Some recruiting notes for this morning, first off the latest on Darius Morris and his upcoming visit. Morris got a little love from the national writers at Rivals after his strong play at Pangos. The report on Morris’ play:
For point guards in the class of 2009, finding the little things to separate themselves is key. For Darius Morris, the thing was rebounding. An inch taller than last summer, Morris was good on the glass and used his good athleticism and length to get on the glass. He started the break quickly after snatching the rebound. Morris scored the ball well and loved to leak out, which will probably be a theme this weekend for most players, and scored on the break quite often.
The article on Rivals also states a school list for Morris. I think Michigan is still in strong shape here but with strong and/or local programs showing more interest its cause for concern. Kentucky has been mentioned for quite a while with Morris while USC, Washington State, and Stanford also look like strong competition for Darius:
Darius Morris said he has offers from Michigan, Kentucky, Washington State and Southern Cal while Stanford, Washington, Texas and Oregon State are high on his list.
Next up there is another new target on the board from California. Solomon Hill is a wing forward from Fairfax High School who plays with California Supreme on the AAU circuit. Hill was named a top performer at the Pangos All American camp by Rivals and is also rated #27 overall and the #3 small forward in the 2009 recruiting class:
The 6-foot-6 wing from Los Angeles powerhouse Fairfax High School was one of the top guys over the weekend because of his consistency, versatility and overall game. The big wing has a Big East-style to his game and played the point more than any other position at the camp. He shined as a passer, scorer, rebounder and slasher. Hill’s game is similar to Kentucky-bound prospect DeAndre Liggins. In fact, Hill might be better because of his overall toughness and sheer production on the offensive end as a scorer. Outside of his perimeter shot, which still needs some fine-tuning, Hill has a great set of tools to work with at numerous positions.
From what I gather Hill has been on Michigan’s list for a couple weeks now and is a very intriguing wing prospect. Rivals also posted a school list for Hill:
After a dynamic spring, Solomon Hill said he has watched his recruitment sky-rocket as Oregon State, Boston College, San Diego, San Diego State and UNLV all offered scholarships. Texas, Gonzaga, Kansas State, Michigan and Southern Cal are also in the picture. Hill said he plans on a return trip to the Galen Center next week for USC’s elite camp.
While there are definitely some big players in there I think Michigan is in the mix and is trying to make a move. I think with the bigger push for guys like Crump, Hill, and other wings lately it appears that Michigan is really pushing to add a three man to this class to hopefully go along with a point guard like Darius Morris. Hill was also named a top performer at the Cactus Classic and also received praise in Vegas and appears to be a solid target. However at this time it’s really tough to say anything about Michigan’s chances besides that we are recruiting him (presumably pretty hard) and that he is mentioning us. He still seems pretty wide open at this point.
Other Notes: Russell Byrd did not make it to Ann Arbor today ($), Raymond Cowels plans to camp at Iowa ($), I put together an early list of 2010 and 2011 targets (let me know anyone that I forgot).
