Laval Lucas-Perry kicked off Michigan's team

When John Beilein came to Michigan from West Virginia, he came with the reputation of turning around downtrodden basketball programs.

He turned an 8-22 Canisius team into a conference champion in just two years. He took Richmond from a five year streak of losing seasons to the second round of the NCAA Tournament -- via an upset of 3rd seeded South Carolina -- in his first year at the school. It took a while at West Virginia, but eventually Beilein was able to take what was an 8-20 West Virginia team and put them in the Elite 8 (in 2005), the Sweet 16 (in 2006), and to the NIT Finals in 2007.

That is why he got the job at Michigan.

Laval Lucas-Perry is the latest departure from the Michigan program.
(photo credit: daylife)

Because prior to Beilein's signing in the spring of 2007, the Wolverines had not been to an NCAA tournament since Brian Ellerbe led them to the 1998 Big Ten tournament title. (That season has since been vacated by the NCAA.)

Beilein looked like he had struck gold once again. After struggling to a 10-22 finish in his first season, the Wolverines shocked the world by upsetting two top five teams -- Duke and UCLA -- en route to a 21-14 record and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. With potential all-Big Ten members Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims returning, the Wolverines were a trendy pick for the top 15 prior to the 2009-10 season.

Well, we all know what happened.

Michigan never quite got untracked, finishing the season under .500 on a 35 footer from Evan Turner. This off-season hasn't been much better. DeShawn Sims and Zach Gibson both graduated. Manny Harris left for the NBA and didn't even get selected. Anthony Wright was not granted a fifth year of eligibility. Three assistant coaches have departed.

And as if to throw salt in the wound, Laval Lucas-Perry has been dismissed from the team for the dreaded "violation of team rules". Here's Beilein from the UM press release:

The University of Michigan and our men’s basketball program has established expectations essential to the success of all students and athletes. These university and team standards have been clearly communicated to the team and Laval on numerous occasions through meetings, conferences and mentorship. Unfortunately, Laval has violated our team standards. Therefore, I have decided that he will no longer be a part of our basketball program. Given the fact that Laval is near the completion of his degree, he has been extended the offer to remain on scholarship for the 2010-11 academic year and graduate in May with our 2011 class.

It was the end of a strange and disappointing career for Lucas-Perry. A Flint, MI, native, Lucas-Perry was a fairly-highly regarded high school player, signing with Arizona as a three-star recruit. But he arrived in Tucson around the same time as Lute Olson was leaving, and left after just one semester. A three point threat, Lucas-Perry was a welcomed midseason addition to the Wolverine's NCAA Tournament team, but after a month of lights-out shooting, he never regained his touch. In 58 games with Michigan, Lucas-Perry averaged just 5.6 ppg and shot 32% from deep. He reached double figures in each of his first six games in Ann Arbor, but only reached double figures eight more times in his career. Six of the last nine games in the 2010 regular season, Lucas-Perry went scoreless.

The bigger question is where Michigan is headed. There are just four returners that saw playing time -- Stu Douglass, Zak Novak, Darius Morris, and Matt Vogrich. They aren't bring in much, either. Evan Smotrycz, a 6'8" small forward from New Hampshire, is a top 100 recruit. Jordan Morgan is a three-star center, but he is undergoing surgery on his left knee. None of Blake McLimans, Tim Hardaway, and Jon Horford cracked Rivals top 150.

On paper, this looks like a team destined for a rebuilding year.

But keep in mind, this is the kind of team that Beilein succeeds with. A bunch of scrappy underachievers willing to buy into Beilein's system. I'm not saying that Michigan fans should be penciling in a Big Ten title. Far from it. All I'm saying is that maybe the loss of Sims, Harris, and Lucas-Perry will be addition by subtraction.

While a .500 season would probably be considered an overachievement in 2010-11, don't write this group off just yet. Remember, Beilein has a tendency for turning teams around.