(Photo Courtesy of USA Today Sports)
For anyone who watched Michigan’s 78-53 second round (or is it third round?) NCAA Tournament beat down win of VCU over the weekend, two things stood out above all others:
1. Man, Michigan can play.
2. And also, man, that Mitch McGary is one tough…well, you know.
McGary, is listed 250 lb., and uses every pound on his 6’10 frame to his advantage. In an era where most guys his size prefer to hang out on the perimeter and shoot three’s, McGary plays with his back to the basket in a bruising, punishing, physical way that so few big men do anymore (we also have to assume that likes his steak tough, his cars fast and his cigarettes unfiltered as well). Specifically, McGary’s (legal) screen on VCU’s Briante Weber on Saturday was one of the most vicious we’ve seen in years, and a play which sent Weber to the ground, and propelled the Wolverines into the Sweet 16.
But really, watching Saturday’s game, we couldn’t help but think one thing above all: When you factor in McGary’s size along with the tough brand of basketball he plays, it’s not hard to see him transitioning into a pretty darn good football player.
Apparently, we weren’t the only ones who’ve had the idea.
That’s because on Wednesday, WolverineNation.com released a piece on McGary, with several interesting nuggets in it. Amongst them: Apparently Brady Hoke has asked McGary to come out for the football team.
McGary, who played football right up until he literally outgrew the sport in the eighth grade (he was 6’6, 190 lbs. at the time) politefully declined. Still, you can’t blame a coach for asking, right?
Here’s what McGary told Wolverine Nation:
“I don’t know. He said, ‘We’ve got to get you out on the football field,’ “ McGary said. “Jokingly, but I think he’s serious down deep.”
He then continued:
“I don’t know. Maybe. I don’t know,” McGary said. “I still like football, but I probably want to focus on basketball, though.”
As appealing as the notion sounds though, it doesn’t seem like Michigan basketball coach John Beilein has any intention of loaning out his star in the off-season.
Here’s what he said on the matter:
“No, not going to share him, but a couple of screens he set did scare me a little bit,” Beilein said. “You guys probably are too young to remember Ted Hendricks but I talked about that with Greg Mattison.
“He would be good at that defensive end, maybe, too.”
He certainly would.
Speaking of which, I’ve got to ask: Coach, if the football team can’t have him for the season, any chance you’d be able to at least loan him out for the Ohio State game?
It might be the Wolverines’ best chance of slowing down Braxton Miller this season.
For all his opinion, insight and analysis on college football, please follow Aaron on Twitter @Aaron_Torres.
Follow Crystal Ball Run on Twitter @CrystalBallRun.
