Monday June 19, 2006 sports.michigandaily.com sports@michigandaily.com £t ihan iaugiI SPORTS 1 3- Incomplete recruiting class for Cagers sign of more trouble ahead A nyone who watched the Michigan ment since I was in middle school. They did men's basketball team this past sea- try. But this is Division I basketball, and you son knows that the program was far won't get rewarded for just trying. from a well-oiled machine. If just trying counted for something, next Inconsistent play down year's team would look pretty prom- the stretch, tanking impor- ising. I spent endless hours on mes- tant games with postseason sage boards this year reading about implications and a very dis- the next player Amaker seemed appointing spring in terms to be wooing into coming to Ann of recruiting are what the Arbor. It even seemed to be working 2005-2006 Wolverines will when he reeled in big-time in-state be remembered for. That's not recruit DeShawn Sims in the fall. exactly the legacy I'd want But after losing high-profile from a season that could have guard recruit Patrick Beverley, hav- been so positive. SCOTT ing the gem of its 2007 recruiting Early signs pointed to pros- BELL class, Alex Legion, decommit and perity rather than suffering: T seeing other valuable guard recruits A showcase win over rival Soo n opt for more storied programs, it's Michigan State near the Soon safe to say Michigan didn't keep beginning of the conference season. that early-season momentum rolling. A 16-3 start, along with a top-25 ranking How important was obtaining a strong in the national polls. recruiting class for next season? And a stud senior class that seemed to To say desperately is an understatement. finally be gelling together. Next year's team will be without its play- But we all remember the season ending in maker (Daniel Horton), its intangibles guy the oh-so-familiar setting of the NIT. (Graham Brown) and its x-factor (Chris All fans know the NIT isn't acceptable, Hunter). and though Michigan coach Tommy Amaker So after a year of recruiting, who will and most of the players put on a brave face be replacing these important pieces of the during the postseason, everyone saw through puzzle (along with four others who gradu- it. Michigan fans knew that the players and ated with them)? the coaching staff wished they were playing DeShawn Sims: The lone incoming in the real March Madness tournament. freshman who will probably have an impact Now I've never run a basketball program, on next year's team. All indications are that so I guess what is about to follow isn't exactly he should be the real deal, giving Michigan expert advice. But, I do consider myself pret- some flexibility at the forward position. For ty fluent in something called common sense. those of you hoping for an optimistic look at Common sense tells me that if some- this recruiting class, you might want to stop thing is broken, fix it. reading here. Sounds simple enough, right? K'Len Morris: Signed with the Wolver- I'm not saying that Amaker and co. didn't ines when Sims did. At the time, he was also try fixing its basketball program - a pro- in the Rivals Top 150, but after an average gram that hasn't reached the NCAA Tourna- senior season, he dropped out of the rankings Dear Readers and Advertisers: when they were reconfigured in the spring. Anthony Wright: The good news: He attended Oak Hill Academy for high school, a school that has produced superstars like Carmello Anthony, Rajon Rondo, Josh Smith and Jerry Stackhouse. The not-so-good news: He didn't even start for the team in high school. Hey, I'm all about good pedigrees, but if someone didn't start in high school, I'm not too keen on the prospect of that person mak- ing an impact on the collegiate level. Epke Udoh: He's 6-foot-10, so anytime size can be added to a roster, that's definitely a plus. But a career 12.5 point per game aver- age and questions surrounding his health are what made him a prime candidate for a year of prep school - his original plan of action until he changed his mind and decided to go to Michigan at the last minute. Zack Gibson: If Udoh makes you feel uneasy, then Gibson might give you a stroke. He, too, is 6-foot-10, and he also has some "offensive issues." The newest member of Michigan's basketball team - he agreed to transfer from Rutgers to Michigan and will be eligible to play after sitting out a redshirt season next year - averaged a whopping 1.1 points per game at Rutgers last season. Not exactly the second coming of the Fab Five. Before I sound like a complete scrooge, there's obviously the chance that I couldbe wrong - it certainly wouldn't be the first time. With the outgoing class of 2002, Hor- ton was the lone high-profile recruit. Brown and Hunter both flew under the radar and ended up being diamonds in the rough for this team. So maybe the 2006 recruiting class could be the same. But then that crazy concept of common sense keeps rearing its ugly head again.Fz eehFILE PHOTO - Bell can be reached at scotteb@umich.edu. Tommy Amaker's recruiting has been less than stellar in recent years. The Michigan Daily has MOVED! As of June 4, while our new building is being constructed, we will no longer be at 420 Maynard. Our new location is the old Office of the Registrar 413 East Huron WWW.CLEANWA I Located: Exit 22 off US 23, 4 miles south of Milan, 5 miles nm