2012-2013 Season

Notes & quotes from Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III’s press conference

Mitch McGary NCAA Basketball Tournament Regionals jRdEXwWe8gUl[1]

Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III met with the media this afternoon and announced their intentions to return to school next season. Read selected quotes from both prospects and their coaches about the decision to stay below.

Mitch McGary — Watch the video

  • On keeping it interesting: “It’s our decision. I tweeted that I was trying to have some fun, trying to keep the suspense alive. I tried to do my best at that. I mean, it’s our decision, we’d like to reveal it, not have anybody else sneak it out. I’m glad it’s over with, and I can’t wait for next season.”
  • On how tough the decision was: “It was 50-50 and I didn’t make the decision until Tuesday. I might have been leaning a little bit toward that way. I talked it over with my family and I thought this was what’s best for me, to come back another year.”
  • On a reason why he’s coming back: “I kind of want to be a kid one more year. This is the last team I’m going to get to play for before I get to the NBA. If I get to the NBA, you’re going to be playing for a contract. This is, like, the last team. I’m a team player. I want to come back one more year and get better.”

  • On stepping into the leadership role: “Yeah. We’re very prepared. I’ve wanted this moment. I led a little bit this year. I led by example a little bit underneath Tim and Trey and Josh Bartelstein and the leaders on this team. I think I’m very capable of stepping up and being a leader on this team.”
  • On the effect Robinson had on his decision: “We’re like brothers. Coach says we’re joined at the hip, but I don’t think it’s that serious (laughs). I think it had some influence on what he was doing. We just wanted to come back together and make a run at it. Play how we played in AAU ball and have fun out there. The last few nights we’ve been in the gym playing one-on-one and just talking about it. It’s been helpful having him being like a brother.”
  • On what he’s looking to improve on next season: “Free throws (laughs). I’ve been working on that. I’m going to expand my game. I don’t really shoot the three, haven’t worked on that as much, but I’ve been in the gym every day since the end of the season, just trying to expand my game and work on my handles a little bit and try to take people off the dribble. One thing is, if I want to be able to play on the perimeter, I’m going to have to guard on the perimeter.”

Glenn Robinson III — Watch the video

  • On discussing the decision with McGary: “We got in the gym late last night, and we were playing, and he asked me what I was gonna do. I just told him, ‘We’ll see when it comes down to it.’ Those games get pretty intense. That may be why he considered asking.”
  • On what he learned from the process: “You’ve got to be mature. That’s one of the biggest things. What information is true, what’s false? If you’re not mature and take just the good things people say about you, I might have left, I don’t know. I’ve definitely grown from this opportunity and matured, I think.”
  • On what he’s working on for next season: “We’ve been doing skill development. I’ve been working with coach Jordan on guard stuff, handling the ball, shooting, coming off ball screens. I need to improve in all those areas and keep doing things I did this year like rebounding and that type of stuff.”
  • On if he’d like to move to the small forward position: “Yes. I think that’s something the coaching staff is talking about. That’s been my goal coming in. I couldn’t really do that because we played four guards in coach B’s system. Hopefully I can see myself in that position next year. … the three has a little more ball screen action involved in it, and hopefully my skill development this summer will allow me to play that position next year.”
  • On if he talked to his father about his decision: “I talked to him quite a bit. He’s been through this and he understands. He gave me some information on what he thought, and he felt the same as my mom. He felt I should make the decision on my own, but I think they both really agreed with me about staying.”

John Beilein — Watch the video

  • On Glenn Robinson III’s future position: “We’ve always envisioned him to be a three man. This year was like, how do we get our best five guys on the floor as much as possible. Just like we did with Novak. That’s the plan. He can do it. There’s no question he can do it.”
  • On what he expects from McGary and Robinson: “What we envision for both of these guys is what they want to develop. It’s more than just a number, playing a three or playing a four or wherever you want to play. You’ve got to work more now. They have to work at it and I have no question that they will.”
  • On what he sees in McGary’s future: “His goal should be to be able to play face-up, as a high post player. But also, when they put smaller guys on him, being able to just go down on the block and put it in. He has gotten much better at that.”
  • “I watched these eight kids work out yesterday. I just gave my two cents and I let me assistants coach for most of those two hours. I was smiling when I went home. … working out those eight guys, and knowing the quality of the three coming in, I was smiling on the way home.”

Bacari Alexander – Watch the video

  • “These young men are probably just as excited, if not more excited, to pursue championships with their brothers. Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson are types that really see the big picture in terms of overall development but more importantly than the basketball piece I think they really enjoy the University of Michigan’s campus, they enjoy their teammates and some of the relationships they’ve formed with the student body. Those are all reasons that make decisions like this a little challenging but in addition to that I think the thing that’s really enjoying about those two guys in particular is that they feel that they can get better –and that’s something we all agreed upon.”
  • On where Glenn Robinson III can improve: “We’d like to see him in ball screen situations more often. We’d like to see an assertiveness in terms of his shot selection. There’s times where you run a play and there’s times you have to be a player. Finding the sweet spot between that. I think Glenn has the ability to ignite fast breaks for us when he gets rebounds. Things of that nature will really help elevate his game and give him more confidence a kid that naturally defers.
  • On where Mitch McGary can improve: “I think it’s all about continuing his development conditioning wise. That’s going to do two things for him. It’s going to give him better balance offensively and then it’s going to give him better quickness defensively in the sense that he’ll not only be able to keep guys in front of him in switching situations but more importantly do it on the level where we can put him on shorter guys. The last part of Mitch McGary’s development would be his free throw shooting and his shooting range, really areas we want to hone in on this offseason.”
  • On whether Mitch is better suited for the four or the five: “We like Mitch on the floor… It’s really one of those things where Mitch’s skillset whether he’s at the four or the five in coach Beilein’s system calls for some of the same things. The ability to extend his shooting range, draw fouls and get to the charity stripe and the ability to defend multiple positions. When you ask the four or the five, we need Mitch McGary to enjoy the minutes that he displayed in the NCAA tournament more than anything else.”
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