Mike Rothstein goes in-depth on Michigan’s recruiting approach. There’s some great stuff here, including quotes from the various Michigan assistants.

Bacari Alexander and LaVall Jordan hit on the obvious snag in Beilein’s philosophy:

“I wouldn’t say resistance,” Alexander said of the reaction on the recruiting trail. “But I would say a curiosity to why haven’t you offered my son yet or why haven’t you guys offered my player yet.”

“Especially when they have a list of [offers],” Jordan said. “That curiosity, when they have lists.”

However, the bottom line is that it’s worth waiting for a Michigan offer now. It’s a lot easier to wait to extend a scholarship offer when you can demand attention without one. A Big Ten Championship and a trip to the National Championship game seem to be doing the trick.

The talk of the magnification of parent evaluation and off the court character is also interesting. Beilein has stressed what a great teammate Mitch McGary is for a long time but the idea that parents need to be evaluated because they are ambassadors of the school is definitely a new media idea. Over the last two seasons, Michigan parents have featured heavily in The Journey and just about every other program.  The one element I won’t buy is that Beilein has discovered some sort of loophole in early and late birthdays.

The value of a prospect’s birth date is another. The latter is a topic Beilein often brings up in discussing his young players. Asked about it, the three assistants all laughed.
“No comment,” Alexander said. “That, we can’t tell you.”

Michigan’s assistants said Beilein brought birth dates into the evaluation process, but that’s all they’ll say. Consider this: In past interviews, Beilein has mentioned the late birthdays or relatively young starting ages of 2013 commit Mark Donnal and current players Max Bielfeldt, Caris LeVert and Jordan Morgan.

While it’s true that Michigan has recruited a lot of kids that are young for their grade, the Wolverines have also landed their fair share of kids that are old for their grade. Mitch McGary, Spike Albrecht and Nik Stauskas are all prep school kids that are a year older while Zak Irvin is also old for his grade, just a few days younger than Caris LeVert and actually older than Michigan State sophomore Gary Harris.

Burke, Rose and Simmons

Trey Burke was interviewed by Bill Simmons and Jalen Rose in the Full NBA Job Interview for Grantland.

Staff shuffle

Michigan announced that Pete Kahler would be taking over Travis Conlan’s vacated Direct of Basketball Operations position while C.J. Lee is moving to a Director of Player Personnel role. Beilein spoke on the internal promotions

“We have great continuity with our staff and we are happy to elevate both Pete and C.J. into new positions as a result of this restructuring process,” said Beilein. “Pete has done a fantastic job shaping our video department into one of the most comprehensive in the country. C.J. has proven to be a valuable ambassador for Michigan Basketball since his playing days as a co-captain through his last three seasons as a staff member. I am confident Pete and C.J. both have the experience and work habits to assist us as we strive to advance Michigan Basketball every day.”

For those unfamiliar with Kahler, this story on his family in the Cleveland Plain Dealer is well worth 30 minutes of your time.

Zimmerman, Coleman add offers

Jalen Coleman was offered by Michigan on Monday but he also added an offer from Arizona before the night was over. Another 2015 recruit, top ten big man Stephen Zimmerman added a marquee offer from Kentucky. Here are some spring highlights of Zimmerman in action:

Michigan is reportedly one of the schools recruiting Zimmerman the hardest.

Just got off the phone with Stephen Zimmerman. The five-star 2015 big mentioned Kentucky & Michigan as most aggressive schools so far. #BBN

— Corey Albertson (@Corey_Rivals513) June 18, 2013

Other Notes

• John Beilein is staying busy. He spoke at a Big Brothers Big Sisters fundraiser in Kalamazoo on Monday, will throw out the first pitch for the Tigers game tonight, and will be off to Colorado next to serve as an assistant coach for the USA Basketball World University Games team before traveling with that group to Russia in early July. After that he’ll be on the road recruiting during the July evaluation period.
• The Boneyard reports that UConn is no longer recruiting Kameron Chatman.
• Former Penn State guard Jermaine Marshall isn’t going to play professionally in Europe after all, he’s going to transfer for his fifth season.
• ESPN runs down the top 25 Big Ten players in the NBA since 1989, Michigan leads the way with five. ESPN also ranked Michigan 8th in terms of producing the best pros in the modern era.

Devin Booker had a big weekend at the NBPA Top 100 Camp over the weekend. Watch footage of Booker in action in the embedded media player below, or read our update on his recruitment.

Thanks to our friends at Inside the Hall for the video footage above, after the jump find additional highlights from Iowa Elites. 

MORE FROM NBPA CAMP

• NBPA Recap: Booker, Looney, Zimmerman stand out at Top 100 Camp
• ’15 PG Jalen Brunson hopes to visit Michigan
• Stephen Zimmerman preparing for June 15th phone calls
• Recruiting Roundup: Scouting notes and statistics from NBPA Camp Day 1
• Five-star guard Devin Booker updates recruitment at NBPA Camp

First reported by the Indy Star’s Kyle Neddenriep and confirmed by UM Hoops, Michigan has formally extended a scholarship offer to class of 2015 guard Jalen Coleman. Coleman is the second prospect that the Wolverines have offered in the class of 2015.

Coleman, a 6-foot-3 guard, plays his grassroots basketball with Indiana Elite and is transferring to La Lumiere for his junior year. Coleman averaged 14.6 points per game and shot 46% from three-point range as a sophomore at Cathedral.

Coleman is a consensus top-35 recruit nationally according to major scouting services. He holds scholarship offers from Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue with interest from Duke, Kansas and Florida.

Related

• Scouting Video: Jalen Coleman at Adidas Spring Classic
• Jalen Coleman Highlight Mixtape
• Scouting: Adidas Spring Classic
• 2015 guard Jalen Coleman plans to visit Michigan

The NBPA Top-100 Camp wrapped up on Saturday and Michigan targets Devin Booker and Kevon Looney were both named to the camp All-Star team by weekend’s end. Booker was named to the All-Star team despite suffering a high ankle sprain and missing the final two games of camp.

Stephen Zimmerman, Kameron Chatman, Caleb Swanigan and Jalen Brunson are among the other Wolverine targets to have big weekends in Charlottesville. Find per-game statistics for Michigan targets at the NBPA Camp below and a round up of notes and national scouting reports after the jump.

Final NBPA Top 100 Camp Stats

Business as usual for Booker

Our first NBPA Roundup was heavy on Devin Booker blurbs and this one is more of the same. Hoopniks notes Booker’s huge Friday performance:

Booker built on his game from last night and had another efficient and impressive outing. Booker scored 10 points with all five of his makes coming within 15 feet. Another surprising thing about his made shots was the fact that they all came with his left hand. His first basket came on a contested lay-up from the right side where he switched to his left hand to avoid the block. He also added in two other left hand lay-ups, a left hand dunk, and then a lefty floater from seven feet out. Booker continued to handle the ball a fair amount and has one of the better handles for a shooting guard in the high school ranks. Not known for his athleticism, Booker also had a violent block on a defender going in for a lay-up.

NY2LA also caught Booker in action on Friday:

The talented scoring machine was impressive throughout as he brought activity and energy to the court on both ends and displayed an ability to finish in transition while powering in some solid transition dunks and showing nice athleticism as well.  He can knock down the jumper, score in transition, and has the ability to put the ball in the basket in a variety of ways which he showed again on Friday morning in impressive fashion.

Chatman heats up

Fresh off of his Michigan offer, Chatman showed off an element of his game that most folks haven’t seen: his three point shooting stroke.

Chatman shot the ball well in Virginia all the way to the perimeter and caught the attention of Hoopniks in the camp’s third session:

Chatman was one of the most impressive players in the EYBL and averaged close to a double-double in points and rebounds with 15.8 and 9.8, respectively. The one thing he struggled with was his outside shooting going 9-54 from the three point line (16.7%). This morning Chatman sported a nice looking stroke and nailed a mix of three’s and deep jump shots. Already one of the most versatile players in the class, if Chatman can continue to shoot the ball well he will be one tough player to guard.

Others were impressed by Chatman as well:

Kameron Chatman can really stroke it – long distance and midrange – a 3 not a 4 at this point. So skilled and finds open space @Tfoekam_3

— Tim McCormick (@TMcCormickESPN) June 14, 2013

Loved Kameron Chatman in Hampton and continues to impress. A little Klay Thompson to his game #nbatop100

— Corey Evans (@coreyevans_10) June 14, 2013

Kameron Chatman doesn't need his jumpers to fall to be a high level prospect at this stage. But when they are, he's on another level.

— Josh Gershon (@JoshGershon) June 14, 2013

Looney continues to dominate

Kevon Looney continues to cement himself in the top ten nationally with big performance after big performance on the national circuit. We’ll have an update on Looney’s recruitment later but Michigan continues to recruit the versatile forward in hopes of securing an official visit.

On the court, Looney averaged an impressive 10 points and seven rebounds per game.

NY2LA Sports was among those impressed:

In a fun matchup with Craig Victor, Looney played well, using his unique dribble-drive game by carving out space with his shoulders. Looney also rebounded well and knocked in a three-pointer, as his confidence continues to grow when it comes to his perimeter jumper. – See more at:

Here are some highlights from Looney throughout the weekend from Iowa Elites:

Zimmerman pushing for top big man spot

Zimmerman is ranked near the top of the ‘15 class already but continues to impress. Jerry Meyer looks at whether Zimmerman could be the top big man in the class.

The major question running through my mind is who is the top big man in the 2015 class- Zimmerman or Diallo?

Zimmerman has legit NBA center size at 7-0 and has the makings of being a talented pick and pop player with his outside shooting touch. He also has an array of offensive moves and can protect the rim on the defensive end. Since they are playing right now, Tiago Splitter/Tim Duncan comes to mind for Zimmerman.

Diallo is a better rebounder and shot blocker with his athleticism and high energy play. Offensively, he is a rawer product than Zimmerman. With his athleticism, Diallo might have a higher ceiling, especially if he can develop his offense. Kenneth Faried/Paul Millsap come to mind as comparisons for Diallo.

Here’s a quick clip of Zimmerman in action with a longer highlight video from Iowa Elites.

Brunson is steady

Jalen Brunson caught the attention of just about every scout in attendance with a Twitter account.

It's going to be tough to find a more steady, reliable point guard in the 2015 class better than Jalen Brunson.

— Garrett Tucker (@GTuckerF150) June 15, 2013

Strong effort by Jalen Brunson – just Like his dad relies on smarts & not speed Hi IQ approach Will make teammates look good @jbcrossover5

— Tim McCormick (@TMcCormickESPN) June 15, 2013

Jalen Brunson. Quick PG with burst. Having some moments. Can penetrate, pass and D it up.

— Clint Jackson (@clintjackson1) June 14, 2013

Elite Performer @ The Top 100 Camp – Jalen Brunson (@jbcrossover5) Was unconscious from deep & droppin' dimes, Highlights coming soon!

— Iowa Elites (@IowaElites) June 16, 2013

Watch our scouting video of Brunson in action and our update on his likely visit to Ann Arbor this coming weekend.

Quiet weekend for Doyle

Class of 2014 Michigan commitment Ricky Doyle doesn’t get out much on the AAU circuit so this was a big opportunity for him to play in front of scouts. However, the leap up in competition appeared to be tough for Doyle, who is still getting back up to full health after an injury that sidelined him for almost half of his prep season.

Doyle averaged three points and three rebounds throughout the event, with his best performance a six point, four rebound outing in game four. Camp settings don’t necessarily cater to big men, and statistics aren’t everything. Doyle did earn a mention from Tim McCormick.

Solid start for Big Man Ricky Doyle Perfect John Beilein big man ball skills & perimeter game & smart Was in the gym before breakfast

— Tim McCormick (@TMcCormickESPN) June 13, 2013

Caleb Swanigan stands out

In a camp filled predominantly with class of 2014 players and a handful of 2015 players, class of 2016 big man Caleb Swanigan stood out. Swanigan, who attended Michigan’s College Practice Camp earlier this month, has had a productive spring playing at the 17U level with the Spiece Indy Heat.

Rodger Bohn was impressed with Swanigan on Friday night.

One of the youngest players in attendance, Swanigan carved out his own space in the key and got the ball virtually whenever he wanted. A below the rim player at this point, the 275-pounder used his outstanding footwork and great hands to maneuver around defenders en route to the basket. Swanigan has been consistently losing weight, and given his combination of hands/footwork, expect him to be one of the more highly sought after 2016 posts in the Midwest.

Inside the Hall also touched on Swanigan’s big weekend, noting his improvement since Spiece:

The last time we saw Swanigan at Spiece Fieldhouse, he was playing with two different teams in an attempt to work on his conditioning and shed weight. In Charlottesville, he told us he’s down nearly 10 more pounds over the last month and his game continues to improve. For a player his size — 6-foot-8 and 250-pounds — Swanigan moves extremely well, has good hands and has terrific footwork in the post. Because of his size, he’s able to easily create space and once he seals off his man, it’s usually either a basket or a trip to the foul line. As he continues to improve his conditioning, the intrigue with Swanigan, who Indiana is expected to begin pursuing heavily, will only grow.

NY2LASports was also impressed with Swanigan:

The young wide body big gave a glimpse into the future with a solid 8 point 3 assist 2 rebound effort.  He scored in the post in a few different ways and then stepped out and stroked a mid-range jumper from 12 feet as well.  He has a nice feel around the basket, a soft touch with his various moves, and also displays nice footwork on the offensive end.  A solid performance on Friday morning.

Swanigan scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds in his first game and finished the camp with averages of eight points and four rebounds per game. Iowa Elites posted this video of Swanigan in action:

Noah Dickerson plans to visit Stanford

Dave Telep reports that Noah Dickerson, who camped at Michigan earlier this week, plans to visit Stanford.

Rising junior center Noah Dickerson (Atlanta/North Atlanta) is one of the biggest kids at NBPA camp at 6-8, 255 pounds. He’s also one of the top students here. “I take pride in my grades,” Dickerson said. “Not many people do.”

Dickerson will unofficially visit Stanford next week. Michigan likes him as well. “I also love basketball,” he said. “I want a mixture of both.”

Jalen Brunson is quickly rising up Michigan’s class of 2015 recruiting board and the four-star point guard continued his strong spring at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Virginia. Watch Brunson in action in the embedded media player below.

Special thanks to our friends at Inside the Hall

More from NBPA Camp

• ’15 PG Jalen Brunson hopes to visit Michigan
• Stephen Zimmerman preparing for June 15th phone calls
• Recruiting Roundup: Scouting notes and statistics from NBPA Camp Day 1
• Five-star guard Devin Booker updates recruitment at NBPA Camp

In a move that surprised no one, Michigan extended an official offer to Luke Kennard on Saturday afternoon. The Franklin, OH native already holds offers from Ohio State, Indiana, West Virginia, Iowa, Cincinnati, Xavier, Miami of Ohio and Dayton, and is fielding calls from the likes of Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina. We got a chance to talk with Kennard about receiving the first Michigan offer in the class and his upcoming visit to Michigan later this month and much more.

How’s the summer  gone for you, basketball-wise?

“It’s good. I’ve been getting a lot of looks. Our AAU team is playing well, our high school team is playing well. It’s been really busy though. To answer your question, it’s been a very successful summer.”

Can you tell me about the schools who called you on Saturday?

“North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio State, Michigan, Butler, U of D, Clemson and a few more.”

What was the conversation like with Michigan?

“You know, at first it was just a normal conversation about how we were doing, about how we’re going up to the team camp in a few weeks (June 28th). Then they were saying how I would just fit that program really well. Coach Beilein told me that he would love to coach me one day and that they could see me in a Wolverine uniform. … All of them were in the room, on speaker.”

How did it feel to get that offer?

“I’m just very blessed, I’m excited about it. I have a few more offers, so I’m just going to take it all slow, but I’m going to have to narrow it down soon.”

Do you have a timeline for your decision?

“I’m pretty much just taking it as it comes. Me and my parents and my high school coach were just talking about possibly the beginning of junior year and on, but, you know, that can always change if I feel comfortable with that school.”

Are you close to narrowing down your list?

“We’re definitely going to have to be talking about it. There are a lot of schools, it’s hard to put them in a top five or a top 10. We’re just going to have to think about that and talk about it in the near future.”

You’ve been taking quite a few visits recently (to Indiana, North Carolina and Ohio State). Was there anything that stood out to you about those visits?

“Definitely just the facilities that they have. They’re unbelievable. Ohio State is building some new facilities, which are unbelievable. North Carolina’s are just awesome, and so are Indiana’s. So that really stood out to me. And just the coaching staffs on all the schools. They’re just great coaches, you can tell. Those are probably the things that stood out.”

What are you looking for in a school?

“Definitely the coaches, the coaching staff and how they make you feel at home. How they just take you in. There’s definitely the academic part, they have to have good academics, and a lot of the schools I’ve been talking to do. Those are probably at the top. And just how I fit that program and if I’m going to play. Definitely if I’m going to play.”

Which schools are going after you the hardest recently?

“Recently there’s been Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana, Xavier, Butler. Duke’s been calling a lot, and so has Kentucky.”

You’ve played football throughout high school, what are your thoughts on continuing with that versus focusing on basketball?

“I’m going to play football this year, see how that goes. I like playing both a lot. … My coaches have been telling me that they think I could be a really good quarterback. I’ll just have to wait and see what both sports take me to.”

When are you coming to Michigan?

“We will be at the Team Camp [on June 28th-30th for a visit]”

What do you like about Michigan?

“The coaching staff is unbelievable. Their player development is top-notch, one of the best in the country. They improve players every year. Definitely the facilities and the academic part. All of the things I’ve said I liked about a school, they have.”

Michigan officially offered Luke Kennard on June 15th but the day was otherwise somewhat uneventful. The start of open contact for rising juniors was slowed down because so many notable prospects were participating in national camps – where they can’t speak with coaches – including the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Virginia and Adidas Nations in Las Vegas.

Jalen Coleman, the other Wolverine prospect most likely to receive an offer, was participating in Adidas Nations training camp in Las Vegas and hadn’t had the opportunity to speak with John Beilein and the Michigan staff as of Sunday morning. Coleman’s father reported to our Joe Stapleton that the conversation is expected to take place on Monday when he gets back to Indianapolis. Coleman is expected to be the second class of 2015 offer for the Wolverines.

Michigan reportedly showing interest in ‘14 Australian guard Dante Exum

Australian born Dante Exum is one of the top guards in the class of 2014 worldwide. He’s eligible for the 2014 NBA Draft as an international prospect and is projected as a top-10 pick. However, there’s a very real chance that Exum, who has already taken an official visit to Indiana, chooses to attend college first. While he’s considered an Indiana lean, NBA.com’s Scott Howard-Cooper is reporting that Michigan is one team that has thrown its name into the ring for Exum’s services along with Indiana, Louisville and Kentucky.

Australian shooting guard Dante Exum is draft-eligible for 2014 and would open next season as one of the top prospects, but said “My gut tells me right now I’m going to college,” partly because he is intrigued by the idea of a run with a top U.S. program and partly because that would allow him to avoid the packed Class of ’14 led by Canadian phenom/incoming Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins. That would position Exum for 2015. The son of Cecil Exum, who won a national championship with North Carolina in 1982, has made one campus visit, to Indiana, and puts the Hoosiers at the top of his working list if he goes the NCAA route for 2014-15. He loves the college feel in Bloomington and the basketball tradition. He is also getting attention from a lot of other elite programs – mentioning Louisville, Kentucky and Michigan – so no decision is imminent.

Michigan would obviously be playing catch-up, as the Wolverines will have to battle against Indiana and the lure of the NBA to secure Exum’s services. Our friends at Inside the Hall posted an update with Exum earlier this week.

Other June 15th Notes

• 2016 point guard Cassius Winston took an unofficial visit to Ann Arbor on Saturday. Winston also added an offer from Michigan State earlier in the week.
• Michigan reached out to Stephen Zimmerman at midnight along with Kentcuky, Louisville, UCLA and UNLV.
• Dwayne Bacon tweeted that he received texts from Louisville, Baylor, Texas and Michigan last night around midnight.
• Sedrick Barefield heard from Florida, Kansas State, UConn, Michigan, Tulsa and most of the PAC 12 according to Coast 2 Coast Hoops.
• Evan Boudreaux heard from Stanford, Michigan, Michigan state, Iowa, Georgetown, Harvard, Virginia, butler, SLU, & Boston College.
• Ryan Fazekas heard from Michigan among others.

UM Hoops has confirmed that John Beilein offered a scholarship to class of 2015 wing Luke Kennard this afternoon.

Kennard, a 6-foot-5 lefty from Franklin, Ohio, has been one of the top recruits on Michigan’s recruiting board for the past two seasons. He’s the first Michigan target in the class of 2015 to report an offer on June 15th, the first day that the Wolverines extend scholarship offers to rising juniors.

Kennard was the star of Michigan’s last two team camps and John Beilein and his staff have followed him closely on the AAU circuit this spring and with his Franklin high school team over the past two seasons. The wing guard is ranked in the top-35 nationally by both ESPN, Scout and Rivals.

Kennard also holds offers from Ohio State, Xavier, West Virginia, Indiana, Dayton, Clemson, Notre Dame, Purdue, Wisconsin and Cincinnati. He also visited North Carolina, who has also been tracking him this spring. Kennard is expected to visit Michigan again in late June when his high school team plays at Michigan’s Team Camp.

Stay tuned to UM Hoops for more on Kennard and other Michigan targets in the coming hours.

Related:

• Luke Kennard at Nike Super Sixteen
• Luke Kennard at NJ Playaz Spring Fling
• Q&A: Luke Kennard talks recruiting at Michigan Invitational
• Scouting Video: Luke Kennard and AJ Harris at Michigan Invitational
• Video: Luke Kennard at Cincinnati Icebreaker

When Michigan sends out its first offers to prospects in the class of 2015 on Saturday, point guard Jalen Brunson will be left waiting — but that could change when the Lincolnshire, Ill. native makes it up to Ann Arbor for a visit. While an offer won’t come on June 15th, a phone call from Michigan head coach John Beilein probably will.

There appears to be lots of mutual interest between Brunson, one of the top point guard talents in the class of 2015, and Michigan, who will likely be looking to continue its pattern of landing a lead guard every other year.

“They’ve wanted me to call a couple times,” Brunson said on Thursday during the NBPA Top-100 Camp. “I have been in touch with them the past couple weeks. I’m talking to them. They’ve come to a lot of open gyms. Just to have them show that much support shows that they are really looking at me.”

It’s easy to see why Brunson is so coveted. The youngster already has a highly developed jump shot as well as great handle. He also has the ability to finish strong in the post among taller players — at just 6 feet tall, Brunson doesn’t have great size just yet (similar to another recent Michigan point guard you may be familiar with), but he knows how to use his body to create space down low.

His production this spring playing up a grade level for the Mac Irvin Fire on Nike’s EYBL circuit really made him stand out, and it’s attracted attention from schools all over the country: Brunson said he’s in contact with Michigan, Virginia, Temple, Missouri, Connecticut, Creighton, Tulsa, DePaul, Illinois, Purdue, Xavier and SMU.

For now, Brunson has no timeline and is simply taking it all in.

“I think right before my senior season (I’d like to make a decision) so I can lay back and focus on basketball,” Brunson said. “But if it doesn’t happen, I’ll just have to grind it out and see where I want to go.”

The rising junior from Stevenson High School saw Michigan coaches stop by his open gyms in the spring and he also saw them on the sidelines of plenty of his EYBL contests. It looks as though Brunson will be returning the favor soon, he hopes to visit both Michigan and Michigan State when his high school team plays at Michigan State’s team camp next weekend. An offer could be waiting for Brunson when he arrives in Ann ARbor.

Throughout his contact with Michigan’s coaching staff, Brunson has heard quite a few comparisons between his skill set and the skill set of the recently-departed Trey Burke. What excites Brunson the most about that is the freedom Michigan offers its playmakers.

“They told me Trey had a lot of freedom because of how he carried himself on and off the court and how he was being a leader,” Brunson said. “When I saw that and when I saw how he was being a leader, it really showed me how they have a lot of trust in their point guard and how they give him a lot of freedom. That does put hearts in my eyes.”

Naturally, Brunson followed Burke’s rise last season closely.

“Last year I kind of knew who he was. But this year I definitely did because he’s an NBA prospect, we’re kind of like the same height,” Brunson said. “I just really saw how he used his athleticism, how he ran his team. I looked at the little things, not just the scoring, not just the passing, but how he was talking to all his teammates. I saw they had a lot of trust in him.”

While Brunson is receiving interest from plenty of schools, he put Michigan in the group of schools that are recruiting him the hardest at the moment, along with Virginia and Illinois.

“I would have to say Michigan, Illinois and Virginia [are recruiting me the hardest],” Brunsons explained. “And Missouri was at one of my open gyms, but it was really those three.”

Justin Albers contributed to this report.

2015 seven-footer Stephen Zimmerman has all the tools: his back-to-the-basket game is advanced for a big man at his age, his jump shot is consistent, and even his face-up handle is better than you’d think. His all-around skill has placed him near the top of quite a few schools’ wish list and squarely in the top ten of the national rankings.

But all of the attention Zimmerman has received to this point is child’s play compared to the volume of calls he’s likely to start receiving on Saturday, June 15th — the day coaches can begin calling 2015 recruits.

“All of the schools have been pretty equal (in their recruitment). Starting this Saturday, they can start calling,” Zimmerman said on Thursday at the NBPA Top-100 Camp. “I want to be a part of it. It’s a lot to handle for one kid, so obviously I want my parents to help me out with it.”

Zimmerman has never been all that keen on talking about his recruitment, preferring to stay focused on improving his game and making sure he’s ready for the next level. For the past few months on the AAU circuit, that has meant playing more aggressively.

At the NBPA camp, he’s trying to prove one thing: that as a rail-thin 7-footer, he can still play physical.

“Get more physical, that’s a big thing for me. Being a skinny 7-footer, it’s hard,” Zimmerman said. “But I just have to get as physical as I can and be able to attack the basket.”

Averaging double-digits on the first day and impressing numerous scouts, he’s made strides already at camp in Virginia.

Given that Zimmerman has his sights set on being a more aggressive, physical player, it makes sense that he has attempted to learn from one of the most physical, aggressive players to emerge in the NCAA tournament last season: Michigan’s talented freshman big man, Mitch McGary.

Zimmerman and McGary are built much differently, but the rising junior identifies McGary as a player who “did a lot of things that I try to do.” Zimmerman also said he watched closely how McGary was used by Michigan’s coaching staff during the Wolverines’ especially long postseason.

“The main thing I was watching was how they used Mitch McGary,” Zimmerman said. “As a big man, I gotta see how it goes. They used the same play that my AAU team uses, I was seeing how he does it and how different I can be.”

Michigan’s coaching staff apparently sees the same similarities between the two players that Zimmerman does. He said he continues to have a lot of contact with Michigan’s coaching staff, and he is clearly a player John Beilein would love to have on campus as soon as possible.

While a visit is not yet in the works, Zimmerman said he still likes Michigan.

“They’re are great school and they have a great history and a great coaching staff,” he said of Michigan.

The Wolverines have a lot of competition for the big man from Las Vegas. Zimmerman already has picked up offers from UCLA, UNLV, Connecticut, Memphis, Kansas, Oregon, UTEP, Auburn, USC, Arizona, Florida State and Notre Dame. There are also reports that he’s been hearing from Duke recently.

Notre Dame appears to be posing a challenge, as one of Zimmerman’s friends — fellow Bishop Gorman student Ronnie Stanley — recently committed to the Fighting Irish.

“Notre Dame’s also an amazing school,” Zimmerman said of Notre Dame. “One of my close friends that’s a football player committed to Notre Dame so I’m going to be talking to him to see how the school is.”

So far, Zimmerman has been to UCLA and UNLV for visits, with other visits likely coming later in the summer. Michigan could be in line for a trip.

“I’m not sure [if I’ll visit Michigan]. My parents handle a lot of that,” Zimmerman explained. “They might. I think we’re going to start talking about it later in the summer.”

Justin Albers contributed to this report.