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2013 Intro: Wing Guard Zak Irvin

It’s obviously very early for 2013 prospects but Zak Irvin is a name to remember. The multi-dimensional rising sophomore is alreadys 6-foot-4.5 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan. Irvin has already picked up several scholarship offers (Michigan doesn’t offer sophomores until June after their sophomore year) but his interest in Michigan is clear. Irvin has already visited Michigan twice and plans to make the trip back to Ann Arbor this weekend for the UConn game along with his high school teammate Gary Harris, Michigan commitment Trey Burke, and 2012 offeree Glenn Robinson III. Here’s what Irvin had to say when I caught up with him last night:

Describe your game. I shoot the ball really well, especially from midrange.  I rebound pretty well, my ballhandling skills are average, and I see the floor really well.

What offers do you have on the table now? IU, Illinois, Purdue and Xavier.

You’ll be visiting Michigan this weekend, right? I’ll be going to the UConn game, yes.

You visited earlier as well? I’ve been there twice this summer.  One was for an unofficial visit and then the second time was to come and see practice.

You’ve met the new coaches?  What did you think? I like them a lot.  We bonded a lot and we got to know them pretty well.

What did you do on the visit? The first time I came down we toured campus, we had lunch, and they showed me the gym, the fitness center, the football field, the weight room.  The second time I came down I watched practice, wanted to see what their practice looks like.

How did AAU go this summer? It went really well, we played well as a team and I played well this summer, so overall it was a great summer.

Any timeframe for commitment? I will probably have committed to a school after my junior year.

Anything specific you’re trying to improve about you’re game right now? I’m focused on ballhandling and getting stronger.

What do you like about Michigan? I like the basketball court, I love the coaches, I like the weight room and I like the campus in general.

What ultimately goes into your decision? Academics is a big point, relationship with the coach, and I would probably say team prestige.

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Video: Indiana HS Hoops Preview

Joe Eberhardt (twitter) passed along this video featuring summer highlights from a number of Indiana stars. The video includes footage of a number of Michigan targets including two of Michigan’s expected visitors this weekend: Gary Harris and Zak Irvin. Some other Michigan targets that are featured include Yogi Ferrell, Devin Davis, Basil Smotherman, and Austin Burgett.

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Visit Weekend: UConn Football Game

It’s officially football season. There are obviously other places you can debate Michigan’s chances of beating UConn, but football season means visit season and a number of prospects are expected on campus. We’re working to dig up more visitors but here are three that are expected on campus this weekend.

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Glenn Robinson III, Gary Harris, and Zak Irvin are all expected on campus this weekend.

Joe first reported on Twitter that Glenn Robinson III plans to make an unofficial visit for the UConn game. Robinson visited a couple weeks ago and picked up a Michigan offer along the way. Last we spoke to him a decision was a ways away but two visits in a months time is certainly a sign of strong mutual interest.

According to The Recruit Scoop, Hamilton Southeastern guard Gary Harris is also planning to make the trip up to Ann Arbor for the UConn game. Harris took an unofficial to Notre Dame over the weekend and also recently stopped by Indiana.

Harris’ high school teammate, 2013 star Zak Irvin, is also expected to make an unofficial visit to Ann Arbor. Irvin recently picked up an offer from Xavier to go along with Illinois, Indiana, and Purdue. Michigan doesn’t offer sophomores until June 15th of their sophomore year but Michigan is in hot pursuit of Irvin, who’s been to campus multiple times.

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Q&A: 2012 Guard Anton Wilson

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Anton Wilson (Flint Carman Ainsworth) visited Michigan before the team took off for Europe and had the chance to sit in on a practice.  Wilson is a 6-foot-5 2012 wing prospect who played for Team Pride this summer.  He was a little overshadowed by all the star power on his AAU team (Ray Lee and Matt Costello, specifically) but still managed to impress plenty of coaches and jump on their radar.  He’s a good scorer with solid range and athleticism.  He’s also extremely long and wiry, especially for a guard.  Here’s what Anton had to say about the visit.

Describe your game. I’m a scorer.  I like to score and get my team involved.  And I like to rebound.

You have visited Michigan, correct? Yes.

What did you think of the visit? It was great.  They told me about the student part of being a student-athlete.  They showed me how, if I went there I would be spending my day in academic courses.  It was awesome.

Did you meet some of the Michigan coaches on your visit?  What did you think of the new staff? Yeah, they were awesome.  They’re great.  They told me a lot of stuff about the school.

What did you think of practice?  Did you meet anyone on the team? The practice ran great.  It’s like, you got to go hard in practice to go hard in a game.  I pretty much met the whole team when I was at camp.

Who has offered you so far? Baylor, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Rhode Island.

Who else has shown interest in you? Georgetown, Indiana, Ball State, Michigan, Michigan State, USC and that’s about it.

If you were to receive an offer from Michigan, where would they rank on your list of schools? Probably number one.

Continue reading ‘Q&A: 2012 Guard Anton Wilson’

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Post-Commit Q&A: Trey Burke

Trey Burke has just committed to Michigan.  Dylan covered pretty much everything in the post below, but here’s what Trey had to say about joining the Michigan recruiting class of 2011.

So you committed to Michigan? Yeah, that’s true.  I actually committed last night and I guess my dad just put it out there.

How’s it feel to know you’re going to Michigan? It’s a great feeling.  I always wanted to go to the Big Ten and now I get a chance to play against my hometown school.  It should be real fun and now I’m just ready to get there.

What ultimately went into the decision? Basically, me and my family, we had a conversation last night.  We talked it over because Cincinnati, they were my top school for about three or four months.  My dad basically gave me his take on it and what he thought I should do and my mom was telling me the goods and the bads.  At the end of the night it just came out to be Michigan.  I felt like Michigan was a better opportunity for me at the end of the day.  Life after basketball, which school has the better degree, those were the kinds of things that were in the discussion.

Cincinnati was your top school for a while.  What made the tide turn to Michigan? The recruiting class, the recruits.  Michigan ‘s got Carlton Brundidge coming in and he’s a great player.  I’ve played against him plenty of times.  I’m looking forward to playing with him, Hardaway, Darius Morris and Horford.  They have a young team, and I can tell that when I get there, we’re going to do some special things.

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