2008-09 Freshmen (from left): Zack Novak, Stu Douglass, Ben Cronin
A seven-footer from Henninger High School in Syracuse, N.Y., Ben Cronin was the first player to commit to the University of Michigan men's basketball program after the hiring of head coach John Beilein. Cronin verbally committed to the Maize and Blue on May 16, 2007; just 43 days after Beilein took the reins of the Michigan program.
In three seasons of varsity basketball at Henninger, Cronin started 70 straight games and averaged 12.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and an astonishing 7.2 blocks per game. His 506 career blocks shattered Henninger's previous record of 290, held by Andray Blatche of the Washington Wizards.
Cronin, who was homeschooled and did not play organized basketball until his freshman year of high school, came into his own offensively during his senior year as he averaged 19.1 points and 15.2 rebounds per game, while leading Henninger to a 21-3 record and a final AA state ranking of sixth.
With a 7-foot-5 wing span and size 17 shoes, Cronin will be an immense physical presence on the Michigan front line. He will also be the first seven-footer to don the Maize and Blue in seven seasons (Josh Moore, 2000-01).
In the first of a three-part question-and-answer series with the freshmen on the Michigan men's basketball team, MGoBlue.com sits down with Ben Cronin to learn a little more about the Wolverines' newest post player.
Meet Ben Cronin ...
Choosing Michigan: When it came down to staying home or coming here, I decided that Michigan was the best fit for me with my style of play and what Coach Beilein and his staff can do for me. I think Coach Beilein is a great coach and Ann Arbor is an awesome place. Everything about Michigan was what I was looking for.
What he is looking forward to: Just getting better, working as hard as I can and seeing how much I improve and just playing with this team.
The summer: We've been here for over a month and we've been doing conditioning and weight work. We've been playing with the team during open gyms, getting to know each other pretty well and working hard together. We are getting better already so it's been great this summer. We've been together for over a month now, and it will be six weeks by the time we leave, and everything has been great so far.
Working on this summer: Nothing specific at all. I've been working on everything I can, every part of my game, trying to improve.
Goals for the upcoming season: Just getting better. As a freshman I think that I can improve upon everything. I've got a lot of goals so I need to improve to meet them.
Number: My number is going to be 35. There is no significance to it. In high school I was 33 but Cazzie Russell took that, so there is no way I'm getting that one. But I had no reason for picking 35.
Favorite moments in basketball career: Playing with my high school team and winning sectionals, and getting player of the year. Those have probably been the biggest highlights so far.
Describing his game: There are a couple players I'd like to pattern my game after, like Tim Duncan or some of the other great bigs. I think I'm a strong big man down low, I'm a great shot blocker and I think I have a nice touch as well. I think I'm just a solid, all-around big man. There is definitely plenty of work that I need to do, but with hard work and the coaching of Coach Beilein I think I'll be a well-equipped big man by the time I leave here.
Other sports played growing up: I played hockey until I was in eighth grade. That's when I picked up playing basketball but my first real year of basketball was my freshman year of high school. I was a defenseman and I'm a big hockey fan so I'm going to try to make as many hockey games as I can this year. I also played golf my senior year of high school.
Other interests (other than basketball): I play a lot of golf. Other than that, I go to church every Sunday morning and that's about it.
Dream job (not including playing basketball): Coaching basketball.
Favorite food: I like a lot of Italian food. I don't necessarily have a favorite but anything mom cooks at home. She makes a lot of Italian stuff, so I like that.
Favorite subject: Health, English or anything to do with education.
Favorite color: Maize and Blue.
Favorite television show: SportsCenter, I'm not real big with TV but I watch ESPN every day.
Most recent movie he has seen and his opinion of it: Drillbit Taylor. It's a new release comedy and it was pretty funny. Owen Wilson is in it. It was a good movie.
Favorite place he has visited and a place he would like to visit: Favorite place I've been would be Bermuda. I'm Irish, so it's my dream to one day go to Ireland.
Favorite musical artist: Dave Matthews Band.
Pregame superstitions: None, just a pregame prayer.
Jamesville-Dewitt head coach Bob McKenney celebrates the Class A Federation Championship win against East Hampton High School at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
Glens Falls- Brandon Triche excelled in every phase Saturday night at the Glens Falls Civic Center, so it seemed only appropriate the Jamesville-DeWitt standout junior guard delivered the perfect sentence to describe the cringe-inducing jumper teammate Mickey Davis drained with 14 seconds left in the Federation Tournament of Champions Class A boys' basketball title game.
"I guess it was just meant to be," Triche said.
Triche not only addressed the huge shot by Davis in the Red Rams' thrilling 70-66 victory over Long Island Lutheran on Saturday that secured the school's second Federation title since 2004, but his statement also could be considered blanket closure to a glorious playoff run that trumped three years of tormenting postseason failures.
"We didn't want to end our season on a loss. We wanted another championship," J-D senior center Nick Pascale said.
The Red Rams (26-2) achieved the desired result Saturday, adding to their New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class A title captured at the Civic Center two weeks ago.
But how they secured the title victory was hardly conventional.
Enter Davis, who decided - with J-D leading 65-63 in the waning seconds - to launch a 12-foot jumper in transition.
Davis' shot sliced through the basket for a four-point advantage with 14 seconds left to the delight of the Red Rams' bench and fans.
"I thought it was the thing to do," Davis said. "I thought if I had a shot, take it. It was a great shot. I probably shouldn't have taken it, but I took it and it went in."
What impact Marcus Sales makes on the football field at Syracuse University may take years to be determined. The importance of the CBA star receiver's announcement Thursday afternoon to stay home and try to help the Orange turn around its sagging fortunes, though, is immeasurable.
"I think it's huge for Syracuse," Brothers coach Joe Casamento said. "It lends some credibility to them. The fact that they got (DeAndre) Preaster, who is definitely the best player in the Utica area, and now Marcus, who I believe is the best player in the Syracuse area. If they get a couple more, which I hear they may, they may be locking up some players who in the past were going elsewhere."
Casamento had plenty of company in the hearing department.
Churchville-Chili High School running back Averin Collier, who is considered the top prospect in New York and one of the top running back prospects in the country, is signing with Syracuse according to his high school coach, Paul Dick. Collier plans to make his announcement during a press conference at his school today.
Collier (5-foot-11, 202 pounds) picked the Orange over Pittsburgh, which signed his brother, Kevin, in 2006.
Dick said he has been told by head coach Greg Robinson on "numerous occasions that Averin is the biggest recruit ever landed at Syracuse." He said Robinson also told him getting Collier is the biggest recruiting battle won by the Orange.
Collier's commitment would certainly be a welcome decision for SU head coach Greg Robinson, who despite a 2-10 season apparently has managed to reel in the state's top two prospects in Collier and Sales (6-2, 185) and perhaps its best all-around athlete in Preaster (6-3, 185), a wide receiver/basketball star.
Robinson has also received oral commitments from offensive linemen Nick Lepak (Auburn) and Ian Allport (Pulaski), defensive end Matt Jones and tight end/defensive end Chandler Jones, all of whom played their high school ball within 100 miles of the Carrier Dome.
"That's a big, big thing for Syracuse, to be able to start to lock up players from New York state who are real players," said Casamento, whose last two Division I prospects - quarterback Mike Paulus and defensive end McKenzie Mathews - selected North Carolina and Pittsburgh, respectively. "There are great players from New York state who are (playing) elsewhere. And this is a good beginning for SU to start locking up New York state players."
At the head of the class are Collier and Sales. Each selected the Orange over Big East rival Pitt, among others. Collier is rated the No. 10 running back in the nation by Scout.com and No. 25 by Rivals.com; Sales is ranked No. 27 at wide receiver by Scout and No. 42 by Rivals.
For a few tenseminutes Thursday, the future SU wideout offered few hints as to where he would suit up next season as he extolled the virtues of his three finalists - SU, North Carolina and Pitt - before a large gathering of classmates, family members and former CBA stars Lavar Lobdell and Bruce Williams, who now play for the Orange.
Finally, he reached below the table he was sitting at, pulled out an SU cap and stuck it on his head, prompting cheers from his well-wishers.
"This was probably the toughest decision of my life besides me getting married one day," the soft-spoken Sales said, drawing laughter. "There was something about all three of these schools that I liked. They all had tremendous academic programs and football programs."
In the end, Sales decided on Syracuse, in part, because "I just thought it was a chance to make history and play in front of the home crowd."
He will join a receiving corps that features veterans Taj Smith and Mike Williams, who combined to make 104 receptions for 1,659 yards and 15 touchdowns last season, and Lobdell, who along with Bruce Williams played a pivotal role in selling SU to Sales.
Williams said he knows exactly what kind of player Sales will become.
"Mike Williams the Second," Bruce Williams, a backup safety, said. "He can jump, he can leap, he can run. It's going to be a great year this year."
Sales led Section III'sClass AA in receptions (43) and receiving yards (639) last season despite playing on a CBA team that featured young, inexperienced quarterbacks. He is averaging 19.2 points per game for the Brothers basketball team.
"He's such a great basketball player, he could probably help them out there, as well," Casamento said. "You're playing basketball all spring and into the summer, you really don't get the chance to be in the intensive weight program the rest of my guys are in.
"The bonus of that for SU is his upside is tremendous. When he gets that, he's going to be a handful. He might be a handful without it, but when he gets it, he's going to be a real handful."
Sales said he was undeterred by SU's struggles on the field the last three seasons under Robinson and is looking forward to helping the coach and his new teammates turn things around in a hurry.
"I feel that with this class right here that we've got, I feel this could make a big impact on this season," he said. "I knew that this year I would be around some focused players, and that's what it's all about, being around people who want the same thing as you."
Sales said hegot that feeling when he talked to Tyrell Harris, the Pennsylvania cornerback who announced his decision to attend SU on Wednesday. And he got that feeling from Lobdell and Williams, who apparently lobbied harder than Paulus to get Sales into the fold.
"It was a real big deal," Sales said. "They were like older brothers to me through this whole process. Ever since I was a freshman they just basically told me to keep playing hard. I knew Bruce would be there for me when he passed me down his (No. 5) jersey."
Thursday, Sales provided a real big deal for SU football before ever donning an orange jersey. Casamento sensed as much. So did Bruce Williams.
"It's real important to get a kid like Marcus to come," Williams said. "Just when a lot of our fans were giving up on us, to have another kid who they've seen in high school come on board, an explosive player who in a second can just turn the game.
"He hasn't given up, and he knows he can change this thing around with us, that we can get this ball rolling, make a big snowball and make a lot of noise in the Big East."
Staff writer Donnie Webb contributed to this report. Dave Rahme can be reached at 470-2148 or drahme@syracuse.com and Webb at 470-2149 or dwebb@syracuse.com
Four Blue Devils scored in double-figures and the Blue Devils raced out to a 31-point halftime lead, 50-19, as they won for the second straight time at home this season, 81-48, over Delaware on Sunday. Freshman David Simmons posted his second straight double-double with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds while fellow freshman and Delaware native Shemik Thompson scored a career-high 15 points in the victory. The Blue Devils are now 4-7 overall with the win and are off for exams until Saturday night when they play at UMass at 7:30 p.m.
Delaware scored the first two points of the game but the Blue Devils scored the next 13 to take a 13-2 lead with 16:26 to play in the half. Thompson scored the first six points of the half for CCSU, all on lay-ups.
Leading 18-7 the Blue Devils put together another large run, this time 11-0, to take a 29-7 lead. The lead reached as much as 34 in the period before a Delaware basket before the break made it 50-19 in favor of the home team. The 50 points in the first half were the most for the Blue Devils in a first half since they scored 51 in a win over Long Island on Feb. 20, 2003.
In the first half CCSU held Delaware to 7-of-26 shooting from the field, 26.9 percent, and outrebounded the Blue Hens 22-9. CCSU hit on 19-of-29 shots, 65.5 percent, and 5-of-11 from three. They turned the ball over only four times and dished out 12 assists on 19 baskets.
In the second half the Blue Hens cut the Blue Devil lead to 22 a 59-37, with 10:10 to play in the game. CCSU scored only nine points in the first 10 minutes of the half. But they responded by scoring 13 straight points to build the lead back to 72-37 with 4:09 left in the game. Delaware scored just two field goals in the final 10:10 of the game, and both came in the last 1:11 of the game.
Thompson's 15 points led the way for the Blue Devils, he also grabbed five rebounds and dished out four assists. Simmons added 12 points and 13 rebounds, his second straight double-double, both Blue Devil wins. Freshman Ken Horton had 14 points and a pair of blocks while senior guard Tristan Blackwood scored 14 points and had five assists in the game.
The Blue Devils are off until Saturday night when they play on the road at UMass beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Amherst.
Blackwood had 12 points, seven boards and four assists on Wednesday
Central Connecticut had two chances in the final 15 seconds of overtime but a pair of three point shots were unsuccessful as the Blue Devils dropped their home opener, 63-60, to Albany on Wednesday night. The Blue Devils fall to 0-2 on the season with the loss and also snapped their 11-game home winning streak dating back to last season. Senior guard Tristan Blackwood led the way with 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists and moved into 23rd place all-time at CCSU in career scoring, passing former teammate Justin Chiera. CCSU returns to action on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at home vs. New Hampshire.
The Blue Devils trailed by eight at the half and by five, 56-51, with 3:50 to play in the second before a 7-2 run by the Blue Devils tied the game at 58-58 with 15 seconds to play. Blackwood hit a running layup to tie the game and send it to overtime. Trailing 58-54 freshman David Simmons's layup off an offensive rebound from fellow freshman Shemik Thompson cut the lead to 58-56 with 1:22 to play in the half. Blackwood's lay-up tied it and sent it to overtime.
The Blue Devils managed only two points during the overtime period, both from the foulline, while the Great Danes scored five points to come away with the three-point victory. The Blue Devils had two chances with under 15 seconds to play but a pair of Blackwood threes were off the mark and the Great Danes earned their first victory of the season.
The Blue Devils were led by Blackwood and Thompson who each had a team-high 12 points. Blackwood's seven rebounds led the Blue Devils, but they were outrebounded 39-29 in the game by the Great Danes. Simmons added 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field in the game. He was also 2-for-2 from the line. In the game the Blue Devils hit only 9-of-20 shots from the free-throw line, including 2-of-6 in the overtime period. Junior Marcus Palmer added nine points while Thompson had four assists.
The Blue Devils dished out 16 assists on 23 baskets in the loss. They turned the ball over 14 times and shot 23-of-55 from the field (41.8 percent) and 5-for-25 from three (20.0 percent).
Blackwood's 12 points give him 1,138 for his career, passing Chiera (1,135) for 23rd place on the all-time list. Next in line for the senior guard is head coach Howie Dickenman (1,145). He can pass his head coach on Saturday night with at least eight points.
Central returns to action on Saturday night hosting New Hampshire beginning at 7 p.m.
Relph steps into role as Bona leader
By Vinny Pezzimenti
Olean Times Herald
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Tyler Relph would probably be the first one to tell you he that he hasn't lived up to all the hype.
Instead of putting the St. Bonaventure basketball program on his back, Relph has merely done his best to fit in. Not for the lack of effort, the guard has never evolved into a star.
One of Relph's best qualities is that he knows his limitations, his strengths and weaknesses. The former New York Mr. Basketball high schooler and highly-touted West Virginia transfer has no problem being a secondary option.
And with a stress fracture in the foot hampering him in this early season, Relph has just wanted to be on the floor, serving as a leading influence.
Going into three games this weekend at the BTI Invitational at The Pit, the senior said he wouldn't shoot much. Good idea, considering he was 1-for-10 from the field in two games to start the season
Relph was 2-of-18 going into Sunday. Maybe the thought of not shooting ever again entered his mind.
If it did, good thing he didn't consider it.
Relph made 7-of-8 field goals and scored a career-high 21 points in a 79-72 victory over Presbyterian College.
"Without those 21 points, we're dust," coach Mark Schmidt said. "We needed every one of those."
At some point between Saturday's blowout loss to host New Mexico and Sunday afternoon, assistant coach Jeff Massey convinced Relph that holding back was not the best idea. Instead of hesitating Relph fired freely over a zone defense that provided several openings.
But even when it didn't, Relph came through.
With the shot clock running down and the game tied late, he demanded the ball. He pump faked a defender and leaned into a shot that swished as the buzzer sounded.
Pass it? Not this time.
"I'm a senior," said Relph, who connected on a career-high six pointers. "That's a play I'm supposed to make. I haven't been making them, it was about time I made one."
Before the trip, Schmidt expected Relph to miss Saturday's game, and by Sunday, after playing three games in three days, Relph was supposed to be on his last leg. He was, but not until he walked out of the locker room with the victory in hand.
The foot was throbbing. Relph admitted he was going to need a day or two off, but guaranteed he'd be back for Saturday's home game against Eastern Michigan.
"I've only got 25 games left. I'm gonna play," Relph said. "I said to the trainer that I'm going to go, and Rich (Bennett) has supported me through all of this. He said if you want to play, go play."
And Relph not only played, he also played with abandon. Attempting to save a loose ball with the Bonnies trailing early in the first half, he flipped over a courtside table. Woozy and with the wind knocked out of him, Relph jumped up quickly and continued to play.
"I can't sit there and act injured when we've got so many young guys on the team," he said.
That mentality gave Schmidt so much faith in Relph that he started him at point guard in place of struggling freshman Malcolm Eleby. Schmidt stayed with Relph for 31 minutes.
"His history is that he's a good shooter. I thought that was the way you needed to go to win the game," Schmidt said. "I thought he brought some calmness to us. The guys trust him on the floor with the ball."
Fellow senior Michael Lee agreed.
"He's a veteran point guard who knows how to read defenses," Lee said. "That allows us to get open looks. He controls the offense better. Malcolm is a good point guard, he's just young, and he's got to learn the game a little bit."
Beilein Pleased With '08 Recruiting Pieces
By Sam Webb
Scout.com Staff Writer
Stuart Douglass
Ben Cronin (Henninger HS, Syracuse, NY) and Stuart Douglass (Carmel HS - Carmel, IN) Douglass made their commitments to Michigan official Wednesday when they signed their National Letters of Intent. John Beilein says his first class fills some very specific needs.
John Beilein's first Michigan recruiting class may not go down as being the most heralded in the rankings by recruiting pundits, but as has been the case at all of his previous coaching stints, he has landed two prospects that "fit" into the team he is building. With the additions of 7-0 260 pound center Ben Cronin (Henninger HS, Syracuse, NY) and 6-3 170-pound sharpshooter Stuart Douglass (Carmel HS - Carmel, IN), Michigan headman John Beilein feels he has bolstered his ball club in a few crucial areas.
"We didn't know a lot of what he had to do in recruiting because we had a limited evaluation of our current players," Beilein said. "As it turned out, two really important areas that we needed were a young man who could shoot the ball and someone who could really rebound the ball and pass it from the center position. Both of Ben and Stu fit those needs. Now that we know about our team a little bit more, recruiting in the future can be even more specific to our needs, but these two young men both have a passion for the game that we love, both want to be at the University of Michigan and both of them really feel the game the way I like recruits to be able to feel the game."
Cronin became the first member of the 2008 class back on May 16th when he opted for Michigan over Syracuse and Buffalo. The up-state New Yorker adds considerable size and length to the roster, boasting a 7-5 wing span. He averaged 12.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 8.0 blocks and 5.0 assists during his junior season en route to leading Henninger high to a 12-2 record and second place finish in his conference.
Once Beilein arrived in Ann Arbor, Cronin was one of the first recruits he targeted. The two had previously established a rapport when Beilein was at the helm of the West Virginia program. Even though Cronin's offensive game was/is still a work in progress, he emerged on Beilein's radar because of one of his unique abilities as a big man; he can shoot the basketball. He saw on his visit to Ann Arbor during the summer that he has the potential to thrive under his new head coach.
"I have always had a pretty good touch, but I need to make it more dominant in the game," Cronin admitted. "The way Coach works with the big men on shooting drills was just great with the inside outside game. Coach showed me the workout schedule for the players and how he is working on getting them better. I also like the way the guards and the big men are running the court together. He seems to always have the big guys running and I like that."
"Coach Beilein showed me footage of Kevin Pittsnogle because that is who I remind him of except that I post up a little more then he does," Cronin later continued. "I like the offensive sets he showed me. Coach told me we will play a four up and one down set, so it would be hard for the other team to double me. Because of the way Michigan will stretch the court, teams would have to play me straight up."
Cronin's excitement about learning under Beilein is match by Beilein's eagerness to teach.
"He may even be bigger than seven feet," said Beilein. "He is 260 pounds and I think we will try to play him around 250 or 255. He has a great sense of how to play the game, great instincts around the basket, and like most big guys, will need to learn how to play when everyone else is real big. Right now, it's tough for a high school player with the attention that will be around him. He wants to be a player and has a great high school coach. So we are real confident that with given time and hard work, he can really help us in the future."
In Douglass, Beilein may have added more immediate help. Michigan first noticed the Hoosier State standout at a top 100 camp in Indiana and later invited him to Beilein's first ever team camp in Ann Arbor. His performance at that camp was impressive, prompting GoBlueWolverine to log the following evaluation in our camp recap…
This Hoosier State guard is an unknown in most circles, but make no mistake about it… he can fill it up from deep. His stroke certainly caught Lou Dawkins' eye. The Saginaw coach was extremely impressed afterward remarking, "Damn that kid can shoot it!" At a shade over 6-2, he isn't the biggest guy…but he plays with a lot of heart. He is willing to drive in among the trees…but lets make no mistake about it… this kid is a flat out shooter.
Douglass, who averaged 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 45% from the field and on three-pointers and 92% from the charity stripe, fell in love with the Maize & Blue immediately. A few months later he was shown exactly how he would fit into the puzzle and happily accepted a scholarship offer.
"They showed me four or five clips and broke down where I fit in…the one and two guard slot," said Douglass. "They showed me what they like to do, where they'd rotate me, a few different screens and cuts that they like to do. They kept mentioning how I'd be up top in the one or two guard slot."
"Stu Douglass is a winner, a shooter and really understands the game," added Beilein. "He has great instincts, passion and is going to be a great fit for us. The new three-point line will have no effect on Stu."
With only two signees during the fall signing period the Wolverines still have one scholarship remaining for the 2008 class, and Beilein indicated they are opposed to using it.
"If there is a good enough player available that fits our need as a player and as a teammate, then we will definitely use it," he said. "If not, we will wait on them. We will not offer scholarships out unless we think that it is absolutely the right fit. We still have a lot of young players and we want to make sure that it is the right fit for both the University of Michigan and our basketball program."
Murray chooses Central Florida
By Donna Ditota
Staff writer
Onondaga High School running back Latavius Murray has decided to play college football at Central Florida.
Murray, who has rushed for more than 2,000 yards this season, said he arrived at the decision Monday.
With his Tigers playing Friday in the New York State Class D quarterfinals against Section IV's Walton, Murray wanted to rid himself of the distractions of a decision.
"I kind of just wanted to get it over with," he said. "I already had my mind made up and I just didn't want to be stressed with it."
Murray chose the Central Florida Golden Knights out of a list that included Syracuse, Boston College, Maryland and Connecticut.
He visited Central Florida earlier this fall and said he felt comfortable with the school, the players and the coaches. Former SU assistant George DeLeone, who was also a head coach at Georgia Tech, is Central Florida's head coach.
"I'm excited and I'm relieved that I got it off my chest and let everybody else know," Murray said.
In the end, Central Florida offered Murray more of what he was looking for. Some of the schools that offered him a scholarship wanted him to play linebacker, but Central Florida recruited him as a running back. That is the position Murray most wants to play.
Central Florida is also situated about 40 minutes from his dad, Paul, who lives in Titusville, Fla. Murray lives with his mom, Tawanna Wright, in Nedrow, but has a close relationship with his father.
The presence of relatives near the Central Florida campus was a factor. Murray, too, said he loves the Florida climate.
"It was just all of those factors," Murray said.
Michigan recruit works to improve his game
By Nathan Fenno
News Sports Reporter
Shawn Pudney remembers the first time he met Ben Cronin. That was four years ago, when Cronin was an awkward, 6-foot-8-inch eighth-grader who looked like he was dragging a leg when he ran up and down the basketball court. "He couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time, to be frank," said Pudney, who coaches Cronin in the AAU Syracuse Select program. "You couldn't have called him a basketball player by any stretch of the imagination. ... He couldn't run the floor and he couldn't shoot." Times have changed. Cronin, who committed to play for the University of Michigan in May and is the only member of the university's 2008 recruiting class, stands 7 feet now heading into his senior season in Syracuse, N.Y. The questions are different, too. "A lot of local fans around here are pretty disappointed I didn't pick Syracuse," Cronin said. "They look at me differently about it. If I'm walking around the mall, people will say, 'Why not Syracuse?' " But Cronin wanted to play at Michigan for coach John Beilein and has spent the summer focused on basketball. There were the tournaments with the Syracuse Select and East Coast Fusion across the country, from Akron to Pittsburgh to Albany to Las Vegas. Not a big name in recruiting circles - Cronin isn't nationally ranked by any of the services - he started to draw constant double teams after the Michigan commitment. There is the conditioning side, something Beilein asked him to improve. Cronin, who weighs 260 pounds, spent five days each week he wasn't at a tournament at Strength in Motion in Syracuse, working to improve his quickness, agility and add more muscle. "He needs to add upper body strength and turn that little bit of teenage blubber into muscle," said Pudney, who was recruited by Beilein when he coached LeMoyne College. "If he does that, who knows what can happen with him." Cronin lists his work in the low post, including his defense, as his strengths. "A honest center's work," Cronin said. But there is much to improve. Cronin used a hook shot suggested by Beilein more and more over the summer - "I love the hook shot, and it's been pretty automatic for me," Cronin said - and has gained confidence in being a go-to offensive option in the post. Pudney has witnessed Cronin's development - from demanding he not pass up open jumpers to improving his footwork to being physical and aggressive in the post to superior passing - and he sees plenty of room for improvement. There's the upper body strength. Improving facing up and putting the ball on the floor. Continue to get better at running the floor. It's all in a summer's work. "He's got a little bit of a good chip on his shoulder," Pudney said. "Ben's grounded and he knows and is doing the things he needs to do to work at this." Nathan Fenno can be reached at nfenno@annarbornews.com or 734-994-6835.
