We learned long ago not to feel sorry for John Beilein, though it would be easy to do. Between injuries to Caris LeVert (who, for those who haven’t noticed, is on the cusp of stardom and set to become an NBA All-Star), early entries that shouldn’t be, etc., Beilein can’t seem to catch a break.
That it’s happened to the one guy who, according to his peers in a landslide vote, is the cleanest in the country … well, frankly, didn’t seem fair.
But if Michigan fans didn’t know it before, they certainly do now in this era in which the dirt (finally) has finally surfaced, the recruiting game exposed for the cesspool it is; a game in which cheaters do prosper and cover-up cultures thrive:
Deserve's got nothing to do with it.
If it did, a guy like Beilein would have a handful of National Titles.
So now Beilein, coming off major heart surgery last year, is traveling the world — literally and unexpectedly — in search of replacements for sophomore Jordan Poole and, very likely, freshman Ignas Brazdeikis.
“If you knew my schedule — I can’t tell you my schedule — the next month, the next 10 days, it’s absolutely incredible … how we’ve got to go out there and be in position to be in position,” he said before Michigan basketball’s annual banquet.
He added he would chuckle and shake his head at those who told him, “now you can finally get some rest” after the tournament ended.
And yes, it’s unfortunate, and not just because Beilein and his staff deserve better. It’s regrettable because Poole and Brazdeikis and those mentoring them can’t seem to see the forest through the trees despite the mountains of evidence that trusting the process would be in their best interest.
