes…impressive ability to get to the rim…nice FT…just an all-around good player… great transfer pickup…strange to say but the offense is most effective when the ball flows through him…can’t force so many passes…can finish with right and left hands…even brought the ball up the court against the press…beautiful long bounce pass to Gayle for an and-one…MVP of tonight’s game…needs to rebound better for a 7-footer

2 L.J. Cason (Fr.)
in the main rotation…really nice FT…nice feed for a nicer bucket…comfortable bringing the ball up court…some good athleticism…had a crazy finish at the rim….not sure how he got the shot off…hit back-to-back 3s…forced a couple of drives late that got his shot blocked…athletic…good build for a freshman…heady play when inbounding the ball deep in the corner but nobody was open…threw if off the defender to get another inbound play…good awareness for a freshman

3 Tre Donaldson (Jr.)
starter…really nice FT…doesn’t even touch rim usually…nice to have a bigger PG finally…good combination of strength and athleticism without being an elite athlete…strong body…can absorb contact at the rim and still get a good shot off…all-around good PG and leader…good shot…hit a couple nice 3s…the kind of hair you want in your PG…good defender…plays and leads confidently…decent defender

4 Nimari Burnett (Grad student)
starter…and the quietest starter…didn’t do much tonight…I expect him to remain the quietest starter…but will have a game or two where he hits several 3s…didn’t do much tonight…good but not elite athleticism

5 Howard Eisley Jr. (Fr.)
got in late…PG…stocky build…not in the main rotation…”happy” feet on defense

7 Jace Howard (Grad student)
got in late…missed the front end of his 1-and-1...and his next two FTs…shot the 3 well in warmups…but not much arc…gets that from his dad…the first “deep” bench player

8 Phat Phat Brooks (Fr.)
nailed a ton of consecutive 3pt shots in warm-ups…missed his first FT in the game…made his second…hit a nice 3…active defensively…in the rotation but towards the end of it

10 Justin Pippen (Fr.)
did not play…was hoping to see him tonight but apparently not…redshirt coming?…looks like he could put on a little weight

11 Roddy Gayle Jr. (Jr.)
starter…airmailed his first 3…sunk his next one but had a toe on the line…missed his first FT….and his second one…made the toughest 3 he took with a guy flying right at him…can sky for rebounds…needs some serious work in his FTs…right now couldn’t be in the game at the end when FTs are even more critical…very good athlete

12 Charlie May (Jr.)
got in late…not in the rotation

13 Harrison Hochberg (So.)
got in late…nice finish after getting fouled…and a second bucket…not in the main rotation

14 Ian Burns (Sr.)
got in late…not in the main rotation

15 Rubin Jones (Grad student)
did not play

24 Sam Walters (So.)
lefty…skinny as a rail…in the main rotation…when he’s out there with Goldin and Wolf that’s a lot of length…not sure I liked the ball rotation on his 3pt shot…kind of a side spin…good FT but again may have some side spin I don’t like…mostly a spot-up shooter…ok defender tonight…may have trouble when matched up with an elite athlete or stronger/larger type…has some length though…could use some additional weight

42 Will Tschetter (Redshirt Jr.)
definitely slimmed down…really transformed his body…replaced Goldin when he drew an early foul…had a nice quick move for his first basket…wasn’t in his arsenal last season when he had the additional weight…scrappy…hit his first 3…by far the most improved player…of course he might be the only returning player…was always Mr. Hustle but now has more athleticism to match…enjoyed watching him play more than previous years…won me over…plays low to the ground for a big guy…always bent at the waist…unless he needs to go high for a block or rebound…having fun out there…even brought energy in the timeout huddle…wow got up for an impressive fast break dunk like I didn’t know he could…has become sneaky good…will be a fan favorite with his hustle

50 Vladislav Goldin (Grad student)
starter…worked on his baby hook in warm-ups…both right-handed and left-handed…lots of practice shots off of various entry passes in warmups…also the strangest warmup drill I’ve ever seen where he has a rope around his waist and pulls someone across the court while walking backwards…also did cool two-handed ball drills and quick feet drills… he’s an interesting watch in warm-ups that is for sure…seemed to be the game captain…long arms…was expecting a lot from him but didn’t get much at all tonight…seemed to come out a lot but not sure why…was clearly outplayed by Wolf tonight…nice block…needs to be more active like Wolf…only bucket was a high-flying dunk on a nice pass from Gayle…sure can get high above the rim…hoping that was just an off game…strangely silent tonight

Miscellaneous Team Notes
at least four kids of well-known players or coaches between Howard, Pippen, Eisley Jr. and May…team has a great ability to poke balls away on defense…much more length…I love that they push the ball after a made basket by the other team…almost like a fast break catching the other team off guard…got to the rim on one and hit a 3 on another…defensive rebounding could use some improvement…Goldin and Wolf are tall but don’t get up high for rebounds on the interior…may be susceptible to real leapers…the players who aren’t in the game circle around the team during timeouts with arms on each others’ shoulders…in-bounds plays could use a little work…felt like we could be close to a couple five second calls when inbounding…defense is pesky with more length and athleticism…tough to move the ball around against them…nine man rotation if Phat Phat stays in the rotation…liked that warm-ups included 3pt shots on the move, not just standing there stationary…this is an entirely new roster but other than a few plays (a couple bad passes) it didn’t feel like they were still trying to figure out how to play together…felt like they were pretty much on the same page at this point in terms of passing and defensive awareness of each other

Other random thoughts
seemed like more food options this year than I remember…I saw barbecue, burgers, chicken, Buddy’s, and all the regular concession stuff…Crisler now has an in-game MC or whatever it is called like the football games…not my favorite addition to games…only spoke up a couple of times though…and much less annoying than at the football games where they tell us how to do the Go Blue chant we’ve been doing for decades…didn’t notice anything else new at Crisler besides the food (which may or not be new)

Coaching Notes
first time I’ve seen a head basketball coach in a hoodie…the whole staff for that matter…up 50 still didn’t go to the deeper bench to show me some other players until really late

Most important questions for the season
1) Almost everyone is new to the roster.  Who is the most impactful transfer or freshman?
Everything I had heard was that Goldin was a game-changer.  But Wolf really impressed me tonight in ways that make me think he can repeat it against tougher competition.  He can get a little sloppy at times with the ball but also puts a LOT of pressure on his defender when he has the ball on offense.  Not afraid to drive and surprisingly effective with it, he seems quick on the offensive end (quicker than he feels as a defender).  He was in on so many plays, like I said above the offense was at its best when the ball flowed through him.  He could move the ball or take it to the hole, grabbed loose balls, just made plays on the offensive end.  We’ll see what happens against tougher competition but he felt like the top new addition by a long shot.  Donaldson is going to be good, Gayle has his spot, Cason looked like a talented freshman.  But Wolf takes the prize when evaluating this one game.
2) Who is on the court at the end of games?
First of all, not Gayle if he can’t hit a FT.  But he’s athletic and can get tough rebounds so if he can fix that he can play his way back in at the end of games.  Donaldson and Cason have great shots and great FTs.  Wolf for sure.   Didn’t see Goldin do much or take any FTs so the jury is out there but one would hope he could get big rebounds at the least.  Burnett might be quiet but I trust his experience and decent overall shot and athleticism to be in there.  So I go with Wolf, Donaldson, Cason, Goldin, and Burnett.  If for some reason Goldin was a liability (at the FT line for instance) I’d put Tschetter in as he is becoming a solid player and will make the hustle plays you need at the end of games.
3) Who takes that final 3 when you’re down three points?
Walters may turn out to be the best 3pt shooter and he has the advantage of having length to get his shot off, so he is a solid bet.  Donaldson looked pretty good from 3, as did Cason.  But Cason is a freshman.  Burnett is steady and experienced.  While I loved Wolf’s game I didn’t like his outside shot nor did I see him make many in warmups (most were misses). While Gayle hit one he would be an obvious foul target and not likely make all his FTs (unless tonight was just a seriously off night).  So, in the end I think it’s Walters, Donaldson, Burnett, and Cason in that order.
4) Achilles heal of this team?
I believe the defensive rebounding could be a concern.  Goldin and Wolf are both long but not major leapers (although Goldin can get up if he gets a running start).  It felt like a few rebounds near the rim were there to be had but often went to the other team. For as long as this team is, it felt like a weak spot and this was not top competition.  Boxing out and rebounding help are going to be key.  It only felt like Gayle was in there flying high to get a rebound before the other team could.  Tschetter had a couple tough ones and is way more capable of getting up this year with his new physique, but still doesn’t qualify has a high flying leaper.  Outside of defensive rebounding, the team felt quite solid all around.  I’d like to see a few others shoot FTs to make judgment there, but several key players had a nice touch at the line.

Predictions
22-9 overall regular season
9-2 in non-conference
13-7 in the Big Ten (plus 2 wins in the Big Ten tourney)
5 seed in the NCAA Tournament (with 2 tourney wins)
26-11 final recordC