3:55 pm: I cleaned up the typos and things that I typed in a confusing manner. I also got the images to work properly.
11:53 AM The podium looks really lonely. I can tell it is not because I hear inane journalist conversation in the background, and people occasionally walk by it.
12:00 PM Somebody is about to get Bill up in this joint. Sounds like Madej to me.
12:01 Maybe if I get this window out of the way, I can see that it is indeed Bruce Madej (Associate AD for Athletic Communications). He is going to introduce Martin, who will be making a couple of statements and introducing new basketball coach. Beilein will make a couple statements, and the media will be able to ask some questions of him.
12:02 Martin in the heezy.
He thanks Tommy for his service to Michigan, navigating us through a trouble period. Martin is forever indebted to him. The screening committee is also thanked: 2 former players Tim McCormick, and Marty Bodnar; Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Ted Spencer; and Greg Harden, and Associate AD.
12:04 Bill Martin states that he has a crush on John Beilein. Now he introduces him. Beilein left his beloved Eers to come here.
12:05 It’s a Beilein!
Big opportunities, big challenges. Put UM back on the national stage as national contenders. Introduces his family, including two sons at WVU (Patrick, who played under JB, graduated last year).
12:06 The people making the decision to move to Michigan: JB and his wife Kathleen. He “believe[s] it is the right decision to make.” He expresses admiration and respect for Tommy for putting program back on its feet.
12:07 Talked to almost every player except the ones who were studying [Beilein, you card]. Sense of humor. At least he has SOME personality. Wait, he’s serious. Talked to Manny’s mom, Legion is in Chi-town with his mother [Roundball Classic], but he will get in contact with them today. Talked to KGSr., on vacation in Cancun.
12:08 Beilein’s first tasks as coach: Compliance meeting, workout, practice scheduled. 1st question: came here because he believes it’s what’s right for him to do. Same type of student-athletes he’s recruited his entire career. Michigan was a very unique situation/opportunity, which was required to get him out of WVU.
12:10 Bill talked to Beilein on the phone, waited until after the NIT championship. Hit it off right away. Martin said nothing in particular about job and challenge to Beilein: Beilein felt good karma, shared Martin’s values and beliefs, and felt good about their future relationship and vision of program.
12:11 Coaching philosophy question. Response: don’t call this a Princeton offense. Don’t want to turn the ball over (hallelujah), and Eers among the top teams in the country in assists. Learn to be versatile as a coach depending on personnel, can dump it inside or “crank threes” in order to win. Adapt style to existing talent and recruit talent to your preferred philosophy.
12:12 JB values players that love their teammates and want to succeed. Love to play and hang out together. Team that fits in with the student body. Doesn’t want team on an island. Wants students to see their friends play, not their basketball team play. No magic formula.
12:13 On recruiting: JB will reach out within state, have coaching clinics and camps. Reach out to coaches within the state. Very hands on approach. “I want Kids to grow up in Michigan dreaming of wearing the Maize and Blue.”
Fighting against MSU, recruiting Michigan will be very hard as long as he is at Michigan.
12:14 Jamie Smalligan is from Michigan, so he has recruited here before. UM is a national university, and can therefor recruit from anywhere, bu they will recruit the state as well as they can. He wants to build a reputation as a coaching staff that knows what they are doing.
12:15 Facilities issue: nothing that bothers him. Beautiful locker room and film room. The facilities give the impression that fans care. He thinks UM was one of the first places he saw where the students jump up and down and wear the same color t-shirts [ed: you’d best be thinking us with a wave before each game, John].
12:16 A practice facility is in the plans for the future. JB has great faith in Bill Martin’s ability to get it done. Martin is open to all options, giving Beilein the opportunity to compete with opponents.
12:17 Recruiting includes “recruiting” existing players every day to improve. Public perceptions are that UM football overshadows UM basketball, MSU basketball overshadows UM basketball. Beilein says it’s breath of fresh air. It’s a program that competes In the Big10, in a good recruiting area, with tremendous support from alumni and fans. Athletic department gets the best of both worlds with football. Competing against MSU only helps basketball in the area.
12:19 JB is ready to recruit great players from a great basketball area. Talked to Manny’s mom and Kelvin’s dad yesterday, and will be talking w/ Alexand mother this afternoon. Everything is positive so far with existing players and 3 signed recruits.
12:20 Beilein will set no concrete timeline for NCAA Tournament appearances or Big10 championships. However, he brought his rings, and will earn some at Michigan soon.
12:21 UM has nothing to do with his buyout. Very interesting. Martin gave Beilein enough time to think about decision.
12:22 No system talks in the practice today, instead there will be conditioning and ball-handling drills. This is stuff for guys to do over the summer. If they don’t work over the summer, they will become familiar with the track. He wants self-starters, but ironically will help them start up.
12:23 He is still looking at assistant options. His old staff is still on WVU’s payroll. Before determining his new staff, he will determine the needs here.
12:24 Beilein hopes Michigan will be his last stop on his coaching career. He grew up on Lake Ontario, and has made a loop in his coaching career ending back there.
12:25 There ought to be pressure on him to succeed from fans, given the amount he is getting paid. Pressure hasn’t bothered him for 32 years, and he doesn’t anticipate it will anytime soon.
12:26 How to turn around direction of Michigan basketball: university has a lot to offer, needs to evaluate where the program is right now. They can attract students from a fertile area. How important was it to wait to contact him until after the NIT. Third parties do stuff all over the place, but UM didn’t really get involved with that. How to get fans involved: be approachable, have great young men repping the Michigan program. People anywhere in the world will be proud of the way they play and conduct themselves. They will be well coached. Fans all over will be proud to say, “This is my team.” Expect winning.
12:28 Asking impression of other people (i.e. in the media) on UM basketball. Once the serious discussions began, he didn’t want to give up his hand that he was planning on taking the job. OMFG! He will be available to the media. What.
12:29 Alumni relations is part of job, fund-raising for practice facility, etc. Part of the coaching decision “zone or man,” his analogy for traveling to get $$ from alums. He is also a busy husband and father, and one man can only do so much.
12:30 His career goal wasn’t to finish at any certain school, but once he was done coaching his son, he realized that WVU wasn’t “it” for him. He has grown a lot as a coach. He was physically sick before his first gig at a high school JV basketball game.
12:31 His early college days helped form him as a coach, and the 2-guard offense forced him to grow as a coach. Necessity is the mother of invention. “Failure is
a fertilizer for a coach” – Rick Pitino.
12:32 Will not return to Morgantown and renege on his decision to coach UM (lol Altman).
Then he is done. Photographers surge over his carcass.
And they lived happily ever after the end.
Posted under Basketball
