Big Ten Basketball: John Beilein’s departure opens door for other teams

Michigan and all of Big Ten basketball absorbed a shock wave with the news of John Beilein bolting for the NBA, which could aid fellow league members.

The decision by John Beilein to leave the Michigan hoops squad for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers could, at least initially, provide several other Big Ten basketball schools with an opportunity to achieve even further conference success, whether it’s during the 2019-20 campaign or over the next several stanzas. The larger-picture outlook for how Beilein’s move may shake up the Big Ten pecking order and possibly help the Wolverines’ league foes for years and years is murkier.

At the onset of this column, I have to acknowledge that I possess a love-hate relationship with Beilein. On the one hand, his Michigan crew defeated my alma mater, Syracuse, in the 2013 Final Four, which took place in Atlanta, and I got to see in person. Ugh.

Conversely, I think that Beilein is a high-character person and has built up the Wolverines the right way. I find that particularly admirable given the dark cloud continually hovering over collegiate hoops due to the shady dealings in the recruiting world that have come out since the federal-government investigation and recently held courtroom trials.

A lot of how far the Wolverines could – I repeat, could, not WILL – fall depends on whom the Michigan brass ultimately select to succeed the fabulous Beilein. Following the university’s national championship in 1989, consecutive title-affair appearances under the Fab Five in 1992 and 1993, and an Elite Eight trip in 1994, the Wolverines became fairly irrelevant as it pertains to March Madness accomplishments until Beilein 2007’s arrival in Ann Arbor, Mich.

His beginning with the Wolverines didn’t prove stellar, however, over the past six seasons, Beilein managed a pair of NCAA Tournament runner-up showings, along with an Elite Eight and a duo of Sweet 16s. Plus, he went on these terrific journeys with integrity, leading a clean program and developing solid recruits out of high school, but not necessarily the cream of the crop, and getting the most out of them. He adapted to changes in the game, and Beilein’s bunches often competed among the best in the business on the defensive end.

The Michigan facilities are, at this juncture, top-notch. Its basketball brand is well-known nationally. The Wolverines’ head-coaching gig is one of the premier ones across the country. From my perspective, what will shape Michigan’s short and long-term futures is the type of new boss brought in. Is it a coach who recruits mainly three and four-star guys and enhances their respective skill-sets over the course of three to four years, or does Beilein’s replacement seek out five-star prospects who may skip to the pros after one or two seasons at the maximum?

If it’s the latter, given the culture that Beilein had constructed with the Wolverines, this could affect Michigan’s recruiting prowess, and that in turn may enable other Big Ten contenders to climb up the ladder. Personally, I view Michigan State as the No. 1 group heading into 2019-20. Keeping in mind the upcoming NBA Draft, as well as potential recruiting and transfer developments for the Wolverines and the rest of the conference’s units, I’d slot Maryland at No. 2, either Michigan or Ohio State as No. 3, and the other one as No. 4, and then you’ve got teams including Iowa, Wisconsin and maybe Purdue.

The Spartans should stay at or close to the top of the Big Ten for the foreseeable future, but Beilein’s exit may benefit the likes of the Terrapins, the Buckeyes, the Hawkeyes, the Badgers and the Boilermakers.

Beilein did a remarkable job putting the Wolverines back on the Big Ten and national maps. I don’t expect Michigan to plunge too much, but it really is contingent on his follower. Some recruiting targets may shy away, and that could hurt the Wolverines for a tad, while boosting others in the conference. However, a decade from now, I’d still anticipate Michigan amounting to an annual strong challenger for Big Ten crowns and Final Four berths.