- If you missed it: Tim Hardaway Jr. committed to Michigan yesterday and Jordan Morgan will miss 4 to 5 months with knee surgery.
- John Beilein was named U-M coach of the year by Wolverine Magazine as voted on by all the U-M coaches.
- Vogrich is pick to click as freshman at Michigan
Local fluff on Matt Vogrich - Bartelstein took scenic route to Ann Arbor
And some more on Josh Bartelstein - Student season ticket sales for U-M basketball takes huge jump
Over 2000 student tickets sold after selling only 480 last year. The bandwagon is open, I still feel like the student section needs to be expanded. - Palmetto’s Tim Hardaway Jr. headed to Michigan
Miami Herald on the Tim Hardaway Jr. commit, averaged 25, 10, and 6 as a junior. The Wall Street Journal also mentions Tim’s commitment. - Tim Hardaway Jr. named 2nd team all-state in Florida
- Regan Chooses Virginia
This isn’t a shock, and Michigan cooling on Regan has been well documented, but this is a good fit for the New York big man. - Richmond, Thomas star at skills camp
Casey Prather named top defender at Vince Carter camp. No mention of Smotrycz but he reportedly played quite well. You have to remember that about 2/3 of these Nike camps are closed to the media. - Knight, Selby on point at skills academy
McCallum named the top “floor general” by ESPN at the Deron Williams camp. - Sam Webb talks Hardaway, Recruiting (WTKA audio)
Podcast - Jeff Jordan leaving team for academics. A surprising player continues to surprise. – Hail to the Orange
I’m late on this story, but good luck to Jeffery Jordan
Archive for the 'Will Regan' Category
(Note: I added two links to the “Other Notes” section regarding Moses Morgan, Carlton Brundidge, and Amir Williams)
Evan Smotrycz
The last two weeks have taught us that Evan Smotrycz can play ball. He followed up his strong play from last week with another stellar performance at the Providence Jam Fest. Smotrycz led the Mass Rivals to a surprise trip to the 17U finals. It’s hard to find a negative scouting report about Evan. The highlight of the weekend for the Mass Rivals was a win over, former Michigan recruit, Nate Lubick’s New England Playaz team. Here’s what the leading east coast scouting services had to say on Evan this weekend.
NBE:
Good height, but needs to get physically stronger before the Big 10. His size and skill away from the basket makes it look like he was made for John Beilein’s system and he should get the most of his strengths at Michigan. Showed ability to slash to the basket, but needs to finish more often once in the paint, as evidenced by failing to convert on an easy lay-up. Added strength will help.
New England Recruiting Report:
Evan Smotrycz was the catalyst as the Michigan bound forward really brought his game to another level. Not only was he making shots from the perimeter, but he also showed a much improved dribble drive game, as he was able to break his man down with a right to left cross-over on more than one occasion. But it wasn’t just his ability to score off the dribble that was so impressive as he also passed the ball tremendously well, acting as a facilitator in the second half with his ability to create open looks for his teammates.
Evan Smotrycz picked up right where he left off a day earlier as he was outstanding for the second consecutive day, making shots, breaking people down off the dribble, and passing the ball very well. It was his consistent excellence throughout the course of the weekend that helped propel the Rivals all the way to the finals before finally losing to a New Jersey Celtics team that featured top 50 junior Kyrie Irving and the nation’s top sophomore Michael Gilchrist.
Will Regan
Will Regan, of the Albany City Rocks, told NBE this weekend that he is currently considering offers from Maryland, Virginia, Stanford, Arizona State and Providence. Regan is a 6-foot-8 forward who plays at the Nichols School near Buffalo (NY).
It sure looks like it. This has become clear over the last couple weeks and this update might be the icing on the cake. The same article has an updated list from Carson Desrosiers, a lanky big man that has been getting some Michigan interest, but it doesn’t appear that Michigan is in his top 8 right now.
Ray McCallum and Trey Zeigler
Rivals’ Jerry Meyer was fond of the Michigan duo at the adidas Nation event out in Vegas. Short but sweet:
Trey Zeigler has an impressive first step.
Ray McCallum has all the markings of a coach’s son when he is running the point. And over the past year, he has developed a great deal physically.
Scout also has an update from the adidas event with some more on McCallum ($).
Other Notes
- Vegas wrap up
Moses Morgan names Indiana his leader - Gauchos take King James title
Brundidge and Amir Williams both played well. Brundidge notes offers “from Mihcigan as well as Michigan State” - 2011 standout Dai-Jon Parker got the best of Brandan Kearney at the King James Classic this weekend.
- Video Highlights: Tim Hardaway Jr. ($)
Rivals has video from Tim Hardaway Jr. on the AAU circuit
Evan Smotrycz
As I mentioned Friday, this was a big weekend on the AAU circuit with two big tournaments. There was understandably plenty of eyes pointed in Evan Smotrycz’ direction. This was after all, his first big tournament since making his Michigan commitment. The early returns on Evan’s play are definitely positive. Scout.com’s Evan Daniels was impressed ($) with Smotrycz’ play and ESPN’s Reggie Rankin echoed his sentiments:
Smotrycz was a pleasant surprise but more of a standout player this weekend. This super skilled combination forward has all the tools on the offense end of the floor. He is a perfect fit for the offensive system he will play in at Michigan. Smotrycz is a terrific 3-point shooter with NBA range. He has a quick trigger and the size to shoot over smaller defenders with ease. Smotrycz runs the lane in transition and does a great job of stretching the defense with his ability to make shots. Making plays off the dribble is also strength of Smotrycz’s. He is a very good ball handler and does a great job of creating space with scoring dribble moves that include a step back pull up jumper going to his left. He would be perfect in pick and pop situations as well. His skill set doesn’t stop with his scoring he is also a very good passer. He can drive, draw and kick in transition or in the half court where he has the ability to pass with either hand. Smotrycz is a good area rebounder but must add strength to prepare for the physical Big Ten but his upside is tremendous.
Most scouts point to the same qualities: a skilled ball handler who can shoot the ball. Beilein preaches skill and length, at 6-foot-9 Smotrycz appears to be the perfect “four man” for this offense.
More:
- Mass Rivals Turn Heads at Pittsburgh Jam Fest
6’9″ New Hampton Prep Junior Evan Smotrycz showed why he is Michigan bound as he made several big threes, and was able to get the basket off the dribble with ease. Smotrycz like Brown has a great weekend as he mixed it up with some of the best in the country. - New England Men’s Rankings
Smotrycz moves up to fifth in the latest NERR 2010 rankings
Team Detroit
Evan Daniels caught Team Detroit in action in Pittsburgh. Daniels was impressed with not only Trey Zeigler and Ray McCallum but Detroit Southeastern power forward (2011) Percy Gibson as well.
We only caught a half, but it was enough time to know that he deserved some print. A 6-foot-7, 215-pound sophomore, Gibson is a guy that has a nice set of hands, soft touch inside and the ability to maneuver on the block to score.
Scout also posted an updated school list for Trey Zeigler:
Trey Zeigler claimed scholarship offers from Michigan, Michigan State, LSU, Miami, Arizona State, Providence and Dayton. Kansas and Texas are showing interest as well.
I don’t think there is a scout in the country that doesn’t love Ray McCallum. The issue for Michigan is that when you’re that good, every school wants a piece. Michigan is showing Ray the love but the odds aren’t great in that recruitment to say the least. For more on McCallum, here is a recent Rivals update ($).
Other Notes
- Meet our 2009 boys basketball dream team
Appling, Maurice Jones, McCallum, Ben Simons, and Zeigler - Team USA dominates Team Florida during Senior Showcase all-star game
Morris with 13 points for Team USA - Grand Rapids Storm Classic Results
The Michigan Mustangs rolled through the GRSC on the back of MSU bound Keith Appling and Michigan target Devin Oliver. - Real Deal: Day Two, Part B ($)
Casey Prather was dominated by Harrison Barnes. Before you panic, Barnes is one of the best, if not the best, prospects in the country. - Game-raising Regan a major player
Some updates on Will Regan
The 2009 class is in the books and I’m sure the Michigan staff will be excited to take this season’s momentum onto the recruiting trail. Right now there are technically two scholarships available but I would expect Michigan to take three in the class once everything works out. The biggest needs are at the wing and power forward positions — the debate would be what to do with the third scholarship.
High school seasons are pretty much in the book and that means it’s time for AAU ball. Kids like to put recruiting on the back-burner during their high-school season but AAU ball is all about recruiting. Things typically start to pick up and stock rises and falls quickly. The frustrating thing for Michigan is that a lot of the kids on the board are looking to make fall decisions rather than spring or summer.
Here is a quick run-down of who is on the board and how their high school seasons wrapped up. The list really hasn’t changed much since when I posted the 2010 hot-board a while back (will be updated soon). The main additions are Prather, Dragicevich, Payne, and Oliver. The three “firm offers” are Will Regan, Trey Zeigler, and Casey Prather but there is plenty of serious interest up and down the list. For more on every kid make sure to click through their category pages on the sidebar. You can find some video as well as the weekly recruiting wraps there.
Will Regan (6-foot-8, Nichols, NY)
Will Regan has emerged as Michigan’s premiere big-man target. The junior had a huge year for the Nichols School and he seemed to produce night in and night out. Nichols’ season came to a disappointing end against Canisius in the Manhattan Cup final but it there is no doubt that Regan is blowing up.
Michigan has been in good position with Regan for a long time. Academics are important to Regan and Michigan certainly fits the bill. A spring decision seemed imminent but several new schools including Villanova have started to show interest. Regardless, Regan has an offer and Michigan is in very good position.
Trey Zeigler (6-foot-5, Mount Pleasant, MI)
Trey Zeigler appears to have been the #1 wing forward on Michigan’s board for a long time. He is the son of a college coach and possesses all the tools including athleticism, basketball IQ, and shooting. Zeigler was named to the Class A all-state team and averaged 24 points and nine rebounds per game while shooting 48% from behind the arc.
Zeigler’s recruitment has been a bit of a roller-coaster in terms of speculation but the Zeigler family appears to have been true to their word in terms of time frame and plan. They have consistently stated that they want to take their time and not rush to a decision. The “big four” for Trey were Michigan, Michigan State, CMU, and UCLA but UCLA isn’t getting as much play of late. This will definitely be the recruitment to watch over the summer and you can bet that the rumors will be flying in every direction.
Casey Prather (6-foot-5, Jackson Northside, TN)
It’s hard to call Casey Prather anything but an athletic freak. The 6-foot-5 swingman was a finalist for Mr. Basketball in Tennessee as a junior and is garnering interest from high-majors across the country. Prather averaged 24.4 points and 11 rebounds per game but lost to Mr. Basketball award to Josh Jenkins who averaged over 40 points per game.
The odds of landing Prather are probably long but it appears there is some sincere interest. Vanderbilt appears to be the local school to watch out for but big dogs like UNC and Wake Forest have been in to watch Prather play.
Moses Morgan (6-foot-5, Palo Verde, NV)
Moses is a skilled wing forward from Nevada whose Palo Verde team fell just short of a state championship. Morgan appears to have bounds of talent but sometimes isn’t quite assertive enough on the offensive end. Commenter Ken in Vegas was at the game and produced this report.
Moses has been big on Michigan since he visited in the fall and his recruitment doesn’t seem to have moved much over the school year. Things should start moving a little more quickly over the summer AAU period.
Tim Hardaway Jr. (6-foot-5, Miami Palmetto, FL)
Hardaway Jr. is a wing guard from Palmetto High School in Miami. The son of NBA-star Tim Hardaway Jr., the three-star prospect visited Michigan this winter for the Duke game and Michigan appears to be in a pretty good spot. Hardaway has also received interest from Kansas State, Miami, Virginia Tech, and Florida State in recent months.
