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John Beilein watched Isaiah Sykes lead Denby to an upset over state power Pershing

It was a busy night of high school basketball across the state of Michigan. Regional finals were underway and the state’s best teams were playing for a chance to play in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. Michigan commitments and targets were in action all over the place and there were plenty of upsets as well. Of course, Michigan head coach John Beilein was on the road to take in the action. Find out how Isaiah Sykes, Trey Zeigler, Carlton Brundidge, Javontae Hawkins, and Amir Williams performed after the jump.

Continue reading ‘Recruiting Roundup: MHSAA Regionals’

Calvin and I made the trip up to Bay City to check out Mount Pleasant versus Flint Northwestern in the state regional semifinals. The game was an interesting match-up as it pitted Northwestern’s athletic and scrappy team versus Mount Pleasant’s more methodical squad. Northwestern appeared to be more talented as a team but Trey Zeigler was easily the most talented player on the floor.

Zeigler finished with 28 points and 14 rebounds as Mt. Pleasant came away with a 57-49 win.

The 6-foot-5 185 pounds that he is listed at seemed very fair. He was the tallest player on the court and certainly used his size to his advantage. He consistently showed the ability to post up smaller guards. Once he got the ball in the post he was a very capable finisher inside.

Zeigler has a very good handle and consistently used it to get into the lane. He looked for his teammates often as well and made some very nice passes, I had him down for 3 assists but there were a couple others that just weren’t finished. He also had a couple turnovers but they were usually trying to make a pass that wasn’t there.

Zeigler actually played point guard for long stretches of the game and he is most effective when he can get in the lane. Once he gets there, he is capable of taking it all the way to the bucket but he also has a nice midrange game, something that we often reference as missing from this year’s Michigan team. He finished a number of ways in the lane: he used the backboard, went to a floater, and took it all the way.

One of the things that stands out when you watch Zeigler is that he plays very under control. His athleticism allows him to look like he’s almost just gliding by people and he doesn’t look like he is exerting much energy.

No scouting report is complete without the negatives. First off, his jump shot needs a bit of work. It just looks a bit unnatural as he releases the ball a little low and it seems like he almost flings the ball. There isn’t a lot of rotation on his jumpshot and it tends to be a little too flat. He wasn’t hitting the jumper but he didn’t really need to take many jumpers with his ability to get in the lane.

Most importantly, he needs to practice his free throws. Trey finished 2-for-13 at the line. It became so bad that Northwestern implemented a “Hack-a-Trey” strategy late in the game and it almost allowed them to come back. Free throws are obviously a huge mental issue but he also has unique free throw form. He doesn’t take any dribbles before he shoots (he just tosses the ball up to himself) and this creates a stop-start motion that seems a little too quick to be consistent.

Overall there’s a lot to like about Zeigler’s game. He is a versatile player that has the ability to stuff the stat sheet. With his size and athleticism he is a very good rebounder but he can also score the ball in a number of ways. It wasn’t his best day shooting the ball but it isn’t fair to judge his shooting ability on just one performance. Zeigler’s ability to do a little bit of everything is the the real takeaway when you watch him play.

Next up for Mount Pleasant is a rematch with Arthur Hill (Weds., 7PM), a team that blew out the Oilers earlier this year. It will also be a battle of Mr. Basketball candidates as Zeigler takes on USC bound Maurice “Pookie” Jones. I’ve seen Zeigler, Jones, Appling, and McCallum play this year and if I had a vote for Mr. Basketball it would have to go to McCallum.

Signing day is a month away and judging by John Beilein’s recent travels, it’s clear that Michigan realizes the importance of finishing strong on the recruiting trail. After the Friday night loss, Beilein headed straight for Mount Pleasant, where he watched standout Trey Zeigler take on 2012 prospect Matt Costello. Beilein also managed to check out Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell in Indianapolis and Markus Crider in Dayton over the weekend.

Here are some important dates to remember over the next couple months. NBA early entry deadline: April 27th. NBA early entry withdrawal deadline: May 8th. NCAA signing day: April 14th.

Continue reading ‘Recruiting Roundup (3-15-10)’

Here’s the latest update on Michigan basketball recruiting commitments and targets. Both of Michigan’s commitments, Hardaway and Smotrycz, have seen their high school seasons come to a close. However, that hasn’t kept John Beilein off the recruiting trail, the Michigan head coach recently checked out a pair of Indiana sophomores.

Note: This is not intended to be a complete list of players that Michigan is recruiting. Only players with published stats are listed.

2010

Evan Smotrycz (Commit) – PF/SF

New Hampton fell to Winchendon, 74-66, on March 3rd. Smotrycz had 15 points but the loss knocked the Friars out of the playoffs and marks the end of his prep career.  FriarBasketball.net reports that Smotrycz struggled a bit after dominating Winchendon the last time around but they still love Smotrycz’ game.

We’ll have a couple updates with Smotrycz shortly.

Trey Zeigler – Wing

Zeigler’s Mount Pleasant team got a blow out win over Gaylord in which Zeigler scored 18. But the Oilers winning streak came to a halt in their season finale against Heritage. Zeigler had 24 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks, and 2 steals. in the loss.

Mt Pleasant beat Midland Dow 69-62 in their district opener. Zeigler had 34 points, 16 in the fourth quarter to go along with 9 rebounds and 3 steals. Zeigler was only 8 of 16 at the line. Next up, they will take on Midland at 7:30 PM on Wednesday.
Continue reading ‘Recruiting Roundup (3-9-10)’

Point guard is the hardest position to play as a true freshman. Similar to the quarterback position on the football field, the point guard has an overwhelming amount of responsibility. First, he has to have a great understanding of the offense. He is also typically tasked with defending one of the opposition’s best players. And even more importantly, he has to keep the team grounded through thick and thin because he has the ball in his hands every possession.

Because of the stress surrounding the point guard position, it’s very hard to find true freshmen making a major impact as point guards. The John Walls, Derrick Roses, and Mike Conleys of the world are the exception rather than the norm.

The strenuous nature of the point guard position is also why I think that Darius Morris has the ability to make a major jump in production from year one to year two.

Inconsistency is the trademark of a freshman point guard. Flashes of brilliance are intertwined with boneheaded turnovers. It’s no surprise that teams led by freshmen point guards also tend to be woefully inconsistent.
Continue reading ‘The Life of a Freshman Point Guard’