I'm not a big fan of looking back, I much prefer to look forward. But with the Michigan Basketball team playing terrible with a talented team fresh of an NCAA Tournament bid last year and the football team looking at some type of NCAA probation for the first time in history, looking forward doesn't look good sitting here on March 9, 2010.
So today, I take a second to think about what if? What are programs would look like today if two players had stayed on board when the coaches from West Virgina invaded Ann Arbor. Those two players are: Ryan Mallett and Ekpe Udoh.
Let's first look at Ekpe Udoh who transferred from Michigan to Baylor when John Beilein took over after the 2008 season. Ekpe is a 6"10 240 F/C big body that was a defensive specialist at Michigan and was even named to the Big Ten All Defensive Team during the 2007-2008 season. Ekpe at Michigan averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds a game in his two years in Ann Arbor. Ekpe didn't believe he fit into Beilein's finesse style of play and headed out the door to Baylor.
Well, things have changed for Ekpe at Baylor. He was just named to the 2nd Team All Big 12 team and has averaged 13.4 points with 9.8 rebounds and 4.1 blocks a game. He set a Big 12 single season record with 123 blocks and was named the Big 12 New Comer of the Year.
Now, I fully understand that players leave when a new coach comes on board but Ekpe is exactly what the 2009-2010 Michigan Basketball team is missing. An athletic space eater that can play D, get some boards and score in the double digits each night. Beilein has a reputation as not being the greatest recruiter, well he should have sold Udoh a little harder.
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We all know the story about Ryan Mallett a 5 star QB from the border of Arkansas and Texas. A big kid at 6'7 238 pounds with a big arm and even bigger personality. He came to Michigan to play for Lloyd Carr and be the next Tom Brady. Things changed quickly during his freshman year when he saw a lot of action when Chad Henne went down with a shoulder injury. He got a lot of time and even won his first game against another 5 star QB Jimmy Clausen.
After his Freshman year, Lloyd called it a career and Rich Rod came in. Ryan was already rumored to be home sick and in and out of Lloyd's dog house, so he decided the spread wasn't for him and transferred to Arkansas to play in a pro style offense.
Ryan had a successful sophomore year for the Razorbacks by averaging a QB rating of 152.52, passing for 3,627 yards and 30 touchdowns. He even flirted with the NFL draft this winter before deciding to stay for his junior year. In recent news, Ryan has broken his foot and will miss Spring Practice. He was even recently rated the Top Returning Football Player by ESPN's Joe Schad. Joe rated Ryan ahead of the Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and Rose Bowl star Terrelle Pryor.
The one thing us Michigan fans know is, Ryan wasn't going to make our defense any better but we are pretty sure he would have gotten the team to a Bowl Game in 2009 and maybe won a few shootouts in 2010. Does Michigan lose to the likes of Toledo, Purdue, and Illinois if Ryan was still in the Maize and Blue? Probably not. Sure it might of been a couple of Alamo Bowl appearances but we will take that compared to being home the last two years.
Who do you think is the bigger loss for the Michigan program? If you would like to vote, please do so on the right side tool bar.
After his Freshman year, Lloyd called it a career and Rich Rod came in. Ryan was already rumored to be home sick and in and out of Lloyd's dog house, so he decided the spread wasn't for him and transferred to Arkansas to play in a pro style offense.
Ryan had a successful sophomore year for the Razorbacks by averaging a QB rating of 152.52, passing for 3,627 yards and 30 touchdowns. He even flirted with the NFL draft this winter before deciding to stay for his junior year. In recent news, Ryan has broken his foot and will miss Spring Practice. He was even recently rated the Top Returning Football Player by ESPN's Joe Schad. Joe rated Ryan ahead of the Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and Rose Bowl star Terrelle Pryor.
The one thing us Michigan fans know is, Ryan wasn't going to make our defense any better but we are pretty sure he would have gotten the team to a Bowl Game in 2009 and maybe won a few shootouts in 2010. Does Michigan lose to the likes of Toledo, Purdue, and Illinois if Ryan was still in the Maize and Blue? Probably not. Sure it might of been a couple of Alamo Bowl appearances but we will take that compared to being home the last two years.
Who do you think is the bigger loss for the Michigan program? If you would like to vote, please do so on the right side tool bar.
1 comment:
Udoh would have a bigger impact. First of all, it takes at least 5 players to play basketball and at least 22 to play football. Statistically, Udoh has a higher impact percentage.
Second, Udoh's blocks alone would have won at least 5 games, and his overall production would have alter the outcome of another 7 games this year. Mallett may have the arm, but he still needs blockers to prevent him from becoming a tackling dummy.
Last but not least, neither Belilein nor RichRod are great coaches. Both are successful in their own system but cannot adapt to the athletes around them. A decade ago, coaches may live off a system without feeling the pressure to succeed right away. In the age of Internet, coaches who cannot easily adapt will end up pounding the pavement before the ink on the contract dries.
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