Season Review & Breakdown: Derrick Walton

An article composed for Wolverine247 of 247Sports breaking down true freshman Derrick Walton's first season at Michigan and a look ahead at what he could do next season.

My breakdown on Derrick Walton's freshman season and what to expect next year - http://t.co/pEMsNkIHxo #Michigan #GoBlue
— Thomas Beindit (@tbeindit) May 8, 2014

B1G Award Picks

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Check out our conference award picks:

B1G Award Picks

Michigan Takes Home Hardware

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Here's the link to the story:

Michigan Takes Home Hardware

Post-Game Notebook: Penn State - Derrick Walton Comes Up Big

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Important win for Michigan's season. Read link below:

Post-Game Notebook: Penn State

Post-Game Notebook: Michigan vs. Nebraska - Derrick Walton Gets Crazy Half Court Heave

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Check out some great postgame thoughts linked below:

Post-Game Notebook: Michigan vs. Nebraska

Preview: Michigan vs. Florida State - Can Derrick Walton Drive The Hoop?

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A big one today for the Wolverines:

Preview: Michigan vs. Florida State

2013-3014 Michigan Basketball Preview: Guards

Here is a nice breakdown on Michigan's guard situation for the 2013-2014 season. The Wolverines will be looking to replace two NBA 1st round draft picks

http://michigan.247sports.com/Board/59424/Preview-PointShooting-Guard-22261539/1

Michigan Basketball: A Scholarship Update

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In early June each year, Michigan basketball begins offering the next cycle of recruits.  This June, Beilein and his staff began offering the class of 2015 recruits.  As of now, only a handful of recruits have received offers including Luke Kennard, Jalen Coleman, and Jalen Brunson.  However, something that is incredibly important, but often gets swept under the radar, is the scholarship situation.  Michigan has finished recruiting in the 2013 cycle, but the 2014 and 2015 cycles are in full swing, which makes this an interesting discussion.  So let's take a look at where things stand:

2014 Cycle:
Currently, Michigan is set to have 10 scholarship players for 13 open spots for the 2014-2015 cycle.  This means that the Wolverines can take up to 3 commits in the 2014 class.  As of now, Michigan has 2 commits in the class (Austin Hatch & Ricky Doyle) and 1 open spot.  With numerous offers out this begs the question of how Michigan will make room for potentially 2 or 3 recruits for 2014 class.  The clearest answer can be found on the current roster.  Mitch McGary and GR3 nearly left Ann Arbor following the 2012-2013 season for the NBA Draft.  In all likelihood this will happen following the 2013-2014 season, which would give Michigan 5 open slots for the 2014 and beyond.  With 2 recruits already committed, that means the Wolverines could add 3 recruits to its 2014 class assuming McGary and GR3 leave following the season as expected.  However, I'm not completely convinced Michigan will max out the scholarship slots for 2014.  Verdict: 4 member 2014 class

2015 Cycle:
As we get farther out in the predictions, things always become tougher to predict.  There are some major questions about how the 2014 class will end, but there are even more about the 2015 class.  If we continue using the verdict listed for the "2014 cycle" that means Michigan will start the 2014-2015 season 1 scholarship short.  This team would feature a bunch of seniors and Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin as sophomores with an even bigger chance of a jump to the pros.  It's hard to believe that the 2014-2015 season will end without at least one player jumping pro.  This brings the scholarship numbers to roughly 10 out of the available 13 for the 2015-2016 season.  It wouldn't be too difficult to imagine another person jumping pro or transferring, which would open up 4 slots for this class.  Many of the players look committed now, but if they aren't getting playing time in roughly 2 seasons and Michigan lands some big 2014 recruits, they may start looking around for playing time.  With this in mind, the class will probably end up around the same size.  Verdict: 4 member 2015 class

2016 Cycle:
If predicting the 2015 class wasn't hard enough, for some reason I've taken the challenge of looking at 2016, which is nearly impossible.  Using the predictions listed above for the 2014 and the 2015 classes (which will probably prove faulty), it would leave 3-4 open scholarship positions for the 2016 class.  This depends on whether one of the older players transferred or one of Irvin or Walton jump pro as listed in the 2015 description.  For this, we'll just assume that it was not a transfer and both Irvin and Walton jump pro.  This would leave Donnal as the only person on the current roster left for the 2016-2017 season.  This gives you an idea of how far we are looking into the future.  Along with Donnal, there would be 4 scholarship players from 2014 and 4 scholarship players from 2015.  So this leaves a class of 4 assuming none of the 2014 or 2015 recruits leave, which seems to be a virtual lock to occur.  For instance, if Michigan lands Devin Booker, will he make it through 2 full seasons and not jump to the NBA?  Seems unlikely.  With this in mind, here's a way too early 2016 prediction.  Verdict: 5 member 2016 class

Derrick Walton Player Preview

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Get a preview of Michigan's new freshman point guard below:

Derrick Walton Player Preview

Michigan Looks To "Size Up" In The NBA

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Michigan basketball hasn't been in good shape for a long time.  Entering the 2011-2012 season, the Wolverines hadn't won a Big Ten championship since the Reagan administration and hadn't made a Final Four appearance in nearly 20 years.  Over the last two seasons, Michigan has erased these deficits and truly returned the Wolverines to national relevance.
However, one of the gaps that still exists is in the NBA.  Michigan has produced a bunch of quality NBA talent during its history, but right now, that talent pool has largely dried up.  Though the NBA ranges somewhere between 360-450 players at a time (varies due to roster size), Michigan only has 3 players on NBA rosters.  Along with this, they only have 1 player who has been a major contributor; Jamal Crawford.

Sure, Darius Morris got the chance to start a few playoff games and Juwan Howard was on the Miami Heat when they won the NBA title last year, but neither of these guys are exactly all-star caliber right now.  I won't minimize the significance of making an NBA roster because it's extremely difficult, but in terms of evaluating Michigan's performance in the NBA, being a contributor or on the bench is a pretty big difference.  If the Wolverines really want to increase the strength of their program and its relevance at the national level, putting quality players in the NBA is one of the biggest steps.

The good news is that Michigan is set to take a big step this year in achieving this goal.  They only have two players in serious consideration for this year's draft (Trey Burke & Tim Hardaway, Jr.), but both of these guys are in good position to get drafted and make an NBA roster.  Burke has been projected as an NBA lottery pick and Hardaway appears aimed to go somewhere in the 2nd round.  That is not only a big jump for Michigan simply in the number of NBA players for the program, but also in the number of quality players.  Burke has a very high probability to start in his rookie season and although Hardaway will probably fall into more of a Morris role, depending on the team, he might be able to log some solid minutes.

What's also significant is that this year's draft should inject some youth into Michigan's NBA players.  Howard is certainly nearing the end of his NBA career and even Crawford was drafted in 2000.  That gives Michigan just one player on an NBA roster that has been drafted in over a decade.  This really doesn't matter that much year to year, but it definitely increases the odds of Michigan having solid players in the future considering the typical length of NBA careers.

Plus, to go along with what should be a great NBA Draft for the Michigan Wolverines this year, they have a bunch of solid NBA prospects on their roster next season.  Not only will Michigan have two players that would have easily been drafted this year (Mitch McGary & GR3), but they are adding Zak Irvin who has the potential to be a one and done type of player, adding Derrick Walton who could certainly be drafted in a few years, and have a few guys like Nik Stauskas who will probably get on an NBA roster at some point.  If things continue at this rate, Michigan is going to have a big presence in the NBA not just in the next year, but 5-10 years down the road.

Michigan has definitely been making positive steps in rebuilding its program.  They've been making the NCAA Tournament, winning conference titles, and winning tourney games.  Michigan has also drastically improved its recruiting and is now bringing in top talent.  The only thing left to take Michigan's program to the next level is increasing its role in the NBA.  The Wolverines are in a good position to start fixing that this summer.

Quick Thoughts: Burke To The NBA

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A sad day, but something we all knew was coming:

Quick Thoughts: Burke To The NBA

Introducing 2014 Prospect Edmond Sumner

Although Michigan's 2014 recruiting has not gone completely according to plan with Keita Bates-Diop and Jae'sean Tate committing to Ohio State, there are a multitude of tremendous prospects still on the board.  One of the best players in the state for 2014 is point guard Edmond Sumner out of Detroit Country Day.  Michigan has not offered him a scholarship at this point, but they have expressed genuine interest in his abilities and could end up offering him sometime soon.

Sumner has a multitude of skills that make him one of the top prospects in the state.  Of course, as a point guard, he has good vision of the floor and has the ability to pass at will.  His greatest skill, however, is probably his ability to attack the basket.  He's not the greatest driver to the basket out there, but when he does drive, he has a knack to find wide open teammates that can either knock down the shot or drive it effectively.  Add on the fact he's a tremendous shooter, has a lot of motor, and is an aggressive defender and you have the makings of a very good prospect.  He has the ability to play multiple positions on the floor and I really have a feeling that he will move to the 2 spot in the future.  One thing that is for certain, he has some room to grow.  He will definitely have to get bigger before college.  I would also like to see him become a little more consistent on defense and work on his handle, which can be a bit sloppy at times.

Updating The 2013 ESPN100's Michigan Commits And Targets

In some of the better news of the offseason for Michigan basketball, ESPN has released their updated rankings for the 2013 class.  This takes all of the summer play that has occured into account so they can adjust their rankings.  Although these rankings are not cemented and are just about guaranteed to change before the players get on campus, this is when the list starts to get pretty solidified and it's much rarer to see players move too far up and down.  The scouts have finally gotten a good look at just about everyone and have seen for themselves whether they are the real deal or not.

Just a few quick reminders.  First, I have generally found that ESPN's basketball recruiting coverage has been the best of all the major recruiting services.  It's not perfect, but it has been the best.  Other services have done some great things and I think that they have improved in some areas, but overall, I still give the nod to ESPN.  The most important thing, however, is to compare where recruits are placed on different lists.  If a person uses just one or two services, they are probably going to get a limited idea of a recruit's potential.  Combining different recruiting services, offer lists, and videos seems to be the bes method for review.  You can see all the major scouting rankings for each class here.  Regardless, here are the rankings for the ESPN100 in 2013:

Updating 2013 Commit Derrick Walton

Michigan's highest rated commitment of the 2013 recruiting class is Derrick Walton.  He's a point guard from   Harper Woods, Michigan and appears to be Michigan's point guard of the future once Trey Burke leaves.  With all the drama that followed the 2011-2012 season regarding Trey Burke and his NBA Draft decision, it is at least somewhat reassuring to have someone waiting to replace him.  Compare the situation to when Darius Morris went pro.  He was a great point guard for the Wolverines and was going to be a challenge to replace, but with Trey Burke already coming to Ann Arbor, it made Morris' move a little less concerning.  The same should happen after this season, assuming Burke will go pro, because Walton will be arriving on campus just in time to replace Burke.


Walton certainly has the perfect size to play the point guard position, standing at 6'0" and weighing around 170 lbs.  He has great court vision and passing skills.  These are the things that drive his game, but his scoring has also improved over the last year as he scored 20 points or more in 10 of his last 11 games last year.  He also kept up his assist numbers and should be able to make an instant impact when he shows up at Michigan.  He probably won't be as good as Trey Burke immediately, but he has a much higher ceiling and a lot more potential than Burke in the long term.

Breaking Down 247Sport's Top 100 2013 Recruits For Michigan

Another set of rankings is out, which means another breakdown.  To me, breaking down these lists is important because there are often some pretty surprising findings and they give a better impression of Michigan's recruiting success.  Somebody may think a certain school or player is doing great because of a certain set of rankings, but if taken with the full body of evidence, that conclusion may not be so accurate.  With 247Sports' newest set of rankings for 2013's Top 100 basketball recruits, it only makes sense to dive in and see where Michigan's top commits and targets have placed.


Now, to preface this breakdown a bit more, I would just like to point out my general findings on these types of rankings.  I have nothing against 247Sports, but in my experience, I think ESPN's basketball recruiting coverage is the best in the market.  Does that mean they are 100% accurate?  Of course not.  They, like every other recruiting service, make major mistakes.  This is why it's better to look at as much info as you can find.  247Sports may not be quite as established or as good as ESPN in terms of ranking basketball talent, but they may actually spot something another recruiting service misses, which can really make a difference in evaluating a specific player.  So, here are the rankings for the Top 100 2013 recruits in the nation according to 247Sports :

New 2013 Rivals150 Boosts Michigan Recruits

Rivals has updated their ranking of the top 150 basketball players in the nation and their latest move definitely is a good one for Michigan.  Michigan's 2013 class already has four commitments and was recently ranked #2 in the nation by ESPN.  Obviously, with a class ranking that high, Michigan will be bringing some great players to campus in 2013.


As I pointed out in the past, some of the recruiting services haven't done the best job at evaluating Michigan's 2013 recruits.  Yes, there will always be some subjectivity, especially between different services, but some of the differences have been quite dramatic.  For instnace, 2013 Michigan commit Zak Irvin is well within the top 100 players in the country for both ESPN and Rivals, yett Scout has him outside of the top 100.  Some of these irregularities just don't make much sense.

Scout's 2013 Rankings Hurt Michigan

As I wrote about earlier, Michigan's 2013 basketball recruiting class has been receiving a lot of love from the recruiting services.  ESPN has ranked the class #2 in the nation and as the best in the Big Ten.  Scout has expressed a similar sentiment, but not quite as positive.  Scout has put Michigan's 2013 class as #6 in the nation, but as only the 3rd best in the Big Ten, behind Purdue and Indiana.

I'm not one that claims Michigan's recruits are always underrated like many analysts seem to do, but I would like to point out the differences between ESPN and Scout's rankings.  ESPN's basketball coverage has almost always been superior to Rivals and Scout, so I tend to lean towards their rankings, but that's not the only reason I think ESPN's rankings are more accurate for Michigan's 2013 recruiting class.

Michigan In Position For Big ESPN100 Haul

We all know that Michigan basketball's 2012 recruiting class brings a lot of great players and talent to Ann Arbor next year, but what about Michigan's future recruiting classes?  A few weeks ago I went through Michigan's recruiting chances in 2014, but what about 2013?  Well, ESPN has released their list of the top 100 players in the 2013 recruiting class and Michigan is looking very good.  Here are the Michigan commits and targets on the list:

COMMITS

Derrick Walton - #39 - PG - 4*
Walton has been committed to Michigan since August 1st of 2011 and brings some great talent to Ann Arbor.  Not only should he be the point guard that replaces Trey Burke when he eventually goes pro, which will likely be after next season, but he's an outstanding player.  He will be a great fit at the point, has great ball control, and really understands the game very well, which translates well to John Beilein's offense.  If Walton doesn't hit the ground running in 2013, I will be pretty surprised.




Zak Irvin - #61 - SG - 4*
This is a ranking that actually surprised me.  I knew Irvin wouldn't be higher than Walton and doesn't deserve to be a top ten recruit, but I really think he deserves to be higher than #61.  He is extremely talented and I think he's going to be an impact player for years to come at Michigan.  To me, if any of Michigan's players are going to blow it, it will be Irvin.  He is very talented and I do think that he's underrated on this list for what he brings to Ann Arbor.




Mark Donnal - #65 - PF/C - 4*
Donnal is a HUGE player.  Standing at 6'9" and weighing 225 lbs, he's easily Michigan's largest commit for 2013.  I think in the future he'll be a great big man for Michigan to accompany Mitch McGary.  Donnal and McGary are sure to be dominant up-front to accompany the tremendous talent of guys like Walton and Glenn Robinson III.  Bringing in this interior presence is really going to bring Michigan's team to the next level.  Donnal might be a little slower to develop, but he should have a little time with Michigan's current depth.

TARGETS

James Young - #5 - SG - 5*
Young is a very exceptional player and the only 5* recruit that Michigan is deeply pursuing according to most sources.  He's the type of player that can completely re-define a team, even as a freshman.  If there's one player beyond Michigan's current 5 commits that I would love to get, it would be Young.  He's also being deeply pursued by schools like MSU and OSU, so it'll be interesting to see what impact he has on the conference if he chooses a Big Ten school.




Demetrius Jackson - #31 - PG - 4*
Jackson is from Indiana and has an amazing amount of talent for any school.  He may not have as much raw talent as Young, but he's a very talented point guard and definitely has the ability to run an offense effectively.  The big question mark is whether he would want to commit to Michigan with Derrick Walton in the class who is also a point guard.  Personally, I don't see him as a likely commit, but hey, crazy things happen on the recruiting trail.




Dominic Woodson - #57 - C - 4*

Woodson, like current Michigan commit Mark Donnal, is a big guy.  He stands at 6'9" and weighs 265 lbs.  Similar to Jackson, the big question is whether he will want to commit to Michigan since they already have a talented center in Donnal.  With their size they will both probably play the same position on offense, so there would be a huge debate about who got playing time and at what position if both Donnal and Woodson committed.  This is another target that I don't see committing, but there's certainly a chance since Michigan appears to at least be a consideration right now.



Reggie Cameron - #67 - PF - 4*
Cameron is a very talented player and one that has at least a little potential in securing.  He's 6'7" and 210 lbs and would be a great fit alongside Donnal and McGary if he decided to commit.  He's from New Jersey and Michigan has been able to recruit some of the northeastern players so that's definitely not something that will exclude Michigan from landing a commitment.  The big question mark is whether Michigan will be able to beat out the numerous schools that are currently pursuing Cameron including NC State, Florida, and Villanova.


Jaren Sina - #75 - PG - 4*
Sina is a very talented point guard and could be a major pick-up for Michigan even though Derrick Walton is already committed.  He is from New Jersey and is 6'2" and weighs 175 lbs.  Other schools pursuing him are Syracuse and Virginia.  There are some other big name schools trying to get him so it will be an uphill battle for Michigan to say the least because of Walton's current commitment (not a bad thing).




E.C. Matthews - #85 - PG - 4*
Matthews is a point guard even though he's a 6'4" athlete.  He would certainly be a lot closer to a player like Darius Morris than Trey Burke.  The question mark again would be whether he wants to commit to Michigan despite another very talented point guard already being in the class.  This certainly wouldn't be a guarantee he wouldn't commit, but this is one that Michigan probably won't land.




Monte Morris - #94 - PG - 4*
Morris has been pursued by Michigan, but will probably not commit since he's being pursued by schools like Indiana and suffers under the same point guard issue that many of the other targets on this list have experienced.  He is very talented and could probably play at most places, but with Derrick Walton already committed, I don't think Morris will end up at Michigan, even though it would be great to have a player with his talents.






Devin Williams - #96 - PF - 4*
Williams is a recruit that I could definitely see committing to Michigan.  At 6'8" and weighing 220 lbs, I think he would be a great fit alongside Donnal and McGary and Michigan seems to be in solid shape right now.  He's from Ohio and battling schools like Illinois and Wisconsin will be a challenge, but he's definitely a guy I could see wearing the maize and blue starting in 2013.  Williams may not be very high on this list, but he's a player that has a great amount of talent and certainly would be a great pick-up for Michigan.

Michigan Basketball's 2012 Recruiting Class Review

Photo Credit: AnnArbor.com

With the commitment of Caris LeVert, Michigan's 2012 recruiting should finally be finished.  Many, including myself, thought Michigan's 2012 recruiting was finished after Spike Albrecht committed, but nobody could have predicted that the head coach of Ohio (green one) would leave and LeVert would re-open his recruitment.  Regardless, Michigan's 2012 basketball recruiting should be finished, barring some crazy events.

Knowing this, we can finally take a look at Michigan's entire class and see how it might impact Michigan both next season and in the future.  Recruiting has become a key component in building a successful college basketball team and Beilein has done a great job at assembling a class that addresses both the short-term and long-term needs of the program.  Obviously, a lot of developments changed the look of this class, including things like Trey Burke returning to Ann Arbor and the post-season transfers, but I do think Beilein did his best to get a recruiting class that addressed these concerns.

A key example of this can be seen in Spike Albrecht.  Now, he was primarily recruited to replace Trey Burke, since many assumed Burke was going pro, but he still fills a big need for the team.  Right now, there's a significant void at the point guard position.  Yes, Burke is there right now and is an outstanding player, but he will likely go pro after next season, which will leave a huge void at the position.  Derrick Walton, a very hyped 2013 point guard recruit, will be arriving on campus and will be the favorite to replace Trey Burke in 2013, but relying on a true freshman is never a great move.  Albrecht will likely be a redshirt freshman and will probably be a somewhat capable player.  So, even though the major need for Albrecht, which was replacing Trey Burke, isn't needed anymore, he still fills a big role for the team.

Along with this, Michigan was able to add a significant amount of size and talent for the future.  Michigan will be bringing in three players listed in the ESPN 100.  Each of these players have received grades of at least 92 from ESPN, are above 6'6", and will likely get playing time next season.  In fact, I predicted that Glenn Robinson III and Mitch McGary would each get a starting spot next season*.  For a team as solid as Michigan was last year, this is pretty impressive.

Michigan had a great year last season, but there were a few basic elements that the team lacked and the most obvious was size.  Addressing this is key and with the addition of McGary, Robinson, and Stauskas, this should be a problem of the past.  Now, whether all three of these recruits reach their full potential is something that is a question mark, but I think it's a safe bet that at least some of these guys will be making a significant impact both next season and in the near future.

And finally, Michigan filled out its class with the late commit Caris LeVert.  LeVert hasn't received much love from the scouting services (rated as a 2* by ESPN), but I think he may find a useful role with the team.  He certainly isn't going to start next year and I'm not sure if he'll get any playing time, but I believe he is Michigan's best "steal" in this class.  If there's one player in this class that will be a pleasant surprise, it will be LeVert.  He has a lot of raw talent, but I think he simply got overlooked by the scouting services to an extent.  I'm not saying he's going to be the Big Ten Player Of The Year or something, but I think he could develop into a Novak-type player and could be very productive for the team.

Overall, I would say this class deserves an A- as a rating.  It has a very elite recruit (Robinson III), a solid big man (McGary), a great shooter (Stauskas), a steal (LeVert), and a player to fill depth for the next few years (Albrecht).  Some of the recruits probably could have been a little better, primarily LeVert and Albrecht, but ultimately, it's tough to demand much more given the circumstances.  Few thought Burke would deeply consider the NBA at the beginning of the year, which made it very difficult for Beilein to recruit for the future.  Along with this, nobody could have predicted several players would transfer late, opening up even more depth for the team.

Considering these circumstances, this is a great recruiting class and one that could really solidify Michigan as a basketball team and program.  No recruit or recruiting class will make a team or a program, but with Michigan's recent momentum and Beilein's great coaching, I see no reason why this class won't be very productive both next season and the future.  Fans should be very excited to see these guys arrive on campus next fall, as they'll likely continue Michigan's recent winning traditions.


* - Note: My predictions were made before the Trey Burke announcement, so ignore Spike Albrecht as the starter

Michigan Basketball In Play For Top 2014 Recruits

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With the release of the Top 50 players according to Rivals, we can now take a look at the position of Michigan's recruiting chances in 2014.  How many recruits is Michigan seriously pursuing and does Michigan have a chance with these top recruits?  Michigan has done very well recruiting for the 2012 and 2013 classes and it should be surprising that Michigan will be competing for some of the top recruits in 2014.

First, before we get into Michigan's chances, let's take a general look at the list.  Only two schools (Virginia, Indiana) currently have commitments on the list.  This shouldn't be surprising, as it's well over two years before any of these recruits will appear on campus, but it does show the momentum of Indiana's program.  Along with this, the list is pretty well spread out geographically, although it is interesting to note that 6 of the top 15 players on the list come from the Midwest area.  Obviously, this does not mean Michigan will get commitments from any of these players, but it does show that there is a lot of talent in the area and that most of the Big Ten teams will probably have a good recruiting year.

Now that we've gone through a few interesting things about the list, let's go into the topic everyone cares about.  Where does Michigan stand with the recruits on the list?  In my opinion, Michigan is in solid shape for several of these recruits.  Michigan will probably never be able to match the recruiting status of teams like Kentucky, but if Beilein is able to keep landing high caliber recruits it will just be a matter or time before he is able to build Michigan's program and prestige for the long-term.

1.  Rashad Vaughn - G - #26 - 4*
Vaughn is a player that I believe could make an immediate impact at Michigan if he reaches campus.  He is listed as 6'4" according to Rivals, but 6'5" and 180s lbs by Scout.  Rivals has him as 4*, but Scout doesn't seem to have him quite as high.  Some of his other offers include schools like Tennessee, Texas, Iowa, and Baylor.  I really think he's a player that could have a big impact playing as a SG.  With Derrick Walton coming in 2013, I couldn't imagine how aggressive Michigan could be with Walton and Vaughn.  This is one to keep on eye on for Michigan fans.


2.  Devin Booker - G - #31 - 4*

Booker is from Moss Point, MS and has received much attention as of late.  Rivals has him listed as 6'3" and weighing 180 lbs, but Scout has him at 6'4" and weighing 175 lbs.  Most speculate that Michigan is in good position to land a commitment, though very early.  Booker also seems to be set-up to be a SG at Michigan, although others speculate that he might be able to play PG as well.  He averaged 23 points per game over this season at his high school, which is pretty impressive.  His father also played in the pros, which may follow the tradition of NBA offspring choosing Beilein as a coach for their sons.  He would be a great pick-up for Michigan and I do think he has the possibility of moving up a bit farther over the next year or so, although it's too early to say for sure.

3.  Keita Bates-Diop - F - #39 - 4*

Keita is from Normal, Illinois (Yes, that's really the name of the town).  He is listed as a small forward, 6'7", and 190 lbs by Rivals and he is listed as a power forward, 6'6", and 180s lbs by Scout.  I think he's a bit too small to be a true power forward for Michigan, especially with some of the immense size Beilein is bringing to campus, but he could do some damage as a small forward for Michigan if he ends up on campus.  He's being recruited by several other Big Ten schools including Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Northwestern, so picking him up would be pretty big.  I would like to see what he can do over the next few months before I can predict the scale of his impact right away if he comes to Michigan.

4.  Drake Harris - G - #46 - 4*

This could be the most interesting recruit in the 2014 class for Michigan.  Not only is he from Grand Rapids, Michigan, but he is also being heavily pursued by MSU.  This could be one of the first major Beilein vs. Izzo recruiting battles.  Along with this, there is speculation that Harris could be a two sport athlete and play football in the fall and basketball in the winter.  I'm not so sure how feasible this would be in college athletics, but it's certainly something unusual.  Izzo has said he's a "priority" for MSU, which is going to make it pretty hard for Beilein to get him in Ann Arbor.  Harris has had good things to say about Michigan, however, and I think his recruitment is far from over.  Harris is listed as 6'4" and weighing 180 lbs.  This is probably the commit I want the most in this class.  Not only because he's an outstanding player, but who doesn't like stealing a commit away from their rival?

5.  Trevon Bluiett - F - #47 - 4*

The final recruit Michigan seems to be deeply pursuing hails from Indianapolis, Indiana.  He is listed as 6'5" and weighing 185 lbs and a small forward.  Bluiett, like Harris, is going to be a battle for Michigan.  He has received attention from many schools including Indiana, Illinois, MSU, Notre Dame, and OSU.  He is amazingly talented and is going to be a great pick-up for whichever schools he ultimately decides to attend.  This is purely specualtion, but I think this could be a recruitment that goes far in to the future.  Indiana has been doing a great job at snatching up their in-state talent, but I think this might be a player that takes a little longer to convince, if they do at all.



Whether or not Michigan lands these recruits, it should be a great year for Michigan.  Since Michigan has been able to secure so many early commitments in 2012 and 2013, the coaching staff has been able to dedicate a lot of time to 2014 recruiting, which should ultimately help bring in another great class to Ann Arbor.  Make sure to stay tuned because the recruiting battles should start heating up between Michigan and some of the big-time college basketball programs this year.