Malick Kordel Commits

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rwbPhilly said:
I like his size, not just length, but he is also massive.
Not sure how he will fit the future rotation. Grayson Groves is likely the C next season. But, this gives is an option if needed.
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I really like the pickup. Both Vaihola and Grove (and JCJ when he played C) were undersized, so it's nice to have a guy to bang with the other bigs.

I watched an interview, and he mentioned how helpful it was to practice against the other Michigan posts. He also mentioned that he always fouled out of games in his first couple years of playing basketball (only a couple years ago). He averaged 7.6 fouls per 40 minutes this year.

I wouldn't be surprised if Kordel ends up starting but ends up only playing 15-20 minutes per game, with Grove/Mpoyi/sometimes JCJ getting the rest of the run.

I also didn't see really anything other than alley-oops or put backs from his highlight tape. I wonder if the Gophers will be able to develop his offensive game at all.
 

eker0016 said:
I really like the pickup. Both Vaihola and Grove (and JCJ when he played C) were undersized, so it's nice to have a guy to bang with the other bigs.

I watched an interview, and he mentioned how helpful it was to practice against the other Michigan posts. He also mentioned that he always fouled out of games in his first couple years of playing basketball (only a couple years ago). He averaged 7.6 fouls per 40 minutes this year.

I wouldn't be surprised if Kordel ends up starting but ends up only playing 15-20 minutes per game, with Grove/Mpoyi/sometimes JCJ getting the rest of the run.

I also didn't see really anything other than alley-oops or put backs from his highlight tape. I wonder if the Gophers will be able to develop his offensive game at all.
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Yeah I'm expecting that JCJ is the only post player that averages more than 20-22 minutes a game.
 

Also, when I first saw this guy’s name, I thought “sounds like a character from a fantasy novel.” Well, I’m reading the Malazan series right now and sure enough there is a Mallick Rel in there 🤣
 

we need this guy to be able to handle 16-20 minutes a game at Center out of the gate
JCJ will also get some run at the 5 in small ball lineups......with Grove/Mpoyi filling out the rest of the minutes

i think someone said they assuming Grayson as the starting Center? Grayson is the type of player every team needs, but he is not a starter/big minute guy on a decent big ten team....and i mean that in the most MN nice way there is
 

Gophs24 said:
we need this guy to be able to handle 16-20 minutes a game at Center out of the gate
JCJ will also get some run at the 5 in small ball lineups......with Grove/Mpoyi filling out the rest of the minutes

i think someone said they assuming Grayson as the starting Center? Grayson is the type of player every team needs, but he is not a starter/big minute guy on a decent big ten team....and i mean that in the most MN nice way there is
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I don't disagree with you as of right now, but I am irrationally optimistic about his potential improvement. The reason (other than being a delusional Gopher fan) is that he showed so much at times last year. He did it in a way that completely surprised me. When he was in HS, I thought he was going to be kind of soft and marginally skilled (Treyton Thompson type). What he showed last year was a poor man's Chad Kolander. He was tough. He attacked rebounds. He ran the floor. You're 100% right that he still wasn't the kind of player who plays a ton of minutes on a good team - but he was close.

If he continues to bring that kind of energy and just becomes marginally more comfortable on offense, he is a Big 10 caliber post player.
 


eker0016 said:
I really like the pickup. Both Vaihola and Grove (and JCJ when he played C) were undersized, so it's nice to have a guy to bang with the other bigs.

I watched an interview, and he mentioned how helpful it was to practice against the other Michigan posts. He also mentioned that he always fouled out of games in his first couple years of playing basketball (only a couple years ago). He averaged 7.6 fouls per 40 minutes this year.

I wouldn't be surprised if Kordel ends up starting but ends up only playing 15-20 minutes per game, with Grove/Mpoyi/sometimes JCJ getting the rest of the run.

I also didn't see really anything other than alley-oops or put backs from his highlight tape. I wonder if the Gophers will be able to develop his offensive game at all.
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Yeah, I think he starts most games but doesn't finish most games.
 


Gophs24 said:
we need this guy to be able to handle 16-20 minutes a game at Center out of the gate
JCJ will also get some run at the 5 in small ball lineups......with Grove/Mpoyi filling out the rest of the minutes

i think someone said they assuming Grayson as the starting Center? Grayson is the type of player every team needs, but he is not a starter/big minute guy on a decent big ten team....and i mean that in the most MN nice way there is
Click to expand...
Agree....Grove may develop into a starter at some point but right now he is best suited as a key rotation piece who can come in off the bench and give you quality minutes every night.

Teams absolutely need guys like Grayson but hopefully we are not in a position where we need him to start. Some people assign way too much value to whether a guy is a starter or not....to be a good team you need quality starters and quality backups who can keep the team running at a high level when the starters are not on the court.
 

Gophs24 said:
we need this guy to be able to handle 16-20 minutes a game at Center out of the gate
JCJ will also get some run at the 5 in small ball lineups......with Grove/Mpoyi filling out the rest of the minutes

i think someone said they assuming Grayson as the starting Center? Grayson is the type of player every team needs, but he is not a starter/big minute guy on a decent big ten team....and i mean that in the most MN nice way there is
Click to expand...
If our non conference games are anything like the past few years, we don't need him to be giving those minutes until December. November will help him get ready for B1G play. Even then, we will be competitive with him getting lower minutes. He will not be the reason we win or lose games. He's still raw and needing time to improve. I see him as a project this upcoming season.
 



Some insight about Kordel. Other than getting more production from JCJ, Asuma, Durkin, Grove and Shin, I think Kordel is the key and the X factor to our success this coming season. He needs PT and learn how to stay out of foul trouble.

Imagine having an effective and strong presence of a 7-3 player in the paint!

www.on3.com

Malick Kordel discusses journey from German handball player to Michigan Wolverine, current stage of his development

Michigan Wolverines basketball center Malick Kordel discusses his transition from Germany to Ann Arbor.
www.on3.com www.on3.com
 

Bayfield Gopher said:
Some insight about Kordel. Other than getting more production from JCJ, Asuma, Durkin, Grove and Shin, I think Kordel is the key and the X factor to our success this coming season. He needs PT and learn how to stay out of foul trouble.

Imagine having an effective and strong presence of a 7-3 player in the paint!

www.on3.com

Malick Kordel discusses journey from German handball player to Michigan Wolverine, current stage of his development

Michigan Wolverines basketball center Malick Kordel discusses his transition from Germany to Ann Arbor.
www.on3.com www.on3.com
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Thanks for sharing. Going to be very interesting to see what the U can get out of him. Seems to have a good head on his shoulders and is motivated to work and improve his game. If he can master technique and keep improving his game a guy with his size could be a force. So often really tall players are skinny but he isn't.
 

I was curious about mpg for CBB bigs. Nothing eye-popping but this is what I found.
**************
Based on 2025-26 season statistics, starting centers in men's college basketball typically play between 20 and 30 minutes per game. While some elite, full-time starters may exceed 30 minutes, many centers average in the mid-20s due to foul trouble, substitutions, or strategies involving smaller lineups.

Key Findings for CBB Center Minutes (2025-26)

  • High-Minute Starters: Elite or crucial starting centers (e.g., K. Keita, BYU) can play roughly 30–35 minutes per game.

  • Typical Starters: Many starting centers, such as those at Duke or in the NBA's similar developmental roles, average roughly 22–24 minutes.

  • Backup/Rotation Players: Backup centers or those in platoons often play limited roles, frequently seeing 10 minutes or fewer, particularly if the team goes small.
 

eker0016 said:
I really like the pickup. Both Vaihola and Grove (and JCJ when he played C) were undersized, so it's nice to have a guy to bang with the other bigs.

I watched an interview, and he mentioned how helpful it was to practice against the other Michigan posts. He also mentioned that he always fouled out of games in his first couple years of playing basketball (only a couple years ago). He averaged 7.6 fouls per 40 minutes this year.

I wouldn't be surprised if Kordel ends up starting but ends up only playing 15-20 minutes per game, with Grove/Mpoyi/sometimes JCJ getting the rest of the run.

I also didn't see really anything other than alley-oops or put backs from his highlight tape. I wonder if the Gophers will be able to develop his offensive game at all.
Click to expand...
He definitely is a project, but he's something we didn't have last year. He'll be a good screen assister, like Gobert and good for alley oops and blocking a few shots. If there's a coach / coaching staff that can develop a project like him, it would be this staff. I see 15-20 minutes and when we want to go small, JCJ can slide over. I expect Grayson to thrive as his prominent backup.
 



FinnGopher said:
If our non conference games are anything like the past few years, we don't need him to be giving those minutes until December. November will help him get ready for B1G play. Even then, we will be competitive with him getting lower minutes. He will not be the reason we win or lose games. He's still raw and needing time to improve. I see him as a project this upcoming season.
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He'll be one of main rotation guys, whether that's starting or off the bench. 15-20 mins a game, some blocks, some dunks/put backs & in constant foul trouble, would be my guess.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Agree....Grove may develop into a starter at some point but right now he is best suited as a key rotation piece who can come in off the bench and give you quality minutes every night.

Teams absolutely need guys like Grayson but hopefully we are not in a position where we need him to start. Some people assign way too much value to whether a guy is a starter or not....to be a good team you need quality starters and quality backups who can keep the team running at a high level when the starters are not on the court.
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Grove is ideally suited this year to being a high energy, gritty big off the bench, loosely in the Parker Fox role.

Next year after JCJ moves on he'll likely be our starting 4 man.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Grove is ideally suited this year to being a high energy, gritty big off the bench, loosely in the Parker Fox role.

Next year after JCJ moves on he'll likely be our starting 4 man.
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There is no projecting ahead to next year anymore :)

But will be interesting to see how Grove develops. He held up well in spite of being asked to play a much bigger role than I am sure he was ready for this past season.

Hopefully he can get the free throw thing sorted this off season and keep building on the experience he gained.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Grove is ideally suited this year to being a high energy, gritty big off the bench, loosely in the Parker Fox role.

Next year after JCJ moves on he'll likely be our starting 4 man.
Click to expand...
I would prefer not to see JCJ as much at C this year... Let Kordel get his minutes there,and Grove can back him up with Myopi maybe getting some run as well depending on his development. I would like a better shooter than Grove at the 4, but he could provide minutes there as well if JCJ is out. Maybe that's a place where Anderson can get a few minutes this year?
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Grove is ideally suited this year to being a high energy, gritty big off the bench, loosely in the Parker Fox role.

Next year after JCJ moves on he'll likely be our starting 4 man.
Click to expand...
I feel like he'll need to develop his shot a bit more to be a reliable 4 man.
 

I am expecting something like 4 ppg, 4 reb, 1 blk per game from Kordel. I will take anything more. Whether Niko wants that from him starting or off the bench, we will see.

I also liked the look of small ball with JCJ shooting 3's from the center spot, moving the opposing big out of the lane.

Grove's biggest improvement should be in the weight room and shooting the basketball. He was a solid ft shooter and occasional 3pt shooter in high school. For him to get more time on a top half big ten team, he will need to hit more shots. Not saying we are a top half team next year, but hopefully by the year after, if not. I also see Myopi getting minutes against bigger teams like Illinois.
 

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