To go along with the Darius Morris scouting report I posted this morning we have a short clip from the game. This isn’t really a highlight film and the video doesn’t start until about half time. It’s just a small sample of Darius’ game Wednesday night. Just don’t want people to be disappointed that it’s not a full fledged highlight film.
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Archive for the 'Recruits' CategoryPage 2 of 19
There are plenty of opportunities to get out and see some of Michigan’s recruiting targets and commits over the Holidays. This is a list of some tournaments I dug up that have Michigan targets and/or good local teams. Shoot me an email or leave a note in the comments if I missed something. If you make it out to any of the games send me an email or leave your thoughts in the comments section.
Motor City Roundball Classic
Location: Chandler Park Academy, Harper Woods, MI
Dates: Dec 26th-Dec 30th
Schedule
There are ton’s of big name teams and players in this years Motor City Roundball Classic including Saginaw, Detroit Finney (Isaiah Sykes - ineligible), Detroit Country Day, Flint Powers Catholic (PLP), Hartland (Matt Poches), and Detroit Southeastern (Kearney and Gibson) among many others. Check out the schedule because there are tons of games worth checking out if you want to get an early look at some U-M prospects.
Meijer Holiday Hoops Invitational
Location: Breslin Center, East Lansing, MI
Date: Dec 27th
Information, Schedule, and Tickets
The highlight of the East Lansing tournament is Detroit Country Day. Country Day is the best team in the state this year and is loaded with high-major division one talent.
Arthur Hill Pre-Holiday Classic
Location: Saginaw Valley State University
Information
The Arthur Hill Classic is moving to Saginaw Valley this year and the marquee matchups are Arthur Hill vs Muskegon Heights and Saginaw vs Orchard Lake St Mary’s.
Across the Country
If you want to follow some other Michigan targets over the holidays there are plenty of opportunities.
Darius Morris’ Windward team will play in the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic (12/26-12/30) as well as the loaded Pangos Dream Classic (1/3). They are also hosting the Windward Winter Classic which is taking place right now and runs until Dec 20th.
Matt Vogrich will be playing in the State Farm Holiday Classic (12/26-12/30) in Bloomington, IL.
Will Regan and Nichols Academy will be playing in the NHSCA High School Basketball Festival (12/26-12/30) in Salisbury, MD.
Cameron Ayers and Germantown will be playing in the PBP Scholastic at Widener Unversity on Dec 27th.
For a guy that hasn’t even played a game in Ann Arbor, Laval Lucas-Perry is getting plenty of buzz. Tim McCormick predicted that Laval will be the best point guard at Michigan since Rumeal Robinson. Dick Vitale has called him one of the top 5 impact transfers in the country. Jeff Goodman calls him the #4 mid season addition (Michigan will face #1 (Legion) and #2 (Stanley Robinson, UConn) on the list). It’s almost impossible to watch a Michigan broadcast without hearing his name. But the questions remain… Who is Laval Lucas-Perry? Where did he come from? How good is he?
Most people who don’t consider themselves basketball recruitniks probably don’t know much about Laval Lucas-Perry other than the fact that he’s been sitting at the end of the bench for a bout a year now and has pretty good taste in suits.
This post will act as a primer for those fans who need to catch up on Laval before his Michigan debut this Saturday.
The Recruit
Laval floated off the radar a bit at Flint Powers Catholic high school, overshadowed by a star studded in-state class that included Manny Harris, Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers, Dar Tucker, Alex Legion among others. Laval finished his high school career as a 3 star recruit (#138 overall) and rated as the #6 prospect in the state of Michigan.
Laval committed to Arizona over Boston College, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and Wisconsin. His recruitment essentially came down to Arizona, Michigan, and Michigan State. Michigan appeared to have as good of a shot as anyone else until Alex Legion recommitted the day before Laval Lucas-Perry’s announcement. When Legion filled the last remaining scholarship in the class of 2007 it was pretty clear that Laval would be looking elsewhere. Michigan State also appeared to be eliminated when their 2007 class already included three guards as well, Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers, and Chris Allen.
We don’t know if Laval would have gone to Michigan if Legion hadn’t recommitted but looking back it would have been much nicer to have Laval than Alex’s “commitment”. In the end Laval committed to Arizona because of his familiarity with the program (he camped there that summer and received an offer) and most of all his respect for Lute Olson.
The Wildcat
Laval arrived in Tuscon alongside NBA point guard Jerryd Bayless, a phenom who averaged 20 points per game in his only college season. It is often mentioned that Laval was one of the hardest players to guard in Arizona practices, this is saying a lot because there was a lot of talent in Tuscon last year even if the team underachieved as a whole.
Laval played only 5 games in a Wildcat uniform before deciding he intended to transfer. The main reason for the transfer appeared to be the uncertainty of the coaching situation and the fact that Lute Olson didn’t coach the entire year. It’s hard to really take much from Laval’s stats last year considering that he never really got a chance for major playing time. In only 10 minutes per game Laval averaged 4 points, 1.6 boards, and 0.8 assists.
Arizona Open Gym Video Highlights
The Transfer
LLP didn’t have a lot of time to make his decision after deciding to leave Arizona because it was critical that he got enrolled in school before the Winter semester. The re-recruitment moved fast and it was clear that Beilein wanted LLP and LLP wanted Michigan. Laval and his family considered a couple trips including one to Wake Forest but decided to end his recruitment and stay close to home at Michigan.
“It wasn’t anything in particular about Arizona,” Lucas-Perry said. “It was just me not feeling comfortable there. I was just trying to find somewhere comfortable, where I can be myself.”
Laval and his family filed an appeal to the NCAA to regain his freshman eligibility (due to the coaching situation at Arizona) after only playing 5 games and it was granted. This makes LLP a redshirt freshman this year rather than a sophomore and means that he loses only a half year of eligibility rather than 1.5 years.
The Traveler
/Articles/2000s/2008-2009/Features/lucas-perry-080108_300.jpg "The Traveler")
This summer Laval traveled to Taiwan to play with the Athletes in Action team in the Jones Cup. Playing in Taiwan was an opportunity for Laval to get some game action after sitting the second half of the 2008 season. The Athletes in Action/USA team took second in the tournament and Laval’s play was solid throughout. Laval’s averages were around 9.8 ppg (high of 22) on 40% (26% 3pt) shooting with 3.3 rebounds, .67 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.4 turnovers. He didn’t set the world on fire but for playing with a thrown together squad on the other side of the globe in Taiwan it’s not bad.
For plenty of video from the tournament go here (LLP is #7 on the AIA team).
The Wolverine
So how does Laval fit into this team? I think he gets his minutes at a combination of the 1 and 2 spots. This means he takes some combination of minutes from David Merritt, Kelvin Grady, Stuart Douglass, and Zack Novak.
Because he can play both the 1 and the 2 (which aren’t all that different in Beilein’s system offensively) I think he can play with any of those 4 guys on the court next to him. If he plays with one of the current point guards he’ll play up top in the 1-3-1, if he plays with one of the freshman he’ll run the baseline. I expect to see plenty of tinkering by Beilein over the next few weeks in an attempt to figure out where everyone is most comfortable offensively and defensively.
I don’t think it’ll be a situation where he takes all of Merritt’s minutes or anything like that, especially early on. I would expect Merritt to still get a few minutes every game. I also have seen a lot of people projecting that he will take CJ Lee’s minutes, I don’t see this right now because right now CJ backs up Manny almost exclusively. I don’t think Novak is ready to play the three and I would expect to see CJ still get those 5 minutes or so per game at the three.
Eventually I think Laval can be a double digit scorer and give Michigan that scoring threat at the guard position they are lacking. We have seen what the emergence of DeShawn Sims as a consistent threat down low has done to open up the offense and Laval is just going to open it up even more. He will be one of the only guys on the team comfortable driving in the lane and taking it to the hole but who can also stick the perimeter jumper.
From what I have heard about Laval’s game, it breaks down something like this:
- More of a combo guard or shooting guard but with the size of a point guard.
- Solid athlete and very strong which should allow him to be a very good rebounder for a guard. He is probably a little under his listed 6-3 height.
- Very good shooter from mid-range and should also be solid from three point range.
- Able to get in the lane to enable the mid range game.
- Average passer and still learning the system.
There will undoubtedly be some small issues and adjustments that have to be made by adding a player to the rotation in the middle of the season but I think it will mostly be a non-factor. Laval has been practicing with the team since last winter so it’s not like he just showed up in Ann Arbor.
I think Beilein will work him a long slowly and build his minutes up. I don’t think he will start right away and hopefully games against Oakland, Florida Gulf Coast, and North Carolina Central will act as good warmups. The question of whether he starts is one we can ask on New Years Eve.
While I’m not ready to proclaim him the greatest point guard since Rumeal Robinson, Daniel Horton, and maybe even a point guard at all. I am definitely excited about adding Laval Lucas-Perry to a team that has already exceeded expectations over the first month and a half.
We’ll find out a lot more Saturday afternoon. Get tickets!
A couple random notes from Mark Snyder:
- John Beilein is starting to feel better, this from SID Tom Wywrot: “Coach Beilein is feeling better and progressing well to regain his strength as U-M physicians continue to monitor his status on a day-to-day basis.”
- The agenda for the regents meeting Thursday night has been released and there is no formal proposal for a practice facility. According to Snyder’s sources “it still remains a viable plan, and active meetings with coaches and others affiliated with the project are continuing.”
Commits
Darius Morris
Windward got off to a slow start with a 2-2 record but they bounced back with a 64-44 win over Inglewood last week. Morris seems to have really gotten going as well, he scored 31 points and added 5 assists and 3 steals for Windward.
I got an e-mail from the folks at Ball Is Life and they told me that the Westchester team that beat Windward has been dominant early on in California. Westchester is 9-0 with an average margin of victory over 25 points and has handled all challengers including Michael Snaer’s (#11 in class of 2009) Rancho Verde squad. Beyond the Westchester game people in California basketball circles feel that Darius has been playing better than last year thus far. Windward is also ranked #12 in the latest LA Times poll.
The holidays will be big for Darius and Windward as they head to two big tournaments, the Max Preps Classic at Torrey Pines as well as the always loaded Pangos Dream Classic.
Matt Vogrich
As I touched on earlier this week, Vogrich had a huge game Wednesday, scoring 39 points and adding 9 rebounds against Illinois bound Brandon Paul.
Lake Forest rolled over Palatine Friday night with a 65-29 win. Palatine was not in the same league as Lake Forest and Vogrich put up an easy 20 points in the win. Matt and his teammate Mitch Hopfinger had every Lake Forest point until the 3 minute mark of the 3rd quarter.
Jordan Morgan
I posted an update earlier in the week about Jordan’s first game, a matchup with Providence bound big man James Still. Morgan had a rough night and was ejected on a technical foul for hanging on the rim.
U-D Jesuit was back in action Saturday but took a loss to Renaissance, 77-62. Morgan was suspended from his ejection earlier in the week.
Blake McLimans
Worcester Academy lost to St Thomas Monday night by a score of 66-57 but came back and beat Brewster Academy on Thursday, 80-71.
Blake didn’t show up in the high scores but still seems to be adjusting to playing with a new team in a new system. The reports I have gotten are that Blake has played very good defense early on. I’m also working on getting some film so keep an eye out for that.
2009 Prospects
Michigan is out of scholarships in 2009 but I think they will keep recruiting a couple guys to some extent. Anything can happen and it’s worth it to keep options open. Riley is back on the market, Anali is a new name, and we have talked about Angus Brandt before. I think the odds are probably slim that any of these guys end up at Michigan but they are worth mentioning.
DaShonte Riley
Riley is a long shot in the class of 2009 but he’s worth mentioning. Country Day rolled past Ann Arbor Pioneer on Friday night by a score of 80-56 and Riley posted a career high 19 rebounds.
Anali Okoloji
Northstar Basketball has an update on Anali Okoloji, a combo forward from New York. Okoloji seems to be a borderline high major player and his offers right now are from St. Bonaventure, La Salle, Albany, and Central Connecticut State. However Okoloji lists his favorite as Michigan and expects an offer:
“My favorite right now is Michigan. I am feeling [good about] Oregon State, Binghamton, and St. Bonaventure.”
Okoloji, who said his school “list is growing,” informed me that Oregon State, North Carolina State, Michigan, and Binghamton are the most recent schools starting to recruit him, and he added, “When I take my SAT and ACT, offers will start to flow.” Anali added that “Michigan is going to offer. They are just waiting on my SAT.” As well, he told me that there are more schools on his list, but he could not think of them all.”
Seems like a long shot, and maybe there is some outdated information in regards to the likely offer but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
2010 Prospects
Trey Zeigler
The talented wing is off to a great start this week and helped Mt. Pleasant knock off Bay City Western 63-61. Trey poured in 34 points as well as 15 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks. Next Gen Sports on Zeigler’s performance:
Defensively he completely took away the smaller but faster Arnold, Western’s point guard. Zeigler scored with dunks, 3-pointers, and variety of mid-rage jumpers from every angle.
Definitely a great start for Zeigler who will look to really take his game to the next level after putting in time in the weight room this summer. The Free Press named him the #1 player in the state along with plenty of fluff. He’s had a couple of freak injuries over the last couple years that have limited him but worked out all summer with Central Michigan and is ready to go. Here’s what his coach had to say:
“He’s a high-quality young man. An awesome kid; his family and school are important,” Taylor said. “He’s respectful to the people that are around him. He’s definitely a coach’s son in the way he acts. I think he has been raised and encouraged in the way of how to treat people. As a player, his basketball IQ is very high. He has an understanding of where he needs to be on the floor. We can play him anywhere from point guard to in the post.”
Mount Pleasant fell to Saginaw Arthur Hill Friday night by a score of 73-51 although Trey came close to a triple double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.
Scout has an update with Trey on his recruitment ($) as well. Trey was in East Lansing for Michigan State’s blow out of Alcorn State.
Moses Morgan
Morgan had a solid outing Friday night with 32 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in a 78-71 win. Morgan hit all 16 of his free throw attempts including 6 in the last 30 seconds. Morgan’s solid play is not going unnoticed this year:
“You’ve got to live and die with a kid like that,” Palo Verde coach Jermone Riley said. “He means so much to the program and he means so much to the team with his leadership. Not only that, he’s just a great character kid. It’s always great to have a player like that.”
Will Regan
Will Regan led Nichols Academy past Williamsville South in the AdPro Monsignor Martin-ECIC Challenge on Thursday. I’m not even going to try to explain the name. Regan had 21 points (10-11 FT) and 17 boards including two free throws with 35 seconds left that gave Nichols the win, 55-54.
Nichols Academy fell to Niagara Falls on Saturday night by a score of 57-56. Regan led Nichols with 21 points but they fell just short of pulling off the win. Regan hit a big three pointer that put Nichols ahead 56-55 with 1:48 remaining before missing a tough hook shot that would have won the game for Nichols in the closing seconds.
Cameron Ayers
Northstar Basketball has the latest on Cameron Ayers’ recruitment and it seems like he is still pretty open. Cameron says that he doesn’t have any offers yet but his favorite schools are:
I like Georgetown, Michigan, West Virginia, and Clemson probably the best, and I like Georgia Tech. I haven’t visited any yet though.” Ayers said he will take some visits, “whenever [he] gets some free time, which I hope is real soon” but he added, “but with basketball it gets pretty hectic, so whenever I get some available time.”
Ayers’ Germantown team was upset last week by Friends Central 53-40 but bounced back Saturday night with an overtime win over Mercersberg. Ayers had 17 points in the 60-53 victory.
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Hardaway Jr. had 23 in Palmetto’s 76-67 loss to Coral Reef on Tuesday night. Palmetto rebounded with a 74-58 win over Homestead on Thursday night (no stats).
Austin Carroll
See the above updates on McLimans and Worcester.
Josh Herbeck & Eso Akunne (pref. walk on)
Gabriel Richard is off to a hot start with wins over Divine Child (60-47) and Orchard Lake St. Marys (70-66).
Akunne was strong in both contests, he posted 22 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists, and blocks against Divine Child and managed to out do himself against OLSM. Eso matched Dion Sims’ scoring total is 23 points but added 16 rebounds and 10 assists for the triple double.
Josh Herbeck, another Michigan target at Gabriel Richard, posted 15 points against Divine Child and added 20 against Orchard Lake.
Gabriel Richard moved up a division after making it to the Breslin in division 3 last year and they are already off to a good start.
2011 + Younger
Brandan Kearney and Percy Gibson
Sophomores Brandan Kearney and Percy Gibson led Southeastern past Central HS on Tuesday by a score of 50-37. These kids are only sophomores but they are already proving that they are big time prospects. My favorite place for PSL hoops info, City Hoops, was on hand and they have plenty. Here are some highlights.
Brandan Kearney:
Kearney got to the basket on a nice dribble-drive for the first points of the night, then got his own shot a few times and missed, and was relatively quiet shooting the ball the rest of the night. That’s not to say he wasn’t active. Kearney was everywhere on both ends, feeding teammates (five assists), grabbing boards (six), blocking shots (three) and scooping up loose balls. On a night where his shot wasn’t dropping early, Kearney helped his team extend its margin by setting up his talented teammates.
Percy Gibson:
Gibson, 6-foot-7, was nothing short of a monster against an undersized Central team, grabbing 15 boards and blocking four shots. He scored six, and while some hyped big men are flagged more on potential, Gibson will have no trouble producing this year for his team.
Kearney led Southeastern past 2012 PG sensation Ray Lee and Robichaud Friday night. Kearney had 19 points and Gibson added 16 as well as 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. Robichaud went with the zone early in the game and Kearney made them pay by hitting some 3 pointers.
Kearney and Gibson have been to numerous Michigan football games, basketball games, and camps and they are definitely two to keep close watch of in the class of 2011.
Matt Poches
Poches was in Ann Arbor for the Duke game Saturday but he was ready to get to work when Hartland’s season tipped off last week against Linden. Hartland dominated the game and Poches finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 steals in only 20 minutes of work.
Patrick Lucas-Perry
We talk plenty about Laval Lucas-Perry around here but one name that hasn’t gotten much play is Patrick Lucas-Perry. Laval’s younger brother helped Flint Powers to a win over Flint Northwestern last week. PLP added 18 points including 6 free throws in the final 31.5 seconds. Northwestern kept it close down the stretch and PLP kept his cool:
“I just tried to keep my composure out there, stay focused and just make sure I’m going to make these shots,” Lucas-Perry said. “I kept telling myself, ‘These are going in. These are going in.’”
PLP was held to 6 points in a 76-70 Friday night loss to Flint Carman-Ainsworth.
Right now I would definitely put PLP on my ones to watch list.
Update: The BTN Ticker is reporting that John Beilein will not be on the bench due to inner ear vertigo. Jerry Dunn will be the acting head coach. (Thanks to Giddings for the heads up)
Basics:
Who: EMU (2-6) at Michigan (6-2)
Where: Crisler Arena
When: 4:00 PM ET
TV: BTN
Preview: Stat Sheet
Radio: MGoBlue, WWJ-AM (950), WTKA-AM (1050)
The Eagles will make the short bus trip into Ann Arbor to face a Michigan team coming off of one of their biggest wins in recent history. Eastern Michigan hasn’t beaten a division 1 team this year and their only wins have come against Marygrove College and Wayne State. Eastern’s best performance is probably a 1 point loss against an underwhelming Georgia team.
The leading scorers for the Eagles are Brandon Bowdry (14.4 ppg) and Justin Dobbins (11.4 ppg). Bowdry is a do-it-all forward who also averages 7 rebounds per game while Dobbins seems to stick to the paint. Freshman point guard L.J. Frazier (9.3 ppg) anchors things in the backcourt and averages 4.1 assists per game. Frazier is also the Eagles main deep threat, he is a 47% three point shooter and 16 of his 21 made field goals this year have been from long range. The other three point threats for EMU include Soloman Farris (8.8ppg - 45% 3pfg) and Zane Gay (6.3 ppg - 36% 3pfg).
As a team Eastern shoots the ball at an eFG% of 48.8, turns the ball over on 25% of their possessions, rebounds 33.3% of their missed shots, and has a free throw rate of 28.2. So in general they shoot a little worse than Michigan (51.2), turn the ball over a little more (19.7), get to the line a little less (31.5) and rebound about the same (32.9). They also tend to play just a bit faster than Michigan, averaging 66 possessions per game compared to Michigan’s 64.
Overall this is one of those games where Michigan just needs to take care of business. They have more talent than Eastern Michigan and need to control the tempo and set the tone early on in the game. For fans’ sake hopefully this game plays out a lot more like Norfolk State than Savannah State. Let’s hear your thoughts and predictions in the comments.
Zack Novak was profiled in the Free Press today:
That didn’t sit well with Zack Novak, now a freshman guard at Michigan. He had been one of the best players in northwest Indiana since his freshman season. Yet when the preview sections hit the newsstands, he didn’t make the preseason list of the area’s top-five players.
Novak’s reaction: “Oh, yeah? This guy is on that list? Well, I’ve got a little something for him.”
Both Zack and Stu have gone through very good stretches over the first couple games. I’m sure they will both hit a few rough patches in their first year of college basketball but it’s clear that they have a role on this team. Novak is averaging 6.6 ppg but is averaging 11.25 ppg and shooting 52.2% (12-23) on triples over the last four games. Novak has stepped up when Michigan has really needed a third option these last several games and it has paid off. For more on Novak the recruit, check out our interview from this summer.
Let’s hear your thoughts and predictions about Saturday’s game in the comments.
I don’t know that I’m going to be able to post about recruiting once per week. I’ll stick to just a couple notables for today.
Jordan Morgan
Morgan got off to a bit of a rough start Monday night. U-D Jesuit blew out Detroit Community and Providence bound big man James Still but Morgan was ejected late in the third quarter.
Morgan received his first technical for disputing a call with an official. The second was called for hanging on the rim after a dunk. Morgan finished with eight points and six rebounds.
Not the best start for Jordan but it’s a long season.
Matt Vogrich
The Illinois guard had himself a great night in Lake Forest’s overtime loss to Warren. Vogrich was matched up with Illinois bound guard Brandon Paul. Vogrich scored 18 of Lake Forest’s first 20 points and assisted the other basket. Vogrich finished the night with 39 points and 9 rebounds. Vogrich had a shot to win it at the buzzer in regulation but his shot was long and he didn’t have enough in the tank to pull off the overtime win.
Moses Morgan
I forgot about Moses in my first recruiting update of the year, it looks like he is off to a solid start. Morgan had 21 points in a win over Coronado including 15 in the second half after being limited by fouls in the first.
Morgan also had 17 points in a win over Silverado on Monday night as well.
Morgan is definitely still a solid Michigan target and seems to be playing well. I’d imagine that John Beilein will try to get him back on campus in the near future.
Ray Lee
Freshman Ray Lee helped Robichaud to a win over Ann Arbor Pioneer last night. Lee had 14 points including a late three and a pair of free throws in front of John Beilein himself. Ray Lee was at several football games this year and Beilein is putting in the early leg work.
Commitments
Darius Morris
Darius and his Windward team are playing in the Westchester Tournament. They squeaked through their first contest on Tuesday 59-52 over Morningside.
Windward was knocked off by the host school, Westchester, 72-52. The LA Times reports that Darius struggled at times with Westchester’s pressure defense. Windward had a consolation match up with Bishop Montgomery and lost 62-61.
I can’t find any stats on Darius but it definitely seems like a rough start for a Windward team that includes Morris and UCLA bound Anthony Stover. Windward will face Inglewood this Wednesday.
Matt Vogrich
Lake Forest got off to a quick start with wins over Rich South (61-48) and Niles West (63-55). The Scouts have been led by Matt Vogrich in every game. Vogrich posted 20 and 13 aganst Rich South and 29 against Niles west before only managing 19 points in an overtime loss to Glenbrook North. Vogrich was also named to the Niles West Thanksgiving all tournament team.
Vogrich led the Scouts to a 48-36 win over Libertyville Friday night. Vogrich had 20 points and 6 rebounds as the Lake Forest escaped after nearly blowing a 36-18 lead.
Blake McLimans
McLimans’ Worcester Academy opened their season with a 106-95 win over Hotchkiss. McLimans posted 7 points in the win and looked like he was still adjusting to playing with a new team.
Worcester knocked off the New Hampton school Saturday by a score of 84-74. Blake put up 11 points and had some nice drives to the rack early and also had a couple blocks in the second half.
From what I understand, Worcester has four players 6′9″ and above including a returning player (Ben Crenca) so it seems like all of the big men are doing some adjusting. Another Michigan recruit, 2010 guard Austin Carroll had a big night on Saturday, going for 30 points while hitting 6 threes.
Worcester is in action this week on Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Jordan Morgan
Morgan’s season tips off tonight against against Detroit Community (7:30 PM @ UofD).
Recruits
Allen Payne
Payne speaks on his visit ($) with Go Blue Wolverine. Payne’s season starts Tuesday with a game against Hughes High School (7:30PM @ Winton Woods HS).
Tim Hardaway Jr.
Hardaway was on campus Saturday but has also played several high school games already this year.
Hardaway Jr.’s Palmetto squad fell to Southridge Friday by a score of 59-55. They blew a 12 point halftime lead but Hardaway Jr. had 21 points and 2 three pointers.
Will Regan
Encouraging recruiting update from Rivals ($) and another update from Scout ($). Regan’s Nichols School team got off to a quick start with wins over Maryvale (71-49) and Grover (80-75 OT) to win the Al Pastor Tournament. Regan posted 23 points in Nichols’ easy victory over Maryvale. He was named the tournament MVP after scoring 26 points in the overtime final against Grover.
The Nichols School plays December 11th against Williamsville South and December 13th against Niagara Falls High.
Cameron Ayers
Cameron’s Germantown team won a pair of games this weekend, knocking off Gilman (55-26) and Landon (78-71). Earlier in the week they also handled Perkiomen 72-33. Here is a profile of Germantown’s loaded squad.
Germantown plays Wednesday versus Friends Central and tips off the Make A Wish Tournament Friday night.
Note: If you have a link or box score that I missed don’t hesitate to leave it in the comments or send me an email.
We took one on the chin in College Park but it’s time to put that one to bed and move on.
Looking back…
The funny part about last nights game is looking at the reaction to the game from both sides. Maryland fans think Michigan will “likely be an NCAA tournament team” and most Michigan fans are under the impression that Maryland will make the tournament as well. I think that neutral observers as well as Michigan and Maryland fans themselves might be a little less optimistic about tournament chances.
The turning point in last night’s game was Maryland’s 16-3 run at the start of the second half. Looking back at it, Beilein wishes he called a quick timeout but hindsight is 20/20 but Beilein is still learning about this team:
“I’m learning they can’t fix things on their own early in the second half, but I won’t beat them up with the tape, and we’ll say that this is what happened (in a 16-3 Maryland run early in the second half) and this is the momentum change.”
I still give Michigan a lot of credit for weathering that run and coming back in the game but in the end they allowed Maryland to get comfortable and unleashed a whole new team than the one we saw in the first half.
Maryland big man Braxton Dupree didn’t play yesterday after missing class on Monday. Dupree’s play had been underwhelming for the Terrapins thus far and Lawrence Milbourne and Dino Gregory stepped up with arguably their best games of the season.
Moving on…
I don’t think the loss at Maryland should do much to dampen excitement over Saturday’s game against Duke. Duke is playing great basketball and just dismantled Purdue in front of an packed house at Mackey Arena. Duke took the crowd out of that game in the first 4 minutes when they took at 7-0 lead. Hopefully the crowd can stay involved from start to finish on Saturday.
As a fan I am more excited about this game than any game since #1 Ohio State and Greg Oden ventured into Crisler in 2007. It should be a fun time and this team deserves to finally play in front of a big crowd.
Beyond the game, this is a huge week for recruiting. Top flight underclassmen Trey Zeigler (2010, pictured), Tim Hardaway Jr. (2010), Allen Payne (2010), Brandan Kearney (2011), and Percy Gibson (2011) are expected to be at Crisler Arena on Saturday. These are all big time prospects and it should be a great environment in Crisler on Saturday.
I think the starting line up will be juggled around from now until at least the conference season. Michgan doesn’t have depth in the post and it’s going to be a weakness all year. I think Beilein is just playing with how to best minimize the damage at this point. People have talked about a 4-guard lineup, starting Jevohn Shepherd, sending Anthony Wright to the moon, moving player X to position Y, and whatever else. I’m sure Beilein has gone through 100 more situations than the rest of us so I’m going to sit back and see what he does next.
Looking even further down the road, Michigan has to win the games it should: Eastern Michigan, Oakland, FGCU, and North Carolina Central. These teams are a combined 4-21 and Michigan needs to handle every one of them headed into the Big Ten season. Last year Michigan struggled against bad teams, 6-7 against RPI 101-200, and 3-2 against 200+, so winning these games without mental lapses (Savannah State) would be just as impressive as a close loss at Maryland in my book.
Notes & Links: Everyone should root for UCLA over Texas tonight (ESPN2). Brian does a very good job looking at yesterday’s game and whether it is a step in the right direction. John Borton checks in on who’s stock is rising and falling ($). Big Ten Geeks asks whether this was the best Big Ten/ACC Challenge ever. Michigan State is licking their wounds after a 98-63 loss to the Tar Heels, Izzo blames tired legs (Suton is also out 2-4 weeks).
Michigan:
- The Hoops Report | Bracketology
We’re in! (with 26 games to go) - Court Vision with C.J. Lee: November is Over, Time to Keep Going Forward
“November is over now, so we need to go into Maryland with the mindset that we are 0-0. We need everyone this week to be prepared to give their all when their number is called.” - Savannah State 57 - Bowling Green 54
Halftime Score: Bowling Green 35 -14 - Michigan Daily Photo Gallery: Savannah State vs. Michigan
Some good shots form the Savannah State game - Andy Reid: Why Sims should start
The Great Debate - Michigan women win tournament title
Womens hoops team moves to 4-2 - MSU falls to No. 13 in AP poll; U-M receives votes
Michigan loses a couple votes in both polls. - Borton’s Blog: Beilein provides slam-dunk guidance ($)
How Beilein handled Zack’s missed dunk
- Next Level: GVSU GLIAC W
Our old friends K’Len Morris and Jerret Smith
Recruiting:
- 12-02 Recruiting Roundup
Sam Webb talks recruiting including DaShonte Riley and many others including who plans to be on campus Saturday. - 12-01 Recruiting Roundup
More from Sam Webb including some Sykes talk. - News and Notes
Lou Dawkins reports Riley is interested in U-M. At this point I’d expect Michigan to keep their options open and see what happens down the road. - Carroll Plans For Prep Year ($)
As expected Austin Carroll is prepping, some interesting quotes about his recruitment though. - Class A preview
Michigan high school hoops preview from SBell - Class A contenders at Lansing Eastern
Preseason scrimmage notes on: Kearney, Marcotullio, and Gibson - Vogrich Leads Lake Forest with 29,20, and 19 in first three games
High school hoops season is upon us. I’ll probably try to streamline high school/recruiting posts during the season.
Big Ten/ACC Challenge:
- Here come the Dukies
Huge game coming up in West Lafayette and a chance for the Boilers to make a statement. Off the Tracks and Purdue fans across the country are fired up. - Meeting the Challenge
Big win for the Badgers in Blacksburg in what turned out to be a crazy game. - Spartans preparing for UNC’s best
Sounds like Suton is a no-go according to Izzo. Could be a rough night for the Spartans. - 2008 Big Ten/ACC Challenge Preview
Crispin and Cream breaks down the challenge - Preview: Ohio State vs. #22 Miami, FL
- ACC/Big Ten Challenge Begins Tonight
Fan House has another preview (HT: Spartansweblog)
One of our commenters, WTHEF, made it to Darius’ game last night. Here are his thoughts about Darius’ play and some video is here.
Saw Darius play tonight - below are a few thoughts from the game. Keep in mind that I don’t watch a lot (or normally any) high school basketball and am far from an expert. While I’ve been to a ton of Michigan games - I began following them just in time for the entire Ellerbe and Amaker tenures - so I may be dumber for having seen that.
Background:
Darius plays for a small private school (less than 500 total students in grade 7-12) that is in a nice part of West LA, fairly close to UCLA. There are only 3 players on their roster over 6’3 – Darius (looks to be a legit 6’3/6’4), Anthony Stover (6’10 going to UCLA) and a 6’5 sophomore. Their opponent, Cleveland High, had a lot of 6’2-6’3 guys but nobody taller than that so Morris was often one of the tallest guys on the court. He did often have a 6’2 defender on him though so it wasn’t a huge mismatch. A sidenote – Denzel Washington’s son, Malcolm, starts alongside Darius in the backcourt and Denzel was among the crowd of about 150.
Basics:
They won by a dozen or so and led by 20+ but the other team got it closer when Stover and Morris spent a stretch on the bench with foul trouble. Morris probably had about 15 points (ED: He might have had a few less. Morris and Stover combined for 13) – he could have been well over 20 but had some trouble finishing. Stover didn’t look impressive, especially since he had 7 inches on the biggest guy from Cleveland. I think with big guys you have to really know what to look for and if UCLA offered he must have it, but I wasn’t seeing it.
Observations:
I watched Darius in warm-ups when they took the court and he led all the drills and acted like the captain. Seemed relaxed and friendly with teammates but was still focused. After introductions, he took off his shooting shirt to reveal a Block M long sleeve t-shirt over his jersey.
All game I was trying to think of who to compare him to and I can’t really come up with anyone. Jamal Crawford or Sean Livingston was all I could come up with but he isn’t as rail thin or quite as tall as them and while his game is flashy – it’s not that flashy. He has a great handle and dribbled his way through a press and multiple defenders several times – but also had the awareness to pass it to get out of trouble at times instead of just putting his head down and forcing his way through. Denzel’s son who is about 5’9, shared the role of bringing the ball up.
Darius could get to the basket at will and made some incredibly athletic moves but a lot of them just didn’t fall. He had one sick move that he did finish – before I figured out how to record with the camera. Some of them looked a little forced but he’s so athletic that for him they could be high percentage shots. He also threw some beautiful passes off his drive but his teammates couldn’t always finish. I talked with him briefly after the game and he mentioned that he had been injured and had only been back for a couple weeks so he is probably a little rusty. He mentioned that he needs to get his conditioning back which may also have affected his ability to finish. His mechanics looked good on his shot and he knocked down a couple threes.
On defense he spent some time out front but also played down low a lot because of his size. I wonder if that will make him even better prepared to play along the baseline in the 1-3-1. I think he’ll be fast enough to play down there and his long arms and added height will be a real asset. He did a nice job challenging shots and his body control saved him from some fouls. He worked hard on defense and has all the tools to be an excellent individual defender.
Overall I think he will be a great complement to our current roster as there is nobody on our team that has his skill set. He brings athleticism, quickness, size, and he showed an ability to penetrate and finish it himself – but often looks to kick it out or drop it off to a big man. On top of that, he also seems to be a really nice kid that will fit in well and does not bring an ego or arrogance with him.