UM Hoops.com

Keegan Bell has decided to attend the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. I talked about Bell having interest in Michigan but the talks seemed to sputter out because there was never much more written about him and U-M. Hopefully this is the only transfer news that breaks today.

One other note K’Len to GVSU is official. The popular rumor is that Jerret may follow him to GVSU.

Just a few notes from the AAU circuit this weekend from Rivals. The report is encouraging on Jordan Morgan and it is very hard to get a grip on the other Michigan instate big men. I’ll keep my eye out for other information on other prospects.

Jordan Morgan @ King James Tournament:

You have to like it when prospects find the right fit for college. That is clearly the case for Michigan bound forward Jordan Morgan. The 6-foot-9 forward should have a good career for the Wolverines because he’s not afraid to bang, can really pass from the post and when his number is called, he can knocked down the face-up jumper.

Appling is one to watch but looks like MSU green at this point:

Playing his third game in a row, Michigan guard Keith Appling didn’t have his best game in front of us. The locals have raved about his play and word is he went for 30-plus and 20-something in the two prior games to our viewing. He’s a scoring point guard with a wiry frame. Word is Michigan State is very strong with him. The Spartans just landed a commitment from his 2009 high school teammate Derrick Nix last week.

The Family on Friday, have to wonder what’s up with Kirk now that MSU has already taken two bigs:

The Family struggled to find much consistency from it’s team. Coming off a commitment to Michigan State, Nix showed some nice moves in the post but struggled to finish time and time again at the rim.

DaShonte Riley had one great move with a spin to the middle of the lane off a pivot and scored with a face up jumper. Other than that, he was quiet from a scoring standpoint. He and fellow big man Donnovan Kirk worked well with the high-low offense in the first half. Riley’s length played a factor, too. He was still far from doing what he’s capable of though.

Lacy has the latest on Ekpe, nothing is official but Lacy caught up with Udoh’s AAU coach and it doesn’t sound good:

Udoh’s former AAU coach in Texas, and he might have given me a clue. When reached on his cell phone and asked to comment about the situation, Malone said, “I don’t care to comment until Monday.” What that means is anyone’s guess. I have somewhat of an idea, but as we know, in the strange world of collegiate athletics, it’s hard to speculate until something is official or at least on the record.

Lacy updated his blog and just sent me an email to tell me that Ekpe is in Ann Arbor according to his high school coach. I would think that this could mean one of two things: Ekpe is staying with the team or Ekpe is going to get his transfer papers signed and cleared away and make everything official. At this point I’d still guess the later. Although Ekpes coach explains it like this:

“He told me he’s in Michigan, but he didn’t want to tell me anything,” Hardaker said. “I asked him if he’s there looking to get a release (for a transfer) and he just said, ‘I’m just here chillin,’ just hanging out.”

One thing to note, Miles Plumlee might asked for his release ($) from Stanford and is back on the open market. He would probably play a lot immediately if Michigan were to land him. Beilein is familiar with the Plumlees from recruiting Miles’ little brother Mason.

Congrats to Jordan Morgan for receiving an invitation to the NBAPA camp which features the “top 100 juniors and sophomores in the country”. The camp is scheduled for June at the University of Virginia and will give Jordan a chance to keep working on his game and play against some of the best players in the country.

A new recruit lists Michigan…. Link (halfway down the page). Did I mention that we need big men?

The 6-foot-9, 220-pound Kecman – who is from Belgrade, Serbia – averaged 13 points a game and helped Eastern Arizona to a fifth-place finish in the national junior college tournament. He’s also looking at Fresno State, Nebraska, Iowa, Nevada and Michigan.