Michigan commitment Evan Smotrycz signed his letter of intent today and has officially become a Wolverine. Evan has agreed to write a periodical diary here at UMHoops.com, keeping us up to date with information from his season at New Hampton. In his first post, Evan breaks down the start to his prep season and his feelings on signing day and the University of Michigan. These are his words with only a couple minor edits for grammar. Read the diary after the jump.
We have been through our first two weeks of practice and we have our first game today. Even though it is against Harvard’s JV team it will give us a good idea of what we need to work on. We will get to see how well we can run the offense, which in some ways is similar to Michigan’s. It’s not as complicated though, but we do have four guys on the perimeter who are always setting screens and cutting backdoor, and one big man inside. I really like this because not only does it fit our personnel and gives us the best chance to win, but also it’s just one more thing that will have me a little more prepared for when I get to Ann Arbor. We should have a good season here though, were very guard oriented and everyone can play a little bit on the perimeter, which should cause some match up problems. Everyone gets along really well on and off the court. We have a lot of talented guys who play hard, and that usually translates to wins. Putting the ball in the hoop won’t be the hard part, defense will determine wins and losses for us. If we can keep the bigger teams off the glass and the quicker teams out of the paint we should be all set.
Signing day is finally here and it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Yes, I have been committed for a while but nothing was official. Part of me feels like I have just signed my life away, and the other part is happy that I did. It’s weird to think that everything basketball related I have done in my past has amounted to putting my name on that piece of paper. I am so blessed to be in a great situation and think that this is the start of something great. I’m excited to be a part of getting Michigan back to the top of the basketball world. The fact that I have been through so much and worked so hard up to this point, and that it wasn’t just handed to me makes it so much sweeter.
I’m excited about the class that Coach Beilein has put together. I think that Tim and I are going to fit in perfectly with the system. I was talking with Trey today and if we could get him it would give us a really good chance to do great things in Michigan. And as anxious as I am to get there, now that I’ve signed my focus has to be 100 percent on winning games here at New Hampton. I don’t have to worry about impressing anyone anymore. My future is solidified. Now I have to learn how to win, help get my teammates scholarships and hang a banner up in the New Hampton gym within the time I have left here.
