Recruiting

2009 Michigan Camp Wrap-Up

Editors Note: Hot board updates should also be done this week (2010, 2011, and maybe 2012).

I didn’t make it up to Ann Arbor this weekend but plenty of other people did. I’ll try to mix in the reports that I received while throwing in links to other observers. Wolverine3, a commenter and friend of the blog, also was nice enough to share a very detailed report on the Saturday action at team camp.

Tim Hardaway Jr.

hardawayjrAll eyes were on Hardaway Jr. this weekend as this was billed as his chance to “earn an offer.” With so many eyes focused on Hardaway there are naturally many differing opinions.

Wolverine3 sees Hardaway as a bit one dimensional:

One dimensional. Two if you count finishing its own aspect of the game. Kid can certainly finish, but he’s a shooter, and a streaky one at best. Just not efficient. He lets them fly, he misses a lot, makes a couple. Great LOOKING form. Does not take the ball to the hole. Not much of a handle. Is very long and finished very well on the break today. Potential I guess.

Next Generation Sports points to his length and ability to finish:

Tim Hardaway Jr. (2010)- struggled with his shot but showed why he is high on Beilein’s list of recruits by using his length and explosion to jump passing lanes and get to the basket.

Hardaway had his ups and downs over the weekend but exploded on Sunday to lead his team to the camp title ($). It’s clear that Hardaway is a shooter first a foremost and every shooter has an off day or two.

I think Hardaway appears to be much more of a 2-guard in Beilein’s system rather than a three. His length is intriguing for playing at the top of the 1-3-1. I think he’s a good fit with his length and shooting. While he might not be the star player that some other targets in this class are, you are stuck with the bird in hand vs. two in the bush mantra.

Incoming Freshmen

Darius Morris

dmo

Darius Morris was the class of the weekend. He left just about everyone impressed. Wolverine 3 was no different:

Darius Morris- WOW. Grew a half inch. Legit 6′4 now. I saw him last year when he was,arguably the best player at the camp along with Lubick. Even with the limited action he saw today, he left NO QUESTION who top dog was on campus. These kids couldn’t even come close to stopping Darius. And as Sam said this was against a pretty stellar Clarkston team who BLEW OUT Will Regan’s Nichols team by 20 (30pt gap at times during the game).

Morris came out and scored the first 5-7 points for the Red Oxen vs. Clarkston. Hit a three, baseline drive and pull up J, fast break lay in. Probably had 13-16 in the game before getting injured. He locked down his man at the other end all game, just as he did last year vs Eso Akunne (who was now his teammate).

His first step is quick, he handles the ball with confidence and strength even more so then last year. He could go anywhere he wanted on the court at any given time. Fathers on the Clarkston team kept looking at each other like “are you kidding me right now? How do we compete?”

Lastly on Morris…. he is in GREAT shape. Last year he looked like a high school player, this year he looks straight D1. Put on at least 8-10 lbs of muscle over the past year, another reason for his straight dominance this weekend. I really am not over hyping him either…he was killer.

Darius was limiting by an ankle injury over the weekend but it shouldn’t be anything to worry about long term.

Blake McLimans

The surprise player of the week. Blake is still very thin, but most were pleasantly surprised that he was a bit thicker than expected. Blake’s shot is quick and he can knock them down from long range.

I think Blake McLimans doesn’t red shirt and finds his way onto the court next year. He isn’t going to be able to bang with some teams but he can stretch defenses and give Michigan some minutes at the four and even the five.

W3:

When the game began vs. Clarkston, I was interested to see how Blake would compete vs. Mike Kamieniecki. Mike Kamieniecki played very well against Lubick last year and played well during the morning game when Clarkston rolled Will Regan’s team.

Mike Kamieniecki took Blake off the dribble 3-4 times, and Blake got called for 3 quick fouls. Blake couldn’t really stop him off the dribble to begin with (first 10 mins or so). All of a sudden Blake blocked pretty much anything that came down the lane. I don’t know if he needed to get his timing down or what if he just needed to get loose but he was pretty darn productive after that. Still needs to work on lateral movement, and got beat by Kami but he timed his own jump to block the shots.

Likes to rebound, and is strong with the ball when he does, despite not having grown into his body yet. Doesn’t bring the ball down low. Not much of a post game yet, but certainly potential to be. Launched three’s all game going 4 for 7. Smooth stroke. Whoever said he reminds them of Gibson was WAAAYY off.

The report I got was that McLimans isn’t nearly as tentative on the perimeter with his dribble as Gibson is and he very well could push him for some minutes this year.

Matt Vogrich

W3:

Matt’s shot was definitely inconsistent today. The first game vs .Ottawa, he missed his first two three’s, a lay in, and a jump shot before hitting two deep bombs. His shooting form is flawless. Quicker release then what I saw in his film.

When Matt wants to, he takes it strong to the rim. This is where the biggest difference between him and Stu is. Where Stu will only pump fake you out on the wing and look to pass (Stu’s getting better but Novak is this way too), Matt can take you all the way to the hole, or stop and pop for the jumper. He also has a drive and running jumper he uses. Plays stronger then he looks.

The most surprising thing about Vogrich was his defense. He really gets after it. LOTS of tip balls in the lane, and he seems like he likes to rebound. Not a finesse player, he gets after it. He was basically the man on his team after Bartlestein got hurt.

Eso Akunne

Eso just seems to get it done. He just has a knack for the game despite his lack of height. W3:

If he had 2 more inches on him he would have been a national recruit. Really took the ball to the rim hard, especially when Darius went out the first time. Is a bull. Put on a few lbs from last year but can still move. I’m definitely not worried about that though…kid can ball. Really benefited when Darius was out there (well everyone did), in particular on the break.

Jordan Morgan

Jordan was dealing with a knee injury over the course of camp and was seen on crutches. There don’t appear to be any further details announced yet.

Other Notables

  • Winton Woods rising senior Allen Payne was solid at Elite Camp with his all around game. Payne is probably still a bit of a backup plan but he has a nice combination of athleticism and skill.
  • Devin Oliver (2010) is often forgotten but he can play, it will be interesting to see where his recruitment goes. Oliver is solid all around, taking him on the Kalamazoo promise would be a no brainer, but that might not be an option.
  • Relatively unknown 6-foot-7 Holt wing Cole Darling (2010) played very well.
  • Indiana shooting guard Spencer Turner (2011) was a bit inconsistent with his jumpshot but showed flashes of his potential.
  • Patrick Lucas-Perry is very good, but he’s just so short at under 6 foot.
  • Brandan Kearney showed off his all around game.
  • Ray Lee, a 2012 point guard, played very well.
  • Carlton Brundidge was nursing an injury (see W3’s report).
  • Kellen Dunham, a 2012 guard from Pendleton, IN reportedly shot the ball very well.

Links

Rivals:

Scout:

Other:

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