Most of our recent coverage has focused on the class of 2013 lately but there have been plenty of developments surrounding the class of 2012. Here are several updates on Michigan’s two 2012 commitments as well as a new candidate to fill Darius Morris’s empty scholarship.
Robinson has excelled on the spring AAU circuit as one of the primary perimeter scorers on his SYF Players squad. Robinson played well enough to earn an invitation to the Under Armour Best of the Best Camp over the weekend in Georgia where he was noted as one of the best athletes in the camp.
The full Scout.com report is premium ($) but this line tells you all you need to know: “Robinson tested out with one of the highest verticals at the camp, and translates that athleticism well to the floor”. Tweets from the official Best of the Best account supported the praise of Robinson’s leaping ability.
It’s another big week for Robinson, who will play in both Indiana Senior-Junior All-Star games this week (tonight at Washington and Wednesday at Kokomo). He is part of a six person “core” group which also includes Yogi Ferrell, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Ron Patterson, DJ Balentine and Gary Harris.
After a strong junior season at St. Mark’s, Stauskas has been unable to get out on the spring AAU circuit. He has been nursing a knee injury and is still only around 85%, per his father, which has kept him out of any events.
Stauskas plans to make his return to the court for the All-Canada Classic, a Canadian All-Star event hosted at the Raptors’ Air Canada Center in Toronto. Depending on his health, Nick also may travel to Latvia with the Canada U19 team for the FIBA World Championships.
During the live July recruiting periods, Stauskas plans to participate in the Reebok Breakout Challenge (July 5-9th in Philadelphia) as well as the Fab 48 (Las Vegas) and Dual in the Dessert (Phoenix) tournaments.
Other Targets
There’s still the possibility that Michigan would take another recruit in the class of 2012 and the Wolverine coaching staff has continued to evaluate prospects, new and old, in order to keep their options open. With two prospects in hand, and numerous options in the class of 2013, the Michigan staff can be a bit selective and see how things play out.
One new target on the 2012 radar is Stefan Jankovic, a 6-foot-9 skilled power forward. Jankovic is a Croatian born Canadian that’s ranked No. 84 in the latest Scout Top 100 rankings. He’s the prototypical face up or “Euro” four with size, shooting ability and some ball skills. At one point most assumed it was only a matter of time before he committed to Wake Forest but now it’s reevaluating his options. He tweeted last week about a nice chat with Coach Beilein and played very well at the Pangos Camp out west and listed Michigan first when asked for a top 5 ($).
One report from Pangos, courtesy of NBE Basketball, goes on to say that Jankovic has a Michigan offer but, judging by Beilein’s track record, that would almost certainly have to be solidified with a campus visit. The lists quoted by NBE:
Offers from Georgetown, Michigan, Syracuse, Wake Forest and West Virginia. He’s also received calls from California, Pittsburgh, Stanford, USC, Washington and Washington State, and both Duke and North Carolina have begun to show interest.
Five Star Basketball was impressed with Jankovic at Pangos:
Bennett’s teammate and fellow Canadian, Stefan Jankovic, a 6-10 spot up big also made waves on Saturday. Jankovic made a habit of exploiting mismatches, taking less agile big men to the perimeter and breaking them down, or hitting the jumper off the bounce. In one stretch, Jankovic hit two straight buckets, both of which were and-one plays. On the third trip down the court, he broke down his man and hit a midrange pull-up. From there on out, he won the local hoop-heads over, with more than a few fans calling out “STEFFEE JAY” when he hit shots. In a camp dominated by highlight dunks and flashy crosses, Jankovic set himself apart by simply, yet impressively getting by his man with good footwork and great body control.
Two names that Michigan fans are familiar with by now are Sherron Dorsey-Walker and JaVontae Hawkins. Both players have played well on the spring AAU circuit but nothing necessarily appears to be imminent in either situation. Hawkins will play his final season at Huntington Prep in West Virginia but plans to attend Michigan’s Elite Camp. Dorsey-Walker is still wide open and plans to decide by the end of the summer ($).
Mitch McGary, Robinson’s SYF teammate has gone from academic question mark to top ten player in the span of three months. Michigan continues to try to get involved, potentially even as a 2011 recruit, but the Wolverines are not in his top group as his list continues to grow.
