Glenn Robinson III Guides Comeback

Robinson led Lake Central to a big come from behind 60-59 victory over East Chicago.

The elder Robinson had 11 first-half points and shot 5-of-8 from the field, including three monstrous dunks that sent the building into a frenzy.

EC Central (8-8) was up 11 in the middle of the third, but Lake Central and Robinson took over after that. The LC senior star and Michigan recruit went on to score a game-high 26, including two free throws to break a 56-56 tie with 1:10 left.

Scout.com’s Evan Daniels is a big fan of Robinson, noting that he underrated him originally. (Photo: Jeff Paschen)

Class of 2012 Rises in Scout.com Rankings

Despite Mitch McGary’s slide in the recruiting rankings, Michigan’s 2012 class has moved in the opposite direction ranking wise. Michigan’s three-man class ranks seventh in Scout.com’s latest ranking update which slots it as the second best class in the Big Ten. The other ranked Big Ten classes include Indiana (3), Michigan State (10) and Purdue (18).

ESPN.com also updated its class recruiting rankings and has Michigan slotted in the No. 11 spot.

Mitch McGary Rebounding

McGary’s fall in the rankings from No. 2 to No. 20 raised some eyebrows both nationally and among Michigan fans. McGary was probably a bit overrated at No. 2 and he doesn’t play in the best prep system to embellish his abilities.

McGary has recorded three straight double doubles, most recently scoring 13 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in an 82-67 win over St. John’s Academy. Brewster is now 22-0 on the season.

Dave Telep posted a reaction to McGary’s ranking movement including some quotes from his prep coach. Here’s a snippet of Telep’s thoughts:

McGary’s a fun-loving personality. He’ll be magnetic with the Wolverines students and the folks in Ann Arbor are going to embrace him and vice versa. Hopefully he enters Michigan with more reasonable expectations than that of being the No. 2 player and having to put a program on his back. He’s entering a situation that is on solid ground with a great foundation. The Wolverines need him to be a function of their team — not a savior.

Regardless of McGary’s ranking, it’s safe to assume that defensive rebounding performances like we saw in East Lansing will be a thing of the past with McGary’s presence on the glass.

We posted a video interview with highlights of McGary and fellow commitment Nik Stauskas last week.

Goodluck Okonoboh Listing Michigan

Michigan continues to keep its options open in the class of 2013 and adding a big man, or any other position, remains a possibility. One of those options is Goodluck Okonoboh. The Tilton big man plays alongside one of the best post players in the country but has his fair share of abilities as well. Here’s a recent scouting report from NBE Basketball at the National Prep School Invitational:

Okonoboh is often overlooked playing alongside Nerlens Noel but is poised for a breakout summer with Noel moving on and showed signs that the breakout is coming with his play Sunday. Goodluck was more aggressive offensively than I’ve ever seen him before making a couple of plays I wasn’t aware he had in his arsenal. He caught in the post 12 feet from the basket, spun baseline, and used 1 dribble to explode towards the rim for an and 1. On another possession he caught the ball outside the 3 point line on the move and used two dribbles to get to the rim and dunk. I don’t think I had ever seen Okonoboh put the ball on the floor more than once with any success so this was a step in the right direction. His interior defense was also as strong as ever and with that and potentially vastly improved offense, Okonoboh looks like someone whose stock is on the rise.

Five Star Basketball recently interviewed the athletic big man and Michigan was one of the first schools that he listed:

In other news, Okonoboh is pretty athletic:

Other 2013 Commitment Notes

John Beilein made the trip down to Toledo recently to watch 2013 big man commitment Mark Donnal and the junior impressed. Donnal had 28 points in a three point win over Springfield, OH.

Zak Irvin had a monster game for Hamilton Southeastern scoring 28 points and our own Joe Eberhardt was there with highlights, video interviews and scouting.

Derrick Walton had a another triple double, collecting 25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in an eight point win over Southfield Bradford.

Keita Bates-Diop Blowing Up

Keita Bates-Diop is one of Michigan’s top targets in the class of 2014 and the Illinois native has already visited Ann Arbor and also attended Michigan’s College Practice Camp in June. Now Bates-Diop is gradually emerging as a national name. Bates-Diop is averaging 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals per game and is regarded as a top five 2014 player in the state of Illinois for the class of 2014.

Reggie Rankin profiled Bates-Diop on ESPN’s College Basketball recruiting blog ($) last week as one of his rising prospects. Here’s a snippet:

Bates-Diop is a long, athletic sophomore small forward with a 7-foot-1 wing span and very good perimeter skills that have been improving at a steady rate this fall and winter. High-major programs like Purdue, Northwestern and DePaul are already jockeying for position by extending scholarship offers. Michigan, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Tennessee and Illinois are interested too.

“I am looking for good players, coaches and student atmosphere in college,” Bates-Diop said. “I Just want to be around good people”

Bates-Diop received some more profile love in the Pantagraph (photo credit) in an article that profiles his family, work ethic and recruitment.

Other Class of 2014 Notes

• 2014 guard Peyton Allen scored 37 points on 20 shots in a 73-48 win over Springfield. Here’s his coach: “Peyton has such an understanding of the game,” said Blakeman. “His court intelligence is high. He has a great flow to the game. You talk about a great player making a team better, he’s the player who does that.” Here’s video of Allen’s 37-point outburst:

• Drake Harris visited East Lansing on Sunday for the Michigan-Michigan State game. Harris had a team high 18 points in a 17 point over Lowell last week.
• Grant Evans had 19 points in a 25 point win over Cowan and 11 points in a nine point win over Union last week.
• Tyler Wideman, Glenn Robinson III’s teammate, was wearing a Michigan hat after Lake Central’s win over East Chicago.

Here’s scouting footage of 2013 Michigan commitment Zak Irvin in Hamilton Southeastern’s 84-72 win over Bowman Academy. Irvin had 28 points in the victory including 23 in the second half.

You can also watch video interviews with Irvin and his prep coach along with detailed scouting notes from our post last week.

Class of 2013 Michigan commitment Zak Irvin scored a career-high 28 points (11-of-21 shooting) on Friday night as he helped lead his No. 1 Class 4A ranked Hamilton Southeastern team to a 84-72 victory over No. 4 Class 2A ranked Bowman Academy.

The junior scored 23 of his 28 points in the second half of the contest, including a stretch in which he scored 14 points in less than three minutes for Hamilton Southeastern. UM Hoops was in attendance and will have full coverage, including highlights, to come. Watch a post-game interview with Irvin in the embedded media player below:

After the jump find a detailed scouting report and a video interview with Irvin’s coach, Brian Satterfield.

The first thing that jumps out about Irvin’s performance is his ability to score in bunches. After netting just five points in the first half of the game, Irvin poured in 14 points in less than three minutes during a third quarter stretch, and also tallied 9 points in the 4th quarter.

Irvin looked frustrated in the first half of the game, shooting just 2-8 from the field and failing to knock down any jump shots. Perhaps a key confidence builder in the third quarter was when Irvin knocked down a tough jumper off the bounce from near the free throw line. The shot started Irvin’s 14 point scoring spree, and he even noted post game that it boosted his confidence and helped him to get on a roll.

What was most impressive about Irvin’s scoring performance was the versatility he displayed while shooting 9-of-13 from the field in the second half. During Irvin’s second-half tear, he showed the ability to score in a variety of ways. The 6-foot-7 Wolverine pledge knocked down mid-range jumpers on the move, hit 3-pointers off the catch, attacked off the bounce to score and earned easy points at the free-throw line.

Irvin has always been an outstanding shooter, but a key to his development will be expanding his ability to score off the bounce when attacking the basket. During the second half, Irvin was aggressive with the ball in his hands, looking to get to the rim and score against contact or draw the foul. He has nice stroke from the free throw line, and knocks down freebies with consistency from game to game.

If tonight is an indicator of his development, Irvin appears to be taking a step forward in expanding his game. He has a solid handle on the ball, and while he’s not extremely quick, he is crafty, allowing him to get to the rim when aggressive. With added strength and continued assertiveness, Irvin should be able to round out his game and become more of a multi-faceted scorer.

Another area where Irvin showed ability was on the glass. The 6-foot-7 wing pulled down seven rebounds and showed the ability to score using the offensive glass when opportunities present themselves. His length and court awareness make him a formidable presence on the glass for his position.

At the end of the day, two important areas for Irvin are maintaining aggressiveness, and mixing it up on the offensive end. If he allows himself to get in slumps throughout games, he can often seem like a non-contributor, but Irvin brings much to the table and should look to get involved early and often. He definitely looks more polished, confident and capable than he did a year ago, and if he continues to work on his overall game, he should be able to meet his potential.

Video interview and highlights from Five Star Basketball.

ScoutHoops.com published updated Class of 2012 recruiting rankings on Tuesday afternoon and Michigan’s commitments were all on the move. Mitch McGary fell from the No. 2 slot to No. 20 but is still regarded as a five star prospect. Lake Central forward Glenn Robinson III rose all the way the No. 27, two slots short of a five star rating. Finally, Nik Stauskas moved into the top 100 in the No. 83 slot and picked up a fourth star.

Read after the jump to find out about Derrick Walton’s big night, Mitch McGary’s recent performances, John Beilein stopping in to watch a blue chip 2015 prospect and more.

Derrick Walton Records Triple Double, Nears Quadruple Double

It was a big night for Michigan’s 2013 point guard commitment as Derrick Walton exploded for 34 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and seven or ten steals in an 80-56 win over Detroit Cesar Chavez. The final steal tally is up for debate with multiple sources, including Walton’s father and coach, reporting 10 steals but other outlets reporting seven steals.

The debate will certainly rage on but it’s another big night for the lightning quick floor general who has had a tremendous junior season. A triple double, nonetheless a quadruple double, is impressive in a 32 minute high school game.

Beilein Watches Luke Kennard

John Beilein was on the road recruiting Friday night in the state of Ohio (pictured top). Michigan’s head coach was watching 2015 phenom Luke Kennard, a  6-foot-4 freshman from Franklin, OH. Kennard is averaging 17 points per game for Franklin High School and he’s surpassed 20 points in seven games, reaching double figures in all but two. Kennard scored 22 points in Friday night’s win over Valley View to move his Franklin squad to a perfect 14-0 on the season.

Kennard has already visited Ann Arbor several times and recently noted Michigan as one of the teams recruiting him the hardest:

“I’ve visited Ohio State, Michigan a lot, and I’m taking a visit to West Virginia and Michigan State,” he said.

Asked if any of those schools have made firm scholarship offers, he said, “Michigan has really talked to me a lot (about that), and so has Ohio State. But not as much as (UD).”

Kennard holds a scholarship offer from Dayton.

More on McGary

Mitch McGary fell from the No. 2 spot in national rankings at both ESPN and Scout to the 20 range and struggled on national TV against super recruit Nerlens Noel but he has put together a couple solid performances of late. McGary had 12 points and 12 rebounds in a win over South Kent and 15 points and nine rebounds in a win over Bridgton. He may not be an elite scorer but he will provide an immediate impact with his size, energy and rebounding ability. Here’s Evan Daniels of Scout.com:

“I think we may have gotten a little aggressive after the summer (with McGary), he had a terrific summer, but there are concerns,” Scout.com’s national basketball recruiting analyst Evan Daniels told AnnArbor.com. “His lack of ability to score consistently is one, and maybe we over-valued him a little over the summer.

“That said, he’s still a terrific player, and he’s still a guy who will have a pretty big impact at Michigan and should be able to produce right away. … Michigan is still getting a terrific player.”

ESPN published updated recruiting rankings for the class of 2012 this morning and Michigan’s commitments were all shuffled around. Mitch McGary dropped from No. 2 to No. 21, Glenn Robinson III moved up to No. 26 while Nik Stauskas jumped four spots to No. 78. Click through to view to full ESPN Class of 2012 Recruiting Rankings or discuss the shift in the comments section.

The latest on Michigan basketball commitments and recruiting targets from across the country including news, scouting tidbits, video highlights and more.

Class of 2012

Glenn Robinson III – Commit

Robinson had 21 points and nine rebounds in a nine point win over division rivals Merrillville. Robinson was profiled in the student paper after breaking Lake Central’s all-time scoring record.

“It was a great accomplishment. It’s a blessing, but it won’t mean much to me until after the season. My goal now is to win a state championship with my team,” Robinson said.

Robinson was nominated as a McDonald’s All American candidate for the state of Indiana and Rivals.com writes that he could be the most likely prospect to move into five star status ($) when rankings are updated.

Mitch McGary – Commit

Brewster beat Proctor and Winchendon to move to a perfect 16-0 on the season. McGary had 15 points and 14 rebounds in the win against Proctor.

Nik Stauskas – Commit

St. Mark’s went 3-0 on the week with wins over Rivers, Worcester Academy and St. Paul’s

Stauskas was nominated to play in McDonald’s All American game

Class of 2013

Zak Irvin – Commit

Irvin led all scorers with 17 points in a 50-47 win over Fishers and had 24 points in an 83-66 win over Avon and Notre Dame commitment Austin Burgett. Here’s a recent local news feature on Irvin and Hamilton Southeastern:

Avon vs Hamilton Southeastern – The Zone – January 20: wishtv.com

Derrick Walton – Commit

Walton had 30 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in a one point win over Detroit PEC.

Mark Donnal – Commit

Donnal had 19 points in a 58-49 win over New Riegel, he added 16 points in a 60-45 win over Evergreen.

Dominic Woodson

Rick Pitino was in to watch Woodson play against Tilton and Michigan continues to be in the picture after watching Woodson play multiple times this season. Woodson claims offers from Oklahoma, Baylor and TCU while Georgetown, Michigan, Michigan State, UConn and Illinois have all shown significant interest.

Class of 2014

Drake Harris: Harris was named BankHoops.com’s No. 1 class of 2014 prospect, “no other prospect in this group combines his skill, athleticism and polish.”

Keita Bates-Diop: Bates-Diop visited Illinois for their upset win over Ohio State but has also made a recent trip to Ann Arbor. He added 28 points and 12 rebounds in a 71-49 win over Corn Belt Conference rivals Rantoul while converting on 12-of-18 shots from the field. Bates-Diop added 11 points in a 56-24 win over Praire Central.

Sean Sellers: Sellers had 12 points in an 85-82 overtime win over Batesville.

Bryant McIntosh: McIntosh recently scored 38 points in an 85-82 overtime win over Batesville.

Peyton Allen: Allen had 13 points in a win over Lincoln, 14 points in a win over Jacksonville, and nine points in a win over Highland. Glenwood was named tournament MVP as Glenwoodwon the Meijer Winter Classic.

Grant Evans: Evans had seven points in a win during in the Delaware County Championship. He also had 24 points, including five threes, in a 76-33 win over Randolph Southern and 19 points in a 49-29 win over Hagerstown.

Cliff Alexander: Alexander had 20 points, nine rebounds and six blocks in an 88-80 win over North Chicago, 21 points and 12 rebounds in a 69-54 win over Dunbar and 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in a 59-47 win over Whitney Young on Jan. 22.

Trevon Bluiett: Bluiett scored 23 points in a 75-47 win at Speedway.

Jamal Poplar: Poplar was named the No. 2 class of 2014 prospect in the state of Michigan by BankHoops.com.

We posted video of Mitch McGary, Nik Stauskas, Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin in the last 48-hours. Click their name or picture to watch footage of each player.

In this week’s Recruiting Roundup we keep things short and simple while looking at the week that wise for Michigan’s 2012 and 2013 commitments, a number of which played in high profile and tournaments and showcases across the country.

Class of 2012

Glenn Robinson III – Commit

Robinson had 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals in a 74-54 win over Crown Point as opposing fans chanted “Daddy’s better”. Lake Central also knocked off Highland, 80-51, on Monday and Robinson had 26 points and eight rebounds after being honored as the program’s all-time leading scorer in pre-game.

Nik Stauskas – Commit

Stauskas had 16 points in a 10 point victory over Friends Central at the Hoophall Classic on Sunday. He also added 15 points in a blowout (70-33) win over Roxbury and St. Mark’s cruised to a win over Middlesex but stats were unavailable.

Mitch McGary – Commit

McGary had three points in Brewster’s win over Tilton while facing one of the nation’s best defensive players in Nerlens Noel.

Class of 2013

Derrick Walton – Commit

Walton had 24 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in a loss to Flint Beecher and Monte Morris. Walton had 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds earlier in the week in a 24 point win over Detroit Old Redford Academy.

Zak Irvin – Commit

Irvin was impressive at the Flyin’ to the Hoop Invitational alongside his teammate, Michigan State commitment Gary Harris. Irvin had 26 points including five three pointers and some big dunks. Rivals.com’s Corey Albertson was extremely impressed:

The four-star junior shot lights-out on Saturday afternoon as he made all five of his three-point attempts on his way to a game-high 26 points. The Michigan commit hit threes off the dribble, off of screens and by spotting up with a smooth stroke and confidence. Irvin also displayed some of his signature bounce by throwing down two alley-oop dunks off of set plays. The 6-foot-5 wing was active on the defensive end, where he recorded four rebounds, two steals, and a blocked shot.

Mark Donnal – Commit

Donnal and his Anthony Wayne squad was profiled in the Toledo Blade, an excerpt:

Perhaps no one on the team has bought in to the new approach more than Mark Donnal, the 6-9 junior who is already committed to the University of Michigan. The league’s top post player is averaging a team-high 20.4 points and 8.7 rebounds after averaging 15 points and seven boards last season.

Donnal, who probably receives more double-teams near the basket than any other player in the NLL, is sinking 79 percent of his shots from the field, as well as from the foul line.

“Mark has been a big asset for us, there’s no doubt about that,” Borcherdt said. “He’s been very effective. He takes good shots. He’s a good free-throw shooter. He’s making other people around him better.”

Donnal had just seven points in an overtime loss to Bowling Green after scoring 36 points against the same team earlier in December. Donnal had 18 points earlier in the week in a 75-65 loss to Napoleon.

2012 Michigan commitment Mitch McGary had three points in Brewster’s 57-53 win over Tilton on Sunday afternoon. McGary was 1-of-9 from the field but did grab 13 rebounds, a block and a steal. Watch footage of McGary in the embedded media player below:

Find some additional clips and a video interview with McGary after the jump.

Video from MassLive.com

Michigan commitment Derrick Walton and Flint Beecher’s Monte Morris faced off on Saturday night in a battle the pitted arguably the states top two point guards. Morris and Flint Beecher came away with the 77-68 victory and both stars excelled. Walton finished with 24 points, seven assists and seven rebounds while Morris led all scorers with 32 points. After facing an 11-point halftime deficit, Chandler Park climbed back to within two early in the fourth quarter, but failed to draw any closer.

Here’s scouting footage of Walton in action with scouting notes and video interview after the jump:

Scouting notes and video interview after the jump.

Video Interview:

Scouting:

• Walton made just one jump shot on the night and he was 0-for-5 from behind the arc. He forced a couple of the threes and at times appeared a little anxious in a head-to-head matchup against Morris. It was clearly an off-night for Walton shooting the ball, but he must continue to improve consistency his shot in the next year and a half before he arrives in Ann Arbor.
• Although he was struggling from the field, Walton still got to the hole with ease. He had three separate and-1’s, and his ability to get to the hole in a hurry was the main reason Chandler Park was able to cut the deficit to just two points late. Walton showed the ability to finish strong with both hands, finishing a couple of difficult left-handed lay-ins.
• 13 of Walton’s 24 points came from the charity stripe. He was a solid 13-of-18 from the line, but he’d be the first to tell you that’s not good enough.
• Michigan offered scholarships to both Morris and Walton last June and Walton ended up accepting his offer. Morris had the slight upper-hand in this battle but it’s clear that both players will be excellent players down the road.